This is the Labor Day weekend, typically the time when cottage owners come to close down their cottages for the season. You wouldn’t believe it from the traffic on the lake, at the beach, and at the playground! It is just like a good July weekend! What a summer for holidayers!

Sorry about missing last week’s Report, my friends – I got driving the combine and was having too much fun to quit. Grimsons already had a lot done when I went down on the 18^th, and we got some good days in before we were stopped on the 27^th by rain. I am sure at least half the crop has been harvested.

Quality is excellent, yields are surprisingly good considering the drought. First thing I noticed is that the wheat heads were bent over, showing a bit of weight. They must have looked fantastic from the road. It’s not all roses, though – every field seems to have its sandy spots where nothing but weeds grow.

Trees and hedgerows are suffering badly from drought. Caraganas especially are almost bare, and other trees and shrubs have the brassy, dried-up look. Some hawthorns had shriveled fruit and also the chokecherries, though I did find a patch of nice, ripe, plump chokecherries by Mozart.

I took the motor home down there so I could leave the car for Doreen. I could have taken the half-ton, but get a bit embarrassed when body parts fall off on the road. It’s no easier on gas than the motor home, either. We found the motor home great for taking meals out to the field; much better than standing around the tailgate of a half-ton. Too bad it doesn’t have air conditioning.

Bryan Grimson found a couple of lost little goslings, so took them home. Now, they are almost full-sized Canada geese who think the quad is their mother. They wander around the yard, gabbling away at whoever will listen, and bullying the chickens. They have started to fly, and love to come around the bales about three feet high and flash by in front of an approaching vehicle, to the consternation of the driver. One day, though, they miscalculated, and one flew into the side of Dan’s truck, making quite a dent. Neither goose seems the worse for wear, although I haven’t seen them flying since.

Ann Hutchinson from Wynyard came out to the combine with her grandson, who works in Egypt, and her great-grandson, who lives in England. Bryan took them for a round on the combine, and they were some impressed! The combine must seem like an incredible monster to anyone not used to farm machinery.

Tomorrow will be Rose’s last day in the Park Store, but Lilianne, at the Beach Café, has a sign up saying she will be open until September 28^th.

There was a farewell party last Sunday, for Cheryl and Bud Sabean. Bud works for the Parks department and has been transferred to Cypress Hills Provincial Park. Cheryl has been the smiling face in Johnston Agencies for quite a few years. She grew up in this area, daughter of Odd and Laurel Steiestol. The party took the form of a pot-luck supper and was well attended. They have been very active in their church, in Ducks Unlimited and in many other organizations, and will be sorely missed.

Laurie’s goats don’t have a lot of respect for fences, and spend quite a bit of time in places they shouldn’t be. One of those places is in the bale stack. They climb onto a lower bale to get at a higher one, which they proceed to dine on. Of course, they couldn’t just settle for the bale on the ground – after all, goats are climbing creatures. I hope they don’t eat away until the bale topples on them – freshly ground goat’s meat!