I have a saying that goes like this, “I would rather be half an half an hour early than two minutes late.” Here I am three days late with the Rural Report so my saying goes down the tube for today.

My excuse is that I have been partying with relatives. We have been celebrating the 50th birthday of my nephew, who came up from Washington D.C. specifically for the event. We had a great time, but the Rural Report got left in the dust.

Another saying I like is, “better late than never,” so I will tell you a story that goes back to 1951 or 1952 when I was three or four years of age. One of my siblings shared this with me.

One summer day, Wally and his friends decided to take their families up to Mount Baldy. This was in line with their tradition to do something Sunday afternoons after church. The wives packed a lunch, the men loaded the cars with kids and food and spouses, and up the hill they went. Across First Nations land they drove and on up the roads that approached Baldy.

When their cars started to overheat, it was decided to stop for lunch. They found a relatively flat area and set up the picnic lunch. They had salads, hot dogs, fruit, and coffee. They were sitting around after lunch drinking coffee when the dark clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. When the hail started falling they knew they were not going to make it to the top of the Mountain. The wind was so fierce that it was blowing trees over. Collectively it was decided to return to the sanctity of the Okanagan Valley.

Back down the steep hilly roads the convoy traveled. They hadn’t gone very far when all came to a complete stop. There was a tree across the road. Wally was the only one to have tools. He brought an ax, a hand saw, and a shovel. Half a dozen men set to removing the impediment. That tree was the first of 27 that blocked their path that afternoon.

It was dark by the time the families arrived back in the Valley and drove home to their farms. The men were bone weary but most still had chores to finish before calling it a day. Their animals got fed and I’m sure the men thought, “better late than never.”

email: ruralreportwithlairdsmith@gmail.com