Here I am once more back with my news.
Nice to take a week’s holidays but it’s nice to be home again.
It was great to go back to the old home place and on the Eyehill Creek in Saskatchewan.
The old house is still standing and also the barn. It’s amazing as it’s now all most 100 years old.
Our little old town of Evesham just has a few homes, very nice homes, but all the stores and business places are all gone. So many of the little prairie towns are no more. It’s kind of sad as a kid I well remember how busy our little town used to be.
The reason for my trip was to attend the wedding of two of my very dear friends who are married in Macklin, the next town to Evesham.
Because of the oil Macklin is a prosperous town and still going ahead. I was so fortunate to be able to stay with my granddaughter Aryn and her husband Reza Khan in Edmonton and from there we drove to Macklin for the wedding.
It was a lovely wedding and so many great folks that made us so welcome. We stayed with friends again who made us so welcome.
They gave me a few minutes to explain who I was and tell them I was born in Macklin hospital 90 ago and took most of my education in Evesham school also my dad took up the eyehill place in 1905.
As they say time flies. There was only one lady who remembered me as we went to school together and we sang a duet for the Christmas concert, now a lifetime ago. Although our time was short we drove around looking at the huge stacks of last years hay.
I asked a lady why so much hay was stacked up from last year and she told me lots of the farmers ranchers let the stock feed out all winter as it was so mild.
She told me they really don’t need to hay this year.
The prairie has a beauty that still draws a person back there. The distances are almost spellbinding as they seem to go on forever. It was all such a wonderful visit and I wish to thank my family for their love and making this trip possible for me. Although as short as it was it was wonderful.
Looking back
I am going to go back a bit and mention the Mouse Mountain Days 2012. This was the Fraser lake first of July celebration. What a great show three day event. There was so much going. Bryan and Lone Spur were asked to take a small part which went over very well. I think this is the fourth year we have entertained at Fraser Lake. They are all very nice people there and it’s nice to go back again every year.
This is also a reminder that the Grassy Plains bluegrass celebration will be coming up real soon. This will be a great show as there will be some top of the line entertainers so don’t forget you will enjoy. The dates are July 27, 28 and 29.
Air quality
In our last paper the good news is Pinnacle Pellet’s air quality questioned again. Why is this going on so long?
There is a problem and it has to be fixed so let’s get it fixed rather sooner than later.
To have clean air is so important for the present as well as the future. Yes this plant is important to the welfare of our town but they are like any one else big or small must stay within the guidelines that have been set out for clean air and because of its size must not be allowed to slip between the cracks.
Seems Burns Lake gets hit below the belt again with the layoffs at the Endako.
This will no doubt hit the town too. It’s also tough on the summer students as they no doubt were depending on summer work. Now with the mill and the mine going it’s going to be a lean summer for them.
Trip home
My son in-law Rick Hunter met me in Edmonton to bring me home. One thing we noticed was the increase in the heavy truck traffic. Most all of these big units would have to come through Burns Lake.
The Yellowhead is a Trans Canada highway and as time goes on it’s going to get more and more heavy traffic. There are a number of ideas and plans that have come up but they are not getting to the root of the problem.
These transport trucks are getting larger, hauling bigger loads and getting more as time goes on.
You may make the streets more beautiful, put up more lights etc., make things more confusing for the business folk but the sharp corners are not going to change so you must get the heavy truck traffic onto another route other than the main street of Burns Lake.
This will be a huge and expensive thing you will have to tackle but it’s there and it just has to be fixed.
The truck traffic will continue and increase as time goes on, it’s up to you to face it head on not next year but start now, it’s so important.
Who is responsible for this major change that must be faced, Dept. of Highways or the village council, but somebody will have to be.
Maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree but I think not.
A little story
A circuit rider preacher was asking a hillbilly girl if he could speak to her father.
“Na sir” said the girl “Daddy’s in the pen.”
“Well then” said the minister “May I speak with your Mother:?”
“Na Sir” said the girl “Mother’s in the sanitarium, She keeps seeing things.”
“Maybe I could speak with your brother,” asked the minister “Na” said the girl, “He’s away at Harvard.”
“That’s fine, what’s he studying?” said the minister.
“He ain’t studying nothing” said the girl “Their studying him.”
Have a safe week and slow down and enjoy the nice weather as it won’t be here too long and always remember God loves you and so do I.