麻豆传媒AV

Sympathy to the Parkinson, Leite and Rayner families of the local area and the Battlefords on the passing of Jim Parkinson of North Battleford Feb. 5. Jim was born and raised in the Baljennie are and attended Baljennie School. Then he spent time working on the farm with his father Ralph Parkinson and for some of his neighbours. When the Second World War broke out he was called to train in the army and served time overseas.

When he returned home he got a job as the Canadian Consolidated elevator agent in Baljennie and worked there for a few years until the elevator closed due to poor crops. He built a little house in the hamlet and married Sophia Leite. Later he went farming and lived on the George Plews land. Later he moved to Bjelde Creek area to farm and raise their family. He farmed as well as driving the school bus for a few years. The family took over his farm and Jim and Sophie moved to Battleford. The funeral was held in North Battleford and burial will be at a later date.

While our daughter Elaine Theriault of Mississauga, Ont. was visiting, she also visited her brother Walter and Olive Mills of West Park, Battleford, John and Arlene Rowlands and family of rural Battleford, Paul and Norma Kowerchuk of rural Battleford, Sam and Margaret Parrish of Willowmoore and Robert and Irene Greer locally. She spent two weeks at the home of her parents before returning to Ontario.

The RM of Glenside held their regular monthly meeting at the RM office in Biggar Feb. 12. After the meeting an urgent ratepayers' public meeting was held at the New Horizons Centre in Biggar at 2 p.m. The meeting was held to discuss revenue and expenditures and a budget for the upcoming year. Being a stormy day, attendance was low. In the past few years the RM has been hit with record amounts of road work due to Mother Nature's activities. Each year it gets more and more costly to keep these roads maintained, plus all the fuel and repairs needed to keep the equipment in working condition. Other costs are new equipment, workers' wages and gravel replacement. The budget plan presented three scenarios to follow.

There is no doubt the mill rate will have to increase a little more and more each year just to try to keep up. Once the roads are neglected it takes some time and extensive work to get them back in good traveling condition.

Glenside is not the only RM trying to budget a mill rate increase.

The month of February did not have a holiday, so Family Day was invented. The day featured all sorts of indoor and outdoor family activities. Then it was the beginning of the yearly February break for the school children.

In our area there do not to seem to be many little birds at the feeders this season. There are fewer chickadees than other years. We did have a few blue jays until they cleaned up all the sunflower seeds in the garden sunflower patch. Every so often a pair of ravens sweep low flying through the yard, scattering the little birds and they are afraid to come back to the feeders. There are a few Downy woodpeckers about and an owl we do not see, but who can be heard hooting in the early morning nearby in the thick bushes.

With less snow this winter, the deer are coming in herds to feed in the open fields and bare grasslands. Where ever you go there seems to be little herds. There are still many coyotes about and the odd grey wolf has been seen about.

A large herd of cattle have been swath grazing in a local field. Less snow makes it easier for them to feed.

Weather conditions in the area have been changeable. A mild few days dropped more light snowfall and a little rain as well. Blowing snow due to the high winds swept up the loose snow into big snow drifts.