As usual, the weather is always a familiar topic to start off with; we all have some! Temperatures in Regina and Florida were about the same last week and, while Regina folks found it warm, in Florida they were freezing. It was as warm here as in Mexico, too. Lake Erie has had so much ice form this winter that when the wind came up and blew it offshore, it piled up to 30 feet high at Cleveland, Ohio. Waves recently off Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, were up to 60 feet high. How huge and almighty the ocean is at such times.
Vera and Virgil Trytten of Meota enjoyed their annual six-week holiday at Queensland, Australia, north of Brisbane, with their daughter Tara and Brian Fraser and children Marke and Scarlett. School was out for summer holidays so it worked perfectly to spend this time with their grandchildren, do some sightseeing trips and share Christmas and New Year holiday with them all.
Duplicate bridge got back underway last week with their regular games. Tuesday evening at the Do Drop In top score went to Margaret Dyck and Maureen Campbell, second high were Linda Ard and Robert Iverson and third were Glen and Julie Moore. At the Pioneer Hall in the city Jan. 18, top score went to Jean Lawes and Fraser Glen, second were Rudy and Joeann Wiens and third were Gerry Fernandes and Boyd Yahn. Good to get back into routine after the holiday break.
Jan. 19 saw three tables of Norwegian Whist played at the Do Drop In. The top score went to Yvonne MacPherson, second high was Janice Morton and third was Eric Callbeck. A tasty pot luck supper followed this and is always a treat. Illness kept several from their usual attendance.
The brown metal roofing is going onto the new building in downtown Meota, and looking just fine. During the cold spell last week the men worked inside, framing in the partitions etc. it seems to be coming together rather quickly, which is always a good thing.
The National Pensioners Federation is working with the Public Interest Advocacy Center to address issues of aggressive sales practices by wireless, phone, Internet and T.V. providers. They are asking members to bring their experiences to their attention. They can be contacted directly at [email protected] or call 1-800-835-1979.
A hearty group of community women got together and organized the January noon luncheon held in the Community Hall on Jan. 19. About 75 people showed up, which was a goodly number as some folks were sick. The three pots of soup, trays of buns and meat and variety of desserts were all donated by the women (with help from the men, I'm sure, too) and the ice cream and coffee cream by the local store. Those who helped doing dishes gave the cooks a break. The resulting efforts by the many volunteers shows what a small community can do working together. Socializing was the other vital element that comes with such events and is enjoyed so much.
Janice and Kent Morton, from Summerfield Beach, were making their annual trip to their home in Guatemala at year end. All went well until New Year鈥檚 Day and they arrived at the Guatemala border. The custom office was closed because of a late party the night before, however the security guard got the official customs officer to open up. (Off to a bad start) His first complaint was that they had left their car in Guatemala last year 鈥� this is not allowed 鈥� but they had not done so. Then he didn鈥檛 like the papers they had with the car they were driving. They spent all day and more getting papers copied for proof of various complaints. He claimed the registration was a copy and that he needed the 鈥渢itle鈥� to the car 鈥� something they have in the USA but not in Canada. He said he didn鈥檛 buy this and said he knew what a Canadian 鈥渢itle鈥� looked like. So they had no option but to turn around and come home. So 10 days on the road, and back home again, was disappointing.
