The Greenwater Report for January 3, 2001

The Greenwater Report for January 3rd, 2001

Greenwater Provincial Park - January 3, 2001 - By: Gerald Crawford

cold snap
December 31, 2000: The end of another year! The cold snap, which started about December 9th and moderated on Boxing Day, makes current temperatures around -18 seem positively balmy. The three days around Christmas were very quiet, just the four of us, but most of the family got out for a visit since. Now it‚s just Doreen, myself and Lucille. I can barely walk, so it's time to get serious about regular exercise and dieting.

expressions
of support
I know I said there would be no more reports, but then found I had noted a few things I wanted to tell you about. I guess what I meant was there would be no more racking my brain trying to dream up something to fill the column with, and if I don't feel like writing it, I won’t. By the same token, what I do say will be absolutely one hundred percent gold-plated truth, no matter how far-fetched it sounds. (Of course, that is the way it has always been, but not everyone believed it.) Many thanks to all of you for your expressions of support!

Great
Gray Owls
December 28th was the Day of the Great Gray Owls. We saw seven between the Park gate and the northern boundary, then eight on the way back. Also, right at Chelan there was one perched on a fence post. I took a few snaps, none of which was any good, but we watched while it took off, then suddenly dropped into the snow and almost went out of sight. Eventually its head came up and we realized it was eating something. I guess its ears caught a mouse's movement, though it was twenty feet above the ground, and the mouse was under almost two feet of snow. Some ears!

hoar frost
There was a lot of hoar frost on the trees. I wonder if the owls have been there all winter, but are easier to see against the white?

cleared
the yard
Started the tractor and cleared the yard Monday, the eighteenth; amazed at how deep the snow was. There was very close to a foot where it was undisturbed, and it took me three hours to do the yard. The maintainer was by that morning, and did a beautiful job. Again, no snow in the driveway. And no bare patches on the road north. This road is used as a snowmobile trail quite often, so bare patches are not appreciated.

Twenty
years ago
Just this side of Mystery Lake Lodge, the road is quite narrow. If we get much more snow, the maintainer may be hard pressed to push it off the road. Twenty years ago, the equipment they used then couldn't keep it open, so they would go just north of our place, then turn around in our approach, go around by the highway to the north end, and south to Fred Manklow’s place. Nobody used the road in between, anyway, so it was allowed to drift in.

Mel Tkachuk
Had to do the cottage driveways, too. I got the west one done with a shovel, then Mel Tkachuk came along with his quad and blade, and took pity on me. He cleared the east driveway in a few minutes.

coyote
We got a good look at a coyote near Uskatik. It was big, bushy and healthy-looking, with no sign of mange. It runs sort of like a fox, with its bushy tail streamed out behind, making it look as if the animal were floating over the ground. It was steel gray, and the tip of its tail was almost black.

ice on the highways
We drove to Humboldt on Thursday, the 21st, to visit and exchange gifts with Lloyd & Louise. There was still a lot of ice on the highways around Humboldt from two weeks previous, and lots of holes in the ditch where someone didn’t respect the ice. Ever since, anyone travelling that stretch of highway comments on the ice. It’s a thick coating, and it had been too cold for salt to work. It warmed up starting Boxing Day, so hopefully they were able to do some salting to get rid of it.

Prairie
Perk
We met Lloyd & Louise at a new cafe called Prairie Perk, right across from Discovery Ford. What a pleasant surprise! Wonderful coffee, and a selection of menu items different from the same old thing. Not a high-budget place, but roomy and comfortable.

chickadee
Saturday, the 23rd was down to -33, so seemed like a good morning to walk down for coffee. It was dead still; I didn’t hear a thing until almost at the highway, when I heard a chickadee sing. Shortly after that, cars started moving and it wasn’t so quiet.

deer
On our way home, there were six or seven deer in the ditch, right by the Park entrance. Up to their bellies in snow; curious about us, but unafraid, so I guess they know hunting season is over. Their coats were very heavy; looking like about a two-inch coating of felt. I guess nature has prepared them for a long, cold winter.

snowmobile trail
Walked down the snowmobile trail on the 27th. The groomer had been over just before Christmas, and surprisingly few snowmobiles had used it since. I found it a bit soft for walking, but it should be great for snowmobiles.

ice-fishing
Everyone knows George Butler was a great fisherman. When out fishing in his boat, less successful fishermen would crowd closer and closer, hoping to get into the same school of fish, until they were right beside him. George would show them what lure he was using, then would pull out fish after fish, while the rest got nothing. Finally, he would get tired of being crowded and leave. Lloyd tells me one time George was out ice-fishing, and as usual was doing quite well. A group of young fellows came over to see what he was doing; they were going to drill some new holes but George suggested they just use some of the holes he had already drilled. Well, they fished and fished and got nothing. George showed them what lure and bait he was using, and still they didn’t catch any. Finally, George took his lure and bait off his line and gave it to them; he retied a fresh set and continued pulling out fish after fish. The others got zip. Makes one think there is more to it than equipment, doesn’t it?

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! From Doreen & Jerry

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 January 3rd, 2001

Greenwater Provincial Park - January 3, 2001 - By: Gerald Crawford

cold snap	December 31, 2000: The end of another year! The cold snap, which started about December 9th and moderated on Boxing Day, makes current temperatures around -18 seem positively balmy. The three days around Christmas were very quiet, just the four of us, but most of the family got out for a visit since. Now it‚s just Doreen, myself and Lucille. I can barely walk, so it's time to get serious about regular exercise and dieting.

expressions of support	I know I said there would be no more reports, but then found I had noted a few things I wanted to tell you about. I guess what I meant was there would be no more racking my brain trying to dream up something to fill the column with, and if I don't feel like writing it, I won’t. By the same token, what I do say will be absolutely one hundred percent gold-plated truth, no matter how far-fetched it sounds. (Of course, that is the way it has always been, but not everyone believed it.) Many thanks to all of you for your expressions of support!

Great Gray Owls	December 28th was the Day of the Great Gray Owls. We saw seven between the Park gate and the northern boundary, then eight on the way back. Also, right at Chelan there was one perched on a fence post. I took a few snaps, none of which was any good, but we watched while it took off, then suddenly dropped into the snow and almost went out of sight. Eventually its head came up and we realized it was eating something. I guess its ears caught a mouse's movement, though it was twenty feet above the ground, and the mouse was under almost two feet of snow. Some ears!

hoar frost	There was a lot of hoar frost on the trees. I wonder if the owls have been there all winter, but are easier to see against the white?

cleared the yard	Started the tractor and cleared the yard Monday, the eighteenth; amazed at how deep the snow was. There was very close to a foot where it was undisturbed, and it took me three hours to do the yard. The maintainer was by that morning, and did a beautiful job. Again, no snow in the driveway. And no bare patches on the road north. This road is used as a snowmobile trail quite often, so bare patches are not appreciated.

Twenty years ago	Just this side of Mystery Lake Lodge, the road is quite narrow. If we get much more snow, the maintainer may be hard pressed to push it off the road. Twenty years ago, the equipment they used then couldn't keep it open, so they would go just north of our place, then turn around in our approach, go around by the highway to the north end, and south to Fred Manklow’s place. Nobody used the road in between, anyway, so it was allowed to drift in.

Mel Tkachuk	Had to do the cottage driveways, too. I got the west one done with a shovel, then Mel Tkachuk came along with his quad and blade, and took pity on me. He cleared the east driveway in a few minutes.

coyote	We got a good look at a coyote near Uskatik. It was big, bushy and healthy-looking, with no sign of mange. It runs sort of like a fox, with its bushy tail streamed out behind, making it look as if the animal were floating over the ground. It was steel gray, and the tip of its tail was almost black.

ice on the highways	We drove to Humboldt on Thursday, the 21st, to visit and exchange gifts with Lloyd & Louise. There was still a lot of ice on the highways around Humboldt from two weeks previous, and lots of holes in the ditch where someone didn’t respect the ice. Ever since, anyone travelling that stretch of highway comments on the ice. It’s a thick coating, and it had been too cold for salt to work. It warmed up starting Boxing Day, so hopefully they were able to do some salting to get rid of it.

Prairie Perk	We met Lloyd & Louise at a new cafe called Prairie Perk, right across from Discovery Ford. What a pleasant surprise! Wonderful coffee, and a selection of menu items different from the same old thing. Not a high-budget place, but roomy and comfortable.

chickadee	Saturday, the 23rd was down to -33, so seemed like a good morning to walk down for coffee. It was dead still; I didn’t hear a thing until almost at the highway, when I heard a chickadee sing. Shortly after that, cars started moving and it wasn’t so quiet.

deer	On our way home, there were six or seven deer in the ditch, right by the Park entrance. Up to their bellies in snow; curious about us, but unafraid, so I guess they know hunting season is over. Their coats were very heavy; looking like about a two-inch coating of felt. I guess nature has prepared them for a long, cold winter.

snowmobile trail	Walked down the snowmobile trail on the 27th. The groomer had been over just before Christmas, and surprisingly few snowmobiles had used it since. I found it a bit soft for walking, but it should be great for snowmobiles.

ice-fishing	Everyone knows George Butler was a great fisherman. When out fishing in his boat, less successful fishermen would crowd closer and closer, hoping to get into the same school of fish, until they were right beside him. George would show them what lure he was using, then would pull out fish after fish, while the rest got nothing. Finally, he would get tired of being crowded and leave. Lloyd tells me one time George was out ice-fishing, and as usual was doing quite well. A group of young fellows came over to see what he was doing; they were going to drill some new holes but George suggested they just use some of the holes he had already drilled. Well, they fished and fished and got nothing. George showed them what lure and bait he was using, and still they didn’t catch any. Finally, George took his lure and bait off his line and gave it to them; he retied a fresh set and continued pulling out fish after fish. The others got zip. Makes one think there is more to it than equipment, doesn’t it?

	HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! From Doreen & Jerry

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