water witching and dogsled police patrols

Another one of Aunt Alma's photos taken in the Yukon "back in the day." The police patrolled by dogsled. Naturally.

In more recent news...

“60 Years Ago, April 14, 1949
Rotnum: Ratepayers of the Rotnum School District, 14 miles northeast of Wadena, believe that their rural school is the first in Saskatchewan to be electrically lighted. The electrification of their school is a community project and is being financially managed both by individual donation and by community socials.”
Reprinted from Looking Back, Wadena News, April 2009

And for something more current:

“Water Witchers help locate waterline break

According to town superintendent Ron Babyck the problem had surfaced around suppertime on Tuesday when a citizen noticed water bubbling up through the pavement on First St. NE.
…
It wasn’t until late Wednesday that we finally located the leak by using the dowsing services of Ken Kerluke and Terry Neilson,” Babyck said. “Between the two of them they were able to pinpoint the problem area within a 10-foot radius— it was a big help.”

Reprinted from Wadena News, April 2009

It seems that people with the ability to dowse are not rare in these parts.

***

It's my sister Karen's 48th birthday today so I am standing by in case she's free to go for lunch. Barring that, perhaps I'll go to her place and, taking a page out of my friend Shelly's book, clean out Karen's fridge. Shelly once came to my house and did that on my birthday, and I think it was the best gift ever.

***

Yesterday I spent some time sitting at the kitchen table, looking out the window at a merlin perched in the trees not far from the bird feeders. I had remembered that my new binoculars were in the house, so put them to good use and was able to see the little fella close-up. What a beauty. He sat about seven inches tall and as it was snow-cold yesterday he was puffed up in all his feathered glory. He was probably waiting for a smaller bird to come by, like the usual redpolls or sparrows that inhabit our yard, but the only kind that appeared was a noisy bluejay —apparently too large for the merlin's lunch— and a couple woodpeckers.

Am I the only person who has trouble using binoculars properly? I swear, there is always a black shadow appearing through the lense, no matter what I do. Is the proper way to use them, with the eyes not touching the eye-things? That seemed to work best for me.