Kolin, Cheryl Bulmer and family are mourning the loss of Kolin's father, Howard Bulmer, who was a resident at River Heights Lodge in North Battleford. Howard and his wife Effie previously farmed in the Lilac area. He loved to sing and play his guitar. Howard composed some of his own country western selections, which are features on a CD he made a few years ago. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. Their daughter Colleen Prescesky passed away a couple of years ago.
Get well wishes are extended to Bev Thomas who underwent shoulder surgery in Saskatoon this past week.
Former postmistress and farmer Dorothy Youst is a patient in Battlefords Union Hospital. Dorothy resides at Caleb Manor in North Battleford. We wish her a speedy recovery.
Leo Lafreniere is now residing at Davidson Manor in North Battleford, but still returns to his farmyard frequently, because that has been his home and farm life for many years. Leo always looks forward to having visitors.
Lorna Lavallee, who farmed east of Mayfair, has been at Davidson Manor for at least six years and loves living in the senior complex.
Local bus driver Teresa Toews added a couple of new faces to her bus in September. New additions are Eric Holmes' two sons, Connor and Ethan, attending Hafford School. Their grandma Helen Holmes informed me his three daughters are all enrolled in university. Haley is at the U of S in her second year and wants to get into nursing. Robin is also at the U of S in her third year in psychology and Jada is in Vancouver at UBC in her last year in a sciences college. It is always wonderful to see young people taking their future seriously and wanting to be successful in their chosen fields.
Life is never dull when you are parents to 12 children, lots of grandchildren and some great-grandchildren. I am referring to Mary and Gordon Kennedy, who still reside near Mullingar. The August long weekend had their yard looking more like a trailer park. Ten of their kids plus all of the others had a heck of a good get together playing volleyball and badminton. Mary said the sibling rivalry was on. With much fun, laughter and no end of food, they can’t wait to plan their next year's family reunion. When everyone left, Mary had more baking than what she initially did for the reunion.
The following Saturday they attended Viola's son Riley's wedding in Lee Park, a small town north of Marwayne, Alta. The couple of their kids who could not return to the family farm for the reunion were at this wedding. They were happy to have seen the complete family all within one week.
Gordon and Mary's oldest daughter Viola and husband Dave have resided in Laos for the past five years. She teaches English and he instructs first aid. They frequently vacation in nearby countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. Viola and Dave's children are all on their own and the older generation get to live their dream.
Mary Kennedy informed me that Sept. 26 she and Gordon celebrated 63 years of marriage. Congratulations on this milestone.
Here is a true story about a grandmother going into panic mode! Three grandchildren ages 5, 3 and 1, their mother and family pet, a beagle dog, drove in their van to have supper in the field with grandparents and uncles. The grandmother packed up the remainders of the food and dishes while the children and their mother excitedly went for a combine ride.
She put the dog into the van because she did not want the pet to get run over by the combines, semis and other equipment in this area. Tired grandma phoned the kids' mother and said she was going home in her half ton and they could leave at their convenience. Before she left, they were all back and also ready to leave. Trying to open the door to the van, the mother realized the dog had locked the door to the van and her purse and two sets of vehicle keys were inside.
Luckily, grandma had her purse, which she rarely takes to the field, and hurriedly called CAA. The office dispatcher in Regina answered after receiving many recorded announcements. The dispatcher insisted on knowing what number the grid road was on, but how does one know when you are far from any main road?
When her supervisor was requested, things went a little more smoothly with directions and they were told it would be considered a rush, after about a 15-minute conversation. "Hang on tight, because you might have to wait for one hour for help," said the supervisor.
The tow truck was to come from Spiritwood to unlock the van door. Within 20 minutes, a light came on inside the locked van, which meant that all of the sudden it was unlocked. The wonderful dog had jumped enough on the door buttons that it had actually unlocked the door. Moments before, the dog had people swearing at him. Oh, what a happy ending. One child quit crying and could get his drink from the van and they could go to the grandparents' farm with the suitcases still packed inside the now unlocked vehicle.
Grandma ran back to her vehicle to phone back and reveal that the dog had unlocked the door, much to everyone's amusement. True story, yes, because I am the grandmother in the story, with my daughter, her three children, and the dog named Lazar that caused a slight problem in the middle of nowhere.
Obviously the CAA dispatcher thought this very hilarious and even now I can actually laugh and hope this will never happen again. Amanda informed me that next time I am to keep the window to the van open. Seems that dogs like to go to the field for supper as much as grandchildren do. Next thing you know, dogs will also request a combine ride.
With the rain occurring and the days getting colder and shorter, it will still be a lengthy harvest. I am sure there will be very few farmers who will be completed harvest by Thanksgiving. We were finished by that weekend last year, which was actually the earliest ever. Hang on tight and hope everyone will get to enjoy a turkey feast this weekend. Be thankful for everything and all the people in your life.
