Past the middle of January already! Where has the time gone? Today there was a little more snow and forecasts of -30 C. This is just normal January weather, no global warming, no climate change, just January weather in Saskatchewan. I wish the media would move on to something more realistic than fill their air time with “the sky is falling” oohmpapa.
On the home farm, not much is happening. Son Ron is towing a little, snow plowing a little, moving grain a little and he has a full-time job running kids to volleyball and whatever else they are into. Two have jobs at Husky 16-24 and they are encouraged to know about being in the work force. School doesn’t last forever. Some wheat has moved and a little canola. Cows get fed every day, but they also have access to the standing corn for winter grazing. Things are quiet, as is normal this time of year.
The family is a busy bunch with lots of activities going on. This past weekend grandchildren Sydney and Steele were ice fishing. No reports of what they got and I am thinking if there was something caught I would have heard. Grandson Zayne was playing in their hockey tournament on the weekend and he won the heart and hustle award and also got the hard work hard hat at the tournament. They are all busy. Every grandchild is doing something. Life is interesting, isn’t it?
Apparently Hockey Alberta wants to decrease the number of teams in the female midget hockey league to increase the level of completion and form an elite league. This might mean the Lloydminster AAA Steelers would not have a league to play in. Stupid, stupid, stupid. The brain trust that runs hockey in this country, in their attempt to follow the lead of Don Cherry, sometimes get their ties on too tight and it cuts off oxygen to the brain. Who are you putting the hockey on for, the kids or some parent ego? Message to brain, message to brain, elite hockey players just don’t get off the couch and are suddenly elite players. For the kids involved, getting good at hockey involves moms and dads driving hundreds of miles every weekend so their kids can play. Practice is fine but game competition brings out the hockey players. Splitting the league up to limit travel is a smart move. Allowing other cities to have a team is a smart move. Only having elite teams is just stupid. I have put three sons and one daughter through minor hockey. I think my wife and I have been in every rink in Northeast Alberta and Northwest Saskatchewan. Let every kid that wants to play, play. That’s what I say. Take off those stupid ties.
A prime example of ties too tight was our recent juniors loss. The coaches got their ties on too tight and got that bad disease called short-bench-itis. The boys played hard but were unsuccessful. They were beaten by Finland before the finals. Finland got the gold medal, taking out Sweden. I watched the game when Canada played Finland. There were six or eight players that skated their hearts out, but some guys hardly saw the ice. Three of the goals from Finland were floated in from the blue line. Our players were standing in front of our goalie. The goalie never saw the puck. That is not on the players, that was lack of coaching. The boys were tired, frequently that half a step behind. These fancy suits don’t seem to realize there has never been a hockey team win the Stanley Cup that didn’t play all four lines. It is the same in juniors. Even in the Gretzky era all four lines played. Sure if there was a power play, Gretzky would be out there, but on a regular shift the other lines played.
In humour from Alberta, Kevin O’Leary from Dragon’s Den fame offered $1 million invested in Alberta businesses if Rachel Notley would resign as premier. Rachel Notley replied, “The last time a rich man from the east came and tried to tell Albertans what to do, I got to be premier.” I am not a fan of the NDP, but good one Rachel Notley.
Joke of the week: Little Johnny’s teacher is trying to get the class to give her a sentence with the word fascinate in it. Little Susie said Walt Disney world is fascinating. “No,” said the teacher, “the word is fascinate.” Little Mary said there is much fascination when it comes to sea life. “No,” said the teacher, “the word is fascinate.” Little Johnny yells from the back of the room, “My mom’s boobs are so big she can only fasten eight of the 10 buttons on her shirt.”
