We have survived the first really cold spell of a Saskatchewan winter, and are happy that it is over. The weekend brought much appreciated warmer air.
Gwen Lacerte spent her Christmas holiday with her son Philip and Yvonne and their families in the Rocky Mountain House, Alta. area and then went on to the Niton Junction, Alta. area to celebrate the new year with her daughter Gail and Keith Hallett. This couple boards nine horses and have four of their own, plus a couple of big dogs, so it鈥檚 a nice farm setting.
The winter rallies are coming up soon. The gas pump at the Chitek Lake store is broken down and has not been fixed, so sled riders will have to go to the Witchekan Lake First Nation or into Leoville for gas for their machines. The Chitek rally is set for Feb. 18 and Leoville is set for Feb. 25. The Chitek Bush Buddies have a new trail machine so their trails should be in good shape, as they usually are.
The women on snowmobiles are venturing out on their annual trip raising money for breast cancer research on Jan. 28 to Feb. 3. Watch for information on this project.
Linda Ard spent her holiday with family of our late eldest sister Helen Sullivan in the Houston and Smithers area in northern British Columbia. She stayed at the home of Grace and Brendan Hodge and daughter Mary in Houston. She drove to Saskatoon, flew to Calgary, Vancouver and then Prince George where they picked her up on their way home from a ringette tournament in Quesnel.
The funeral for Eugenie Swayze of Saskatoon, mother of Pearl Hawkins of Meota, was held the day of the blizzard, Jan. 11, so several folks from Meota were on the road that day. Driving conditions were terrible. Also out in the blizzard was the Scorgie family who were picking up their daughter at the airport, as she returned from Australia. The 17-year-old girl that died in the accident that day west of Shellbrook, was a niece of Judy Slavinski of Saskatoon, formerly of Chitek Lake. Judy and her daughters attended her funeral in Prince Albert.
Gladys Lehman is still in hospital. Bernice Beatch has transferred to River Heights Lodge from Harwood Manor.
We鈥檙e glad to learn of roadwork to be done in the village this summer. Birch Street by the golf course is to be rebuilt and resurfaced and First Street West and Second Avenue West are to receive sand sealing.
Five tables of canasta were played at the Do Drop In on Friday, Jan. 14. Top score was by Cora Christiansen and Gail Hilderman. Second high were Barbara Soloninko and Marion Ottas and third were Charles Walker and Lorna Pearson. All enjoyed the social period at the end of the evening over coffee and goodies.
My neighbours, Lefa Sproxton and Vernon Burghardt, are wintering in Osoyoos, B.C. and are finding the winter there colder than usual. They are staying between the two lakes so if the wind blows either direction, it blows cold off the lake. On Dec. 31 they accompanied a local group who were doing their annual bird count and were surprised to see bluebirds, cedar waxwings, goldfinches and even a robin. The tour guide was a young, female biologist who was knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. On a hike up the mountain they saw a coyote and a deer. Lefa is keeping active, as we know she likes to be.
聽The monthly meeting of the seniors was held Jan. 13 with president Eric Callbeck in the chair. A new snow shovel has been purchased as well as six new chairs and a couple tables are on order.
The library report for January was read, describing a new program of activities 鈥淲inter Games鈥� running until Feb. 28. If your child is interested, call Debbie at the library for details.
The Christmas decorations were taken down and packed away and it was agreed that clear plastic containers would be better for storage than cardboard boxes.
The monthly luncheon at the Community Complex is going ahead with soup and sandwiches on the menu Jan. 20. Shuffleboard tournaments are set for Jan. 21 and Feb. 18. Discussion followed regarding inviting Edam seniors earlier this year and the tentative date set was April 28.
A suggestion that we purchase a new shed also was discussed.
Shrove Tuesday is Feb. 28 so that will be the day of the United/Anglican Church pancake supper at the Do Drop In.
The next regular meeting will be Feb. 10 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a potluck luncheon and birthday cake.
A baby shower hosted by Brenda Zurowski and Irene Caslor was held in the Do Drop In on Jan. 15. Guest of honour were Eden Kim, Gloria Jang and Haena Kim.
The room was tastefully decorated by Sue Demchuk, with pink being the theme colour for balloons and ribbons and even pink lemonade. The tempting dessert table was full of food that people brought. The beautiful cake was purchased from the co-op and Eden brought cinnamon buns.
Meota Girls Club members, Alex, Hannah and Victoria carried the gifts to the parents of Haena, and these were passed around for all to admire.
The gift list and record of gift on the accompanying card was done by Vi Cardinal, assisted by Mavis Humenny and Pat Mack. Many pictures were taken by many folks. The Girls鈥� Club girls washed dishes afterward.
On each table were four word games that folks did in their spare time, which made for interesting memory tests. The baby slept through most of the afternoon but woke up for people to admire toward the end of the afternoon.
The use of the hall for this occasion was appreciated as well as the food that was brought and the delight of having about 40 people gather for such a nice social event was wonderful. You could feel the love and fellowship as people visited one another and the young parents.
