So much for my forecast of no rain. I don't care, I like rain! People are laughing at me and coming up and saying, "Was this rain marked on your hoar frost calendar!" I don't care, I have been laughed at before. If they are asking with a smirk on their face "Was this rain marked on your hoar frost", they already know the answer. I don't care, I like it when it rains and I also know that they are reading my column.
In the area where I live, we received one and a half to two inches on Thursday. One neighbour from up by the gully phoned me and said they have had five inches in the last week. He keeps track of the hoar frost too and wanted to know if I had any marked down. I said no! He had not either! Crops that were tired last week, after last night, got laid down more. These crops are so good a person needs to be nervous. We had some close encounters with the big white combine. Although my immediate area was spared there are reports of golf ball sized hail down by the Battle River. I haven't checked it out yet. I checked my crop in the hills, which is only a couple of miles north of the river, and I saw no damage. I have a trail through the crop but I dared not go through there as I don't like four wheeling, especially in my own crop. Too muddy! I will check it later when the ground is dryer. Man, oh man, can this country rain when it wants to.
I had a great birthday supper last week on our deck behind the house with children, grandchildren and a few friends. Bev and I have 15 grandchildren and nine out of the 15 were here. Two were in swimming lessons at Lac de Isle, one was at bible camp and two we saw last week in Vermilion. The ones who were running around here that evening are a good looking energetic bunch. Of course I am prejudiced. They played some soccer and other games that involved a lot of running and yelling. I watched from my lawn chair. Then they all had to start the fire pit and burn some marshmallows. About nine thirty, hordes of mosquitoes arrived and people drifted off home or into the house. My thanks to my wife Bev who organized it and barbequed up burgers and smokies. She also had a bunch of salads but I usually don't dig into that stuff. A huge birthday cake with ice cream appeared and was enjoyed by all. Everyone appeared to have a good time and I enjoyed seeing everyone. Thank you all for coming.
On the home front, we have gone on to more fixing. Jaco and Sven have screwed the counter in the elevator office back together. Sven put the drawers from the office desk back together. Weekend warrior Cole was operating the dustpan picking up broken glass. He filled the garbage barrel again! Half a day's work wasted. I call it wasted because we would not be doing this clean up if the vandalism hadn't taken place. We haven't even replaced any windows yet.
The men have started to take the motor out of the tandem truck. The goal is to have the motor on the motor stand and in the shop today. Cole is here getting experience about that kind of a job. He is interested in that kind of work after he is out of school, which is next year. I have had my own kids, countless trainees and high school students work here and we have a motto on this farm - You learn to do by doing! Cole is getting it now. We are sending him home tonight to his mother a little bit wiser and a little bit dirty. You can only learn so much from just standing and watching. It will soon be August. The summer is slipping by quickly!
In world news I am watching the rockets and bombing in Israel and Palestine where hundreds of innocent people are getting killed or wounded. The media does the world a disservice in their reporting. They have some reporter standing there in a flak jacket, a pillar of smoke or destroyed buildings behind them giving out the numbers of the people killed. They never give what one guy used to call the rest of the story. Hamas has sent two thousand rockets into Israel. Where did they get the rockets? I am sure you can't go down to the corner grocery store and buy them? If they could buy them, where did they get the money? Palestine is thought of as a poor country. Things don't add up in my mind. A good reporter would report all the news not just selected segments. Hyped and superficial, just the top. That is what they do, whatever makes the evening news, not the whole story.
Joke of the week from father in law Bob Polinsky - The teacher was teaching about stories in the Bible and she told how Jonas was swallowed by a whale. Little Johnny said he didn't believe a whale could swallow a person whole like that. The teacher said, "How will you prove that you are right?" Little Johnny said, "When I get to Heaven I will ask Jonas." "What if he is not there?" asked the teacher. Quick as a whip little Johnny said, "Then you will have to ask him at the other place!"
Bob celebrated his 92nd birthday on July 24. It's not too late to phone him. Congratulations, Bob, and I hope for you many more birthdays!
