A town for the birds. This is our town slogan here in Morse, home of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre. The town is located just across the highway from Reed Lake. Every spring and fall the lake fills with birds during their bi-annual migration. Before moving to the Morse area, I will admit I wasn’t much of a birder but living near Reed Lake has turned me into an amateur bird enthusiast. I can be found peeking out the window, my borrowed copy of Allan Smith’s Saskatchewan Birds nearby, and I am snapping pictures to send to the other, more experienced, birders in my life. So far what I’ve learned is how difficult it is to take a decent picture of a bird…with a cell phone…through a window.
My favorite shore bird is definitely the American Avocet. I think it’s their peachy brown colored bodies and blue legs that I like so much. On the May long weekend, I was able to take some pictures of them as I was out for a bike ride. In our yard we have spotted flocks of wax wings, a couple of hungry wood peckers, and the occasional Baltimore oriel among others birds. We sit outside and enjoy the various calls and laugh when the smaller birds chase away the crows! We have had doves, robins and tree swallows living in our yard the last two summers. This year, the tree swallows have had their ownership of the bird houses challenged by some relentless sparrows and even a couple of purple martins! The chubby sparrows and chickadees seem to be here year-round and, with much perseverance, have managed to make a nest in the top of our disconnected stove chimney. You can see the twigs sticking out the top! When the trees are void of their leaves you can walk around town and see all the different nests tucked away in the bare branches. During migration, large flocks of snow geese fill the sky. It is hard to describe how many there are – the sky is literally full of them. Their white bodies with black markings on their wings clearly visible. They can be seen resting in the lake with other varieties of geese, ducks, and swans. I have seen for myself that there are other duck variety then a mallard – I even spotted a ‘Daffy Duck’! My bird enthusiasm has only been helped along by working with the Morse Museum as we are also the Reed Lake Interpretive Centre. I have opportunity to listen to locals talk about the different birds that can be found here and glean as much information as I can! This week is Saskatchewan Tourism Week and we may not be able to travel far just yet but I’ve found there is always lots to enjoy in my very own backyard! Next time you’re driving down the number one highway and pass by Reed Lake, check out the observation tower. The view alone is worth the stop! Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre, its Board of Directors or sponsors
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When I was a little girl my family lived in Winnipeg, MB and my grandma lived in Swift Current, SK. My brother and I learned to write letters and I remember my messy printing on loose-leaf pages as bits of my childish life were shared with grandma. These letters bridged the gap between her world, growing up in the 1920’s and 30’s, and mine in the 90’s. Communication has changed so much in the last century. We don’t write letters and rarely talk on the phone. Life is now communicated in instant messages and video calls. What ever happened to the telegram or the fax? What about a beeper? We have been a people constantly moving forward but take a pause with me as I look back on how communication has changed in my lifetime.
I remember our first computer arriving when I was in early elementary school. A gentleman came over to help my dad learn to use it and I was allowed to play games kept on a floppy disc. A few years later, my mom was able to get a cell phone. It was far from the first model but still half the size of a brick! I once called her while she was on a plane waiting to take off. I was in awe and wonder that we could connect. By middle school, I had my very own e-mail address and was able to use MSN messenger to have online chats with my friends. We didn’t email pictures, though, or share them on messenger. Cameras were still mostly film and even digital pictures weren’t put on the computer. There was no YouTube videos or memes being shared. In high school, I got my first cell phone. It was just becoming a thing to have one and my brother and I each received one for Christmas. They were flip phones and could take pictures, I think. To be honest I never did. I had the phone for months before I even sent a text and then I had to use T9 to type! I remember thinking, “It’s quicker to call, why would I text?”. Internet browsing was similar to dialup. The globe would spin and spin. It would take forever to load even the homepage on the small 1”x1” screen. As time went on, phones became more advanced slowly adding more features – better camera and internet, bigger screen and a full keyboard. This is where I stepped off the fast-moving communication highway. I watched as the younger generation interacted on social media and now, I am the one asking them for tips on how to navigate Instagram and what is snap chat anyway? By far the most surprising change has been the phasing out of the landline telephone. Working with the younger generation, I have been stunned when some are not proficient with this antiquated technology. I’ve fielded questions about voice mail, a switchboard and a busy signal. I recently heard a story of a young person not understanding the idea of ‘hanging up’ the phone. Hang it where? They hadn’t seen a phone connected to the wall let alone a receiver connected to the phone. I never thought I’d see the day when a dial tone phone would be a thing of the past. But, really, if I’m honest – do I have one in my house? And when was the last time I used a phone with a cord? Too long ago to remember. I have become a part of the generation that deemed it not worthwhile to keep. Perhaps I will come full circle and be teaching my children how to call grandma and grandpa on the phone and leave a message. And what next? The generation coming up will hardly stand for using the communication of their predecessors. What is next for the world of communicating and what will join the telephone along with the telegram, beeper and fax machine? All of them beeping somewhere with no one to listen… Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre, it's Board of Directors or sponsors. Have you ever considered what time in history you would have loved to live through? I’ve pondered this from time to time and have settled on the Canadian pioneer and homestead era. But why? Being a millennial, I could have chosen the not so distant past of my parents and grandparents - the 1960’s racing to the moon or the post war era of the 1950’s making stacks of flap jacks in my poodle skirt. Why choose a time without Wal-Marts, washing machines, electricity or indoor plumbing. Why choose an era where many women died in childbirth, there was no penicillin or vaccines and people could easily freeze, starve, or die of heat stroke? Why choose a time and place with little civilization filled with perilous risks with the main reward being another hard day’s work tomorrow? Simple, the people.
Early homesteaders to our area came from all over including overseas. They left family, culture and most of their belongings to set out on a grand adventure to the wild untamed prairies. Some sought a new beginning away from war torn homelands, some desired a piece of land to call their own, and many the adventure of new things and new places – going where not many men and even fewer women had gone before. I am intrigued by these characters. An interest, no doubt, peaked by reading both Laura Ingles Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series and Janette Oke’s When Calls the Heart series but also by spending last season working in The Morse Museum on Canadian Prairies. Learning about the people who formed the town and community I live in. Reading their stories, seeing their history. Is there not something thrilling about packing all your belongings into a wagon and heading out to the great unknown? What courage! What stamina! What je ne sais quoi! Because truthfully, I have no understanding, no frame of reference for what it would have cost. I love the people of this era. I love their stories of ingenuity and perseverance. I envy their fearless sense of adventure and casual relationship with earthly possessions. They sought something beyond what they could see and touch and went after it. When they arrived, they lived in a world dependent on community. Pioneers looked to their neighbors to help solve problems and provide social interaction. Their character, work ethic, and unfailing perseverance were passed on to the following generations who needed it more than they could have imagined. These were the parents and grandparents to those who went through two world wars with a great depression in between. Yes, if I could choose, I would live among these courageous pioneers and homesteaders so that I could learn to be more like them – filled with adventure, courage, and unfailing character. I may, however, need a bigger wagon. Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre, it's Board of Directors or sponsors. |