The Western Development Museum in North Battleford is keeping busy with weekly work bees for the volunteers of the gas antique tractors and stationary engines.
They are all pleased with all the progress they have made. They did miss Stanley Mills after his fall on ice in mid February. He is now slowly getting back to volunteer his time.
The museum is back to regular hours starting on April 1 after Monday closing for the months of January, February and March.
A former resident of Bjelde Creek has recently passed away. Sympathy goes to the families of Louis Leite, Parkinson, Rayner on the passing of Shirley Leite of North Battleford. Her husband Louis Leite passed away a few years ago. Shirley was a schoolteacher at the Red Pheasant school, later to be called Bjelde Creek School. While there, she met Louis Leite and they were married. They lived on a farm and had a family two girls and three boys, later to move to North Battleford where she taught school at Centennial Park School for a few years. She was also active in her community and church activities. Funeral was held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in North Battleford. She was 94 years old. Burial was at Woodlawn Memorial gardens east of North Battleford.
Slow and steady our spring weather has arrived. All the cold nasty winter days are behind as now. Pretty well all our winter snow has melted. There was no big water run this year for the load of snow all winter. We did get a light snowfall over the past week, and that soon all melted away. Now we all look forward to some good rain showers for the farm land as it is pretty dry in some areas. Like they say, April showers bring May flowers. What warm sunny days there have been have been spoiled with a nasty cold winds. It has been enough to make the ice on the North Saskatchewan River and Battle River break up, with some clear channels and fast flowing waters. Be extra careful if near the rivers. The big chunks of ice can be a big problem where the two rivers join up. The Battle River ice has broken up and moved on. Take care around the edges of lakes, sloughs, creeks and dugouts. The ice is thin and in poor condition.
Another sign of spring is that the gophers are all out. The newborn gophers will be soon out running and playing. Baby calves have been arriving and are all frolicking in the warm sunny days. Ducks, Canada geese, crows and gulls are all coming back for another nesting season. We do welcome them all. The magpies are all busy building their new nests in trees in farm yards. Some prairie hillsides facing south will have snow drops, crocuses and buttercups all in full bloom. They like the nice warm sunshine. The farmers are all well into getting their machinery ready for another season. It’s a big problem, just what they should be seeding this time around. Let’s hope it all goes well for them.
