I am up early this morning and the power is still out. That can't be good so I am assuming that there are some major repairs that need to be done after last night's storm. It must have been ugly around North Battleford as I saw on Facebook this morning that it was by far the worst storm that Jace has ever had to drive through as he was dodging parts of a garage that had been blown onto the highway!! There must have been a tornado in that area. Severe storm warnings and watches were out all day yesterday.
Gary just came over for some water. With the power out, his pump is not working so can't get any water from the well. We have plenty as I just filled our tank on Saturday when the kids were here.
I have stuff that needs to be mailed so will wander over to the post office and I am sure the town gossip line will have already broadcasted the reason for the power outage.
I hear a generator running over at the store now so they must be up and running again, even if it is only on half power. At least that will keep their freezers and fridges cold (since they have been off all night).
I am back from the post office and they are closed until power is restored. Well then, I guess I am not mailing my letters today. I also walked to the store and they too are closed. Rick, the owner was at the back and says he is still looking for another generator to keep his freezers cold so I hope he finds it.
When I get back to the bus, I creep the internet to see what the issue is with the power and find that nine major structures are either down or severely damaged by last night's storm and we will be without power for at least the rest of the day!!
Now that is no problem for us but Gary was worried about his fridge and freezer so we switched the cords around and Gary plugged them into the bus so that now he too has power.
Gale and Beef came over with some tomato cages and then stayed for a few refreshment. It was wonderful chatting with them and I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Gary joined us and the five of us blew off the afternoon. Dave and Shirley have driven into Saskatoon to visit Shirley's parent (her Mom just had a heart attack and is still hospitalized) so are missing the day here in powerless Leoville.
Suppertime rolled around and everyone headed home. John and I sat under the awning listening to the rain (yes, it has started again) as he cooked our supper on the bbq. There were smells of bbq floating on the air all day today!!
An update from the power company says they are hoping to have power restored in our area by midnight tonight but I will be in bed long before that as I am headed to work tomorrow. So, with that thought in mind, I bid you all good night.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25/2012
I am off to work and it already is hot out. I think today will be a scorcher (supposed to get up to 29C) and there is no air conditioning in the old folks home. Now that could just get nasty!!
The hustle and bustle of the day's work is progressing nicely until one of the day respite residents decides he is going to have a heart attack and I end up doing chest compressions for 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived!! Ask me if I was hot during all this excitement!! Unfortunately, the resident did not survive so that meant that the RCMP and the coroner had to be notified. Wow, now this was a new experience for me. Being the registered nurse in charge, I had to give a statement to the police (it is done on tape - who would have thought) and to the coroner. Holy Smokes - why couldn't the resident have lived - less hassle!! Now I am just being harsh so I had better stop. It was really a sad affair and unfortunately his wife (who lives beside the home) witnessed some of the resuscitation attempt and that could not have been pleasant for her. It was upsetting for all the residents (not to mention the staff, some of which were relatives) so the remainder of the day was stressful with several of them being sad and crying. This is such a close knit little community that one cannot help but feel the sadness. Being from the "big city" and working in an environment where no one really knows their patients, this atmosphere is so different for me. It is actually very special working in this type of environment and once again I can't help but feel blessed to be able to experience this sense of "community" which in essence, is one big family.
My work day finally comes to an end and I am so very glad to be heading home. It is time to jump into the shower, then just relax for the rest of the evening - maybe count a few blessing.
There is a storm brewing tonight as there has been storm warnings out all day. The clouds are building and are an ominous grey looking colour. No good can come of this I am afraid.
It isn't too long before lightning is flashing across the sky and the thunder is booming. Hogan is in the bedroom with John and if he could actually get under the bed, that is where he would be!! The rains come and the power goes out which really is no surprise. Fortunately, all John and I have to do is turn on the inverter and our power is restored. The batteries are on full charge so we can out last this power outage. The town is completely in the dark though and remained that way until we went to bed. Hopefully it will be back on in the morning. Good Night!!
The hustle and bustle of the day's work is progressing nicely until one of the day respite residents decides he is going to have a heart attack and I end up doing chest compressions for 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived!! Ask me if I was hot during all this excitement!! Unfortunately, the resident did not survive so that meant that the RCMP and the coroner had to be notified. Wow, now this was a new experience for me. Being the registered nurse in charge, I had to give a statement to the police (it is done on tape - who would have thought) and to the coroner. Holy Smokes - why couldn't the resident have lived - less hassle!! Now I am just being harsh so I had better stop. It was really a sad affair and unfortunately his wife (who lives beside the home) witnessed some of the resuscitation attempt and that could not have been pleasant for her. It was upsetting for all the residents (not to mention the staff, some of which were relatives) so the remainder of the day was stressful with several of them being sad and crying. This is such a close knit little community that one cannot help but feel the sadness. Being from the "big city" and working in an environment where no one really knows their patients, this atmosphere is so different for me. It is actually very special working in this type of environment and once again I can't help but feel blessed to be able to experience this sense of "community" which in essence, is one big family.
My work day finally comes to an end and I am so very glad to be heading home. It is time to jump into the shower, then just relax for the rest of the evening - maybe count a few blessing.
There is a storm brewing tonight as there has been storm warnings out all day. The clouds are building and are an ominous grey looking colour. No good can come of this I am afraid.
It isn't too long before lightning is flashing across the sky and the thunder is booming. Hogan is in the bedroom with John and if he could actually get under the bed, that is where he would be!! The rains come and the power goes out which really is no surprise. Fortunately, all John and I have to do is turn on the inverter and our power is restored. The batteries are on full charge so we can out last this power outage. The town is completely in the dark though and remained that way until we went to bed. Hopefully it will be back on in the morning. Good Night!!
Sunday, June 24/2012
The sun is shining again this morning so it looks like it will be another nice day for a ride. Casey has to go home later so it will be just a short ride today. Gary has not decided as yet if he is going on today's ride so we will wait to hear from him. Dave and Shirley will join us so it should be a good time again on the trails
Gary has decided to join us and quickly put his tire back on and is now ready to go. We head out of town and have not even travelled a mile before John decides to ride in the ditch right through a stinky wet muddy patch and I am covered with mud that stinks like the worse slough and cow shit mixed together!! WTF!!! **^##@**>"< He is dead to me!! As it turned out, everyone but Dave and Shirley entered the stinking mud and Gary ended up getting stuck. While being extricated, apparently realized that he had not put gas in his quad so decided to head back to Leoville and go fishing instead!! Thinking that today may not be the day for him to be on the trails, he called it quits!!
John and I found out about Gary at 8 mile and after the necessary refreshment stop, the four remaining quads headed out.
Today, we will travel down 8 Mile Trail until we hit the "back" trail leading to Huard Hill Shelter. This snowmobile shelter sits on the top of a hill overlooking Huard Lake. It is nestled in dense forest and surrounded by miles of muskeg - ugly, unforgiving muskeg. It is here that Casey broke his first CV joint a few weeks ago.
As we travel down the trail, there are several animal tracks in the mud - the usual wolf, bear, moose and deer. I never get tired of looking at all the tracks and find myself making up little stories in my head based on these tracks. Oh what tales these tracks could tell!!! Of course, with John, once you have seen tracks, they all look the same so unfortunately I did not get any pics of them. It is hard to take pics when you are travelling down the trail at Mach 1!!
The "back" trail to the shelter is peppered with water holes and requires a bit of skill to cross them. I must say that Shirley is getting so good at riding her quad that she had no trouble at all getting through them. She gets this big "shit eating" grin on her face when she manages to do what the "big dogs" do and one can not be anything but proud of her.
This trail also gave us the pleasure of seeing the first Tiger Lilies (our Provincial Flower) of the season. John did stop to let me take pictures of them. Woo Hoo!! I guess he was tired of my whining by this time and decided that it was easier to stop and let me take some photos than to listen to me whine!! Good call Honey!!
We left the shelter and headed over to the other side of Huard Lake taking a few side trails along the way. There are some awesome trails in this area and one can never get tired of riding them no matter how many times you do it.
We eventually find our way to Vimy and eventually home. It is still early but Casey must return to Saskatoon tonight. After filling up on some quickly made chili, the kids head out. They have a two hour drive in front of them and I sure don't envy them that.
Once the kids leave, John fires up the fancy new log splitter and splits a bunch of wood - getting ready for the next campfire. It works like a charm!! What a great little gadget and I am glad that my sister Jan mentioned it and I am even more glad that Kimmy was able to snag the last one in the store for us!!
I am scheduled to work in the morning (I got the call just before leaving for the ride) so head to bed for some much needed rest. All in all, it was yet another good day.
Gary has decided to join us and quickly put his tire back on and is now ready to go. We head out of town and have not even travelled a mile before John decides to ride in the ditch right through a stinky wet muddy patch and I am covered with mud that stinks like the worse slough and cow shit mixed together!! WTF!!! **^##@**>"< He is dead to me!! As it turned out, everyone but Dave and Shirley entered the stinking mud and Gary ended up getting stuck. While being extricated, apparently realized that he had not put gas in his quad so decided to head back to Leoville and go fishing instead!! Thinking that today may not be the day for him to be on the trails, he called it quits!!
John and I found out about Gary at 8 mile and after the necessary refreshment stop, the four remaining quads headed out.
Today, we will travel down 8 Mile Trail until we hit the "back" trail leading to Huard Hill Shelter. This snowmobile shelter sits on the top of a hill overlooking Huard Lake. It is nestled in dense forest and surrounded by miles of muskeg - ugly, unforgiving muskeg. It is here that Casey broke his first CV joint a few weeks ago.
As we travel down the trail, there are several animal tracks in the mud - the usual wolf, bear, moose and deer. I never get tired of looking at all the tracks and find myself making up little stories in my head based on these tracks. Oh what tales these tracks could tell!!! Of course, with John, once you have seen tracks, they all look the same so unfortunately I did not get any pics of them. It is hard to take pics when you are travelling down the trail at Mach 1!!
The "back" trail to the shelter is peppered with water holes and requires a bit of skill to cross them. I must say that Shirley is getting so good at riding her quad that she had no trouble at all getting through them. She gets this big "shit eating" grin on her face when she manages to do what the "big dogs" do and one can not be anything but proud of her.
This trail also gave us the pleasure of seeing the first Tiger Lilies (our Provincial Flower) of the season. John did stop to let me take pictures of them. Woo Hoo!! I guess he was tired of my whining by this time and decided that it was easier to stop and let me take some photos than to listen to me whine!! Good call Honey!!
We left the shelter and headed over to the other side of Huard Lake taking a few side trails along the way. There are some awesome trails in this area and one can never get tired of riding them no matter how many times you do it.
We eventually find our way to Vimy and eventually home. It is still early but Casey must return to Saskatoon tonight. After filling up on some quickly made chili, the kids head out. They have a two hour drive in front of them and I sure don't envy them that.
Once the kids leave, John fires up the fancy new log splitter and splits a bunch of wood - getting ready for the next campfire. It works like a charm!! What a great little gadget and I am glad that my sister Jan mentioned it and I am even more glad that Kimmy was able to snag the last one in the store for us!!
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| heading out of town |
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| Beverage, anyone? |
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| Gun Club Trail |
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| Still a bit of mud on the trails although it is getting better |
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| Nasty Ass deep holes |
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| Dave |
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| Shirley |
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| Casey showing off!! |
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| Not so smart now!! |
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| Casey and Amanda |
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| Huard Lake Shelter Trail |
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| John, having to winch out of mud - went right when he should have gone left |
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| First tiger lilies of the season - Woo Hoo |
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| Our Provincial Flower, Incredible beauty |
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| Now you know why I was whining when John would not stop and let me take a pic!! |
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| Huard Lake |
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| Huard Hill Shelter |
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| More tracks in the mud - maybe mink, perhaps weasel |
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| Standing wondering what we are doing while I am wondering what he is doing!! Curious little creatures - and this one had the starts of a nice set of antlers |
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Saturday, June 23 2012
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| Beverage |
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| Going deep |
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| Awesome flowers |
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| One of the many nameless lakes around here - complete with beaver lodge and loons |
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| The feathery tamarack tree |
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| Great trail through the woods |
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| Bear Lake Trail |
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| Bear Lake |
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| Our destination for the day |
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| Moose rack |
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| Good thing it is not hunting season! |
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| There is no lack of colourful foliage around |
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| The wild rose, easily the most awesome smell in the forest |
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| Yes you get muddy when you ride with Casey |
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| Cleaning off at Vimy Creek |
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| Vimy Lake |
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| Casey having a dip |
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| Lily pads |
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| Time to head home |
We will be following some of the Rally trail so that should give Casey plenty of mud to romp in!!
Our first stop is always the little white church (so we can have "one" for the folks in the cemetery). Today, Cliff arrived with the lawnmower in the back of his little Japanese truck. He is on a mission to cut the grass in the cemetery and in front of the church. He keeps it looking wonderful and the whole setting is nothing less than incredible. What a wonderful spot for a final resting place.
We access the rally trail head and soon find ourselves in the mud. Although the trail has dried a fair amount, there is still plenty of wet spots and deep ruts to traverse.
As we come to one of the bigger mud holes, we find about 20 people standing around it watching as a few members of their group try to extricate one very stuck RZR. As I take in the scene, I see so many of them totally covered with mud that all I can really see is the whites of their eyes!! Some of them look like they went for a swim in the mud!! They must have been there for a while as they had a little fire going and were well on their way to being "happy". They looked like they were totally having FUN!!
Dave told us about a trail that travelled along side Bear Lake and that eventually leads to a hunting cabin so we decided to check it out. We accessed the trail head and found ourselves on one of the prettiest trails in the area. It took us through deep forest, over hills and into small valleys before we saw the lake and were able to travel along its shoreline where we eventually found the cabin. What an ideal place for a "little getaway"!! Man, I could sure see myself sitting here for a few days for some rest and relaxation!!
The cabin is definitely used for hunting as there were several sets of antlers around and being so far into the bush, I am sure that there is an abundance of wild life in the area. Gary noticed some movement on the lake while we were there and him and I walked down to the shore to see what it was. It was two pelicans swimming around enjoying life!! They did not take too kindly to being disturbed and flew off before I was able to get a decent picture of them. They sure are big though!!
We head back to the main trail taking the same trail out and once there hear the tell tale sounds of quads. I think the group of quadders we passed earlier have finally extricated themselves from the mud and are now "on the move"!! As it turned out, they had indeed done that and we played leap frog with several of them before we finally broke off the main trail and headed down a more obscure trail. It wasn't long before we heard quads again and saw one coming our way. There were two "big" boys riding this quad and neither one of them looked too happy. They did not stop, just carried on down the trail. Before too long, a side by side came along and although he had no plans to stop and talk with us, we hollered out to them asking if they were looking for their group. They said yes and just then, the other quad returned with the two sad fellows riding it. We asked them if they were lost and they said "Oh Yeah". This is probably is not a good position to find yourself in when you are this deep in the bush!! We gave them both directions as to how to find their group who, were supposedly making their way to Otter Lake so, off they went and we never saw this group again for the rest of the day although we did hear the occasional quad along our travels.
Once we hit the grid, we travelled to Vimy Lake where the kids were able to wash all the excess mud off their arms and faces so that they looked a little less scary when we actually got back to town!! I found a 2XL rain jacket on the trail leading to Vimy and wonder if it had been lying there since the rally a week ago. Oh well, one can never have too many rain jackets so I will wash it and use it!! Woo Hoo, I love finding all sorts of treasures on the trails.
It was soon time to return home (John has supper to cook!!) so we headed towards Leoville. Gary's quad has run great all day despite the fact that he has two broken front CV joints!! These he broke on the rally and the parts to fix it have not yet arrived so decided to come on the trails today despite this fact. After all, what else could possibly go wrong? He did well and we were on the last leg of today's trip. It was grid all the way home now.
John and I arrived at 8 mile corner and since this is one of the official "beer" stops, we waited for the others to arrive. They did....all riding on Casey's quad. What the Hell???!!!! I should have taken a picture of the three of them on the quad but by the time I got into gear, turned on the camera, the moment was lost. Too bad!!
Apparently Gary lost a wheel on the grid!! What, lost a wheel!!! OMG - only Gary could manage something like this!! Imagine his shock when his wheel passed him on the road!! Oh how I would have loved to have been a little fly riding on his quad when that happened. I can only imagine what he said and I don't think it would have been "oh my goodness"!! Fortunately, Gary was able to control the quad so that there were no injuries. He simply attempted to steer it into the ditch where he had to leave it until him and Casey returned with his truck and trailer.
We eventually all made it back to Leoville. It is a good thing that we were only 8 miles from home as I can't imagine that it was too comfortable riding 3-up on Casey's quad. Gary was worried that he would have a heck of a time finding the missing wheel. He had visions of it traveling "miles" (well maybe not miles) into the bush and not being able to find it.
As it turned out, the wheel was found and the quad, Gary and Casey returned home where John had supper waiting. Dave and Shirley joined us for supper and it was more than delicious. Mmmm - ribs, baked potatoes and caesar salad. What a great way to finish off a wonderful day (well maybe not so wonderful for Gary, but apparently the wheel is an easy fix, thank Heavens as I am not sure how much more Gary can take with all the trouble that quad has given him - he just may "blow"!!).
Good ride, Good friends and Good food. We truly are blessed.
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