One of the rites of spring is that sometimes winter comes back. Welcome to a brief (I hope) return to winter. Sorry cowboys and newborn calves, I don't make the weather. I just talk about it, just like everybody else. I don't know if I was sleeping six months ago or what, but I had no snow or rain marked. This weather came as a real surprise for me just like the professional weather guys are surprised by what weather comes after their predictions. I have a snow or rain marked for April 24.
One really big surprise came on Tuesday as Henry Moore, our trainee from 2009, and his girlfriend Eleanor Frost just came walking in. Our daughters, Melissa and Crystal, have both known since December, 2013 that Henry and Eleanor were coming, but it was a big secret kept from us. I will have to think of something to get even for that. I'm sure that I had a look of disbelief on my face and there was tears of shock on Bev's side of the table! We have had a great time looking at pictures and visiting. Henry brought me a Fendt hat and told me my John Deere hat just would not do anymore. He had a John Deere tractor in England and traded it off on a Fendt. The Fendt goes 50 km/h, which is really handy because he hauls big square bales. He has developed a good business baling straw and selling it. He has put up a huge straw shed 80 feet by 80 feet and he is currently sold out of bales.
Henry's girlfriend Eleanor, works as a horse massager. I can't believe it as she is a very slightly built girl. Apparently she can work as many hours as she can stand and her services are in demand. I like teasing her and I asked her if she gave Henry a massage. She said sometimes. I asked her if Henry had tried to bite her or kick her like some of her horse clients. "Well, not yet," she said. I also teased her about coming all the way from England with pompoms on her slippers. She can give it back as good as she gets it. She accused me of lying about the snow and cold weather. She had me there. I don't make the weather but I did tell her Wednesday that I thought the snow would not last. They are in climate shock anyway. When they left England it was shorts and t-shirt weather. They flew to New York City, rented a Ford dually with a camper on it and have been looking for warm snuggies ever since. When they leave here, they want to see Mount Rushmore. They also plan to drive down to Kentucky where Eleanor worked on a horse farm last year. Then drive back to New York and fly back home. What a great way to see the country!
On the home front, work on the air seeder has come to a standstill along with anything else that involved the outdoors since Mother Nature sent us more snow. Ed went home to have Easter supper with his family, and we are having our crew and our guests from England here to celebrate Easter. Ed has got the weekend warriors to check all the tires and they drilled out the four brackets that hold the shanks on to five/eights. They did it with a hand drill that makes a nice clean job. There was lots of jamming but the boys soon figured out how hard to press. I thought the torch would work, but Eddie said they need to learn how to run the hand drill first and then the torch. I think he is right! One of the towers that hold the springs went missing in action. Eddie got metal from Keranda and built one. One shot of black paint and it looks just like the rest. Closer and closer we are getting to being ready to start.
The Weekend Warriors are off to Spain this weekend. It is a school trip with many other students going. Why didn't we have such trips when I was in school? Our big trip was to go to Meadow Lake to play football and, if I remember correctly, we lost!
The Heartbleed Virus has now been stopped or that is what Revenue Canada would have us believe. A 19-year-old kid from London, Ont. has been charged. He apparently stole 900 SIN numbers. There is no idea what he was going to do with the information. The authorities are thankful that he didn't steal credit card numbers. This whole process leaves a person nervous about who gets your personal information. A 19-year-old kid no less! Took down the whole system. Unbelievable!
The federal court has granted Métis the same status as status Indians. The federal government is planning to appeal to the Supreme Court to get this overturned. Good Lord, the lawyers win again. I have nothing against the Métis people, the ones I know are really nice but now I think I will apply for special status because my grandfather was Swedish. Maybe every nationality could apply for special status. What I don't like about this is I want to see one Canada where everyone is equal. Surely after 147 years we don't need special status for anyone. The only reason this comes forward is the government is paying the legal bill.
Jokes of the week from Maidstone school play, Camp Runamok, which was held on Wednesday evening with a full house watching the wonderful talent. Great work everyone!
What do bears do when it rains? - they get wet.
How do bears keep cool in summer? - they use bearconditioning.
What do you call a white bear shaped by a tooth? - molar bear.
What do you call a bear with no teeth? - a gummy bear.
What kind of socks do bears wear? - they don't have no socks, they have bear feet.
