Something Good That Happened this Summer

[charliep]

Something a little different but a challenge to everyone.

This is about as tough a year as I have seen for anyone in the ag. industry and its not over yet. It is pretty easy to get down in this environment. Even in the toughest of times, there are good things that happen that keep us going.

My things have been a canoe trip in Manitoba Aug. 2 to 5. I was in the Edmonton dragon boat race festival (20 person canoe if you like) this weekend and we won a metal for first in our level. Each involved friendship and working as a team.

Just a challenge to get people to tell others about something that happened that was special in their live this summer. Could be a marriage in the family, birth of a child, an excellent vacation, a son or daugher's accomplishment in sport, etc. Could be something in your business.

[TOM4CWB]

Charlie,

We had fun the last couple of days unloading hay at Killam.

It was fun to see 6 tractors all working together, unloading rail cars without a plan... and no-one hit anyone else... the fellow in charge thought we couldn't do the job at first... but that just makes farmers more determined when someone indicates "You can't do that...it won't work..."

It is amazing what a chalenge will bring out in a group of people in a farm community...

I see much of the barley that was cut 3 weeks ago has now regrown to the point where in a couple of weeks another cut of feed will be able to be taken off...canola much the same, pastures are coming back... in much of central Alberta.

[dalek]

Charlie, my wife's pregnant with our first child. That's a good place to start.

[dalek]

Congradulations dalek. My wife isn't in the family way ( she is in her mid 50s) I 'am really thankful about that Charliep. The other good thing about this year is that we only have 4 1/2 months to go until next year country is here.

My canola crop, after cutting it for feed is back in full flower, it just might make it if it doesn't freeze before the end of Oct.

The good news is $12.00 canola coming real soon.

The bad news I done have any Canola.

[melvill]

Gosh what a nice change of pace for this discussion group! Good things for me this summer were:
1) watching my son's mountain bike four-person team compete in a 24-hour MTB race at Canmore. There were singles and teams of four or five racing. The most interesting was watching a team of four guys, all over 48, beat the pants off most of the teams of guys between 25 and 30. (I love it when gray hair wins!) I helped score and time the racing for five hours.
2)watching my five-year-old learn to ride his two-wheeler without training wheels and my three-year-old just about get it mastered.
3)Last weekend I rode my first over 30-mile bike ride at an average speed over 18.5 mph. It's not Tour de France speed but in my mind it was d__n close and it keeps the cardiologist away.

[crusher]

My summer highlight was a two week holiday at Radium, Vancouver Island and Kelowna at the end of July. It was a great break mentally, I couldn't take looking at my crops much longer. My wife and two boys met different families at each stop and we went whitewater rafting, hung out at the beach, golfing, kyaking, waterslides, oyster/clam digging, helped build a tree house and lots of other fun stuff. It's so much more enjoyable holidaying than working in the heat. On our trip home it started overcast in the Okanogan and pretty much rainy from Revelstoke to home. The roads were wet all the way through Alberta until I got to the Yellowhead which is five miles from home - back to the drought!

We've been chewing away at our peas over the last week with yields around 15 bpa. Won't have anything else ready for another month. Some swathing and spraying taking place around Fort Sask., but not many combines out yet. Have a safe fall and try to find something to take your mind out that misery coming into the feeder house.