Many folks were complaining about the hot weather, but not this week. It is still windy and dry, but not hot. The fruit trees are in bloom or coming into bloom, so there are many pretty ones around. There are a lot of saskatoon bushes in this area as well as chokecherry trees, so there may be a good crop if the moisture situation is right.
One of the many people fleeing Fort McMurray was my grandson Greg Lambert, his wife Jordanna, 13-year-old Claudia and 16-year-old Joseph plus one dog. Each parent picked up a child from different schools before heading out at 4 p.m. It took four hours to get out of town, as the city is built along the highway in sections, so is a few miles long. They drove, 20 miles apart, to Fort Saskatchewan, to Jordanna’s sister’s home, arriving at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, exhausted and stressed. We don’t know yet if their house burned or not. They were really grateful for their cellphones, so they could keep in touch along the way. Another family from the Leoville area, the three sons of Myrtle Moore, also had to evacuate and find accommodations and supplies for their families. The home of their brother Calvin at Lac La Biche helped on the way, but they have to be in Edmonton to fly out to work when the oil companies get reorganized.
While Joyce and Beth were here, we went to the funeral of another of our pioneers in Spiritwood. This lady, who passed 12 days short of turning 99 years of age, was the wife of our kid’s’school bus driver, John Conn. Marjorie has lived with her granddaughter Michelle Higgins in Spiritwood and area ever since John passed away many years ago. We met many of our old friends and neighbours, so it was a special day of memories for us.
The next seniors’ meeting is this Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Do Drop In. So do come and bring some ideas for summer activities with you.
The Community Complex luncheon will be held May 20, another chance to meet your neighbours and socialize and enjoy some good home-cooked food, for a good cause – the hall itself.
Summer hours at the transfer site are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The Meota United/Anglican Church is holding a plant and bake sale May 21 from 9 a.m. to noon. Donations are welcome.
Gloria and her staff plan to reopen the concession at the beach May 18. Come on out and join them for tasty morsels. We’ll soon know what they are offering on their menu.
Several of the cement blocks that stand on the berm around the swimming hole were tipped over by the ice, but have been taken care of. This seems to happen most springs and no permanent damage results.
The library reported for the first three months of 2015 that there were 724 books checked out and in 2016 there were 1,231 books checked out, a noticeable increase. Inventory has been completed of more than 5,000 books. If you can work a three-hour shift at the next bingo (date not set yet) on a Friday afternoon contact Debbie at 306-892-2004. Every Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. is visitors Day at the library. Our librarian Debbie Pearce has been serving our patrons since May of 1997, so knows her job well and is appreciated for her work.
Duplicate bridge was played here Tuesday, May 3 with top score by Vern Iverson and Gerry Fernandes. Second high were David Sharpe and Trudy Iverson and third were Ray and Marnie Davie. In town Thursday night top score went to Jetta and Terence Dasilva. Second high were David Sharpe and Mary Greenwald and third were Glen Fraser and Jean Lawes.
An evening of playing canasta was enjoyed at the Do Drop In on May 6 with top score by Linda Ard and John Soloninko. Second were Muriel Tebay and Lorna Pearson and third were Bev McCrimmon and Janice Morton.
Summer hours at the Meota Store from May 13 to Sept. 10 are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Many mothers enjoyed their Sunday dinner with family at the local Meota Hotel café, which offered a choice of chicken or steak plates. It was a full-house occasion with fine service, too.
There are still some copies of the McMillan/Hamlin history book Prairie Echoes available, and a bit cheaper now that the capital cost is nearly recouped. One of these would make a great gift for a wedding or birthday or any occasion and a great souvenir of our pioneers and their families. It is a beautiful book and offers lots of good reading of the pioneer experiences.
One of the nice stories to come out of the Fort McMurray tragedy is about Anna MacDonald. Anna, from Hunters Cove, PEI, has a water truck and has been hauling water to the fire trucks thus saving them precious time as they can stay on site. She is alone and has been sleeping in her car. Her two children — one in Prince Edward Island and one in the United States — would be proud of her. A tribute to Anne was posted on Facebook.
Pretty disappointing not to get the last two final curling games from the last tournament on our cable reception, and now the program directory is black, but no matter what they give us, the bill never fails to arrive on time.
Contract bridge was played at the Do Drop In on May 9 with top score going to Mary Greenwald and second high to Maureen Campbell.
The shuffleboard tournament planned for Saturday in Meota has been cancelled as not enough people are signed up.
