Historic Albertan town a stone's throw from Calgary, chock full of community spirit

Strathmore's roots dig deep into Alberta's history.

In 1883, during the eastward construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the tracks ended at a small hamlet. That hamlet would come to be known as Strathmore, reportedly named by Scotsman James Ross, who was in charge of the rail project.

Housing activity in Calgary's surrounding communities continues at a brisk pace with record-setting quarterly sales in Airdrie, Okotoks and Cochrane.

Year-to-date, 2,938 units were sold in surrounding towns up to and including June 30, a 31 per cent increase over last year.

"In addition to lifestyle preferences, tighter supply conditions for Calgary single-family homes in more affordable price ranges are fueling demand in many of the areas surrounding Calgary," said CREB® president Bill Kirk.

I started my flower seeds last weekend and I am not using a greenhouse. I am using my growop — a bank of lights tucked into a niche off the kitchen.

The phrase "grow-op" has certain negative implications but I swear I'm not breaking any laws. I love flowers and I hate the big price of buying them retail so I am starting a few at home from seed.

Flowers and vegetables that offer some tasty tidbits for your table

So, time to fess up now. Do you ever feel like a bit of a show off?

I might have been showing off a bit when my new Italian friend Josie dropped by last week to see my greenhouse.

Calgary's million dollar market continues to shatter records

Just one month after setting the all-time record for luxury sales, Calgary's million dollar homes market has once again set a new mark.

June saw 104 sales of homes priced at $1 million or more, topping the previous record of 94 million-dollar plus sales, set in May. Prior to that, the previous record was 83, set in May 2013.