Here we are starting our another week. Although the nights are cold the days make up for it. So nice and sunny. Makes up for some of the nasty days we had. It鈥檚 2:30 p.m. and the water and snow is running off our roof big time. It makes a guy fell good to be alive and enjoy the days.

The ice that we had with the rain was not only dangerous for humans but for livestock as well. Some folks had horses slip and one party lost a horse as it slipped on the ice. Another lady lost a nice saddle horse with a heart attack. She went out to feed and the horse was not there. She found it and it had just dropped and had not moved.

Sad news

It was a sad day to hear of the death of my very good friend Bill Troy. Bill was a long time resident of the Southside, mostly around Grassy Plains. Bill was a rancher and also was a truck driver. What ever Bill did he did it well. He also leaves a big family.

Cold Smoke

The 亚洲天堂 Lake Snowmobile Club which present the 2012 Cold Smoke drags was not as well attended as expected.

Those taking part and those who came as spectators was also down. A lot of time and money goes into such a popular event. 亚洲天堂 Lake is well known for its Cold Smoke drags. No doubt the mill fire and our slower economy has effected a lot of things including this two day event.

A number of folks are starting the feel the pinch, sad but it鈥檚 true. Keep your chins up next year will be bigger and better.

Good job

A pat on the back to our Overwaitea store with its very generous donation to our local food bank.

This will be a real shot in the arm for so many folks who are depending on the food bank for their families.

This was a huge donation and it will be well received you can bet on that. The local food bank is a God given gift for so many of our folks who are in need. Thank you Overwaitea.

Watch horse

This morning our son Mark heard Copper who is in the corral blowing through his nose a signal something is close by so Mark went out to check and there was a moose and her calf at the dugout.

So the good news is there are some moose left. She is making herself right at home.

Good horses are kind of like a watchdog anything different they will let you know.

Southside trip

On Wednesday last I took a little cruise over to the Southside Health and Wellness Centre to get a bit of footwork done. It鈥檚 always a pleasure to visit there. I always meet some old friend and it never fails.

The staff are very helpful and efficient and everything is so neat and tidy. Folks on the southside and also the northside are so fortunate to have such a place to go too.

I鈥檓 going back many years now but when the hospital on the Southside was closed up and moved to 亚洲天堂 Lake they were left without any medical help closer than 亚洲天堂 Lake.

The Southside Health and Wellness Centre has been a blessing to so many, we are now so fortunate.

Tough times

A while ago I mentioned how in the great depression or what was called the dirty 30s apples and cheese came in by railcar to be passed out.

It was a real Godsend to us all. I forgot to mention a load of salted halibut also came in.

The fish was loaded with salt and was piled in like cord wood. I think they were shipped in from the east. They were loaded with salt and as hard as cord wood. We called them snowshoes and they looked like snowshoes too.

Lots of folks said they would rather go hungry than take them home. Our mother had an idea on how to cook them so we got a pile of these salted halibut and they turned out good.

She took the fish and put it in a wash tub of water and soaked the whole fish for a day or so. Then she cut it up and boiled it two or three times and then fried in butter and it was good. Not many folks would do that. I wonder how many folks from the prairie remember the fish episode?

Badgers

Just finished an article on badgers and it鈥檚 interesting too. We had lots of them. They were nasty if cornered and a nuisance and dangerous as well.

They would dig holes and scatter the dirt from the digging so you would not see where they had dug. The hole would be about a foot across just big enough for a horse to step in and break a leg or throw out a shoulder.

You never saw the hole until either you or your horse stepped into it. One good thing about them they cleaned out the gopher population.

I put a horse down in a badger hole once but was lucky with no damage to the horse or to me. There are not too many left now as they have been killed off. I don鈥檛 think B.C. has had them.

Food bank

Just a short visit with the man who is in charge of the food bank and he says they have so much food they will have to find more room to store all the food.

The food bank is a great thing and has helped out so many folks that are having a hard time to get by.

A little story, it鈥檚 one of my favourites

The Sunday school teacher was describing how Lots wife looked back when she was told not to and she turned into a pillar of salt.

A little boy called Jason interrupted 鈥淢y mommy looked back once while she was driving鈥� he announced triumphantly 鈥渁nd she turned into a telephone pole.鈥�

Take care and have a good week and enjoy the longer days, makes me feel good as it make spring a little closer. No matter what God loves you and so do I.

Thought for the day

Why do people want the front of the bus, the back of the church and the center of attention.