Yes!!!SNOW SNOW SNOW

Just in time, it is snowing. On Sunday we are to be having a toboggan party at a friends place down the road, been a little worried how we were going to accomplish that with no SNOW. But if I don't have a tall dark and handsome man come to the door I may not be able to go any way,Fuzzy might have to do ,well his hair isn't as dark as it used to be and he is not that tall but taller than I am so I guess in a pinch he'll do. So I imagine you are wondering what she's going on about. It is tradition from Scotland. Ya canna leave the house on New Years Day until a tall dark haired man comes through the door or you won't have a good year or something like that.Oh but life is good,it is snowing! OK so I know what everybody is thinking, give her a month and she'll be grumbling  about the stuff and you are likely right but it just wouldn't be right without some, not as much as  last year, just enough to make it post card pretty, cover up the brown stuff , make it all look clean.Now maybe I can get the snowshoes out and go give them a try, make a snow angel or tractor tracks, shovel and get rid of the Christmas 5 more or less. Darn I am almost giddy, doesn't take much to make me happy.
    I have started on a few organising jobs that needed to be done, part of the kitchen cupboards are as they should be and I am slowly but surely getting the crap room (craft room) back in order after Santa's helper(me) was messing with it. The laundry room towel cupboard is done it looks so neat, hope it lasts. Need to have the house some what respectable before the first footin.
    I have been hearing that some people are already been taking down their Christmas decorations and are glad to be done with it all, this makes me a little sad, and my own Mom was talking of it the other night on the phone, that she was thinking of doing it. I jumped up on my imaginary soap box and told her that it was to soon, that the wise men had not even got to Bethlehem yet, for goodness sake they where on camels and had to stop and tell King Herod  on the way. We all get in such a hurry to put  Christmas up that we seem to want it all to be over on the 26th,I know I should not lump everyone into that category  that there are people out there who do enjoy it longer and make it last, so I will now step of my soapbox.But please think about it tell me your thoughts.
     In my last post I mentioned what Fuzzy gave me for Christmas this year, I have a picture to show you. I love it and it works great. This year the girls and boys decided that we should not buy each other gifts, but everybody buy one gift for about $20 and we make a game of it. That we would only buy or make things for the grandkids. Well um I was doing alright with this till about a week before Christmas and I could not help myself, I made the girls each a gift and bought them PJs and got the guys something too. It just did not feel good until I did. The game was great and I ended up with some really cool baking things. It was so much fun watching them trying to steal the stuff from each other but in the end I think everybody got what they wanted and had a lot of good fun.

   My New Years resollution this year is not to make one as I do not want to not keep it. Let 2012 be a year with peace being the world's priority. God Bless and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas



  I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas from our home to yours. Come on in and have a visit and a look around at my home for Christmas,  I love Christmas. As you can maybe see no snow to speak of yet. Sure haven't needed much hay so far this year or straw for that matter.

   This my front veranda to the right of the front door is my porch swing, a Christmas present from Fuzzy the year we built the house, he built it for me and kept it hidden until Christmas morning, I was so excited I went out PJ's and parka, tea and had my first swing on it. That was 5 years ago,love it and love the man who built it. On our front door I made a wreath using an old violin, cedar and spruce from the yard,( the violin was beyond repair) some ribbon and a few flowers, called her done.The three trees, were a gift from Boo long ago. So lets go on in and I show you more.Here we are in the front hall, where I have an old buffet that Fuzzy's mom had cut the legs shorter,back when she had it. This the dinning and sitting room ,most of the furniture is other peoples castoffs which I have fixed up and recovered or just gave them some love. Its cosy and full of memories, and I love them for the stories they could tell. The dining table and chairs were Fuzzy's Grandparents, it had been a wedding gift to them from Fuzzy's great grandfather,



Front Hall fresh greens cut from the yard

Nativity that Mom made many years ago

This is my Christmas village mostly given to me by the girls and mom

Family room tree,the old wooden train my dad made before I was born as I was to be a boy,fooled them!I ran out of time and did not get the popcorn on the tree,next year.

Quite often covered with a craft project.



Well I started this before Christmas but due to enjoying having my family and chores, cooking,last minute shopping, wrapping,cleaning, and Christmas fun it is now the 27th  and I am just getting it done. Forgot to mention that we had our usual boxing day cattle day too. In the morning we ran about 90 cows through and scour guarded and gave them their vitamin shots plus ivomac, was such a beautiful morning to do cattle hard to believe it was December 26.We still have 20 or so left to do but they are at home so can be done a lot easier. Boo and her boyfriend left today and I went and had grandchildren time while their Momma and Dad when to a wedding was so good to be with them, seeing their Auntie left, not as lonely.

    Hope to have a picture up soon of what my wonderful husband gave me for Christmas, I am such a lucky woman.

    I keep trying to get the pictures in order ,but it just isn't working  so I finally deleted some and left it as it is, someday I will figure it out. Oh, and by the way Happy New Year!







I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

      Well the second week of December has come and gone already, and I still see grass instead of snow.Last year by this time we were shovelling the stuff pretty much everyday, much easier for feeding cattle and getting down the road,but not as pretty.
       So I got some more Christmas decorating done and a bit of baking done but I need to get more done so I had better get the piano that is tied to my butt in that area removed and get with it, as Boo wants shortbread and someone else wants rum balls, mince tarts, and on and on.
       Fuzzy and Thumper went to two production sales this week together, called back they needed the truck and trailer as they both made purchases, but I was to do the chores, Fuzzy would come home for the outfit as it was so very windy they thought I would have trouble getting it up there myself.( what is with them I turn 50 and I'm no longer able to do anything anymore, give me a break) But our Thumper is on cloud 9, she got herself a purebred polled Hereford bred heifer and has big plans for going back showing cattle. She is so excited she lights up like a 150 watt light bulb or brighter, Fuzzy got a young bull for next year.Nice to see them sharing time together, good for both of them.
      Friday the grandchildren came here on the big yellow bus for a sleepover with Granny and Papa, wow they are growing up fast,not my babies anymore. Hi Granny what can we have for a snack,can we play wii, can I have marshmallows in my cocoa, I want to sleep on the blow up bed, Granny can we make something. we did this at school,no, I want the blow up bed,you had the blow up bed the last two times, can we draw straws for it,ahhhh but I want it. As we all know children this all took place in the first ten minutes. Oh, but it feels great to have them come and stay, before long they will be all grown up and won't have time to come to Granny and Papa's place. So we had wii, hot chocolate,with marshmallows,and our little princess got the blow up bed this time. Papa feeling like he wants his time with them suggests that the boys go and help him with chores, this was not meant with a good reaction, ah Papa we are playing wii, and by this time the noise that game makes is starting to get to me so I gave them a gentle shove out the door to help their Papa and give the TV a rest.(PEACE). We played games ,ate lots, laughed, read,and thoroughly enjoyed them. Grandchildren are God's gift to us for being parents!
  Saturday we did our last BBQ for the year, 200lbs, of mainly beef, with 20lbs of pork for good measure. Fuzzy started this some years back and has become quite popular. It was a beautiful warm day, worked outside with just a hoody on, no need for a parka.
Sunday there was no church, so we worked cattle in the afternoon, and had a quiet evening together.
   I have put some pictures up of our little darlings and the one Christmas tree, hope all your preparations for the season are going well and take care!
       

   

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Well December is here,and my preparations have begun. I try and hold off until the first of December as I love the hustle and, the smells and the joy of it all. I got the Christmas Cd's out and blew the dust off them, the fruit and nuts for the Christmas cake are soaking in the spirits (family tradition).The Christmas lights are up and turned them on for the first time tonight or I guess I should say last night as it is 12:28 am.Today I will mix the batter for the cake and add the fruit and nuts and get it baked.Speaking of Christmas cakes I happened on a Christmas cake recipe on the Kinnaird Bagpipes newsletter yesterday, they suggested to share it so here goes:
        Best Ever Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
! cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup dried fruit
1 tbsp nuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1BOTTLE OF WHISKEY
1)Sample whiskey to check for quality
2)Take large bowl,check whiskey again to be sure of it's highest quality. Pour 1 level cup and drink. repeat
3)Turn on electric mixer,beat 1cup of butter in large fluffy bowl,add 1spoontea of sugar and beat again.
4)Make sure the whiskey is still okay,
5)Turn off the mixer, Break 2 large eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the dried fruit,Mix on turner,If the fruit gets stuck in the beaters, pry it loose with drewscriver.Sample whiskey again to check for tonsisticity.
6)Next sift 2 cups of salt=or something,whoc cares? Check the whiskey.
7)Now sift the lemon juice and strain the nuts,Add one ballspoon of brown sugar,or whatever colour you find.Wix mell Grease the oven,Turn the cake pan to 350 gredees,
8)Don't forget to beat of the turner, throw the bowl out the window, Check the whiskey once again then go to bed.
This was my laugh for the day!

     Now in all seriousness I do have a fun little recipe you maybe familiar with it but I find it does come in handy when company is coming and you can't get to town

After Dinner Mints

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

3Tbps.of butter or margarine

2Tbps of cream or milk

food colouring

peppermint flavouring

mix together and you can roll out in ropes and cut the size you like or I used the icing bag with a star tip. leave out over night to air dry and keep in an airtight container. For something different I made these little sleds out of small candy canes and foil cups.
    My hope during this wonderful time of the year you will make time to enjoy and remember the reason for it all ! Peace be with you!

The Squirrel, Fuzzy,Maggie and Me

  The other day Fuzzy,me and Maggie were down hanging a brand new straight gate,no cussing no yellin went real smooth. Now around our place this scary very scary cause you know something is going to happen when things go so smooth its just not natural.
    Forgot to mention that Maggie is our new pup got her this spring,and trying to train her has been something else, or maybe she is training us but there is sometimes a bit of a battle of wills. Anyhow back to the story about the squirrel. Got the gate hung, and heading back up to the house,when Miss Maggie spotted the squirrel. Well she sent that poor little squirrel up the hydro pole so fast you would have thought it was a rocket. Fuzzy hollers keep the squirrel up there as he heads to the shop to get the air pistol, now I'm not sure who he was giving the order to but Mag and I both stood on duty and kept that squirrel up the post. Now Fuzzy hasn't had this pistol long and he doesn't use it much at all,not that I am making excuses for him but what a gong show.Mag and me have the squirrel right where he wants him and he shoots and we watch and he misses, fires again,missed by that much,fires again squirrel has had enough and makes a flying leap for the nearby feed bin lands on the roof. Mag goes round the back of the bin barking for all she's worth,Fuzzy goes into the bin and is hollering can you see it did it go under the lid. All I can think is please God don't let him shoot that thing in the bin, did I mention the bin is metal and round. Now Mr. Squirrel has more moves than a chicken full of ex lax, and as I'm standing on look out the little bugger came flying out of the bin and darn near landed on my head which caused me to let out a bit of a scream,Fuzzy bolts out of the bin,Mag comes running and the squirrel is headed for the loading chute with the other two in hot pursuit, me I'm just trying to keep a straight face as I'm thinking should have a video camera for America's funniest home videos.Fuzzy is hollerin "get around the other side see if you can see him" so being the good wife I am I do as I was asked and can see the little varmint coming through on of the pipes on top of the chute,telling the man what I see and trying to get out of the line of fire as little worried about his accuracy, cause what does he do, he shots again and misses. The squirrel comes out the pipe a little worse for wear and up another pole, Fuzzy shoots and this time stuns the little guy, he slides down the pole right to a very excited Maggie, well now that pup thought she hit pay dirt,wow a new play toy. For good while that squirrel was tossed around, shook, mulled to the point I think it died in self defense.
   With the excitement over and one less squirrel to cause damage around here, headed to the house to make lunch thinking I have got something to share with my friends, I hear Fuzzy say "darn I'm out of pellets" now I really had to get to the house or at least out of earshot cause I was ready to split a gut laughing all over again.My loving man needs some target practice.

This is our Miss Maggie May, she is an Australian Sheperd

Remembrance Day - Why I cry

 Yesterday was remembrance day, a day to remember the sacrifice that was made by so many so that we could have the right to choose how we live. I choose to remember most everyday and be thankful, but even more on November 11th, and yes I cry, every year that I can remember,I do not plan to, but my heart and eyes have a different plan.
     In our small community we have a remembrance service, and I have the honour to help with this day, We have our service and lunch to follow, put on by our church, this year we moved the service to the community hall to accommodate more people,. We are fortunate to have a Canadian Forces Base close by with many service men and women and their families choosing to live in our small community and they come out to support our efforts,some by taking an active role in the planning of our day,some by taking time to attend,God Bless Them All. One of these very special people I have come care for very deeply ,her husband is a proud member of the military and she is a proud supporter.I don't know if she would be to happy about it but I have come to think of her as one of my own. this young couple have had a very trying time lately with the loss of their home due to fire and all the upheaval that brings with it. At the time and since I have felt disappointed in myself as I feel I have not been there enough for these special people,as was not wanting to butt in, and hoped they would know I was just a phone call away. But once again I have strayed from the topic. Yesterday morning this lovely young woman arrives and has had some tears, and more are starting to come, she is given some hugs from one of the other woman and gets busy with what she has to do. Later one of my friends turns to me and asks what was wrong with said young woman, I had to stop and get over that this friend did not get it, yes she cares about this young lady or she would not have asked, but the fact is she did not get it.
    The service was very meaningful as always and even more special for me as we had a piper(I love the pipes). We were wrapping up the lunch and I was finding harder and harder to keep my tears at bay( OK so I lost it during the service a little bit but got it under control so that I could help with the lunch). When things slowed down could not hold it in any longer, decided to slip out the back door before the tears started so no one would see. Darn it I got caught, and the gentleman asked what was wrong, I sniffled back my tears and said "this happens on remembrance day to me". His next question was why, did you loose a family member or someone close to you? I was somewhat at a loss, but realized he did not understand so I gave him a quick answer as I could not explain to him at the moment the real reason,but in retrospect I guess I should have. Here is the reason I cry on remembrance day- I cry for the great sacrifice that young men made for this country 90 some years ago during the great war,and for the men who made the sacrifice during world war II, Korean conflict, and the men and women who made the sacrifice in Afghanistan.I cry because they chose to go a long way from their homes and families to fight for our freedom and to keep our country safe so we can have the opportunities we have. I cry for the ones who came home but would never be the same people they were when they left, their innocence left on a battle field in some far off place, the ones who came home with a limb or something else left behind. I cry for the families for their sacrifice.
        Always after this cry I try and remember to say a prayer to God for the people who made it possible for me to have the choice.
        So when you make your choices remember some one fought so you could make that choice, and maybe we should give a little more thought to our choices for them.
                                 Lest We Forget

Cattle,Kids, Fuzzy,and the Road Trip

 Last Friday Fuzzy,Thumper( the oldest) and I headed to the neighboring province to see Boo ( the youngest) for the weekend, also on the agenda were 4 production sales that we all wanted to attend. Our headquarters-Boo's place from there we could take short drives and hit the sales.
     The last time Boo was home,the sale catalogues for a weekend of production sales had arrived, we decided that it would be a perfect opportunity for us to have a bit of a holiday, visit Boo,see some of the sales and the country, we were telling Thumper about it and she thought she would like to join us so she could look for a purebred bred heifer, for her oldest who is starting 4-H this year and she is looking for an out cross from their bulls.(I also think she wanted to have some us time).She is a very lucky young woman who has the most special husband. he told her to come and he would babysit their three children,her father would never have done this. So the planning started, and the closer the weekend got the girls got more excited,Boo because we were finally getting out to her place,and Thumper because she was getting away,me and Fuzzy just the fact that our adult children wanted to do it with us.Thursday night Thumper phoned and asked when we would be leaving the next day, my answer was be ready anytime between 9 am and 4pm as you know your Dad, then Boo called when are you guys coming gave her the same answer as you don't push Fuzzy or he bocks.
     It strikes me funny how things have not change that much,even though the girls are older and have their own lives, and Fuzzy and I have had 30 years of wedded bliss together a trip still brings out all the craziness it did when the girls were still at home. Back then it was when are we going, how much longer, are we there yet, can't you drive any faster or you are going to fast( Fuzzy). This trip it was a series of text messages between the two girls, but pretty much the same thing that was said years ago with the pair in the back seat. We got there checked out Boo's place then went shopping and out for supper,back to the apartment to pour over the sale catalogues and make a plan of attack.
    Saturday morning started of like a regular gong show, one bathroom three women and one poor man,get the picture. the discussion turned to every ones sleeping patterns,snoring, who passed gas, and so on,crazy bunch! I was informed that my foot wear was no longer acceptable so before we could go to the sales I was taken to the western store for new boots,and the best was that they were on sale 50% off  yes, love a bargain and it turned out that was the only bargain of the weekend.Footwear purchased, and a tour of the dam to see where the flooding was and how bad it could of been down stream if they had not let some go, probably would have taken the dam right out, amazing.Quick stop back at Boo's for potty break, well was suppose to be quick(one toilet)not so quick, then off to the first sale, saw old friends, good cattle,but made no purchases as the sale was hotter than ---- well you know. We thought OK three more to go we will find something in Thumper's budget yet, and were very happy for the breeder.  Loaded back up in the super duty and headed down the road, make a quick stop to look at the cattle in the sale the next day,(Thumper fell in love). Back on the road to the next sale of the day, got there and it went pretty good too, but our girl had her heart set on some going to sell the next day. Now this country had had a lot of water this year, lot of crop not even sown, acre upon acre,and still water laying were there had not been before. Boo was the driver as she knew the country or at least we thought she did, her short cut turned out to take us on a 2 hour odyssey of back roads with no road closed signs till you came over a ridge and water, no road, its dark Fuzzy's loosing patience, Boo is apologizing and getting frustrated, but we saw lots of country and made it back to the city by 8:30 pm. Everybody got comfortable watch some TV then tried to get some sleep( apparently I am a very talented sleeper, yup I am told I can snore and grind my teeth at the same time). Next day the girls decided to color my hair before we went, thank God they did not get to playing nail shop like they used too, oh I'm wrong it was beauty shop.Thumper's luck was not good as the sale was even higher than the previous two, so nice for the producers after so long a period of bad cattle prices, but saw lots of people had some nice visits and laughs,was well worth it.Headed back to Boo's town and hit a restaurant she wanted us to see, food was great as was the place, going back there for sure.
    Monday and the last sale, maybe our girl would get lucky, Boo took her own car part way and jumped in with us and off to look at more cattle. No luck at this one ether as a lot of the breeding was the same as Thumper's and the rest were out of her price range. Back in the truck dropped of the Boo with hugs and kisses and a few tears and headed for home reviewing the weekend all the way,and Fuzzy and Thumper still stratigizing on what they could do for the next sales yet to come, first they can leave me home unless it is near our Boo, enjoyed it but had had enough. Went straight to Thumper's and saw our super son-in=law and grandchildren hugs and kisses and gifts for the kids, Thumper had picked up new quilted bibs for the kids to keep them warm doing chores this winter, and they fit just right, so lucky. Was a wonderful time for us so many memories made for Fuzzy and I we love our girls and it was so nice to have this weekend together, the girls may not entirely agree but that is okay.
( well I started this last week and life has gotten in the way of me finishing it all at once, hope it did not put you to sleep as sometimes lost my train of thought between chances to work at anything personal. We have been doing the fall weigh in of the calves and moving animals around, brought the baby bulls home to get ready for selling in the spring and put the herd bulls in their winter pasture, and just the regular cattle operation stuff. ) Hope all is well with everybody and take care!

Thanksgiving

Well Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, what a busy and great time it was. I am thankful for everyone and everything in my life, and so thankful that God the father is there looking over me and his spirit is with me on my walk through this journey of life, so blessed.
     Last week I had the honour and pleasure to teach a couple of friends how to bake buns, so nice to be able to share time with them, we had a lot of laughs and good fun, the buns also turned out well, thanks girls for coming out, we as women need to get together more often and just enjoy each others company. The plan for our next get together is to make pies, won't our husbands think they have died and gone to heaven,lol. Men around here cannot seem to get enough pie, in fact around our house I am accused of only making pies to take out of the house to someone else or for something else, NOT TRUE! Fuzzy gets his share, my brother-in-law calls them eips as he claims he does not know what a pie is, but I know my sister, so this just another male thing. ( got to love them though).
     We also got some of the bulls moved out last week, took to to be sold as we were done with them, Fuzzy was especially delighted to get rid of the old black bull that spends time with one group of the commercial cows,as he and said bull have never ever got along,either I am plain stupid or the bull likes me but I have never had any trouble with him, but a man gets to close and he kinda gets a little bent out of shape and apparently quite nasty, oh well he is gone so no more worries.
     
     This weekend our youngest came home and it was so much fun to have her,she has a wicked sense of humor and cracks me up, and a very loving young woman. I think she thought that this weekend she spent more time cleaning up after me than doing anything else,but I guess over the years the roles were reversed.
    Saturday was the baby shower for a friend of the family, all babies are special but this one is very special as Mommy and Daddy had almost given up hope for one of their own when they learned that their little sprout was on the way. This little man is a very lucky boy as the love that surrounds him is limitless. Anyway ,crazy me when I found out about the sweet boy's pending arrival decided that I would make him a christening gown as a baby gift, but I could not start it until his arrival or even right after his arrival ,no I had to wait until the week of the baby shower and christening the next day( the mood was just not right) when will I ever learn. I also volunteered to make a cake for the shower, and had a very special cousin coming out for the weekend too.  Oh and also I told the oldest that I would make the buns and 24 hour salad and the pies for Sunday, and the christening was Sunday and our Rev. asked me to do a few things for that, which I am always happy to help anyone at any time, plus Fuzzy was doing a BBQ for a wedding on Saturday and the youngest and I had to help get things done for that.
      Sunday rolled around and I got up at 5 o'clock got the buns going, put the roast in the oven , made the pastry for the pies and a pot of coffee,and went to work on the finishing touches on the gown( had to take it to the shower not quite finished) very embarrassed but now I have learned my lesson and I will be better prepared from now on. Church was at 2o'clock and my wonderful son-in-law was picking me up at 1 o'clock so that I was there to help the rector's warden do up anything that had to be done. I had got 6 doz.buns made (the recipe) 4 pies , christening gown finished and with the youngest's help got the house tidied up before my cousin came, so we would have time for a visit before I left. I remembered that we would need warm water for the baptism, the youngest got the old tractor water jug that Fuzzy uses and filled it up for me as I knew it would keep the water warmer than anything else.( our church is 111 years old and has no running water) The only problem I forgot the silver pitcher to use at the baptismal font, did not realize this until later when the Rev. brought out this awful old jug that has seen better days and set it by the font, how embarrassing, but no one to blame but me. Of course our Rev. has a crazy sense of humour and had to make a comment about our wonderful jug to the congregation, a laugh was had by all. The wonderful little man was baptized and he was so good about it all. Thinking to myself as I looked on what a miracle and wonderful gift from God this child was I shed a tear or two. ( I have a slight problem, you see my tear ducts are to close to my bladder). After coffee and cake in the back of the church Son-in-law and I headed to his and the oldest's place for a great time with family. The oldest and her sister had everything ready and very nice also, Fuzzy and I are blessed with two amazing daughters.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Autumn !

   Autumn has arrived in all her splendor ! How beautiful, God gave us such a wonderful setting for our preparation for winter, which can sometimes be so harsh. The mornings are a little cooler, but to see the sunrise amongst the gorgeous color of the trees and the earlier sunset, the last rays of sun twinkling through the leaves is amazing, people over the centuries have tried to capture the beauty of the fall, and some have done it well but you cannot beat the real thing. The Canadian geese and others are flying over in perfect precision and honking their goodbyes with a promise to return in the spring.The squirrels are busy chattering to one another as they gather their stores for the winter ahead, so very busy are they. We are trying to get everything ready ourselves, but also taking time to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. I have a favorite spot at this time of year, out in one of our west pastures were we have the portable chute system set up for any work that has to be done with that group of cattle. There is a stand of poplars sheltering this area with a pond back behind,with a mixture of different willows to add interest. I never mind having to wait for the rest of the crew out there as it is so tranquill, and the beautiful scent whafting from the poplars,cows or a calf coming over to investigate , maybe even a bird or two singing in the trees, mmm.
     The feedlot cleaner is coming this week, trying to finish cleaning off the vegetable garden and get it worked up,finish working up the new perenial garden so that I can transfer some of the plants this fall yet. The pool is put away  to await next summer, The feed yard is starting to look a little fuller as more bales are brought home from the fields. The summerfallow has been worked up again, new pump houses are being organized to be built before the snow flies. Oh,and a number of other things as long as winter holds off Fuzzy will find more to do,but I guess if I am honest I will too.
    Fall or autumn always makes me crave homemade veg. beef soup with crusty bread or meatloaf and mashed potaoes and turnips.I want to bake and cozy up the place with throws and blankets over the arms of chairs and couches. I am even looking up books that I want to read later when it is dark so early you can't be outside working.Have found some new knitting patterns I want to try too.
    Out here in the country it is also a time for fall suppers put on in every little community around, the months of September and October you can find one every Sunday sometimes more,these are great fundraisers for the different groups,a lot of work but also a lot of fun is had in the kitchens and out as people may not have seen each other for quite awhile and it is a time to catch up.
    This Sunday our church is having our harvest home service, quite beautiful with all the harvest decorations and the service is very meaningful, and as hard as it is to believe thanksgiving will soon be upon us.
  I hope you are all enjoying the beauty that surrounds us, take a minute, look, listen,and smell!

Sunday Dinner

      Growing up Sunday dinner was such an important part of our lives, the table was dressed up a little more than usual and company was quite often invited in. The meat dish was very important as more was usually cooked so that there would be leftovers for lunches the rest of the week, so you could count on roast beef, pork roast,ham or on occasion a turkey or chicken. If we had chicken or turkey at the table you would also find a plate with baloney, as my father did not have an appetite for any type of foul.Roast beef dinners were my favorite as there was mashed potatoes, gravy, Yorkshire pudding,vegetables,and usually a salad, followed by some wonderful dessert that my Mom made so well. We would all be sitting there full and happy and my father would come out with one of his infamous sayings" well if the good lord had any better he would have saved it for himself". Usually we would be starting to feel a little uncomfortable and groan from making pigs of ourselves and mom would come out with Granny Lindsay's saying " well run around the wee house three times and make three muckle cracks and you'll feel brolly muckle fine", this would quite often crack us up and we would have a good laugh and forget about our discomfort. Occasionally she would bring out the creme de mint on special occasions, and anyone who wanted would have a liqueur glass of it. The Sunday dinner was quite often held just before Walt Disney Hour which came on at six o'clock, so we could all watch it,those were the days dad even went out and bought a color TV when they first came out because of Walt Disney and also the rose bowl parade, first on the block to have one.
    Later when my sister went to teach up north of our home town, she and some of her fellow teachers would stop in for Sunday suppers on their way back from the south. I will never forget the one poor girl who came, she was just out of college and I don't think she had ever experienced humor like my father's. The poor girl was seated next to dad and he was on a roll, he passed her the peas with the comment eat your greens they will make your milk better. Funny thing is we never did see that nice young woman again.
    Well time moved on and we married started families of our own, and traditions of our own and we were not home much for Sunday suppers with Mom and Dad as we both settled 250 miles south of home, but on the occasion we were there it was just as memorable and also for our families.
    My girls have grown up and moved out to have lives of their own, as it should be, and now it is just Fuzzy  and myself here. Sunday dinners over the years have changed, sadly it has just became another meal, mainly my fault as it just does not feel the same, but that is about to change. I have come to the conclusion that I have a nice dinning room and nice china,silver, crystal and they are not being used enough. The goal is that this fall and winter I am going to bring back Sunday Dinner even if it is just for the two of us, we deserve it and so does the dinning room, china,silver,and crystal,or at least that is what I will tell Fuzzy. We can start small and get back in the swing of it, and then we can maybe invite guests to join us, oh that will be fun, people other than just us ,Yes! So here is to the Sunday Dinner lets bring it back, yes we all have busy lives but it is important to be social and have a little formality in our lives.I will keep you posted on how it goes!

9/11 ,10 Years Have Come And Gone

     To quote Allan Jackson" Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day".I remember the usual weekday morning routine. The radio was on, getting the youngest off to school planning out our day and getting ready for the oldest to go back to university to finish her last year of her diploma courses. Thinking to myself life is good, very quickly this was to change.It came over the radio that a plane had hit one of the towers of the world trade center,Fuzzy, the oldest and I headed to the living room to check it out on t.v. . I sat there in shock and disbelief as the second plane stuck the second tower, that was it, I knew I would not be accomplishing anything the rest of the day. The oldest and I spent the better part of the day on the couch watching and on my part praying for the people there and their families,I imagine the oldest was doing the same. Things where moving so fast, mixed reports about more planes and how the plane was downed in the field, the Pentagon being hit, where the president was and the one of many thoughts going through my head was thank God we live in Canada. What was I thinking, if it could happen to the Americans it could happen to us. I think we spent more time that week watching TV and listening to the radio than ever before, hoping and praying they would find more survivors, as I imagine many others did also.
           Well ten years have come and gone I have spent the last week remembering that terrible time in history, partly due to the fact that most television channels have been talking about it or had programing about it. How has it changed our lives, how it ended so many lives, and promising futures all changed in such a hideous act. We and our neighbors to the south had been going through life blissfully thinking things like that do not happen here in North America, but it did, and it changed the world in a very big way, some good changes some not so good.We saw our military go to Afghanistan on a peace keeping mission, which in my opinion became war, as we lost so many young people, and some came home physically injured and some with  physiological damaged which in my mind is worse. The border security was beefed up,now you need a passport to cross. Air flight security was tightened. and numerous other security measures were put in place. Has it made a big difference, considering the inconvenience or did we have it to easy before? Were the changes reactive or proactive, could it happen again?  All questions I am not sure of, but the one thing I am sure of I AM PROUD TO BE A CANADIAN. I am happy we live in North America, and I am thankful to all the people who work to keep our country safe.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

I want my life back or should I say my mind back, oh heck I am not sure what I want, that is the problem in a nutshell. Do they make blinders for people or is it mind blinders I need? My house is a disaster, the yard is a disaster and all I can think of is new projects, till I think them through and it seems like to much work.God help me please or kick me square in the butt.
       Last year my father in law past away and since then I have become the Fuzzy's hired hand, sounding post, and numerous other things, you get the picture. Years ago when we were newlyweds I was under the misconception that we would work together just the two of us, but that was not the way things turned out. Family that have always worked together do not easily let new people into the mix and I gave up trying and just helped during the calving and when no one else was available, hence my nickname( the last  resort). As the years went by I found my own life, raised my girls, went to work off the farm and worked on the yard ,gardens,sewed,did crafts and the cattle. Okay so life changes, but at my age I am not handling it well I like my space, oh God do I like my space. I never thought of myself as a person who needs to be some what organized and others would laugh at this but I like to now that I can start a job and get it done if the mood is right I can't be sure of that anymore. Now its a case of "Bob can you come and give me a hand for five minutes or I only need you for twenty minutes," does not matter that I might be in the middle of something, and good lord don't say that you are busy because then you hear" well what is more important " or my favorite" well if you don't care about this place we might as well sell it". Forgot to mention  that my dear sweet man does not know the difference between five minutes and two hours. In his defense though he does need help at times and things have to be done, but why ,when I am busy with my own life. Guess that would be a case of Murphy's law coming into play.
    So here I sit because things have got bad around here and I don't seem to be able to know what to finish or were to start. The washer has just quit and so it should be changed, the dishes should be put away the floor needs sweeping the carrots are ready to be put in the jars, and I sit here typing because I can, no one is here but me, it is so peaceful . In my defense I do have the bed made the pickles put in the basement and the table washed off and new cloth on, the dog and cat fed some of the flowers watered wash started dishes washed. I feel a sense of impending doom because of my lack of  work done , I just know I will get caught in this mess and there is no one to blame but me .
Now that I have got that out of my system maybe just maybe I can find those blinders and stick to one job at a time and get it done,please Fuzzy stay away I think I can feel the motivation coming on.Darn it, I hear the tractor,he is home for lunch,oh well life goes on. Someday I will get everything done,maybe in time for my funeral.

Royality and the New Project

O.K I admit it I am a freak about the Royal Family. I have been a royalist since I was nine years old and Her Majesty The Queen,their Royal Highnesses Prince Philip,Prince Charles, and Princess Anne came to my hometown for the provincial centennial celebrations. Wow what  excitement, and I was chosen as one of the two children to present flowers from the town,caused a little excitement at our house, that was the beginning. Since then I have watched the royal weddings and every highlight that has taken place on the television, read most of the newspaper stories,and have a collection of books,china and assorted other things royal.
   This winter was long and hard, but the one thing that kept me going was the knowledge that there was a royal wedding in the spring, along with Colin Firth in a Kings Speech, love that man.I decided to be brave and invite a few around to share my excitement for the young couple and watch the wedding live from the comfort of the family room. I thought champagne,strawberries,p.j.s and hats would be wonderful for our gathering. Then the week before, the idea that fasinators would be the way to go and figured I could just whip them up that day.Wrong the Fuzzy had plans of his own for me, so they were done in a heck of a hurry just before the guests arrived. Thus they were not what I had imagined they would be.The ladies arrived, those who were brave enough to join in the fun or just a little nutty like me and we had a blast. The wedding was beautiful and we managed to stay awake.
    In June our church was taking part in the annual parish picnic, we are an interesting group and like to go with a theme to these affairs, guess what we chose this year,yes it was a tribute to the royal wedding by way of fasinators for the ladies and top hats for the men or replicas of military dress head gear. A dear friend and myself were to look after the ladies, so out they came and I touched them up a bit and she made some also.Well we all arrived at the destination of the picnic and went to the church service quite proud of our efforts.Upon entering the church we seemed to create quite a stir,our beloved vicar was almost beside himself when he saw us,which caused a lot of head turning and strange looks smiles and other reactions. Poor Rev. had trouble all through the service as he was trying not to burst forth in laughter.Our rector's warden who is quite tall was wearing a lovely number with pheasant feathers and cabbage roses,she was a stunner almost as great as Princess Beatrice!Our wonderful Vicar was thinking of William Tell and how he had missed the mark, every time he looked at the warden, he was rolling with laughter, not the effect we were after I'm afraid. It was all worth it as it set the stage for a relaxed fun filled day.(and we won the games championship)
    Each month the church puts in the village paper an article of our comings and goings, our highlights from the parish picnic were published and it was jokingly mentioned about our fasinators and how they would be offered on eBay for sale to raise funds for the church.(all a joke) Now there is a group of young women who all get together at the local lake each summer and have their idea of a traveling tea party with gowns and gloves and this year they decided fasinators. Guess who they called after reading the article? Yes they called me and requested the use of the fasinators, got me back in action as I felt they need some touching up and changing, and I got on a roll and created more, so much fun!
 So here are some of the creations.

Harvest Time

Yes it is the beginning of harvest! I love the smell ,the excitement,and my little bit of harvesting I do from nature and the garden. The swathers and combines are rolling, to be outside working in the evening and hear the hum of the machines, the smell of the grain, does my heart good. You hope and pray everything will go good, no breakdowns,good yields, and no untimely rain.
     I love the smell of fresh made pickles,relishes, jellies and to see the counter covered in neatly lined up jars ready to go to the basement for the winter.I don't  even mind the sticky floor or the stains on the tea towels from wiping the jars off, I forget just to use a dish cloth. This year so far I have been quite daring and have tried some new recipes woo ho! I made a mean nanking cherry jelly, dilled green beans and mustard bean pickle,so far everyone in the family has approved, so those new recipes won't hit file 13.I have to get to the dilled carrots yet and then find a good hiding place for them as for some reason they go missing very fast and I just find empty jars hmmm. Boo have you been home again, or was your sister here. The chokecherries are ready,not many to be found this year,but I am on the hunt for more, makes the most wonderful jelly and makes not a bad liqueur when mixed with gin, that is chokecherries and gin.The oldest has put in her request for red pepper jelly and has even provided more jars so how can I refuse, nice to be able to do something for her as she tries to help me when she can.I am blessed with two great girls who when they can are the best help you could ask for. Boo has not given me her requests yet, but I think it might be the dilled carrots and mustard cucumber relish.
   So here is to the farmers out in the fields, fruit trees laden with fruit, the coop for having such a good sale on sugar, garden that  is pretty good in spite of the weeds, and the smells of harvest during a full moon.Oops and I almost forgot Mr. clean for the help with the clean up.

Time Flies Things Change Fast Life Is Good!

Wow, if anyone would have told me a month and a half ago that things would be so dry that the ground would be cracking now I would have laughed my face off. Yes we have gone from water water everywhere to dry dry dry, almost scared to ask for rain because it may not quit but we really could use some.Please forgive me Fuzzy ,I know we have the last of the hay cut and it would be nice to get it up without a rain but the lawn is going brown and things really look nasty.
      Fair season has pretty much come and gone, with allot of the local fairs being cancelled due to too much water, but our one local fair was able to continue on, so I got brave and entered a few things, and did not to bad,sorry no pictures always forget. Was very pleased to be asked to help with the setting up for the judges so learned quite a bit from the judge that my firstborn's mother in law and I were helping. Great to see fellow blogger, Knit wit's entries, which were very beautifully done, keep up the good work!It is very sad that more people do not enter these fairs, as each year entries get fewer, and soon we may not see them anymore. With so many cancelling this year you wonder if they will continue or just not try again as it becomes harder and harder to find volunteers to help put them on .
     Well we finally got haying again this year, took awhile to start as we had trouble finding a way into most of our hay grounds, hard to believe now. It has been very interesting for lack of a better term, Fuzzy  is always interesting to have as a boss, but this haying season it has almost caused me to tell him where he might stick the 14 wheel rake and 2130 John Deere tractor I run for him during haying.I do truly love him, but I think maybe we should not work together that much. We have got most of the first cut up and should finish the rest in the next few days with the cooperation of the weather and no more trips to the hospital or the machinery dealership. No I did not commit spouse abuse he just had a wee accident while attending to a problem with my tractor.This summer my Mom has been with us,she has her own travel trailer parked in the yard, nice to have some place to go when the boss is not pleased, have a game of cards and reminisce about days gone bye, we are so lucky to have her as she is the only parent left, so I share her with the Fuzzy, she loves him as her own.
 

Sunshine,Warm Days,I am So Thankful

Life is good! The sun is shining in the sky, the temperature is where it should be and things are starting to dry up a little. I feel like a kid in the candy store, which way do I go where do I start so much to do and so much I want to do. I have been trying to keep the blinders on so I finish one job before I start the next,but it is so hard,need to have more hands, more energy, less visions.  Keep busy and remember Rome was not built in one day, and it took God 6 days to create the world and he rested on the seventh day if I remember correctly,so breathe work smart and by the end of summer the garden may look like someone does truly love it, and it will be ready for me to start all over next year the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.
    Seriously things are slowly coming together,the Fuzzy finally got my lawnmower going after I was a good wife and went and helped take down a temporary fence,and I never complained once or asked how much longer,( and he did not see me mud bogging with the quad when he was elsewhere with the tractor) so much fun put her into 4x4 lift your feet and go for it through the mud and water as fast as you can, very very fun! Okay so I drifted of topic,part of being menopausal.
    The perennials are coming up nicely, not to much winter kill on the roses, and I have the loveliest yellow flowers coming up everywhere, you know the kind that you make a wish on and blow.The hedge needs trimming , and the veranda needs to be stained.
    I started washing down the exterior of the house, that got boring so I started to dig around the perennials and get rid of the quack grass, back got sore so picked up branches ,could hear the phone ring so got side tracked . Remembered needed baking for church so got that done and made lunch, went to church, got home and spent the rest of the afternoon blissfully cutting the lawns and dreaming up more projects and just enjoying my lawn mower( the sucker turns on a dime).Tomorrow I will be good, I will not deviate from the list of jobs I shall make and things will get done, as long as I don't misplaced the list or The Fuzzy does not make new plans for me away from the garden,nah he wouldn't do that not The Fuzzy.
       Tomorrow is a new day, and what will be will be, but please let there be sun and warmth.

Lets Remember To Thank Our Military Families

     Have you ever thought to say thank you to a military family for their sacrifice? You ask why should I, they chose that life,and knew what they were getting into. O.K. yes they may have thought they knew what they were in for, but thinking you know and living the life is quite different.Let us face it we all go into situations thinking we are prepared and know what is ahead of us,but sometimes learn we were not as prepared as we thought.
     Can you imagine having a quiet day at home with your spouse, enjoying each other and your children and the phone rings and that peaceful lovely day is finished with a blink of an eye.Thirty minutes later you are by yourself with your children and are not sure when you will be seeing your partner again, will they be there for the ball game, concert,martial arts demo that your child is participating in a week later, or will they be home for supper the next night. These people have to be strong ,but flexible spouses or they could not manage as well as they do.
    They have to be adaptable in most situations, how many of us would be prepared to move whenever someone else told us to, leave your friends, family,and everything familiar and start fresh in some strange place,different houses, new schools, doctors,stores, your whole world turned upside down,sound like fun, I don't think so.
      It is not just war time or when our country is in a state of emergency that life for a military family is turned upside down or is changed the men and women of or military are regularly sent on course, or maneuvers.The family changes pace sets new programing to suit them, then the soldier returns who has been living a different life, the two collide and it must take time for everyone to reajust,I myself would find this rather frustrating but is part of their lives. How would you deal with it?
   Can you imagine saying good bye to your spouse or parent and that might be the last time you see them,or having them come home but not being the person  you kissed goodbye and saw last?
    I have only stood on the outside and observed a little of their lives I don't pretend to understand or know all they go through, but lets try to make sure they know we appreciate their sacrifice.
    God Bless Our Military and Their Families!
    Take sometime and be thankful for our many blessings and lend a hand to those who could use one.
 Remember to say thanks and show that you care!

Water Mud Manure ,Got To Love It!

Enough already!
     O.K. I know that there are a lot of people dealing with a whole lot more and a whole lot worse,but I have had about all my pretty pink muck boots can handle.I am a person who likes to be outside working in my yard or helping with the cattle. By this time most years you would find me out playing (Fuzzy's description of gardening and landscaping) in my yard from sun up to sundown if I have my way and most times Fuzzy does not mess with me and my projects as he is afraid he may be called into the action, nothing makes him disappear faster than me and the garden tools. I have also been known to have borrowed the tractor I had the run in with so many years ago(mentioned in my last blog),I since have become quite fond of the old girl.and have learned how to compensate for the lack of leg.
       This year I look out my window across to the park area where my water garden is, the play area for the grandchildren and what do I see water,water,water.Every winter I gaze out the window doing dishes planning the next addition to this area or the changes to be made,these plans are put on hold, and maybe for the entire season as every little rain it gets worse, the grand kids cannot even get to the swing,the sand box looks like a beach, maybe I can forgo the play area and permanently make the pond area bigger with a beach,no that would not do, kids need somewhere to play.
    At the south side of the house I have been working on creating a dry river bed,well it has not been very dry this year, when I started this project people asked me where the water was and how I was going to move the water, what part of dry bed did they not get, they should stop by this year!
       Then there is trying to feed cattle, good lord I am scared I'm going to come out of the pens in my sock feet yet(have given up on white socks)as every step you take you are sucked in the mud almost like quicksand, those pretty pink boots are not so pretty anymore. The poor cattle we have moved their feeders to make it easier for them but it is worse for us. The cows and calves are the lucky ones as they are out on the hills. I pray for sun and a little wind and warm temps so things will dry up.
    We are some of the lucky ones, there are people who are in danger of losing everything they have due to the flooding, running out of feed and dry land for their animals, there are people who may not get a crop in this year. So I am feeling a little ashamed of myself for being upset for what we are dealing with, my mother has always said be thankful for what you have there are a lot who don't. So I will stick a smile on my face and thank the Lord for his blessings.

    Oh, by the way if you are wondering who the heck Fuzzy is, he is my husband in earlier posts referred to as the boss as he did not want to be known in this blog as the Fuzzy but has since changed his mind.And they talk about woman!

Fencing

This for my oldest, who suggested it. Fencing is part of life on a cattle operation, every year about this time all the fences must be checked and repaired before the cows,calves,and bulls are put out for the summer. During the summer they are regularly checked, or should be sometimes this overlooked which does not usually have good results. So now I will give you my fencing history which also goes along with my marital history,I'll try and keep it short as it is quite a long history.
          Thirty years ago as a young girlfriend of The Boss,I was visiting and was asked if I could help repair a bit of fence,no problem,wanted to prove how valuable I could be,first mistake,second was being down wind of a tobacco chewing cattleman who spit regularly. I think you get the picture. Coming from Gods country did not know what wood ticks are,what an introduction, part of fencing I have come to expect. You spend all day out walking fence lines and then come in tired dirty and covered in the little suckers,gross. The next process of the day is to spend the next 20 min. or more looking like primates picking wood ticks of each other.So very romantic!
     The next year I was a young bride, apparently not any more intelligent when fencing time rolled around, well maybe a little as I tried to stay up wind. This year we were putting in posts and it was decided that I should run the tractor,the boss won the award for the brains this time as I was not familiar with said tractor, my legs are short and tractor seats do not move ahead,get the picture. Beautiful spring day and off we go to work, with in 10 min. I am off the tractor and running home as fast as my legs would go. Darn near killed him with the post pounnder when my foot slipped of the clutch as he had just let the boom down, miss his head by inches. I was not ready to be a widow yet. Needless to say it was a long time before I tried that again.
      The next couple of years I was a baby machine so I had to miss out on the wonderful world of fencing. As our girls grew they have participated in this adventure,pretty much every year till they got smart enough to not be around as this is also a time to learn new interesting language that would make some people blush.
      The good part of fencing is that it is time together and the world is fresh and new with wild flowers, tadpoles,birds and butterflies, that most times you can even overlook the foul language,cuts,burs,wood tics and the occasional booter( bootful of water),sun burn because you were in a rush and forgot the sunsceen.
    Best of all, it means the cows are out of the yard and will be enjoying wonderful green grass,growing healthy happy babies and we get a reason for Sunday( romantic) drives.

Addition to Mother's Day

This was my first blog, and as always happens when I chose to start something everything seems to happen to distract me, so I must apologize to our early years educators. My mother and sister are among these wonderful people, my mother is retired now, but I remember her trying to come up with projects for her students to create for mother's day,she really did try very hard to make them interesting, as I am sure all our teachers have.So moms please also remember what your child's teacher is going through when these creations are being made, we are lucky to have these people in our lives and our children's lives. I also forgot to tell about my second child's wonderful mother's day gift made at school, I am not sure if it was the first but I still have it,it was a laminated day calender. Hopefully this will come easier, thought it was such an interesting thing to do, now I am not sure I have much that is that interesting to say, but I am having fun learning something new.

Mother's Day

Well here we are it is Mother's day once again. This my twenty ninth one as a mom, and my forty ninth as a daughter,as I look back it amazes me how much things change and yet stay the same. School age children still come home very proud of the art projects they have created with the assistance of a teacher or a teachers aid for their moms. Sometimes moms are a little horrified,sometimes truly amazed by the talent the child has shown,but always only show the love and acceptance that a mother can. The first mother's day project I can remember making was a card with a pink tissue paper carnation on it, remember folding tissue flowers, well if you don't it was quite a long drawn out affair that I think the teacher decided on so we were kept busy for a long time. The first I received as a mom was a poem much easier to store for posterity, now I watch my oldest receiving these wonderful treasures and chuckle to myself as she is wondering what to do with these gifts made with love from her children, I did not suggest file thirteen kept that one to myself, she will figure it out in about ten years if not before. With this train of thought then I got to my mom and wondered what became of that card, or the macaroni covered jar painted with gold spray paint., that one of the elementary teachers became  quite famous for or should I say infamous for, each class she had, made them and I forgot to mention the wonderful plastic flowers that went with them, poor woman did not have a clue but she tried. As mothers and grannies we must always remember that as tacky,poorly done, or truly amazing homemade gifts we are given it is done with love,and the special memories they bring later are so very special it is all worth it. Who but your mom can make the world seem a whole lot better with just one hug and even better yet with a kiss.To all  the moms out there we love you and honour you today. I love you mom.