SUMMER IN THE PRAIRIES

Hi there! This is Prairie Pete. I live in the middle of the prairies, in the province of Saskatchewan. Summer in the prairies is a very special time of the year and the main reason for that is the beautiful sunsets we get. I don't think any other province in the whole country would see a sunset as beautiful as we see them here in Saskatchewan.

When the sun sets in Saskatchewan, it is like the sun meeting the land. This is because the land in Saskatchewan is totally flat so as the sun sets it seems like it is going down below the ground level. It is one of the most awesome sights to see.

Sunsets are not the only thing that make a prairie summer special. Summer on the prairies is when the crops are all planted on the fields. Summer is the time of year we can just sit back and relax and watch them grow. Well, not quite, but that would be nice. Don't let me kid you though. There is still plenty of work to do even during the summer months.

In the summer months we can prepare other fields that we are going to use the following year. We rotate crops so we can only use certain fields for a certain year. We have to prepare the fields that we are not using. That means spreading manure and ploughing the fields up.

During a prairie summer, we also have to irrigate the crops that are growing this year. Irrigation is watering the crops so that they will grow. Crops need sunlight and water to grow. Many prairie ranchers use irrigation systems that automatically water the fields.

When we have a couple of hours to spare, we like to take our families on picnics in the summer months. There is nothing like a good prairie family picnic. We take a big picnic lunch, blankets and go to the lake and enjoy ourselves. We go swimming and maybe do a little fishing or canoeing.

I look forward every year to summer here in the prairies because there is so much to do and it can be a lot of fun too.