Another cool, overcast day, but very little wind. I noticed walking this morning that the pussy willows and tree buds haven’t done a thing for at least two weeks, and the snow banks seem almost as big. Spring, where are you?!

I had coffee with Jim Adam, who grew up just south of here, and with Gord Brayton, the new golf pro, this morning. Gord is staying at Bernie Markus’s old place, now owned by Brian Shuya. In winter he will head back to Vancouver Island. Sounds like he has some good ideas for the golf course.

We went to Tisdale on Tuesday, and couldn’t believe the number of vehicles at the Schapansky Auction Mart! Parking lots to the east and south of the sales area were full, with more vehicles parked along the highway and other roads. It looked like the old sports days! I talked to Victor Ceslak; he and Irene went to the auction, and also to the Hodgins auction at Melfort the next day. He said there were as many people at Melfort as there had been at Tisdale. It would be interesting to know how much money all those people leave in town on auction day - some, of course, will go to the auction, buy a hot dog or hamburger, and head for home as soon as it’s done. But there must be lots of others that leave the wife at the mall or downtown, pick up a machinery part, and stop for supper at one of the cafes. Quite a boon to a small town!

Victor said there were lots of police cars in evidence - likely waiting to swoop down on people trying to drag home a cultivator or baler without proper markings.

Friday was cold, gray, and windy - thoroughly unpleasant. A little snow falling, the ground frozen. Our evening grosbeaks, which had deserted us for quite awhile, came back in droves along with the purple finches (purple poops, as our grandkids used to call them) and red-breasted nuthatches. Pine grosbeaks must have moved north, because we haven’t seen any for a long time.

Dave Dalke used to fly a government airplane out of Hudson Bay, and one time Joe went up with him. When they came back, they landed at the strip that used to be out at the golf course. Joe got out and got into his truck, and Dave took off again. Then Joe realized he had left his government-issue muskrat hat in the plane. He got on the radio to Dave, asked him to circle the strip and toss it out the window. Dave did, but forgot that the plane he was flying was a two-engine job, with one engine in front pulling and the other in the back, pushing. Well, the hat didn’t get far enough from the back prop and all there was left of Joe’s hat was bits of skin and hair!

The Northeast Chronicle celebrated fifteen years in business by redecorating their office and having Eugene Patenaude make them some new desks. On Friday, they had an open house, complete with coffee and other goodies. Not being able to resist free coffee, we went down and got a few pictures. Kathy told me there were over two hundred people through - no wonder she was starting to look frazzled! Congratulations, Kathy, Doug and Jen!

I mentioned in an earlier column that Del’s Marine had moved to bigger quarters in the former Co-op Service Station in Naicam. Well, they had an Official Opening yesterday, with coffee and goodies and tours of the facility. We went over and met Bill and Shane James, had the tour, and enjoyed the goodies. I saw the machine used for sharpening Zamboni blades - it is homemade under Bill’s direction and is an impressive machine. In the shop where they repair propellers, they have TIG (tungsten inert gas) welders, huge presses, and dozens of pitch blocks, used for ensuring the proper pitch. Shane explained the process but sometime I am going to watch him actually repair one. Congratulations, Bill and Shane!

East of Archerwill were hundreds and hundreds of sandhill cranes, on both sides of the road. We stopped and watched them dance; they didn’t seem to get alarmed at our  stopping, but they were too far away for good pictures. There were also great herds of white geese on the north side of the road, and a big flight of Canadas was wheeling around. The sandhills always seem to congregate there, but there must be something to attract the geese, too - maybe a pea crop?