You call that a pothole fix?

Wow, a new piece of pavement popped up just outside our property but I'm sure it won't last long. Since last fall and all through the winter, the heavy traffic that runs down 46 street has been pounding away at this hole and really creating a mess. Just a couple of days ago (April 26) the town crew or someone dumped in a batch of cold mix, ran back and forth over it with a truck (I assume) and drove away calling it done.  Sorry, its not going to measure up and here's why. The pile of pavement - yes I said pile, is humped up like they buried a turtle in there (for the run-off I guess), the sides aren't sealed and it isn't packed properly. One of the other reasons this patch isn't going to hold is the traffic still insists on racing up and down this road many beyond the speed limit. And, there are still heavy trucks using this as a main route to get to the new subdivisions to the east. Yes, heavy trucks like tandems full of dirt or gravel, low-boys with track hoes and cement trucks with full barrels. I think its time that the developer opened a road down toward their end of town so the established areas don't have to put up with this traffic. I know its still winter (cause it won't quit snowing or threatening to snow) but come on folks this has been going on for more than a year. Wise up. NUFF Said.
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Oh and have you driven down any back alley's here? They are in terrible condition. Something needs to be done because its costing us a fortune for front end work on our vehicles. Maybe we should be submitting the bills to the town office!
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We're off to the Alberta PC Association policy conference in Edmonton this weekend. Its an opportunity for constituents to have a say in how our provincial government runs. I'm sure the Premier will have a lot to share with us and we with him. We have a combined delegation from both Cold Lake and Bonnyville attending so we'll be able to share information when we return.
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I know we need the moisture but couldn't it come in warmer temperatures. We had to take all the plants in from the greenhouse because the heating bill would have broken the bank account. Now our house looks like a jungle inside with all the trays and little, and some not so little, plants poking through the dirt. Its also a little earthy smelling so it'll be nice to get them all out in the ground where they belong.
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Interesting developments in the northeast of town from the partners at Envision. A potential new mall plus more housing can't hurt. Sure it would bring competition but it just might keep our local shoppers home. We're losing them to places that have malls so lets get progressive and grow this town.
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That's it for now but I'll maybe slip in a little ad here. If you need printing - everything from basic business cards to multi-part carbonless forms such as fluid haul tickets, hazard id forms, safety meeting forms, purchase order books, ground disturbance forms, brochures, letterhead, note pads, labels, or special printing, call me anytime for a no obligation quote. You can also visit my web site at www.commwordsink.com for more information. Hey and if you don't need any printing perhaps you know someone that does. Have a great week. Dave

Garage Sale season is Upon Us!

And in case you haven't heard, there's a Giant one A' Comin' !!!! This one is just a little jaunt outside of town to Eastbourne Hall at the top of the hill just west of Hoselaw Corner. It's coming this weekend.

GIANT GARAGE SALE
Eastbourne Hall
Friday April 23 from 10 AM to 7 PM
Saturday April 24 from 9 AM to 3 PM
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Ya know its a shame that the old service station couldn't be used for something. It was always a great place to stop for Ice Cream or other goodies on the way into the Big Smoke or coming home. I'm not even sure who owns the place now. The last thing I heard was that even the bank had given up and turned it back over to the MD. It would be interesting to see what they'd find if they tested that ground again.
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Something has gotten into my blog spot and its making things act a little weird. Like my return key seems to stick to the end of the sentence and when I hit it several times it finally lets go and runs off down the page.
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This warm weather has got the Gardener's Itch running High in a bunch of folks. I set up a green house for the Missus a couple of weekends ago and she has been filling it and emptying it in case it freezes at night so our house has quite an earthy smell to it. Oh wait a minute those are just my socks. (just kidding folks). In any case the missus is chomping at the bit to get growing and has likely bought about $4 Grand worth of seeds. I can't believe how much they cost now. She showed me a little pack of wave petunias and the seeds were so small they actually packed them in a little plastic vial inside the bag. There were only about 5 or 6 seeds and the package cost nearly $5 Bucks! Those petunias better do a heck of a lot more than wave. For that price they should dance a bit too.
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We're going to try a couple of experiments this year in the garden and I hope they work out. Last year we planted our potatoes in a straw bed above ground but the dry year didn't help. We had done that once before down on the farm and it worked really well. Lots of big white potatoes without any scab or scale. Once they matured, you could just reach in under the straw and pull out the potatoes you needed for supper and leave the rest undisturbed. It was like picking eggs from the hen house when I was a kid. Anyway,  a nosey heifer decided to check out the garden one day and discovered these juicy potatoes under the straw. She liked them A LOT.  She didn't get them all though so we had a pretty good feed. I know she developed a real taste for spuds though because when we were hauling her to market we went by a fast food place and she started to beller like crazy. She must have smelled the fries or....maybe she knew where her trip might end.
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Can you imagine, the ticket line up for Johnny Reid went all the way across the rotunda at the Centennial Centre last Friday. By mid afternoon, they had sold 1100 tickets and all of the sky box seats. Amazing. Johnny's pretty popular so I'm sure it'll be a sell out. I wonder who gets to collect the interest on the money cause the concert isn't until September 24th.

Randy Travis is here on May 5th and you can still get tickets for his concert.
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Well my computer is still being goofy so I'll sign off for a bit and bring you more news a bit later. Have a great week. Dave

Wisdom of the ages

Have You Ever Danced?

An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.
The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.

He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.  As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance... never really wanted to."

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said,  "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet.

The old prospector --not wanting to get a toe blown off-- started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet.  Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.

When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.

The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.
The crowd stopped laughing immediately.

The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly.  The silence was almost deafening.

The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever kissed a mule's butt?"

The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but... I've always wanted to."

There are a few lessons for us all here:

Never be arrogant.
Don't waste ammunition.
Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.
Always, always make sure you know who has the power.
Don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid.

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There, now that I've got your attention, here's a couple of local events that are on tap in the Lakeland.

There will be a SPRING RUMMAGE/GARAGE SALE
St. John 's United Church
Thursday April 22nd from 1 PM to 6 PM
Friday April 23rd from 1 PM to 6 PM
Corner 43 Avenue & 46 Street
Bonnyville

I'm thinking of going for a couple of reasons - One, I need another garage. Two, I've always wanted to know what a rummage looks like.....

Have fun, life's too short to be serious all the time.
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Holy Cow, Bonnyville is becoming quite the Concert Stage. Randy Travis is here on May 5th in the Centennial Centre and now Johnny Reid is coming here on September 24th. Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 16th. You'd better be quick or you won't get any. His shows sell out fast.
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If you don't happen to get tickets to either show, you can save your sheckles for the upcoming Bonnyville Pro Rodeo Dance with Sweet Tequila on Saturday, May 29 in the Flint Field House at the Centennial Centre. Tickets will be on sale shortly at just $20 each. The event is presented by the Bonnyville Ag Society in support of the rodeo that runs May 28, 29 & 30 with performances at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

I also heard a little rumour that the RCMP Musical Ride is coming to town to try out the rodeo arena and covered grandstand. They'll be here in August on the 13th so watch for tickets and announcements.

That's it for now folks but keep checking back to find out what's happening in the Lakeland region. Have a great week. Dave