Visiting with Stanley and Dorothy Mills was Eileen Peters of Rainbow Lake, Alta. On her way down, she made a stop at Athabasca to spend a night with close family members. While in the area, she spent more time with family members and made a short trip to Brandon, Man. to visit family members. She always made a trip out to Baljennie to check on her farmland and the family grave sites in St. Bridget's Cemetery.
Get well wishes go out to Gwenda Rondesvedt of North Battleford. She is a patient at the Battlefords Union Hospital. Hope you will be home soon.
Fire, fire and more fires. When will it all come to an end? Everything is so tinder dry. We do need a good soaking rainfall to settle all the dryness. The grass, weeds and leaves on the trees will also like the rain.
There were a few scary hours during an out-of-control wildfire in the Eagle Hills area that got started on the reserve, jumped the highway and tore through into farmland and bushes. With the fast help of neighbours and a Caterpillar they were able to get it under control.
Many yards were full of such thick, heavy smoke. The fire got pretty close to two occupied farmyards. There are fire bans on all over this area, but fires still get started and spread quickly.
Farmers are getting a good early start on the land working the soil, putting on fertilizer and getting ready to seed. Some seeding has already started. They are at least a week to 10 days ahead of the past few years, as there have been long, cool springs. A small percentage has been seeded already.
The moisture is not too bad for a start, but with no rain in the forecast it will be dry soon. Seeding early also puts crop at risk of a late spring frost. It's expensive to have to reseed crops and does make things that much later to harvest in the fall.
Pest control officer for the RM of Glenside, John Hammond, has been out doing his spring rounds, checking for rodents and leaving poison bait wherever needed. Once the weeds start to grow, he will be back later in the spring to control them. There are a few bad patches to be controlled before they spread to the farmers’ fields close by.
Some early trees are sprouting rich, fresh green leaves. Lots of green grass is showing up fast with the warm, mild sunny days. The wild crocuses and pussy willows are all putting on a good show, with flowers and buds all over the place. It is a welcome sight to see them all after the long winter.
I wonder what is going on with the wild white and grey geese, as they all returned in flocks but are still flying around in big flocks. Some fields are so covered with the white geese that you have to really look to be sure it is not more snow on the ground. Some will be nesting and likely have little goslings about already.
The Western Development Museum held a workshop May 2 at the museum. It was for all the volunteers interested in the gas operated antique tractors and other engines. They were hoping for a good turnout of interested volunteers. Anyone interested is most welcome to come to the museum any time and get all the information needed from the museum staff. They will be most pleased to help you out.
Visitors are always welcome to come out and help out in their field of interest. It's a fun time for all the older men just to get together. Extra volunteers are always needed for a new season of upcoming events. Memberships are available as well.
The next workshop day is set for May 12. There was a good turnout at the last workshop day.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers.
