MEYRONNE - Darryl Smith is a young, strong, enterprising, and hard working family man who farms slightly north and west of Meyronne, Saskatchewan.
He farms about 8,000 acres with his father and brother. His uncle also helps out. He is father to three children - two boys and one girl.
His lovely wife, Violet, works at the hospital in nearby Gravelbourg.
Last year, when COVID-19 hit, Darryl found he had just a wee bit more time than usual on his hands, so he took off his farmer / husband / dad HAT and put on his ‘thinking’ CAP. Being frugal, resourceful, and industrious, he thought there must be some practical and functional use for his old, used grain bags! Surely these huge, tough, plastic bags have more than just one life. Surely to goodness, they can be re-cycled or re-used, he thought. And sure enough, they can.
Here’s what Darryl did - adding a few ‘improvements’ to his last year’s first effort. He built a long, long, long ‘Slip ‘n Slide’ water ‘run’ for his kids. He wanted them to be able to enjoy some much needed summer fun and stay cool in the process, on our scorching hot summer days here in Saskatchewan. He finished his water slide just in time!
First, he took a 250 foot long grain bag, and slit it open from end-to-end.
Then, he selected a small ‘hill’ on the east side of his farm yard where he planned to build his slide. Next, he dug a large hole at the bottom of the hill. This hole would become the ‘holding-pool’ for the water he would later haul in. Then, he built the top of the hill somewhat higher, by hauling in gravel and dirt from his own farm. Next, he laid the almost indestructible, heavy plastic grain bag in place on the hill where the ‘slide’ was to be.
He made certain the ‘black’ side of the bag - not the white side - faced upwards toward the sun so that it could absorb the warmth of its strong summer rays.
Darryl jokes proudly with a grin on his face, “that’s my solar heat”! He then secured the edges of the ‘slide’ by hauling in dirt to hold the grain bag firmly in place. Next, he hauled in several truck loads of water from the town of Lafleche nearby, and filled the pool he had dug at the bottom of the hill. Finally, Darryl hooked up a couple of water pumps to keep the water circulating from the pool at the bottom, to the top of the slide, and back around again. After some tinkering and tweaking, the ‘Slip ‘n Slide was finally ready for action.
What the Smith family did next, may surprise you. They picked up the phone and invited all their family and friends to come enjoy Darryl’s one of a kind, unique, ‘hand-made with love’ creation.
One last thing. At the end of a day of total fun and frivolity, what does Darryl do? He serves everyone - not just the kiddies - with Popsicles and various other yummy frozen treats just before they all head for home ... Exhausted. And happy!
Darryl Smith - you deserve the ‘Dad-of-the-Decade’ award!!! Tip of the ole’ Stetson hat to ya ...
