To the seasons of life
Shakespeare for more than 400 years has been eternal in respect to mood and movement of feeling. The sonnet that has the Darling Buds of May reference still resonates even here an ocean away from England and Stratford on Avon.
The buds are breaking out all over to seemingly meet the Bards deadline here in the South Central, Interior City OF Merritt. More or less on time….
On this Day: April 27th 1810
Beethoven composes Fur Elise
A Tesla S, 85 charges up at Merritt, with an adapter to a DC 500 Volt 120 amp Quick charger, Aug /14
File Photo KDG
Growth, Coldwater hotel dome and flag
Photo KDG
On this Day: April 26th 1956
The world first successful container-ship goes into service.
Horses can carry ticks in the spring
File :Photo KDG
We found a tick on us after going through some tall grass near new construction on the North end of Merritt this week. The dry grass at this time of year is often a transfer point for ticks. Dogs can bring them into your home.
Multiple ticks were also reported on persons hiking in the Southern hills about the town here.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, like all rickettsial infections, is classified as a zoonosis. Zoonoses are diseases of animals that can be transmitted to humans. Some zoonotic diseases require a vector (e.g., a mosquito, tick, or mite) to be transmitted from the animal host to the human host. In the case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ticks are the natural hosts, serving as both reservoirs and vectors of R. rickettsii. Ticks transmit the organism to vertebrates primarily by their bites. Less commonly, infections may occur following exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or tick feces. Source Wikipedia
When in doubt consult a medical professional.
On this day: April 13th 1997
Tiger Woods becomes the youngest ever Masters champion…
Crows at local gas bar !!
File Photo KDG
The downtown Petro-Canada at the junction of highway 5, 8 and 97c is offering regular gasoline at a dollar one a liter. Its been that way through the weekend and for about a week making for a bit of a stable period here.
The summer driving season is a couple of weeks away and even this weekend had glorious spring weather beckoning to be out on those roads. If everyone of us took some additional conservation measure for fuel consumption collectively we could more then probably stop any price increase in the cost of fuel from May to September.
We could then take an interest in weather grocery prices stay down in step with fertilizer and fuel for food production.
On this day: April 12th 1955
The Polio Vaccine is declared safe.
The Nicola Valley still enjoys the closeness of a small hospital with a full lab. File Photo KDG
Health is the preoccupation of the healthy, but most people know its value. Serious disease has decimated populations until recent times. things are better with bell weathers like the golden age of health after the discovery of more vaccines like the one for polio, thanks to the March of Dimes.
The World Health Organization recently came into focus again with a successful remedy for the Ebola virus in Africa.
Economy plays a role even now in populations without. However the axiom you can’t buy back your health when lost still resonates.
Editors Note: The hat in the featured picture looks like the one that belonged to an old retired nurse that pushed a cart about town for along time. It rests on the walk by the Royal Bank on the corner of Quilchena and Garcia, a poetic link to the relationship of money and health. The nurse is not noted about for a while yet we think she is ok. The wind gets a lot of hats in March Merritt.
On this day: April 7th 1967
Film critic Roger Ebert makes his first film review published in the Times.
Training program,qualify for when demand is high.
File photo KDG
Opinion: The employment insurance needed in Alberta because of oil layoffs should not have qualifying periods based on areas of high unemployment, rather a period to find suitable work should be universal and be able to be continued into a retraining period in case of failure. Job beggars are counter productive. Trying to stimulate the economy with government spending is like standing in a bucket and trying to lift yourself up with the handle.Eisenhower.
On this day: March 31st 1889
The Eiffel Tower is officially opened in Paris France.
Dan Albas MP
Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola
Photo: KDG
Budget from an opposition side of the house…
An action plan is the same as a budget it just expresses the activity in dollars and cents.
The first action plan of a strongly mandated new government comes down today, expressed in dollars and cents the closing of some offices and the change of direction discussed in the recent election including…..
Refugees
Pot
Deficit funding
Infrastructure spending
Global warming intervention
ETC:
On this day: March 22 1987
Born: murdered environmentalist Jairo Moro Sandoval.
Cattle on the ranch at Merritt BC
File photo KDG
Beef cattle get moved about from summer and winter range. Being fed all winter on the ranch then being moved up to higher pastures to graze on what nature provides makes an economy that we all have a stake in ( except Vegans).
Most range access by road is controlled by metal grated cattle guards in this area however it is good to close any barbed wire fence after use if one is still in service.
There are a number of feed lots here in the Merritt area. The lots function all year long, they are used for dairy cattle that are being matured to two years before being moved to the lower mainland for milk production.
Herd laws make farmers liable for loss of stock not kept behind fences, there can be failure in fences, however collisions with livestock are less frequent now.
On this Day: March 17th 2013
The largest meteorite ever observed hitting the moon lands on its backside.
This is a long way from a gas pump
File Photo: KDG
The local Petro Canada station on the corner on Nicola and Voght is offering regular gasoline at 99.9 cents a liter. The price dropped from a $1.02.9 last week and has bridged the psychological barrier of a dollar a liter once again. In earlier weeks it had dropped below 90 cents.
The CBC is reporting that it looked into price increases on long weekends and found something under 20 occurrences which is not unusual for the system of refining. There were other price drops to long weekends.
Canadian Tire suffered a seven figure fine for price fixing between May and November 2007. The combines people usually use real estate zoning to encourage completion in big box stores!
Gas buddy: This service says that the prices are rising and BC is at $1.06.9 with national well under at 92.9.
There is a summer driving season that is about to the college year and summer hours this usually has an effect on prices it will be interesting to see if it is in effect this summer with gluts reflected in bank accounts of producers. (Or did they fix that with grocery prices)
Editors Note: We believe that the refiner capacity is more responsible for the lag in gas prices dropping in relation to crude prices. No one wants one in their back yard. This may be good as it prevents dumping to a degree. Politically dumped production harms consumers in the long run and predatory pricing will do in competition that make prices stable.
Canadian tire fined the Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/canadian-tire-pleads-guilty-in-gas-price-fixing-scheme/article534996/
On this day: March 15th 1906
Rolls Royce LTD is incorporated in England.
Sunday morning on the 13th is daylight saving time once again. Clocks change at 2 in the morning.
Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that in the evening daylight is experienced an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions with summer time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time. [1] source Wikipedia.
An extra hour coming up for Rodders, this one was out trying earlier in the week. Photo KDG
DST was first proposed in 1895 by New Zealander, George Hudson. The global warming and energy crisis have made it more desirable over time.
On this day: March 11th 1932
Booming Ben the last Heath Hen is seen for the last time.
https://twitter.com/birdonthehead/status/707266794503811072
Thirty robins sited in the Merritt area on a casual count. Michigan as well, according to a twitter tweet. Forgive the poetic licence.
First day of spring in 10 days.
On this Day: March 9th 2011
The Space Shuttle Discovery completes its 39th and last flight.
Notice of an application of herbicide,applicator said it included mosquito resolve. File Photo: KDG
File Photo: KDG
There is an advertised opportunity for input into mosquito /nuisance control coming up.
Lower Nicola:
Place Lower Nicola Hall,382 Aberdeen Road
Day: March 7th 2016
Time 6:30 to 8:30, presentation 7:00 to 7:30
Place: Nicola Lake Area, Quilchena Hotel highway 5A
Day: March 8th 2016
Time 6:30 to 8:30 Presentation 7:00 to 7:30
The open house and presentation is hosted by the TNRD Thompson Nicola Regional District.
File Photo: KDG
Helicopters doing work can be an overhead hazard, applying spray from above.
File photo KDG
On this Day: March 2nd 1995
Researchers at Fermi Lab discover the Top Quark.
Hey Merit what do you say?
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
