This weather is sure feeling like spring. We are enjoying it but, holding our breaths in case there are more surprises coming. Did the weatherman predict this last blizzard? Once the blizzard was started, then he reported a blizzard. So much for all the fancy equipment they have.
My neighbour, Jim Maxwell, keeper of the Waseca Weather Station, tells me we have had over 50 inches of snow. He was going to look and see what the record was. I looked in the Waseca history book and the record is 89 inches in 1947-48. The weather station has records back to 1907 and Jim is only the fourth weather recorder man since then. William Goodridge started the station in 1907 and his son Walter continued on until 1943. Harry Rowed kept the station from 1943 to1945 and Bob McPherson was the weatherman from 1945 until 1997 when his son in law Jim Maxwell took over until now.
Jim had some other interesting facts: this year: 140cm (56 inches); 1955-56 - 164cm (66inches); 1974-75 - 155cm (62.5 inches).
Jim has received an award for the weather station being in operation for over 100 years. This summer, Environment Canada is going to make the weather station fully automated. Jim says he can't be fired because he was never hired! He is an unpaid volunteer who faithfully went out twice a day to record the weather readings.
I asked around about who could remember 1947-48. Gordon Donald said he remembered it well. They parked the car in December and after that had four horses on a double bobsled to get around. I didn't even know Gordie knew how to harness a horse
I asked Mel Hougen and he said the summer of '48 was no good for the wheat. They started to cut it and there was nothing in the heads. About 20 of them said to heck with it and piled into a three ton truck and went fishing at Turtle Lake. Rented a boat for 50 cents an day, the motor was an extra 75 cents a day. The motor didn't run all the time they were fishing. There was no gravel on the roads and it rained continually. They had a big tow rope and they had to get out and pull the truck through the mud. They slept in a delivery barn in Tuirtleford, finally getting home. Then they all disced the wheat down.
I remember '56, the summer after the big snow the wheat was all rust and was no good. We cut some for feed but it made the cattle sick. There was no wheat to sell that fall.
Here at the farm, Mr. Squirrel made a bad booboo that was tragic for him. He left the safety of the combine hopper and came into the trees east of our house. Bev's dogs were right on the case as they certainly let her know there was something up in the tree. Annie Oakley went out and Mr. Squirrel met his demise. The hunting dog of the two knew what to do when the little critter hit the ground. He wasted no time making sure he was dead and then promptly ate him. Every day Bev gives the dogs treats. The dog that didn't get the squirrel goes over and looks at Bev. If a dog could talk he would have said, "Hey, what the heck, where is my squirrel?" Sorry buddy, today there was only one squirrel. The doggy who ate the furry creature was very pleased with himself and spent the day sleeping on the deck, belly toward the sun quite full of squirrel. His brother had to eat dog food.
In banker news, the banks are open in Cyprus but you can only withdraw 300 euro per day per person. No cashing of cheques, and no credit cards transactions. The second largest bank, Laiki Bank. is closed. It will not reopen! It was in nine countries, had 439 branches and 8,464 employees. These people have all lost their jobs. I think anyone who had money in that bank has lost everything. Anyone who had more than 100,000 euros in the bank, the government was going to take 10 per cent, today they are saying 60 per cent. The government took all the pension funds. How can they justify that? This is just downright stealing!!
If you think you are safe in Canada, you are not. You are probably safe with this government in power but it would not take much of a wing nut to have things come crashing down. The banks will go like dominos, one goes down, then another and another. How would you make out if suddenly the bank doors are closed and you could not get your money out and your credit cards quit working. This could happen here!
People should have a cash supply in a safe or sock drawer at home. No one should have all their money in the bank. Having full deepfreezes and a good supply of dry goods is never a bad thing.
Joke of the week: A man and his ever-nagging wife went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband, "You can have her shipped home for $5,000 or you can bury her here, in the Holy Land, for $150. The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?" The man replied, "Long ago, a man died here, was buried here and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance."
