Spring sighs and sparrow songs at Orange Memories
By Beth Robertson
Welcome May! We look back at April with mixed emotions. April 1st came and went and there was not one April Fool's Day joke in our building. Not one! We were braced for almost anything and nothing happened. I guess that was the joke on us! So we laughed and moved out of March without much notable news weather wise or otherwise. A nice little dump of snow to improve moisture conditions and that was all. No lion. No lamb. And no April Fool's Day tricks.
Our Olympic games are over and the top athlete was our own Jean Hannay. Congratulations, Jean! With all that gold around your neck you are worth a mint!
We were delighted to have a few guests at the Men's Coffee/Women's Tea gathering on April 1st. There is a standing invitation for one and all to join us at 2:30 on the first Wednesday each month for a beverage and goodies. Please note: As of May 5th this gathering will be called Java Junction. The next gathering is on May 5th. Put it on your calendar!
The little ones from Kid Kare stole our hearts when they visited on April 7th. McKenna provided an Easter egg hunt for them and they were treated to the Easter cookies that we had decorated. Thank you teachers and children for lifting our spirits. They came again on April 21st — a double dose of happiness for us!
I believe there was a collective sigh of relief on April 10th when the four astronauts on Artemis 2 finally emerged from that little capsule that was bobbing in the Pacific Ocean. I admire the skills and courage of every person involved in the operation but I sometimes wonder why we are chasing and racing after space when our own planet is in trouble.
Weekends in Orange Memories are quiet so we were pleased when McKenna arranged to have Stan Hingston come to share his piano talents on Sunday, April 12th. He favoured us with Easter hymns followed by a number of pop songs. Stan took lessons from Sister Martina in Leipzig for about four years at middle school age, "dabbled" in piano for many years, then began playing again recently. Lifelong learning at its best! Now he shares his music with others. Thank you, Stan. Come again!
The halls were alive with the sound of music — literally! The Senior Choral Group came to entertain on April 15th and what joyful music they brought. They also brought a king-sized Easter bunny and the ladies were adorned with Easter bonnets. Thank you for the joyful singing and the visits over beverages and treats.
The snowstorm on April 16th and 17th meant cancellation of some events but that moisture is so welcome. More moisture is on the way but please, weatherman, rain would be nicer than snow.
A hearty Orange Memories welcome to Ted Herd who moved here from McNab. Ted farmed in the Milden area for many years. There are many farmers here, both male and female, who will be happy to talk with you about their farming years.
Staying active as you age is so important. We are fortunate here to have exercises and fun activities throughout each week. One example was the "Minute to Win It" activity. Teams competed in various "skill testing" challenges for just one minute. Competitive spirit ran high! Thank you McKenna and Morgan.
We rescued a robin! The little fellow crashed into our dining room window, so we followed the "resuscitate a bird" protocol. We put him in a shoe box, poked in a few ventilation holes and tucked it away in a dark, quiet spot for a few hours. Morgan opened the box (outdoors). Robin Redbreast hopped out, a little bewildered, took a few hops, then started to fly. The last time we saw him, he was perched on the fence. We trust he found the rest of the flock that had been in our yard earlier.
Did you know that upwards of a billion birds die from window strikes each year in the United States, many of those in New York City. In Canada, 16-42 million die from window strikes. To save little birds from striking your windows, do a Google search for ideas. If a little fellow does strike your window, do your best to save it, per the instructions above. Is it important to save one little bird if we can? Indeed! It is so gratifying to save even one little life. Bird populations around the world are in serious decline for various reasons. That topic would warrant an afternoon's discussion.
Did you know there are thirty-one species of sparrows native to Saskatchewan? Many are ground nesters, some nest in shrubbery and some in trees. Many have beautiful songs. The sparrow we see the most is the noisy English sparrow, an introduced bird that is messy and too often claims the nesting sites of other birds like purple martins, wrens and bluebirds.
I thought it would be appropriate to let the weatherman know how we felt about the unusual weather and so I wrote a little message for him.
Giving Notice
Mr. Weatherman, we have a message,
This winter has been a vexation,
And so we are giving you notice
We want a clear explanation.
The first snowfall came in October,
It was fluffy, sparkly and white,
The little ones were all excited,
But the snow disappeared overnight.
More snow fell in November,
A sure sign that winter was nigh,
So we all settled in for the long haul
Emitting an audible sigh.
In December we wanted white Christmas,
Mr. Weatherman, you delivered on time,
A glorious, perfect white Christmas,
The weather was simply sublime.
Now, what's this about? It is January
And we're getting snow all mixed with rain.
The roads and the streets are icy and wet,
Mr. Weatherman, you are a pain.
February should have been diff’rent
But no, there was more of the same —
Sometimes rain, sometimes snow, sometimes both at one time,
Mr. Weatherman, enough of your game.
Then March came around — no lion, no lamb,
Mr. Weatherman, this is not right.
Please don't mess around with our proverbs
Or we could be in for a fight!
Now April has flown, and out in the yard
We see piles of that fluffy, white stuff.
We're giving you notice, we're tired of it all,
Mr. Weatherman, we've had ENOUGH!
— Beth Robertson, April 2026
We closed out the month's activities playing Pickle Ball and actually we were reasonably good at it. I'll leave the rest to your imagination — but if you know McKenna —!
In closing, our heartfelt thanks to those who make life interesting, fun and comfortable here at Orange Memories: our manager, Morgan, activity co-coordinator McKenna, the kitchen staff, caregivers and housekeeping staff, maintenance man, Gord, worship leaders and all of you who come to visit.
Happy farming and gardening! Bring on the warm weather!