It has been so dry and hot in the local area for some time, but it's ideal weather for the haymakers to finish up their winter supply of bales, and all in dry condition. Many grass areas and hay meadows have been cut and are all baled up. The hay yield was good this time.
The crops are all advancing well and to this point no rain. Some nights have been on the cool side with heavy dew most mornings most of the summer and not too many hot days in July. This made the growing season slow and behind other years.
With the August and September heat, the crops have advanced faster. Some crops have been desiccated to speed up the ripening in the areas with green patches showing. Early canola crops are being swathed and ready to combine right away. Most of the pea fields are combined. The extreme heat has really made a difference to bring on the harvest much faster. Yields are up and good quality grain is being harvested.
Sad to hear the recent passing of Delmar King of Saskatoon. He was married to the late Alberta Mcgaffin of the local area. Alberta passed away a few years ago, and Delmar has been in a seniors' home in Saskatoon for the past few years before his passing. Sympathy to all the family.
On the Labour Day weekend Sunday, Phil and Lorna Bater, along with Lorna's sister Doreen Parker of Radisson, spent some time at Redberry Lake Park with the Karis and the Prices. They were all spending a beautiful last summer weekend boating and swimming at the lake as it was a perfect summer day.
Stanley and I (Dorothy) Mills were pleased that our only granddaughter Madeline Pishori of Mississauga, Ont., graduated in June. Madeline is our daughter Elaine's daughter. Madeline will be attending a college in the Toronto area for a two-year course on fashion design.
Also, Glen and Donna Mills's oldest son, Devin Mills, our grandson graduated in June and will be going to college in Kelowna, B.C., taking a two-year course in computer science in the fall.
The province of Saskatchewan has become a haven for wild boar pigs. At one time they were domesticated animals on boar pig farms. Some of them have been let go or escaped the farms into the wild and are on the move to all parts of the province. They multiply faster than the coyotes do. They are very aggressive and are doing so much damage to the farmers' crops and even around the cattle in some areas.
They can be very nasty and mean and are to be watched if they are about. An old boar pig can weigh up to four or five hundred pounds and is not afraid of anything. They have long razor-blade fangs. Farmers and hunters are on the alert to destroy as many as they can. The RMs are helping to control the wild boars.
They had been in our area at one time, not to say that they are still about. Keep your eyes open and do not get caught with them about.
There are also many moose about our area. An old mother moose and her twins have been close about our yard and the pea fields and through the vegetable garden patch.
The while-tailed deer have been a problem at the garden the past few years. Not too many white tail deer any more but the mule deer have taken over the area. They are all about the garden and love the cherry trees' new leaf growth. So far they have left the garden alone.
After the pea fields were combined, huge flocks of Canadian grey and snow geese arrived to do the last picking of dry peas, A big slough and a day out is close by for them all. The whole body of water is covered with the squawking geese.
The little hummingirds were late to arrive in May and there are not as many about the feeders this season. They packed up the last week in August and left for their southern winter home, except for one little fellow that stayed about the well until September. They are such a welcome sight to see about the garden flowers and feeders. They will be missed.
There were a good variety of different butterflies about the garden flowers in June and July. They have all left. Now we have a great many woolly black caterpillars about and a few pale yellow ones.
