November 21st, 2010:
Frigid weather, getting down to below -20°C at night and not over -15°C in the daytime. At least, we are getting sunshine during the day.
We got a pretty good snowstorm last week, about five inches of snow and a high wind. From the news reports, though, Wynyard and east got lots more than we did. All kinds of reports of bad highways, and lots of accidents here in Saskatoon. That was our second snowstorm of the winter, but we were off in Alberta for the first one.
We took in another dinner theatre at Langham on the thirteenth. We went to our first one two years ago, just Doreen and I. Last year, we took seven others with us, and this year we took 34 people with us, most of them Sunseeker friends. Reports are, that everyone enjoyed it hugely and we are thinking of making it an annual outing. As usual, Hela McDonald, from Archerwill, put on a fabulous spread. I think I mentioned in the past – Hela's twin sister, Sela Balzer of Langham, is the director and, I guess, the general manager of the Langham dinner theatre group.
We had another Persephone Theatre show on the third. Just two people played all the parts, usually without scenery or costume changes. It's amazing what can be done with some acting skills.
I phoned Shirley Miller at Greenwater to see if the lake was frozen over; she says no, but it is getting pretty crisp around the edges. In the past, it has frozen over before this time in November, but there have been a couple of times it was the 24th or 25th, and once the 30th. I gather they got quite a bit more snow at Greenwater than we did in last week's storm. The snowmobilers will be happy, but the roads are icy.
We are sorry to hear that Brenda Dunlop of Greenwater broke her hip while painting her house, and wound up having a hip replacement. She was in hospital for four days before the operation, but was sent back to the hospital in Porcupine Plain three days after. I could have told Brenda that painting can be hazardous to the health. I avoid it like a plague. Best wishes for a speed recovery, Brenda.
I'm trying to write this with one eye on the TV watching the football game. It's not working too well so I think I'll concentrate on the game for awhile.
Well, Saskatchewan goes to the Grey Cup! It was a squeaker of a game all the way through. It didn't look as though the players had any great problem with the cold weather, though the people on the sidelines were bundled up and stamping their feet. The camera zeroed in on three Saskatchewan fans, two men and a woman, who had taken their shirts off to show how tough they were. I wonder how long they left them off? The cameras ignored them after that brief shot – guess they didn't want to encourage them. The temperature was supposed to be about -17°C with a breeze.
We have started walking at the Field House again, though we are handy with the excuses. It's a great place to walk – the floor of the track is rubberized and it would be almost impossible to trip or slip. It is six lanes wide, to accommodate everyone from slow walkers to runners – not that anyone pays attention to where they are supposed to walk. There is a coffee shop and regularly have coffee with a group of men who also walk. Two of them are just about ninety-six! Sharp as tacks, too. Must be the walking.
Ray and Elaine Hill are regular walkers, Ray having had a heart event some years ago. We visit with them most days. Ray was the United Church minister at Wynyard in the early sixties. |
