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The Greenwater Report for April 12, 2005 |
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April 10th, 2005: It’s cooler than it has been with a
heavy overcast, and no wind. Must be the coolest day we have had for awhile, but
still above freezing. There was a heavy mist at times, enough to make the road shine,
but not enough to wash things down. What a difference
a week makes! We came home from Alberta on Tuesday and Wednesday. There was
very little snow visible from Rosetown west, not surprising since there hadn’t
been much when we went out a week earlier. We were surprised to see there wasn’t
much east of Rosetown, either, including in Saskatoon. It wasn’t until we came south
from Crooked River that we saw much in the flat fields. There was still a
lot in the drifts and shaded places here in the Park but our driveway was bare. That
was a quick melt!On Thursday, the lake ice looked very wet, and the creek was running like crazy into the Marina. A better flow than we have seen for years. This warm weather will put an end to the snowbanks very quickly! I’m afraid it won’t do much for the lake level, though; judging by the level of the floating docks at the Tackle Box, we are still a good five feet below maximum. Thursday night, there was a strong wind and warm temperatures; that really took down the snowbanks on the north side of buildings and bluffs. On Friday, the Red Deer River was running deep and fast with no sign of ice except the odd bit floating down. Today, the snowbanks on the north side of our house are just about completely gone, and they usually linger for weeks.  With the end of fishing season, the fish in the lake are regrouping, licking their wounds, and mourning lost friends and relations. At the same time, they are rejoicing in not having to dodge those ugly fishhooks, not getting tangled up in fishing lines, and not having their sleep interrupted by snowmobiles and other vehicles roaring around on the ice. The ice fishing huts are all gone from the lake. One of our coffee row buddies built a new one last year, but I don’t know if he ever got it out onto the ice. Last time I saw it, the wiring, lining and wallpapering was complete, the Jacuzzi installed and he was just waiting for the wall-to-wall carpeting. I’m not sure what he planned to haul it out onto the ice with.  The juncos, purple finches, and Harris sparrows are back, and no doubt a lot more of our spring birds that we haven’t seen. We have been feeding on our south deck and the winter birds got used to our big windows and rarely hit them. These newcomers, though, have been slamming into them at an alarming rate. One poor little purple finch wound up on the windowsill and sat there with its mouth open - we didn’t think it was going to make it. After awhile, though, when I went out onto the deck, it flew off, right through a lattice, up through the trees and across the road. I hope it makes it. I mentioned in a couple of columns that the new TV tower sat there all winter without a marker light. Well, that has been corrected - it now has a high-powered strobe light that flashes every second or so. One couple complained that it flashes right into their bedroom window; another couple, driving east along Highway 349, said it was like trying to drive in a lightning storm. We drove by the tower tonight; there was a low level cloud that masked the lights of the SaskTel and police towers completely, yet the strobe shone through. I can picture it being very annoying on a clear night. CBC should expect a lot of complaints! |
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| Doreen & Jerry Crawford Box 1000, Porcupine Plain, SK, S0E 1H0 telephone (306) 278-2249 fax (306) 278-3423 http://www.greenwaterreport.com/ |
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