Who Is Poached Egg Woman?

The more I get to know Sue Bland -- AKA Poached Egg Woman -- the more I relax. (Those who know me well are thinking, "I wish Sheena would get to know Sue much, much better." Don't worry, I'm working on it.)

Sue contacted me shortly after I began my Treaty Walks blog. She told me that she worked for the Saskatchewan Justice and Right Relations http: http://justicerightrelations.wordpress.com/ and wondered if she might share my blog with her network. I was kind of shy and self-doubting back then, and I wasn't sure what to say to this woman who was taking my Treaty Walks, so seriously. I assumed that Sue was a very serious person.

Little did I know.

For starters, Sue has this great, big smile. And when she smiles, a good laugh is to follow. And when she laughs, well, she's not afraid to throw in a chortle or two.

I remember meeting up with Sue outside of the Community Outreach. Marg, Sue and I were making signs and writing letters about Chief Spence as well as Idle No More for a Walk in Regina later that morning. Sue had been waiting in her car, and it was December, so she had left the motor running. As she jumped out, she was laughing. She turned off her car and declared, "Idle No More."

To which I replied, "I want to make a poster of an old car, spewing exhaust, that says, "Idle No More. It's Exhausting."

Sue snorted.

For the past year and a half, Sue has been my great encourager, with her playful spirit and kind words. She's driven to my house in the morning, on numerous occasions, treaty walked me to school, then walked all the way back to my place to pick up her vehicle. She has facilitated a weekend called Treaty Days at which Keitha and I co-hosted. Most recently, she brought the first ever, Frog Moon Cafe, to life at the Calling Lakes Centre. (See her blog post "Frog Moon Magic" at
http://poachedeggwoman.ca/?p=667

And really, when Sue started blogging as Poached Egg Woman that about says it all.

But, you know, when I used to think Sue was so serious, I wasn't all that off the mark. In fact, Sue takes her light-heartedness very seriously. In our Idle No More Community Circle, Sue often reminds us of the importance of play and just being together. And really, she has to keep light in her heart, because she is not afraid to walk into some very dark situations. I'll never forget last spring, taking my grade ten students to the Truth and Reconciliation gathering at the Governance Centre here in Fort Qu'Appelle, and seeing Sue stand up, and read an apology on behalf of the United Church of Canada for it's part in the legacy of Residential Schools.

So today, on my Treaty Walks blog, I celebrate my friend, Poached Egg Woman. And I promise that I will continue to get to know her until my heart is as full of light as hers.

 

 Who is Poached Egg Woman?

http://poachedeggwoman.ca/

 

Did I mention that Poached Egg Woman is an Artist?

 

Don't miss her upcoming

SOLO ART SHOW AND SALE: “Taking Flight: Exploring Birds and Other Winged Creatures in the Art of Sue Bland” http://poachedeggwoman.ca/?page_id=419

Mother’s Day Weekend -Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Qu’Appelle Valley Centre for the Arts in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan.
 
Photo by Cherie Westmoreland

 

 

Sue writes, "Please come, bring your mom, your gramma, your aunties or a good friend. I will be bringing my mum and gramma’s tea cups and serving tea. There will also be art table set up giving you and yours an opportunity to make paper birds, flowers or other creations of your own. (Check Galleries for some of the flying creatures I will be showing, others can be found in the post “An Exultation of Larks“.) I am delighted with the beautiful natural light and many windows at the Qu’Appelle Valley Centre for the Arts."

For a map of Fort Qu’Appelle, click here. If you are coming from Regina, turn left on Bay Street (just past the Country Squire) and left again on 4th Street (between the Anglican and United Church).