September is upon us, and the first day back to school. Our school system delayed starting up the last week of August until Sept. 4, after the last big holiday of summer, Labour Day. Irene Greer is back to driving the local Baljennie school bus. The start of school ends another holiday season. Back to the books until the next long weekend, Thanksgiving Day in October.
The recreation board for the RM of Glenside met at the home of Dorothy Mills Sept.4 for the first board meeting of a new season. Board members attended from three districts. New grant money to do our next season's projects and donations has been approved and received. To begin with donations will be made to the Crane Creek and Lizard Lake quilt projects as well as to the Sonningdale Ladies' Quilt Club, Diamond Lodge in Biggar, Ranger Lake Bible Camp, Maymont Dance Club for dance lessons and Lizard Lake Ladies in Motion for yoga classes.
There will be a utility all-purpose craft bag making class Nov. 12 at Baljennie Community Centre. For anyone interested, there will be a list of materials available needed at the class. Contact Joan Rayner or any other board members.
In the new year, at Spinney Hill Community Centre April 1, 2013, Andrea Owen will be instructing a class on making bird houses from old books. There will be a list of materials needed for the class.
The next meeting is set for Nov. 5 at 7:30 pm at the home of Lexie Dehr of the Lizard Lake area.
Stanley and Dorothy Mills were recent visitors with Dorothy's brother John and Arlene, Shannon and Edward Rowlands and boys, Deana and Mark Isaac and daughter Terra of the Battlefords.
Visiting with Stanley and Dorothy Mills was Kim and Melody Lamont, and also Kim's parents Ron and Stella of Kindersley.
Fall is really in the air when you hear the call of the Sand Hill cranes starting on the trip to southern areas for the winter months. The Canada geese and snow geese are starting to move south and to feed in flocks in the harvested fields and swathed fields as well.
Once September arrives, the little hummingbirds start to clear out quickly, even though the weather is still mild. They were late arriving due to the cool, wet spring we had. To my surprise, they were seen again back at the feeders the second week of September.
Gold finches and many other finches are still about the feeders and the blooming sunflower plants. The robins are still about. Crows are starting to flock as well. One day we had a turkey vulture visit our yard. There have been a lot of blue herons about most of the summer, close to the sloughs full of water.
Harvesting has slowly been going but it has had many holdups from rain showers, cool days and the lack of warm, sunny days; and the days are somewhat shorter as the season passes. Being so cool in the night hours, it leaves a very wet, heavy dew in the morning that does not dry off till mid-morning and the dew comes in early in the evening, close to the sunset.
Peas and lentils are being swathed and combined right away. Most canola fields are all swathed and some fields are being combined. Others are still waiting to be combined. Wheat, barley and oat fields are still standing. Most of the fields have been dessicated, sprayed to bring them on faster. Green feed is being swathed for winter grazing.
