Hoar frost forecast calls for dry and windy

I think spring is here. We’re having beautiful long days with lots of sunshine. That’s what I looked forward to all winter. I like it! I like it!

In the weather forecast from Environment Canada, they were calling for snow or rain on Tuesday or Wednesday. I beg to differ. This is the time of year my hoar frost calendar cuts in. On my hoar frost calendar, I have from April 13 to April 20 marked as dry and windy. We will see. This is what the weather was six months ago and I wrote it down. I learned keeping weather from my grandma Ida Hult who always wrote down the weather. She viewed me as an open book and tried to impart the many things she knew that she thought would be valuable to me in later life. There are times when I wish I would have listened closer. She lived to be 95 and had her own sane mind to the end. Many other present-day people should wish for that.

On the home front, Jaco and Quinny have gotten the heated canola out of bin 11. To say they were overjoyed would be to put it mildly. So was I. They have a little bit in bin 10 to move and I have a little bit in the west annex. A new problem has occurred. The drag from the east annex tries to start but it must be frozen or something. A pipe wrench on the shaft usually solves the problem. On the west annex there is no response on the motor. Further investigation with a power tester will have to happen. We will also have to check the circuit breaker in the basement as we have had that problem before. I am counting on Jaco to get things running. After that we are going to do some painting with that new paint sprayer I bought. Also my shop door needs replacing. I priced out the door and it is double what it cost me originally. They also wanted another $1,700 to put the new door in. I think it would be cheaper if Quinny and Jaco do it. We also need to put the tank above the grinder so we can pellet grain. Mike Able has said he would come with his picker truck, as he is not too busy in the oil patch.

In political news, Alberta will be going to the polls on May 5. Last week I predicted Alberta would have an election before the blossoms on the apple trees were done. Okay I admit I was right, but it was a no brainer. Jim Prentice needs to have an election as a mandate to govern. There are lots of things in Alberta that need fixing like a bloated bureaucracy and spending money on things governments should not be doing like the penthouse debacle for Redford. Prentice has to combat the feeling of entitlement from elected people and civil servants. Good government manages money frugally not with waste. It was simple to realize that nominations were underway and there were some people who were blocked from running as a candidate. If they had a bad history of financial misconduct or questionable lifestyle, they will be blocked from running. This is an initiative I could not agree with more. Daniel Smith, after she crossed the floor, did not win the nomination in her own riding. There are lots of good honest people out there, why not take them and leave the bad eggs at home. Good luck to Jim Prentice and his party in the May 5 election.

In Ottawa disgraced Senator Mike Duffy is started on his trial for invoicing the government for his housing allowance, which was not allowed. He has a house in Ottawa for four decades but claimed his cottage in the Maritimes as his home residence, which allowed him to collect large housing allowance for the time he was in Ottawa. He is also accused of using government money to fly around and campaign for the Conservatives. The money is for MPs to fly back to their own constituencies not to fly all over campaigning. I hope Mike Duffy gets convicted and doesn’t get to wriggle out of it. We don’t need senators like that.

I am extremely proud of my granddaughter Faith Chibri who got to go to Swift Current for the provincial 4-H public speaking. There were 32 kids from all over the province. There were eight kids in Faith’s group, the juniors. Faith told the story of her 4-H calf, Sugar Bear, who escaped from the exhibition grounds in Lloydminster initiating a search in the countryside east of Lloydminster. To go to the provincial is indeed a tremendous honour and a credit to Faith. Faith did not place this year as only the top two go on to the nationals. Good job, Faith!

Joke of the week: Two old Irishmen were drinking at home and at the end of the evening were getting quite full. Finally one of them got up and searching through the cupboard brought out a very old bottle of Irish whiskey. “If I go before you, would you do me the honour of pouring this bottle over my grave?” “No problem,” said his friend, “but I would like to strain it through my kidneys first.” Ooh boy.