Tragedy
My heart felt sympathy goes out to all the families effected by the recent tragedy that happened at Babine Forest Products. My prayers are with you all.
Cold weather
One thing we can all talk about and that’s the weather, and the cold snap we had.
The old lake is really steaming this morning. If we don’t get some wind she just might freeze over.
Some record temperatures, Wednesday last at 5 a.m. it was minus 37.5, Thursday morning it was minus 35.5. It’s dangerous weather to be out on the highway unless you vehicle is ready for this kind of weather.
In the 50s we used to get some cold winters. No block heaters so folks would put a fire under the motor in your vehicle to heat up the oil so it would start.
I was using a dodge for a taxi those years and very often I would let the motor run all night. I used to have to get up and check it during the night to make sure it was still running.
I well remember an emergency trip one night with two ladies and it was 45 below, that’s Fahrenheit. These trips I dreaded.
I gave the ladies two blankets for their legs. I covered the radiator with cardboard and I had a fan that plugged into the cigarette lighter, this kept the windshield clear, worked really good too.
No power steering just armstrong steering but I made the trip ok and home again.
I think that was the winter the temperature dropped to 70 below. This was registered on the thermometer on the Burns Lake Hardware and also on Beatty’s Cleaners. One thing it made good ice on Francois Lake.
In one of my mother’s write-ups she stated the temperature did not go about 35 below F. for 29 days. My dad and I stayed up all night to keep the fires going in the store. While watching the wood heaters I read Zane Greys books. Dad and I took turns staying up.
Before we got the power we used gasoline lamps. For the store we had two and for the residence which was on the store (this was our old store). The gas pump was a hand pump and gravity was used to fill the vehicles. We had naphtha gas in drums, also kerosene in drums. Everyone had to use gas lamps or kerosene. Naphtha gas was 60 cents a gallon and kerosene was 50 cents a gallon.
One afternoon I filled the lamps with naphtha for the night lights. I brought the three into the kitchen, I lit one and the filler plug blew out and caught on fire. Dad opened the door and I threw out the blazing lamp and my shirt was on fire as there was snow on the ground, I put out fire with snow.
When the first school bus runs started up in the district there was a ruling no bus would run if the temperature was below 30 F.
This was well and good but one time it was almost a disaster. The Clarence Hickey family had moved to the old Lindsay house, about a mile north west of the present Stoecker home on the Brown Rd. The temperature had dropped to 40 below F., and the Hickey family did not have any means of how cold it was so the two little boys, Dennis and Jimmy, walked to meet the Brown Rd. school bus and it did not come.
The boys waited and no bus so they walked the mile home again. They almost frozen to death and Dennis froze his ears solid.
The folks on the Brown Rd. were upset as this could have been a disaster so the bus had to run no matter how cold it was as this could never happen again.
The parents should have known better than to let the two little boys walk to the bus when it was so cold.
Article
In our last paper there is something that caught my eye, ‘Premier Clark out of touch with the north.’ This is nothing new to us as I think that most of them are out of touch with us here in the north. As we used to say and I quote “No hope north of Hope,” and it’s never changed.
Sometimes I think we are forgotten just because we live where we do. This write up in the paper may get the ball rolling. A lot of our money goes to support the southern part of our province.
Lake freezing
It’s Friday morning and as I look out my office window it looks like the lake is frozen. Not solid yet but maybe a good wind just might clear it.
This was a nasty cold snap, lots of folks have had their water lines freeze.
A person really doesn’t realize just how convenient it is just to turn the tap and get your water. Without too much snow cover the frost just seems to go down. This was one of those years.
Wolf vs deer
Sharla Martens noticed a deer standing in the water just below Sion’s house and sitting on the lake shore watching the deer was a big grey wolf. It was waiting for the deer to come to shore so it could kill it. Sharla watched it for a while but she didn’t know who won out.
A little story for the truck drivers
A truck driver was driving along and he didn’t notice a sign that said “Low bridge ahead.” Before he knew it he gets stuck under the bridge, cars are backed up for miles.
Finally a police car comes along, the cops gets out of his car and walks around to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says “Got stuck huh?” A good truck driver always has an answer “No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas.”
Take care and have a safe week, don’t leave home unless you have to. Always remember God loves you a great deal and so do I.
