Phil and Lorna Bater went with Orville and Linda Peterson of Cando to Delburne, Alta. on a recent weekend. They attended the funeral for Ruby Laye of Lousana, Alta. Ruby passed way suddenly a week before. Ruby and her husband, Bill Laye, ranched and farmed on the old John Thompson land at Cando for a number of years before they moved back to Delbune.
Stanley and Dorothy Mills were recent visitors at the home of Dorothy's brother John and Arlene Rowlands and family of rural Battleford.
We are well into the holiday season. It's a time for people to get away and do different things or visit relatives and friends. Take a well-earned break and get away.
The Trans Canada Trail runs through the local area close to the old trail route and all along the North Saskatchewan River to the Battlefords. A few days ago a young fellow was hiking through the area following the trail to points in British Columbia. He had done part of the trail was from eastern areas in 2012 and hopes to finish the trail this year. We saw this fellow at the start of the North Saskatchewan River road on the old trail, but unfortunately we did not talk with him. Others in the area had talked with him however.
June has certainly been a month of rainfall. Plenty of tornados and thunderstorms were forecast. Several funnel clouds have been seen close to this area, but so far there are no reports of damage. It has been just over four years, June 30, 2009, when our farm experienced a tornado and we are both so lucky to be here to tell the tale. We are just so thankful someone was watching over us on that terrible day. The cleanup from that storm still goes on.
Heavy rains have left fields full of mud and water holes. It was a challenge to get the seeded fields sprayed. Some crops are showing slow growth, but progressing where they are not waterlogged. There are a few fields that did not get seeded. In July we'll look for hot sunny days to move the crops along.
The RM of Glenside is having a struggle to cope with the frost boils and soft rutted spots on the main roads. They seem to pound out so bad with just normal traffic, let alone the big tractors and semi trucks. It's hard to know just how to handle and report these potholes. With so much moisture they are so much softer. Until now they haven't had much of a chance to dry out for the repair crew to move in. Now, at last, the work crew has been busy putting in some new culverts.
The North Saskatchewan River peaked to high flood level in late June. Rainfall in Alberta and hot days to melt the snow in the Rocky Mountains made the water high. North Battleford did not have too much of a problem with flood except a water treatment plant. Battlefords District Care Centre had to get prepared for the worst that did not happen. Areas west of the new bridges did fill up fast with flood water. Beyond the city the big flat Battle River valley to the south filled up with the flood water. It left some crop land unworkable and machinery under water. A much larger area of pasture land is under water. It drove the livestock up into the hills to the south.
A celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 4-H movement in Canada, will be held Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 at the Baljennie Community Centre. Registration is Saturday at 1 p.m. There will be a beef supper Saturday at 5 p.m. at $10 per person. Sunday the day's activities will begin with a pancake breakfast at 9 a.m. followed by another day full of activities. For information contact Maralyn Wintersgill at 306-937-7172. I apologize for mistakes in some dates in my last report.
