Wednesday morning, the temperature got down to –28°; luckily there was no wind but it still nipped at the nose. There was a very light snowfall off and on during the day, not enough to amount to anything but it all adds up.

We were in Foam Lake again on Wednesday; they got a lot more rain than we did last weekend, and though they had sanded the sidewalks, they were still mighty slippery. In places, where the ice was chipped, you could see it had been pretty close to a half-inch thick.

Around home, it made life tougher for elk hunters - the rain had frozen into a crust on the snow and it was impossible to move without making a lot of noise. Speaking of which, this past week was the end of big game hunting; it was draw elk, though I believe an elk hunter could take a deer if one happened along. The end of hunting isn’t as important to me as it was a few years ago; when we lived up on the hill, I would heave a sigh of relief and start walking the trails again.

Last Sunday’s Pot-Luck Supper was one of the best. There were well over eighty people there, including a lot of new faces. I met a dozen people; trouble is, next time I see them I won’t be able to connect the right name!

As usual, there was lots of everything and a great variety. You start out with the very best of intentions, planning to just take a little of this and a little of that, then you get to the end of the table and there are three great-looking dishes that you have to taste, and your plate is overflowing already! Heavenly!

There was no program at all; Doreen had taken over some cards and games, but people prefer to just visit. The evening automatically ended about eight, and everyone pitched in to put away the tables and chairs and clean up.

George Renneberg tells me he has a fishing hut on Greenwater and another on Steiestol Lake. He said he caught a 10 pound trout at Steiestol, and Helen caught a six pounder. He caught another but it was too big to come up through an eight-inch hole. He said it was fourteen years old - he could tell by the scales. Funny - I thought that was how you told its weight!

George’s son was visiting, so George took him fishing on Greenwater. He lent his son a pink jig which was promptly lost. Next time George went fishing, he caught a jack, and there was his pink jig in its mouth! (George swears all his stories are true - he even authorized me to check with Helen!)

Wednesday night, we drove around past Ted and Birdie Krzak’s place to look at their Christmas lights. Their place is famous - there are lights on both houses, on the garage, sheds, barns, up trees, and even on the fence. It’s really worth the little trip to see! Their place is two miles north of Nobleville and a mile east.

Driving the country at night, at this time of year, can be quite an experience. We came home from Saskatoon last Saturday night and really enjoyed the light displays, especially in and near Naicam. Houses along Highway #349 in town are beautifully decorated, as are many east of town.

Last week I reported on a building being hauled to Porcupine where it will become a bar (which likely means a lounge, or licensed dining room). On Thursday, it was in the place of the old Corona Hotel, set quite far back from the street. I wonder if that is to leave room for some new construction? Anyway, it isn’t serving drinks yet, so the thirsty will have to hold their thirst (or go to the Chelan Hotel, or the Cove at Greenwater!)