Greenwater Report for November 20, 2000

---The Greenwater Report for November 20, 2000

Greenwater Provincial Park - November 20, 2000 - By: Gerald Crawford

ice sing
November 19th, 2000: Colder today, -16 when I got up, but almost no wind, and lots of sunshine. Can’t complain at all. This evening is as clear as a bell and makes me think we should be at the cottage listening to the ice sing. There may be too much snow on it, though.

on the ice
George Renneberg has tested the lake ice on his snowmobile, but says he stayed close to the edge. Some others report seeing snowmobiles on the ice - hopefully not too far out.

eight
inches
There hadn't been what you could call a snow for the past week, but almost every day there was a gentle fall. It was about 5" deep on our driveway, then on Saturday it snowed non-stop all day. Never very hard, and tiny flakes, but it adds up. I started to shovel the driveway this morning but soon decided it was not a job for the shovel. So, out came the old Ford and an hour later the yard looked pretty good. There must be a good eight inches on the flat.

9N Fords
That old Ford is a wonderful machine. They started building that model, the 9N, in 1939 and ours was built in 1941. It has a big block of cement on the drawbar for a counter-weight, so I don‚t have the use of the built-in hydraulics or power take-off, but it has a good sized loader and a pump that runs off the front of the engine. Any time I need parts, I go to a Ford tractor dealer, and they can supply anything I need right off the shelf. I believe the 9N was made until the mid-forties, then was replaced by the 8N which really wasn't that much different. It had one more gear and an improved three point hitch system. Late in the war they made some 2Ns, basically a 9N without fancy accoutrements like a generator and lights. I think you had to crank the things to get them started. There are still thousands and thousands of 8N and 9N Fords in daily service, and the newest must be 45 years old.

ice-fishing
hut
Our Grandson, Ryan (remember? Mad Trapper/Angler/Hunter Ryan? Now he‚s a conservation officer in Manitoba) and his girlfriend, Telena, came down from from Dauphin today. He says they got a good two-foot snowfall a couple of weeks ago, then a freezing rain yesterday. He was a bit worried about the roads, but said except for some packed snow and a bit of ice he had no trouble. He had a couple of snowmobiles and an ice-fishing hut stored here, and figures the time has come to put them to use.

track-setting
One has to feel sorry for people trying to make a living selling snowmobiles and accessories. For three years there just has not been much snow, and none until late in December some years. Maybe they will get a break and have a good, long season this year. I suspect there is enough snow to make track-setting feasible, and some more forecast before long.

Ken
Pilon
I have to apologize for calling the Liberal candidate for this constituency Ron Pilon. He sent me a (form) letter, and the name should be Ken Pilon. However, between this stupid election and that stupid gun control it doesn’t matter what his name is. I got a mailing from the Canadian Alliance Party too; it was about four pages and included a questionnaire. I filled it out, but since my suggestions haven‚t been mentioned in any of their election propaganda, I expect it will go straight to the waste paper basket. The mailing had Garry Breitkreuz’s name printed on it, so I know who is running for the CA. Has anyone heard anything at all from the NDP or the PC parties? I have to remember to ask George Renneberg, if he hasn’t fallen through the ice yet. I believe he votes PC.

Mitsubishi
Diamante
If you see us driving around in a white car, it's not because we washed the old Taurus we having been driving Jenny's Mitsubishi Diamante. It's the one I referred to as her piece 'a sushi a few years ago, when we had to take it to Fargo to get warranty work done on it. At the time, that was the only name I could think of that was printable. I have changed my tune lately; it is an incredible car for comfort and handling. We have decided to sell the Taurus and upgrade, and as Jenny has a new 4WD truck and wanted to sell the Diamante, we are trying to decide if we should buy it from her. Only thing is, our car is often used as a truck, and the Diamante is built for luxury. We have advertised both vehicles, so I guess we will wait and see what develops.

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 November 20, 2000

Greenwater Provincial Park - November 20, 2000 - By: Gerald Crawford
ice sing	November 19th, 2000: Colder today, -16 when I got up, but almost no wind, and lots of sunshine. Can’t complain at all. This evening is as clear as a bell and makes me think we should be at the cottage listening to the ice sing. There may be too much snow on it, though.

on the ice	George Renneberg has tested the lake ice on his snowmobile, but says he stayed close to the edge. Some others report seeing snowmobiles on the ice - hopefully not too far out.

eight inches	There hadn't been what you could call a snow for the past week, but almost every day there was a gentle fall. It was about 5" deep on our driveway, then on Saturday it snowed non-stop all day. Never very hard, and tiny flakes, but it adds up. I started to shovel the driveway this morning but soon decided it was not a job for the shovel. So, out came the old Ford and an hour later the yard looked pretty good. There must be a good eight inches on the flat.

9N Fords	That old Ford is a wonderful machine. They started building that model, the 9N, in 1939 and ours was built in 1941. It has a big block of cement on the drawbar for a counter-weight, so I don‚t have the use of the built-in hydraulics or power take-off, but it has a good sized loader and a pump that runs off the front of the engine. Any time I need parts, I go to a Ford tractor dealer, and they can supply anything I need right off the shelf. I believe the 9N was made until the mid-forties, then was replaced by the 8N which really wasn't that much different. It had one more gear and an improved three point hitch system. Late in the war they made some 2Ns, basically a 9N without fancy accoutrements like a generator and lights. I think you had to crank the things to get them started. There are still thousands and thousands of 8N and 9N Fords in daily service, and the newest must be 45 years old.

ice-fishing hut	Our Grandson, Ryan (remember? Mad Trapper/Angler/Hunter Ryan? Now he‚s a conservation officer in Manitoba) and his girlfriend, Telena, came down from from Dauphin today. He says they got a good two-foot snowfall a couple of weeks ago, then a freezing rain yesterday. He was a bit worried about the roads, but said except for some packed snow and a bit of ice he had no trouble. He had a couple of snowmobiles and an ice-fishing hut stored here, and figures the time has come to put them to use.

track-setting	One has to feel sorry for people trying to make a living selling snowmobiles and accessories. For three years there just has not been much snow, and none until late in December some years. Maybe they will get a break and have a good, long season this year. I suspect there is enough snow to make track-setting feasible, and some more forecast before long.

Ken Pilon	I have to apologize for calling the Liberal candidate for this constituency Ron Pilon. He sent me a (form) letter, and the name should be Ken Pilon. However, between this stupid election and that stupid gun control it doesn’t matter what his name is. I got a mailing from the Canadian Alliance Party too; it was about four pages and included a questionnaire. I filled it out, but since my suggestions haven‚t been mentioned in any of their election propaganda, I expect it will go straight to the waste paper basket. The mailing had Garry Breitkreuz’s name printed on it, so I know who is running for the CA. Has anyone heard anything at all from the NDP or the PC parties? I have to remember to ask George Renneberg, if he hasn’t fallen through the ice yet. I believe he votes PC.

Mitsubishi Diamante	If you see us driving around in a white car, it's not because we washed the old Taurus we having been driving Jenny's Mitsubishi Diamante. It's the one I referred to as her piece 'a sushi a few years ago, when we had to take it to Fargo to get warranty work done on it. At the time, that was the only name I could think of that was printable. I have changed my tune lately; it is an incredible car for comfort and handling. We have decided to sell the Taurus and upgrade, and as Jenny has a new 4WD truck and wanted to sell the Diamante, we are trying to decide if we should buy it from her. Only thing is, our car is often used as a truck, and the Diamante is built for luxury. We have advertised both vehicles, so I guess we will wait and see what develops.

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