On March 5 there was a celebration of life at the Grassy Plains School for the late Vern Harms. Internment followed the service at the Tatalrose Cemetery.
The school gym was just packed with many many friends and such a big family. For the many years that Vern spent serving the public as ferry captain, he was never heard to say an unkind word or unkindly criticize to any of his crew. You could tell by the numbers who attended his service just how well liked and loved this man was.
Yes Vern, we will all miss you, not only by your family but by so many of your friends that you touched in your lifetime. We go back as good friends for so many years and I wish you a safe journey Vern and I hope we meet again sometime and I'm sure we will.
I have at hand the last paper and as a rule I always find something that stands out for my remarks. A headline, Indigenous Festival of arts, the first of it's kind. What a shot in the arm not only for the native people but for all of us plus Burns Lake. It seems everyone is behind it all and big time. We have untold talent here both Native and none native. All it takes is some ingenious and caring person like Rayanne Charlie to put her best foot forward and make it happen. This is going to take off like a forest fire, mark my words. What a way to put all racial indifference's behind us, go as one body and enjoy every moment together, it's going to pay off. Hats off to you Rayanne Charlie and to all that are helping you to make it all happen.
Just have at hand a May 12, 1949 Review and as I was going over it I noticed a little notation. This I found very interesting. May 12 is called hospital day. Miss Preston has a write up and it's really a full page. I will just give the first part. Perhaps to some 1948 is just another year in the history of the Burns Lake hospital. The outside looks much the same except the covering over the basement stairs, but for the most part it has been different feet who have walked the corridors and other hands who have ministered to the sick. It has been a happy year for the members of the staff and we are pleased to have played a small part in the history of the Burns Lake hospital under the Women's Missionary Society of the United Church. The community can be proud of their part for not only did they donate $3,835.81 but gave of their time and help in more ways than one. I know everyone would be very interested in reading the whole page and I will ask Laura if it would be possible. It gives a whole idea of the hospital system.
Also in the same paper the new ferry, the Jacob Henkel, was christened, May 10, 1949. Miss Josephine Keefe, granddaughter of the pioneer after whom the ferry is named and christened the new ship. (I married her the same year).
It's amazing to me how the higher prices of fuel of all kinds will effect our way of living. Transportation prices will go up with the fuel prices so all our food will go up to compensate for the increase in fuel prices. The folks that have to drive to work will feel it the most and all those on fixed incomes will be the next who will feel the pinch. Maybe I'm negative in my thoughts but i do have a concern. As many of us feel is this vast increase necessary or is it just another gimmick to keep us poor?
Last week I mentioned where have all the deer gone? This was not too smart on my part as I know now they have moved into everyones yard and mine included. They are hungry as the snow is so deep they just can't get down to the food. They are coming onto our veranda to get the sunflower seeds I put out for the birds. Our neighbours are feeding them too. They are coming up to the front steps begging. There are two large Doe's that have adopted me. The ranchers are also feeding large numbers with their cattle.
This is a Saskatchewan story that I am going to pass onto my readers. This happened almost a lifetime ago. It was my 13 birthday and I had rode up to the Evesham Post Office to get the mail. I tied up my horse and walked in. Sarah Turner was the postmistress. She passed me our mail and happy birthday Hugh, you are 13 years old, you are grown up now. This was August 24, 1935. I guess I was really grown up as I was already doing a mans work. Milking cows, fixing fences, driving teams of horses, hauling grain, and doing everything except enjoying school. My dad used to say your school days are the happiest days of your life, I guess I spoke the truth because they were. Sometimes during the night when I can't sleep I look back on my life on the prairie. There were lots of hard times too but there were also good times. I always enjoyed the riding and the freedom we had with the open spaces and the clean air, yes they were good times and what I would give to live them again. We were hard-up most of the time but so was everyone else and we loved every day as it came along.
A little story.
A truck driver was driving along and he did not notice the sign on a bridge which said "Low bridge ahead." He gets stuck under the bridge and really stuck. Finally a police car came along. The cop gets out of his car and walks up to the driver with his hands on his hips and says "Got stuck huh." "No," says the driver "I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."
Take care and have a safe week. Slow down as the life you save could be your own. Always remember that God loves you a lot and so do I.
P.S.
I like to get up early every morning, I really don't have to but I do. No cows to milk, no horses to harness, no pigs to feed, but I still like to get up early as long as I am able. There is an old saying that goes like this "you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy" and it's true.