Last week I wrote raining, raining and more raining. I could write the same thing this week. We have received two and a half inches of rain Thursday and Friday. Water is laying in every rill in the field. It is just like spring as water is moving across the fields 20 to 60 feet wide. The creek is rushing north of me just like spring run off. The '70s were wet, but this is more rain than I can ever remember.
I can't help but feel sorry for the people in Calgary and the little towns west. One hour and they were inundated with water. I phoned my brother to see if he was alright. He lives in Calgary and he has a new house that I haven't seen yet. He assured me his house was well above the river bank, but he had people in his yard that were looking across the river watching their houses wash away. That would be such a helpless feeling. No insurance either. Washing away a house in Calgary is a real expensive disaster.
This high water in Calgary has had other effects. They had the national convention for the Conservative Party planned for June 24-27. This has been cancelled and all the hotel rooms will have to find other users. This may not be hard as there are countless people displaced with no home to go to. The only problem is affording the room.
Another event that is coming up is the Calgary Stampede. Will the infield get dry enough to hold this event? There is currently three feet of water over all of it. I have seen the chuckwagons run in muddy conditions, but this is over the top!
The Saddle Dome in Calgary has water up to row eight. All the dressing rooms and equipment are under water. The electrical system is under water. The world junior tournament was going to be played and split between Edmonton and Calgary. It will take some New Orleans type pumps to make these events happen!
All this water has to go through Saskatchewan to get to Hudson Bay. The water is predicted to be 12 times the normal amount as it passes through Saskatoon. That will really make the overflow at South Saskatchewan River dam roar. There is already plans to evacuate the people at Cumberland House.
On the home front, any plans I had have gone bye bye. Any thoughts I had about summer fallow or field work are gone. They will have to wait. I could try to fix something, but I don't feel like wading through the mud. Whatever is needing fixing can wait for another day.
With all this water I'm wondering about buying a boat. I had an old friend tell me once that I was a really poor farmer, I didn't have a boat, I didn't have a motor home. Oh well Maybe I could reform. If I bought a boat I would like a canopy over the top. I was fishing with a friend of mine and there was this one time a rain came up and soaked us to the skin. He assured me that fish bite in the rain. I think he lied. All I caught was a cold. I also dislike wet shorts and socks.
I had the occasion to attend Dorothy Ponto's 80th birthday party at the Waseca Community Center. There was a good number of people there. Then the next day I got to go to my granddaughter Sydney Hult's birthday party. She is eight. Dorothy's party was a quiet affair with lots of old friends visiting. Sydney's was much louder with lots of eight-year-olds full of energy. The bouncy house was a great hit and only two casualties. Some consoling from mothers and soon the wounded were back playing. The pinata was enjoyed by all, but maybe a little more by the father of the birthday girl. When we left there were dead balloons all over the floor. Some one has a big job cleaning up. The noise level was very high.
I got to see both ends of the spectrum from eight to 80 and both were good.
Joke from little Victor: why was the broom late for school? He over swept
Joke of the week, (but not really a joke since it is a true happening) as told to me by a friend in the mall. When this woman was a child her father and she would walk through the cow pasture. When they came upon a cow pie, the father said "If you kick it, it will smell. If you leave it alone it will not. Such is life." Is that not just the truest statement you have ever heard?
