Preparing for spring in the fall

Here we are and only eight weeks away until the days begin to get longer! Hmm eight weeks to Christmas and nine weeks left in the year.

Why am I thinking such thoughts? Well it might have something to do with the skiff of white stuff that surprised us when we awoke Sunday morning. And that is how it goes. We begin spring by getting ready for winter. We plant the garden and seed the crops in hopes of having food and money for the winter.

Now, at this time of year, we get ready for spring! Yes, I spent this afternoon cleaning out the eavestroughs hoping for a dryer basement in the spring.

Actually the village is doing likewise. A volunteer crew came together Oct. 18 to burn the long grass in the water runs and at either ends of the culverts. Hopefully this will help with the spring runoff, especially if this winter is a repeat of last winter.

Thanks to Tom Mennear and Larry Becotte, and Ewald Miller for the use of their water tanks and to Bob Lamb, village foreman and to Ken Rogers, Murray McDonald, Cam McDonald, Veronica McDonald, Marc Vallee, Curtis McNabb, Randy McMurtry, Brian Jones, councillors Carol Ferguson and Alan Laughlin and administrator Brenda Aumack for volunteering to get this job done. If the weather had held, we would have attempted one more burn to finish up.

The fire hydrants were flushed and the culverts flushed out Oct. 22. All of this is in preparation for spring.

Volunteers make it happen and the Rabbit Lake Community Hall supper was a fine example of just that. Mary McDonald, Carol Ferguson and Randy McMurtry of the community hall board organized a Thanksgiving supper that was enjoyed by almost 300 people. The kitchen was filled with volunteers filling bowls, washing dishes and more dishes and washing pots and pans. Other volunteers served pie, collected admission, cleaned tables, set up and tore down the whole shebang. This supper is the major fundraiser for the hall and without the community's support it could never happen.

The community of Rabbit Lake sends its condolences to George Clarkson and to the Clarkson family on the passing of their wife and mother, Mary Clarkson. A funeral was held in Rabbit Lake Oct. 17.

Hunting is well underway. Familiar faces come back to Rabbit Lake every fall to shoot geese and big game. According to some, the hunting has been fairly reasonable.

Harvest is done. You sure see relief on farmers' faces when that crop is in the bin. It is great to report that once again we have had a harvest with no injuries in this area.

Here are some upcoming events to mark on your calendar. There will be a turkey shoot in the Rabbit Lake Hall from 2 until 5 p.m., Nov. 23. This event is sponsored by the Rabbit Lake Senior Sunrise Circle.

The village council is sponsoring a Christmas light contest. Let's get creative and spruce the village up for the holidays. There are several categories in which to enter and prizes are available in each category. Register at the village office. Judging will be on Dec. 15. I know this might be rushing the season as one person in this village is regularly accusing me of doing, but who likes freezing their fingers putting up lights when the season is here?

The Rabbit Lake and District Museum committee hosted a volunteer appreciation roast beef supper, with food donated by the board members, Oct. 27. About 40 people attended. President Gordon Sherman expressed the deep thanks on behalf of all the board for the work done and the time and equipment donated to get a crop in and off successfully. That crop brought in about $48,000.

At the supper two cash donations came in, one a $1,000 donation from Duane and Jean Massett and an anonymous donation of $1,500. So, all in all, the project brought in over $50,000.

For me there is more to this than the money. Gordon came up with the idea for this project and the board said, "Go with it!" So often good ideas are shot down and destroyed by the ever-present naysayers who seem to see why a project will not work but never come up with any alternative ideas. Way to go, Gordon.

The WhistleStop Coffee Shop hosted an anniversary supper Oct. 28 for members of the community who have been married for 50 or more years. This was the fifth annual such supper. This year the honoured guests were Jake and Cecilia Krahn, Ewald and Marian Miller, Cornie and Marlene Martens, Duane and Jean Massett, Pete and Marg Penner and Gordon and Norma Sherman.

Halloween was very quiet in Rabbit Lake. Joan Dzialo at the hotel once again staged an excellent haunted house and Halloween party. It is a great event to come out for.

Condolences go out to the Toews family of Mayfair on the passing of their mother, grandmother and aunt, Florence Toews. A very large crowd attended her funeral in Mayfair Community Hall Nov 1.

Wow what a change. Last night we went to the All Saints Parish supper in Mayfair and what an excellent supper it was. Driving home was uneventful with only a few snowflakes in the air. This morning, Nov. 3, we woke to a raging blizzard with several inches of snow and gale force winds.

Remembrance Day is only a little over a week away. There is a display of veterans of the area posted in the coffee shop. We are posting photographs of veterans on the dining area walls. If any locals have photos they would like to lend, bring them in so we can all remember.