Greenwater Report for October 31, 2000

---The Greenwater Report for October 31, 2000

Greenwater Provincial Park - October 31, 2000 - By: Gerald Crawford

barely enough to wet
the boards
October 29th, 2000: It‚s quite warm today, starting out at about +6, but overcast, foggy and still. The forecast offered quite nice weather for the last part of the week, but instead it was cool and windy. Today sort of drizzled all day, barely enough to wet the boards on the deck and certainly not enough to measure in the gauge.

one piece
of pie
We went to the annual Fall Supper in Perigord tonight, and as usual it was great and I overate. I planned to ask someone how many went through, but forgot. We were there late, as usual, and still waited for fifteen minutes or so (which is not to be taken as a complaint, it was part of the visiting time that is a good part of the fun.) Also as usual, by the time we were done the crowd was thinning out and we didn‚t have to hurry. I was only going to have one piece of pie (honest!) but just when I thought I was finished, Jenny set down a piece of Jean Dalke’s saskatoon pie in front of me.

stay pretty close to the fence
We were driving Jenny’s white car, and had to park quite far to the north of the church. I went to get it, and was blinded by some headlights; when that vehicle left, I found it was so dark out that I couldn’t find that white car! Finally, a car near the church turned its lights on, and I found I was a hundred yards north-east of the car. One of those nights when one wants to stay pretty close to the fence.

two
rabbits
Driving around through Uskatik today, we saw two rabbits and they were just about all white. I guess it’s about the right time for it, but with no snow, no ice, and warm weather, it just doesn’t seem right. Must make them pretty easy prey, too.

turning us
into a desert
Every day when I look down to the dugout, it seems to be a bit lower. Just for fun, I went back over my diary for the summer to see how much rain we had. It totals to 13.4 inches of which 2.3 inches came in May, 5.4 in June, 2.2 in July, 2.1 in August, and 1.4 in September. Nothing at all in the past month, and not much for a month before that. No wonder the sloughs and dugouts are drying up! So, we got just about our normal amount of rain, but the timing of it is turning us into a desert.

Bureaucratic bafflegab
We keep hearing how responsive our government-owned corporations are, and how sensitive to the needs of rural people. We recently got a good example when we asked to have a phone line put in to our cottage. Keep in mind, the telephone cable is right at the house, buried at the same time as the power. To drill a hole in the wall, stick the cable through and put a receptacle on the inside will cost $475. Then it really gets interesting. To have that line as an extension to our home phone, will cost $390 per month! The reason given is that we are rural, and have to pay for it on a mileage basis. A new number just costs $26.50 per month. Worst of all, I doubt if it would cost SaskTel any more to run it as an extension than to hook up a new line. Bureaucratic bafflegab.

misses Greenwater
We were in Saskatoon last week to see how Doreen’s sister, Lucille, is settling in. I’m happy to say that she is quite content. Excellent bus service to shopping, library, medical clinic, and drug store in walking distance, and the YWCA with all its fitness and health programs right out the back door. Plus a very cozy suite. She says she misses Greenwater, though. She got used to the quiet, relaxed pace, interspersed with mad dashes hither and yon.

Route 66
I talked with Dennis Szafron at Perigord tonight. He tells me they will be routing Route 66 a bit farther south than it has been. That means it will practically come in one side of our yard and out the other. Prior to this, it has been a good hundred yards north of the yard. Makes me think it might be a good time to set up a hot dog booth at the north end of the yard. On the other hand, I doubt if I could talk Doreen into running it, and I sure don't know how.

ski trail
Many years ago, I started out to cut a ski trail through the place where Route 66 will come; at that time I found the bush just too dense, so abandoned it. This time, they will be using big machinery to cut the trail so will have no trouble, and will open up an area that was just about inaccessible hard to get to.

Gerald B. Crawford
Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423
Check out my Webpage: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg

---The Greenwater Report for October 31, 2000

Greenwater Provincial Park - October 31, 2000 - By: Gerald Crawford

barely enough to wet the boards	October 29th, 2000: It‚s quite warm today, starting out at about +6, but overcast, foggy and still. The forecast offered quite nice weather for the last part of the week, but instead it was cool and windy. Today sort of drizzled all day, barely enough to wet the boards on the deck and certainly not enough to measure in the gauge.

one piece of pie	We went to the annual Fall Supper in Perigord tonight, and as usual it was great and I overate. I planned to ask someone how many went through, but forgot. We were there late, as usual, and still waited for fifteen minutes or so (which is not to be taken as a complaint, it was part of the visiting time that is a good part of the fun.) Also as usual, by the time we were done the crowd was thinning out and we didn‚t have to hurry. I was only going to have one piece of pie (honest!) but just when I thought I was finished, Jenny set down a piece of Jean Dalke’s saskatoon pie in front of me.

stay pretty close to the fence	We were driving Jenny’s white car, and had to park quite far to the north of the church. I went to get it, and was blinded by some headlights; when that vehicle left, I found it was so dark out that I couldn’t find that white car! Finally, a car near the church turned its lights on, and I found I was a hundred yards north-east of the car. One of those nights when one wants to stay pretty close to the fence.

two rabbits	Driving around through Uskatik today, we saw two rabbits and they were just about all white. I guess it’s about the right time for it, but with no snow, no ice, and warm weather, it just doesn’t seem right. Must make them pretty easy prey, too.

turning us into a desert	Every day when I look down to the dugout, it seems to be a bit lower. Just for fun, I went back over my diary for the summer to see how much rain we had. It totals to 13.4 inches of which 2.3 inches came in May, 5.4 in June, 2.2 in July, 2.1 in August, and 1.4 in September. Nothing at all in the past month, and not much for a month before that. No wonder the sloughs and dugouts are drying up! So, we got just about our normal amount of rain, but the timing of it is turning us into a desert.

Bureaucratic bafflegab	We keep hearing how responsive our government-owned corporations are, and how sensitive to the needs of rural people. We recently got a good example when we asked to have a phone line put in to our cottage. Keep in mind, the telephone cable is right at the house, buried at the same time as the power. To drill a hole in the wall, stick the cable through and put a receptacle on the inside will cost $475. Then it really gets interesting. To have that line as an extension to our home phone, will cost $390 per month! The reason given is that we are rural, and have to pay for it on a mileage basis. A new number just costs $26.50 per month. Worst of all, I doubt if it would cost SaskTel any more to run it as an extension than to hook up a new line. Bureaucratic bafflegab.

misses Greenwater	We were in Saskatoon last week to see how Doreen’s sister, Lucille, is settling in. I’m happy to say that she is quite content. Excellent bus service to shopping, library, medical clinic, and drug store in walking distance, and the YWCA with all its fitness and health programs right out the back door. Plus a very cozy suite. She says she misses Greenwater, though. She got used to the quiet, relaxed pace, interspersed with mad dashes hither and yon.

Route 66	I talked with Dennis Szafron at Perigord tonight. He tells me they will be routing Route 66 a bit farther south than it has been. That means it will practically come in one side of our yard and out the other. Prior to this, it has been a good hundred yards north of the yard. Makes me think it might be a good time to set up a hot dog booth at the north end of the yard. On the other hand, I doubt if I could talk Doreen into running it, and I sure don't know how.

ski trail	Many years ago, I started out to cut a ski trail through the place where Route 66 will come; at that time I found the bush just too dense, so abandoned it. This time, they will be using big machinery to cut the trail so will have no trouble, and will open up an area that was just about inaccessible hard to get to.

	Gerald B. Crawford Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423 Check out my Webpage: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg