Red Williams’ Comment*

Make no mistake, the public outcry concerning the polar bears, the bitter attacks on the East Coast sealers, and now the drubbing of the Natural Valley horse slaughter at Neudorf, Saskatchewan are part of the well planned efforts of international animal rightist groups which are now targeting Canada. Following years of often violent episodes in Britain and the US, we are next; because our laws protect their extremist activities that would be squelched in most jurisdictions.

But also make no mistake; we still have some animal management practices that can arguably be criticized, and individuals that function outside the accepted rules for animal care. Animal welfare in Canada is regulated and improving. There are federal and provincial regulations for transportation, management and humane slaughter. There are local chapters of the humane society with inspectors, and in our case the Farm Animal Council (FACS). However, all are based on the premise that animals can be used for food, for work, in recreation and for companionship, which the animal rightists challenge as being unacceptable by their lights. It is more than vegetarianism; it puts animal’s rights on the same plain as those for human protection in the most advanced societies.

And, make no mistake, the objective of these well funded activists; supported by a gullible public which believes their false publicity, will not stop short of total disruption of our livestock industries. Governments are helpless to halt them except when they commit violent crimes. But you and me, we can expose and denounce their false message

Your feedback is welcome. Please send your comments to red.williams@usask.ca

Dr. C.M "Red" Williams, Prof. Emeritus
Department of Animal & Poultry Science
University of Saskatchewan
6D34 Agriculture Building
51 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8
Tel: 1-306-966-4157
Fax: 1-306-966-4151
Email: red.williams@usask.ca

*reprinted with permission

Churchy Lafemme

The cities of Ukraine in summer are a girl watchers' paradise. I am an inveterate girl watcher. However I no longer look at scandalously-clad heavenly-bodied young lovelies. No more! As befitting my advancing age and declining libido, I will from now on only observe modestly dressed young ladies of plain face and form.

First of all there are far fewer of them in Ukraine and it is more of a challange. Secondly perhaps they need someone to notice them, too.

In Dnipropetrovsk yesterday I saw three.

Through Streets Broad and Narrow

We went to Dnipropetrovsk today to pick up a package Bron had sent back with a visitor to the Farm Progress show in Regina. Driving in Dnipropetrovsk is not my favourite thing so when we got to our favourite mall, "DAFI the Dolfin", I parked. We walked from there about four blocks to TAKO, my Home Depot away from home (except no wood or woodworking tools). I bought a wheelbarrow and a few other small things.

From TAKO to DAFI is easy to drive, regardless of traffic. All right hand turns. From DAFI to TAKO is impossibly difficult even in light traffic. I loaded my stuff in the wheelbarrow and pushed it out the door, headed for the car, much to the delight of the sales clerks and Tanya's chagrin, (I did offer her a ride). Tanya followed about 10 minutes behind so no one would ever guess we were together. Though she wished she had a camera.

She has been laughing at me ever since and has told everyone the story.

She also wants to know why $100 is a good price for MY wheelbarrow but too much for HER shoes.

Puzic and Popochka, Belly and Butt

Tanya and I have been together now over two years, and married 18 months last Monday 23rd. Together, not counting five months before and four months after our wedding on opposite sides of the pond. Our time together has been wonderful to say the least.

Our marriage is full of love and laughter. We tease each other mercilessly. We are never too busy for a kiss or a hug. “I Love You” in either language is promptly returned. I promised to keep her in roses, champagne and chocolate. Roses have been replaced with annuals and perennials for the garden and innumerable houseplants. We have dropped the champagne for Inkerman (Crimean) wine and she tells me I am better than chocolate. I don’t even care if she is lying.

The funny thing is that each of us loves the physical characteristic the other hates about themselves. Anyone who has seen a side profile of me knows I have Dunlop’s Disease. My broad mind and narrow waist changed places years back. I wear the same size pants “as I did in University” but no one has seen my belt buckle in decades. I hate it. Tanya says it is good for a man to have a Puzik (belly). (Tummy rumbles are called puzik muzik) She says it makes me look good and she pats it and calls it soft names in Russian.

On the other hand, she worries that her Popochka (butt) is too big. As far as I am concerned unless it is two axe handles, three cans of tomatoes and a plug of chewing tobacco wide, a good behind is never too big. She is about 1½ plugs of tobacco shy of two axe handles so I think hers is wonderful. I pat her popochka in public which makes her want to kill me.

So we are in Kansas Clothing Store in ZV to buy some summer clothes. They bring me a couple of shirts size 6X (European size). Buttoned and held out flat they look as wide as the mainsail on Captain Hornblower’s ship-of-the-line. When I put them on, they fit. Snug.

Tanya finds a pair of beige shorts she likes and wants to know if they have them in her size. I spot a rack of girls’ blue-jean shorts. The first pair has no leg at all. Cut off square with the seam. Young teenagers in this style look all legs, like a young foal. I ask the sales girl if she has those in Tanya’s size…

Cherry Picking

Now I know why they call the truck mounted units Cherry Pickers. We needed one today. We were picking cherries again and since we had picked the easy ones earlier, it was all ladder work. We never will get the top branches of yellow cherries and black cherries as the trees are over 10 meters tall. but in a couple days the red and yellow cherries will be ready to pick. We had pruned this tree in February so all the branches are easy to reach and loaded, as you can see.

We made 7 litres of cherry jam a week or so ago and canned about 10 litres as fruit. Tanya has a slick way of canning fruit that I had never seen before. Cherries are washed, put into a scalded jar, boiling syrup added and the lid smacked on. The jars are then triple wrapped in a wool blanket, upside down and left over night. The cherries are cooked by the time the jars cool.

Today we made Kompote which is essentially fruit juice. Sugar is minimum. Jars full of teh juice can be sealed or cooled and put in the fridge for immediate consumption. Sure tastes good on a hot day.

Kryvyi Rih

Kryvyi Rih (Krivoi Rog in Russian) is a city of some 700,000 people located about 35 km from Zhovti Vody. At least the northern most city limits are. The city itself is reported as varying from 114 to 140 km in length depending on whose version you get. It is touted as the longest city in Europe.

Kryvyi Rih is a huge iron mining and smelting centre with non-ferrous metals as well. If you want to see the extent of the mines, mills and smelters, Google Earth will give you an idea at Latitude 47°54'30.32"N; Longitude 33°24'24.32"E. Then kind of scroll around.

Saturday Andrei, Tanya and I drove to Kryvyi Rih to buy a deep freeze. Which is to say Andrei drove. KR is the most confusing city as it has only one street that runs the length of the city but it is not continuous. You have to know where the turns are and of course there are no street signs. The first stop was a wholesale store for shops and restaurants. They had several deep freezers but they were the sliding glass top kind for ice cream etc.

Then we went to several large stores which sold stoves, fridges, washers, etc. Only one stand alone freezer, a small upright with drawers and shelves. So we bought a paper and found another wholesale company that had several chest type freezers. But it was 2:00 pm and they were closed for the day. Come back Monday. So we did. Andrei and I drove back today, which is to say, I drove and he navigated. 2650 UAH for a 6 cu ft (215 litre) chest freezer. In Canadian dollars it was just over $600. Don’t tell me what it cost in Canada because I don’t want to know.

Storks and Snakes

The high water in the river and marsh attracted a White Stork to the little hay field near our house. With about 5 cm of water on it, it is now a natural habitat for frogs. Tanya refers to the bird as a Tsaplya. I was fortunate enough to get a few pictures.




The high water has disrupted other habitat. The local pharmacist was telling Tanya that her folks have a house by the river/marsh. The other day her father got up and saw, curled up by his wife in the bed and both sound asleep, a snake from the marsh. He took the snake back to the marsh only to have it return and curl up under the refrigerator. All it wanted was a warm place to sleep.