Here we go starting out another week. It froze again really heavy, but spring is coming slow but sure. Still lots of ice on the lake but lots is breaking up and floating in the ferry channel. It will no doubt be May before the lake is clean.

I won鈥檛 bet any money on it but it鈥檚 a wild guess. Lots of fishermen have been out trying their luck. I hope that they are careful not to get trapped in a floating ice flow.

Flocks of geese

Some of the hay fields are clear now so the geese are enjoying the green shoots that are showing. One rancher told me the huge flocks of geese nip off the green shoots and this does slow down the growth of the hay.

Family visit

Mark and Laurie Neave had their daughter Heather Bourne and grandchildren Clark and Alaina spend two weeks at their home on the Brown Rd. while mom and dad visited family at 108 Mile and also Kamloops. Heather and family live in Prince George.

Southside auction

Last Saturday, John Keefe and I attended the Southside Fire Department auction at the Grassy Plains Hall. It鈥檚 a large building and a good thing as the hall was just filled with things to be auctioned off. Lots of good used things and many brand new things, this also included some baked goods. Folks were very generous in their buying and the money will be put to a good use for the fire department. Having such a well run and efficient fire station on the Southside is a real Godsend for them. It was great to see so many out to support the fire department.

Rough hockey

A couple of Saturday nights ago John Keefe and I watched the hockey game between the Canucks and Los Angeles, a good game but why do the players always have to fight?

Games are a sport for entertainment and to be enjoyed but they fight rough and seem to be out to damage each other. There has already been some bad accidents where players have been hurt for life.

If folks want to see a fight why not go to a real fight like a boxing match or a wrestling match? If hockey players like to fight there is not much we can do about it. At one time I used to watch a hockey game but it鈥檚 just getting too rough.

Jackpot

I have been getting some of my books and pictures in order and last week, I hit the jackpot. I found an old 1948 Cariboo Digest in almost new condition.

This is now about 65 years ago and so interesting to notice the number of local business establishments are listed there. As a matter of interest I will list a few, lots of the old timers will no doubt be interested as they will remember them as well as I do.

亚洲天堂 Lake Hardware and Garage, Sheardowns, Lakeshore Lodge,  Log Cabin Snack Bar, J.G. Stearns Radio Repairs and Sales, Beck Hardware, Tweedsmuir Motors, Shell Service Station, New Omenica Cafe 鈥淭he Northlands Finest,鈥� D.G. Boyd, Men鈥檚 and Ladies Wear, Handmade Logging Boots, Babine Lumber Co., Dave Martens, and Decker Lake Garage.

The Cariboo Digest from Quesnel had a large circulation both in the Bulkley Valley and our 亚洲天堂 Lake. I have a number of them and some stories about some of our old pioneer families if you wish come out and see them.

Wonderful story

I must not forget a wonderful story by a Tom Glen who at one time lived on the Brown Rd., this story is called the Early Pioneers of the Francois Lake District. I found these books in our mothers box of her writings of many years ago.

Welcome news

In our April 11 paper in broad headlines and I quote 鈥淎 $2.4 million funding boost for arena expansion project,鈥� and below is multi sport expected to be completed by 2015. A real shot in the arm for 亚洲天堂 Lake. At one time the town is in a depression with a sliding economy and then all of a sudden out of the woodwork jumps all this funding for a sports centre. A wonderful thing for our young folks and I am one for sports and big time.

New hospital

Having a new hospital in 亚洲天堂 Lake is wonderful news for us all. Our town is in the centre of a huge area which it has to service and the more we move ahead the bigger and better the service will have to be.

We are all hoping that there will be an operating room and reading between the lines we may have one.

What a boost this will be. It鈥檚 confusing and very distressful on a patient to have to be taken either to Vanderhoof or Prince George by ambulance for something that could have been attended to in our hospital as it used to be. Our present hospital has served our community so very well through its many years.

In the years to come we will always look back with fond memories. The lives it has saved and the healing both minds and bodies ... yes, you will not be forgotten.

A little story

In the Bible it says 鈥淧ride cometh before a fall.鈥� Here is a story to prove it.

A farmer had a pond in his yard and in it lived two ducks and a frog.

They were good friends and had lots of fun together.

Then the pond went dry. The ducks could fly away but the poor frog was stuck.

So the ducks had an idea. They would take a stick and carry it between them and fly along.

The frog could hold on with his mouth and they could carry him along to some water. As they were gaining height the farmer looked up and said 鈥淕ee, what a great idea who thought that one up.鈥�

鈥淚 did鈥� said the frog. He opened his mouth at the wrong time so that was the end of the frog and the end of our story.

Take care, have a safe week and always remember God loves you and so do I.