Bernice and the boys arrived safely.  We had snacks upon their arrival then had 2 four-handed crib games, Bernice and I against Jacob and Dennis.  Needless to say Bernice and I won both games.  Unfortunately, Dennis won Wizard yet again.  Quite tiresome as he usually wins.

A home grown chicken is roasting in the oven and all is well with our world.  It is soon time to feed the dogs and puppies then dinner for us.

I wanted to post a picture of our Christmas tree once it was dressed in it's finery.   So, here you go.  Again, a very merry Christmas to all, or, happy festivus to the rest of yus!

Bye for now!

Today is December 22.  My daughter, Bernice, and her sons, Joseph and Jacob, arrive tomorrow.  We look forward to their visit.   It is always so much more fun when they are here!  The card game competition usually heats up about 10 minutes after their arrival.  Bernice double-skunked Dennis at crib several years ago but it is still talked about every time the cards come out!  Of course, my 29 hand also gets discussed during all the bragging that goes on during the "pre-game show." 

I'm sitting here sipping on a glass of Chardonnay, mellowing out after a busy day.  My friend, Lois, is a veterinarian.  She owns the clinic in Burns Lake where she and another vet minister to the ailing animals of the area.  They are dedicated veterinarians who will see any animal you bring in.  They work on large animals and small animals, wild and tame.  As I pondered what gift I can give to Lois for all her hard work and service, the best idea I had was to make freezable meals that she can take out and thaw after a busy day.  So I made a pan of lasagne, a crock pot of beef and lentil soup and a chicken stew.  A good gift for a busy person, I think. 

Today I baked the lasagne, plus one for us for Christmas eve.  I also went over to Lois' cabin and lit the fire so it will be warm and cozy when she comes home.  She is just 4 km up the lake from here so not a big deal.  When I opened the shed to get the wood, the snow shovel fell out and nearly hit me on the head.  I took the hint and while the fire was getting itself going, I shovelled part of the parking area and a few trails.  It was pleasant work.  While I was shovelling, 5 beautiful bucks showed up and watched me as I worked.  They all had beautiful antlers.  The antlers will be a real find for someone when they are shed later in the season.  Porcupines like chewing on antlers too so you have to be fast if you want them with all the tines intact!

Dennis put up our tree and set out a few ornaments.  It now really does feel like Christmas.  We had our neighbours, Grant and Mary, over for drinks and snacks last night.  I really do enjoy this time of year when friends and neighbours drop in for a visit and some refreshment.  That is one thing that is nice about living out here at this time of year.  Today I visited my friend Della who called to say she had a moose liver for me to dry for my dogs.  She had a lovely tea ready - freshly baked cinnamon buns, shortbread cookies and other sweets.  The wood cookstove was burning and it truly was a pleasant time.  Della is in her 70's and splits and hauls all her own wood, bakes up a storm, has a huge garden in the summer (she sells her excess vegetables) and runs her own boat when she wants to catch a fish. Another remarkable woman out here in Colleymount! 

We went to get our tree on the 19th, Wednesday.  Here are a few pictures of our tree expedition.  I forgot to take a picture of Dennis actually sawing down the tree, but due to the size of the tree, it was rather uneventful!  Our house is small so we have a small tree.  It was a beautiful day:

This is a picture of an old snag, totally dead.  Most people think they should be cut down and cleaned up.  But here you can see the wildlife benefit that an old snag has.  You can see all the feeding holes.  A dead snag, no top, but still a contributing member of the forest ecosystem.  Things like this make me feel good - just because you're old doesn't mean you don't, or can't, contribute.

This is Bridget and me.  I'm wearing my ratty farm coat and sweats, so looking my finest!!  Bridget doesn't care, though.  She's happy to be out on the trail.

Finn, in the background, and Niko, in the foreground, are enjoying exploring the neighbours field. 

Next summer we plan to fence the remaining acreage, approximately 60 acres, in sheep fencing, which is a paige wire of sorts.  This is one of the lines that will change from barbed wire to sheep wire.  The field belongs to our neighbour.  Dennis is on the trail on our side.

This was interesting.  In the shade, the trees were bare.  Where ever the sun hit, the trees were iced in huge hoar frost crystals.  This is taken from about where we got our little tree.

Here is the intrepid woodsman with our Christmas tree!  It is the perfect tree for our house. ( You can see the frost on the tips of the trees that were exposed to the sun.) 

The Chardonnay is gone so I will end this note.  Dennis is home from Houston where he had to go to pick up a new battery for our generator.  We do not want to go through the Christmas break with no generator!  Bella also went home as things will be quieter for Thomas now.  It was so much fun to have her.  She has some issues with other dogs, but I loved having her all the same.  I love it when she hangs out in the house with me, playing with her toys and just relaxing.  She is welcome back any time.  I also loved taking her on long walks on the farm.  Her energy was actually inspiring, making me laugh and have more energy myself!

If I don't do another post before Christmas, I wish all my readers a happy Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year.  Multiple blessings on you and your household.

Bye for now.

Here it is, a week before Christmas eve.  We have had a reprieve as far as the weather is concerned.  A few days of -10 to -15 C during the first week of the month, but the rest of the days have been warm, even thawing, temperatures.  Today it is snowing lightly and temperatures are just below freezing. 

One of the irritations of living close to nature is that nature sometimes moves in on us.  That happens regularly with pack rats, or as other people call them, bush rats.  They are cute creatures but have a terrible stink about them.  They build huge nests wherever they feel it is safe.  The nests become permeated with odour.  We had one such creature building a nest in our woodshed, up above the shop, in the rafters.  The smell was so strong you could smell it when you came out the front door of the house.  We finally bought a live trap, so we could quit borrowing one from our neighbours.  We have used kill traps in the past, but the rats are clever.  They would eat the bait, even though it was tied to wool, and leave the trap un-sprung.  I am always in favour of letting wild creatures live, especially if they are just going about their business of being who they are.  If they are not killing my sheep or eating my garden then I don't feel right about taking their lives.  So, the live trap was called into use, and here we are:

 

Packrat was taken out to an old logging block and set free.  So far we haven't caught any more so I think he was a solitary rat.  Perhaps he will find more of his kind out in the bush.

Christmas is around the corner.  We will cut a tree off the fence line and bring it in.  Fence line trees are nice and full as they grow mostly in full sun and do not compete with other trees.  It will be a spruce tree.  It just dawned on me that since I will be hosting Christmas for my daughter and her two sons, plus my son and another grandson, I need to get busy with preparations, mainly, making pies.  Apple pies and pumpkin pies will be on the menu.  Pie making is not one of my skills.  I like to do it early in order to not be under pressure at the last minute.  They may be a bit tough, and they may look odd, but they always taste good!

Bye for now.

Dennis made it home safely yesterday afternoon.  It is so great having my coffee ready in the morning, plus the furnace going and warming up the house!  Ahhh, things are back to normal.

Today I am stripping my bedroom.  Out go the curtains, blinds, duvet, chair, and everthing cluttering up the built-in chests of drawers.  I have noticed that every time I go in to my bedroom I start to sneeze.  I also notice everytime I go to bed my sinuses plug up.  This does not happen when I stay in a hotel.  So, clearly the bedroom is toxic and needs a thorough cleaning.  I am going to put the duvet and pillows outside so they can freeze then put them in the washer and dryer to suck out any dust that may be in there.  Then the walls will be washed along with everything else.  The floor is bamboo with 2 cotton rugs so it will be easy to clean.  We'll see if this makes a difference.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Bella.  Bella is a lovely Akita who belongs to my son.  She is staying here for the month.  She is also impossible to keep kennelled.  I had her in the chain link kennel and watched to see what she did.  After several attempts at climbing the wall and falling down, she learned to use the dog house as a springboard.  Over she went as easy as pie.  Next step is to move the dog house into the middle of the kennel.  We don't leave the dogs in the kennels much, only if we have to be away from the farm for any length of time or if we need to separate the dogs and still have them outside.  In the house they all have their individual crates.  Anyway, here she is:

 

She got tired of having her picture taken so decided to leave.

 

  Bye for now!

Sunday on Dogstar Farm.  The sun is trying to break through the clouds and fog.  It should be a nice day.  About -10 last night so just right.  My morning routine, while Dennis is gone, goes like this:

Up at 7:30 a.m. 
On my way down stairs, stop at kitchen and put on kettle.
Go down another flight and let Bella out.
Bring Bella in and crate her.  Let the others out.
Get fire going in furnace.  If it is cold over night, then I let the furnace go all night, if not, I let it go out and re-kindle it in the morning.
Once fire is going I get breakfast ready for dogs - kibble, joint formula powder, canned salmon for everyone, plus pills for Bridget and Crystal.  I bring in the border collies and the old dogs and feed them all in their crates. 
I run upstairs while they are eating and grind the coffee beans, re-boil the kettle and make the coffee.  While the coffee steeps in the French press, I go back downstairs and let the border collies and old dogs out.  Bella has to wait until the others are ready to come in.  I go back upstairs and pour my first cup of coffee while the dogs do their thing outside.  After about 15 minutes I let them all back in, into their crates, then let Bella out.  Then I let my dogs out of their crates and they can go wherever they want in the house.  Bella has a ball outside that she absolutely loves to play with, so I go back upstairs to enjoy my coffee and watch Bella playing with her ball.  I get my oatmeal on to cook, fire up the computer then go into the library to watch one of my lectures on the brain. 

The lectures are 1/2 hour each which is just enough time to finish my coffee and eat my porridge.  Then it's have a shower, bring Bella back in, let the others out, and I go out to feed and water the sheep.  When that is done the dogs are ready to come back in and Bella goes back out.  She stays out until I am ready to go out again.  I take her for a run up in the paddocks out back.  She gets good exercise bounding through the snow, sniffing at absolutely everything and wearing herself out.  When she is good and tired I come back, put her back in the hosue, and repeat the whole thing with the border collies.  By the time they are ready to come back in it is time for me to check the sheep, give them more hay and water if need be, then prepare something for supper.  In between all that, I do laundry, clean the kitchen, vacuum up dog fur, bottle mincemeat, pay bills, return phonecalls, etc.  Yesterday I cleaned snow and ice off of the roof of the canvas garage, cleaned up the yard after the dogs,  filled the bird feeders, bottled the mincemeat, ran up to Lois' place to leave a card, and went to get the mail (3km each way).  It doesn't seem like I get much accomplished, but I feel like I am constantly moving!  Right now the border collies are outside and Bella is in the living room playing with a squeaky ball. 

Ok, time to get outside and tend to the sheep.

By the way, does anyone know what this is?  There is nothing on the bottle other than the lable.  It is a corked bottle with the cork dipped in plastic or something.  I don't know if the little dangly thing is a strawberry or a bunch of grapes. It looks more like a strawberry.  I tried to google it but came up with nothing. 

Bye for now.

Day 3 of minding the farm, and 7 dogs, on my own.  The sheep are a cake walk compared to the dogs!  We have our own 5 dogs (3 border collies and a very old Akita cross and blue heeler cross) plus my son's pure bred 2 year old Akita, Bella, staying until after Christmas, and the neighbours old beagle, Sam.  Bella is a lively dog, full of energy, but not really well socialized with other dogs.  She usually gets along fine with our dogs but just to be on the safe side I keep her separated from Finn and Rhaq. Finn and Rhaq both like to assert themselves but they are no match for a young, strong Akita.   She usually leaves the old dogs alone and they leave her alone.  Yesterday, Bella and Bridget (nearly 15 yr old heeler) were outside when I went out to call Bridget in.  That was when Bella attacked Bridget.  I did not see what happened, but I can only imagine that Bella was pushy with Bridget and Bridget told her off with a snap.  That is usually all it takes to teach the young dogs to back off.  Bella just doesn't seem to understand dog manners, even though up till 6 months old she was with her parents, who would have taught her good manners.   At any rate, poor Bridget ended up with a large puncture to her neck and Bella is now isolated from all the dogs.  This creates a juggling act in the morning when all of them need to get outside to empty their bladders.  Needless to say, it is after 9 a.m. and I am just now getting my first cup of coffee. 

Just to contradict myself, I did let Niko out to play with Bella this morning.  Bella has become quite push with Niko, blocking him and pushing her body into him during play.  Niko is not enthusiastic to play with her any more.  So this morning was interesting.  Niko did not engage in play with her for at least 10 minutes.  He kept turning his head from her no matter what she did.  She play bowed, rolled over, did the jump and "let's go" move and chewed on his neck.  Finally he relented and they played for about half an hour.  Bella is so fast, agile and strong and never seems to tire.  Niko, on the other hand, is completely exhausted after half an hour of constant play.  

Last night I was awakened by a very strange sound.  I sleep with one ear open when I am alone, concerned that a dog may whine or bark in need of getting outside, which happens on occasion when somebody gets an upset stomach.  As I am on the top floor and they are in the basement with a floor between us, it is important I get up quickly when the need arises.  The sound that awakened me was like a chuffing and wheezing sound.  After hearing it get louder I got up and looked out the window.  The night was slightly light with a crescent moon.  There was a huge deer wandering across the front lawn.  Whether or not it was the deer making the noise, I don't know.  I assume it was.  But deer are a dime a dozen around here so I just went back to bed.  It was a beautiful night though.  The clouds drifted off the moon which lit up the whole yard.  Stars were shining between the clouds and the lake was dead calm.  I was happy to have been awakened to see such a peaceful scene. 

A few days ago I made mincemeat.  I love homemade mincemeat, which is a good thing, as the recipe I have makes about 15 pounds of it!  It lasts forever because I keep topping it up with rum or brandy, eventually saturating the whole works with alcohol.  When it cooks it is so mellow.  Here it is.  For perspective, the bowl is 16 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep.

I'm off to town today to buy some brandy for the mincemeat, among other things.  Poor Bella will be crated while I am gone so the other dogs can be outside.  I do have a chain link kennel outside but I am not confident it will hold her.  She has climbed out of all the other pens.   I will try her in it when I am home.  It's a beautiful day - blue sky, sunshine and the fog off the lake has dissipated. 

Here is a picture of the 3 border collies enjoying the last bit of warm earth.  They all just chose to go there while Dennis worked outside. That is where the Land Cruiser was parked.

Bye for now.
 

Today Dennis left for Chilliwack, taking Amigo to his new family.  He had his check list, checked it several times, then off he went around 8:30 a.m. as planned.  About 20 minutes later I made my way upstairs and found, to my horror, his packed suitcase!  The stars were in our favour as when I phoned the cell, he actually had it on and was in an area along the way that had cell service.  He was at 16 km on the Colleymount Road, so turned around and came back.  Needless to say his departure was delayed significantly, but at least the inconvenience was minimal, compared to what it would have been had we not connected.  Poor guy!  His list didn't say, "put suitcase in van prior to departure." 

I can see how these things happen.  He had his chores to do this morning, even though I said I would do them.  He had several slips of paper to bring along dealing with things he was to do while away.  We put in an order at Lee Valley which he will pick up in Coquitlam, so he has the paperwork connected to that order.  Our Bose sounddock quit working so he has that to take along.  He has mail and papers for daughter Susan in Kamloops.  Plus, he has Amigo and his food, water, treats, host/hostess gifts for his brother and sister-in-law, plus his own water and snacks for the trip.  In the bustle of getting out the door with a dog the size of a small pony, the suitcase was forgotten. 

Niko, our little border collie with the back legs that don't bend, is really attached to Dennis.  He tolerates me, but he sees Dennis as the source of all things good.  Dennis takes him along whenever he works outside so the bond there is very strong.  Niko came upstairs after lunch and found some of Dennis clothes folded in a stack on the floor.  He sniffed them closely, then quietly lay down and placed his head on the pile of clothes. 

I will be the chief farmer and dog minder for the next 6 days.  Dennis had to make a flap in the fence so I could feed the sheep from the outside.  Ben, the ram, is very aggressive right now.  There is no way I will go in that pen.  I will feed and water them through the fence. 

Right now I have 2 extra dogs besides our 5. Sam, an older beagle, is staying until Saturday.  He belongs to my neighbours who need to go to Kelowna for a medical check-up.  Sam is as sweet as they get and is happy to just hang out in a sun patch on the floor.   Bella, my son's Akita, is staying for the rest of the month as he is just too busy in his store.  She is a lovely dog, full of energy.  She is good with people but tends to be a bit dog aggressive.  Today she was just too aggressive with Niko, who she normally plays with nicely.  After intervening a few times I felt it was time to separate them.  It is a beautiful and sunny day.  I wanted Bella to enjoy the sunshine so put her in the pen that housed Amigo during his stay here.  In the pen there is a barn full of hay, a heated water dish, and about a 50 ft. by 70 ft fenced yard.  The fence is 7 feet high.  After being in the pen for several minutes, Bella figured out there was a gap in the wire over the gate.  She got her paws up, pulled herself up, squeezed through the opening and over the fence she went.  I watched the whole thing happen.  She is a very clever dog.  Once out she just wanders around the yard, exploring and sniffing, then lies down on the deck.  She is a good dog in every way other than with other dogs.  She doesn't seem to accept it when other dogs tell her they have had enough.  But, this is easy enough to manage.  The older dogs are happy to just go outside for a few 1/2 hour breaks each day.  At those times Bella comes in and chills out in her crate. Seems to work just fine. 

Time to get on with my list of chores, all involved with improving the chi in this house.  I'm starting with the clutter. 

Here are some pictures taken on December 27, 2005.  Notice we had no snow at all.  It was beautiful!
That is my husband Dennis and my now late mother.  She came for Christmas for a couple of years.

One of the things Mum loved to do was sit around a camp fire.  We would have a fire whenever possible when Mum was here.   She loved to gather sticks to feed the fire.  We would have drinks and just enjoy the extended autumn.

 

Here is a picture taken the next day, December 28.  Our first snowfall, and one of many that year.  What follows here is a picture of Mum giving her opinion of the snowfall:

She's trying to look cross!

 

Bye for now!





 

 

 

 

 

December.  Telemarketers.  The combination of these two things has dredged up the need to rant so here goes:
To all telemarketers, charities, and anyone else who uses my phone to solicit anything:  Don't waste your time!  Save your money and time and do not call me because:

I NEVER buy anything nor give money to anyone soliciting over the phone.  I do not need another credit card.  I do not need a lower interest rate.  I do not need anything that you can produce, think of, conjure up or whine about.  Just stop using my phone, which I pay for, for doing your business. 

Which brings me to the phone companies.  If the internet email providers give me the ability to block unwanted email addresses for free, then why do the phone companies not provide that service also?  Why is it ok for people to use my phone, which I pay for and for my own convenience, to solicit business?  

I pay extra for call display.  If I want to have an unlisted number, I have to pay extra again.  If I want to be on a "do not call" list, which in itself is an advertising of my phone number, I have to take the time to renew that every year.  The onus is on me to protect my phone privacy. 

Phone companies are abdicating their responsibility to protect our privacy, or to at least protect us from the harassing calls of telemarketers.   There should be an easy few numbers to press to block any further calls from that number, or any number, for that matter. 

So come on people, get on the band wagon and spread the word.  If everyone stopped buying from telemarketers they wouldn't exist.  Personally, I don't know of anyone who buys from a telemarketer or donates to a charity over the phone.  Do you?

By the way, it is like a spring day here today.  The sun is shing, the sky is blue and the snow is melting.  Time to go outside!

bye for now.

My friend's father passed from this life early this morning.  He had struggled with metastatic colon cancer for several years.  Actually, he did not struggle until just recently.  He passed peacefully this morning at the Hospice house in Prince George.  As deaths go, it was as peaceful as it gets.  My friend is now alone, save for her cousins.  Her brother and mother both passed several years ago. 

This made me ponder the future for two of my grandchildren who are single children.  It is important that they stay in touch with their cousins as, one day, cousins will be the only family connection they have.  Family ties are important.  No, one does not have to live on the doorstep of the other, but to get together once in a while to connect with a bond that you have with no other human being, is important and grounding.  I find that, when I get together with family, I enjoy just sitting back, listening and observing the strong traits that run through our genes.  One thing I have noticed, without fail, is that we are a family of incredibly strong women.  Get togethers can be on the extreme end of the energy spectrum, but interesting all the same.  So, for those of you without siblings, connect with your cousins.  You will find a comfort there, no matter how crazy they are, that you won't find with anyone else.

With that, I look forward to getting together with family in Victoria in January.  We are supposed to get together on the anniversary of my late mother's birthday, which in my opinion has been flogged to death, but whatever.  Getting together is a good idea, no matter what the reason.  For me, it gets me out of the bush.  I connect with my sisters and nieces, reminding me there is more to life than farming and bush life.  I also hope it helps my urban relatives see that there is also more to this great country than urban pursuits.  It is people like Dennis and me who provide food for tables, all the while consuming few resources while doing so.

Please feel free to comment on anything you read here.  Just click on the "no comments" spot and a comment box will appear.  I enjoy good discussions of views and opinions respectfully exchanged. 
Bye for now.

Here is a sample of our chicken production.
All grown without chemicals, antibiotics or anything not completely natural.  They are fed grain and wild vegetation that I pick from the property.  Each day I will take the quad and trailer up into the farm, fill the trailer with mostly pea vine, and bring it back to the chicken yard.   

Yesterday was Grey Cup.  I had hoped for a closer game but it was fun to watch all the same.  Interesting interceptions, some great passes and with Canadian football, up to the last minute there is always the chance that the losing team can pull off a win.  I felt so badly for the Calgary coach.  He looked as though he was wishing the whole thing would just go away and let him go home.  Well, it did end, but not before the Stampeders fell apart on the field.  Clearly frustrated, the players started to become annoyed with each other, definitely a recipe for defeat.  Nevertheless, it was good football. 

The interesting thing about this 100th Grey Cup was reading the comments on-line afterwards.  Were most of them about the game?  Nope!  Canadians from far and wide ripped apart the half-time show!  While I have a lot of respect for Gordon Lightfoot and his music, I really do think it is time he stopped doing big public performances.  I never really relaxed during his performance as I thought the poor man may just fall over.  He seemed so frail and weak.  His voice is still on key, but very weak.  The rest of the half-time show was pretty disappointing.  Justin Bieber's performace was predicable.  I guess the bubble gum set can relate but I found it the same as every young singer's performance these days.  Lots of the same dance moves.  I think he even lip-synched the songs.  Marianas Trench must have had sound technical problems because you could hardly hear the back up singers.  I thought the music ok, but not 100th Grey Cup worthy!  Carly-Rae Jepsen was also just the same as all the stuff I see on voice and singing competitions on tv.  Baby voices.  I guess I'm just too old.  What happened to music that made a statement, like in the late 60's and the 70's?  If this is what sells these days, then so be it.  I just think the Grey Cup half-time committee could have done a waaaaay better job at selecting real Canadian talent.  Even the rendition of O Canada stunk.  It was weak and could have been sung at some smokey cheap hotel lounge.  O Canada should be strong and proud.  The Grey Cup rendition was weak and insipid.  Just my opinion.

Every year I do a bulk order of dried fruit, nuts, seeds, baking chocolate and other such items from Rancho Vignola in Armstrong, BC.  For the fall order a minimum of $500 is needed.  Some friends and I go in together so we can order larger amounts to get the economy that larger quantities of each product affords.  It is cheaper per pound to buy 20 or 25 pounds of an item rather than 5 pounds.   One year, when I first ordered from Rancho Vignola, I bought 25 pounds of organic coconut.  Do you have any idea how much coconut that is?  The sack was as large as a sack of grain!  I had coconut for years.  As a matter of fact, this is the first year I ordered coconut, and ordered 5 pounds.  Sheesh!  I have to keep reminding myself that we are not a family of 6 any more!  Anyway, yesterday I weighed and bagged the builk items and sorted everything into boxes for each person's order.  It is always fun seeing everything nicely in their boxes.  This year I ordered candied ginger.  I love ginger.  I find that right now, given my angry stomach, the candied ginger is one of the only things I want to eat.  Food has really lost it's appeal and I struggle to find anything that even remotely looks and smells appetising.  Going back to the Rancho Vignola order.  I was going to say that in order to have fresh seeds and nuts and dried fruit, the only way to get it here is to bulk order then put them in the freezer.  Once you have had actually fresh nuts compared to the rancid things we get in the store, you will never go back to store bought.  And, by buying in bulk, the price is pretty well the same, or even better.  If you calculate that small package of nuts you buy in the store into price per pound, you will be very surprised.  Plus, I order everything organic which just is not availble here.

Things are quiet on the farm.  The sheep are on hay so it is just a matter of throwing a bale or 2 in the pen once in a while and keeping the heated water bucket full.  The garden is under snow until spring.  The summer machinery is winterized and put away.  The insurance is off the pick-up truck and on to the landcruiser.  Now is the time to turn to the inside of the house.  De-cluttering is in order, especially after I viewed the pictures of daughter Rebecca's house on-line.  They are moving to Williams Lake and their house is up for sale.  Wow!  It looks beautiful.  So, why wait for selling, I say to myself?  We have stuff from parents and grandparents that we never use.  Silver, especially.  Gone are the days when we had formal dining rooms and formal china and flatware.  Our house is small.  Time to dung it out! 

Here is a picture of our driveway and garden fence after a snowfall. 

Bye for now.

It has, yet again, been a busy few days.  We did get to spend 2 nights away from the farm, though.  Our friend and neighbour down the road, Kim, was kind enough to take over dog and sheep duty for 2 days which allowed us the luxury of being away together for the first time in ages.  We left Wednesday morning.  The roads were excellent, which is a bonus this time of year.  I was booked for my stomach scope on Thursday at noon and for my CT scan the following Monday.  As soon as we arrived in Prince George we went straight to the hospital and up to the CT booking desk.  I asked if they could put me on the wait list for Friday due to the 3 1/2 hr drive each way to the hospital.  They were excellent and gave me an appointment for 11:00 a.m. on Friday!  I was so happy that I did not have to make the long trip back again on Monday.  So we checked in to our lovely room at the Coast Inn of the North then did some shopping.  We had a great supper at the Shogun restaurant in the hotel.  After that it was fasting for me until after the procedure.  Dennis picked me up from the hospital at around 4:30 Thursday afternoon.  By 6:30 I was starving and ready for a meal. Then it was fasting again for me after supper in preparation for the CT scan.  I was done by noon on Friday.

We met our friend Lois for lunch then went to hospice to visit her dad.  He is such an interesting fellow.  We talked about him growing up on the prairies in the 30's.  He said that when the war started things were starting to improve after the depression.  They finally got rain for the crops, but since all the able bodied young men were off to war, he, at 12 years old, was expected to drive the team of horses with the mower, rake, etc.  It was interesting to compare his young life with that of this generation.  He said there was just no question about working hard - you just did it.  If you did not work you did not eat.  It was as simple as that.  He was not complaining about it nor glorifying it.  He just said that was the way it was.  I believe his life prepared him for facing his death.  There he is, his mind as sharp as a tack, but his body failing.  He said there is no point worrying about nor fighting the inevitable.  We all have to go there one day.  He just wants to have as little pain as possible, which is certainly a reasonable request.  It really is a treat to visit Bill, to listen to him talk about his life, and to marvel at his ability to face his impending death.  He is an exceptional man. 

The sun is rising later now.  A week ago it rose above the hill across the lake at 8:15 a.m.  I did not notice when it rose today, but at solstice I know it rises after 9:00.  It is a beautiful day today, blue sky, sun and about -3 C.  A good day to relax and enjoy the sun.  Yesterday was spent on the road.  I drove in to Burns Lake, picked up 13 boxes of Rancho Vignola dried fruit and nuts (we have a group of us that orders and I coordinate it), then off to Greyhound to pick up a box of Epicure products, then off to Telkwa (2 hrs from Burns lake) to pick up our 8 lambs that were cut and wrapped at the butcher there.  Then it was back to Houston to deliver 2 lambs, back to Colleymount to deliver 4 more, then back home to get my own into the freezer.  It was 8:00 pm before I was home again.

Dennis is curling in a bonspiel this weekend.  So far they have lost 1 game so are in the C event.  He should be home in time to watch the Grey Cup. 

Today I will be sorting the Rancho Vignola stuff for our group and just puttering around.  Happy Grey Cup day everyone!  I love Canadian football!  I remember going to Empire Stadium with my dad when BC played Hamilton.  BC lost.  The only players I remember was Willie Flemming for the Lions and Angelo Moska (sp?) for Hamilton.  It was so exciting to be there! 

These pictures show the evening sunset looking East (top and bottom) and looking West (middle).  These are taken along the lakeshore in front of our house.  They were taken in January 2009.  The lake had not yet frozen but does every year.

 

 

Ok, bye for now.

So much has happend the past week.  The lambs are slaughtered and off to the butcher for cut and wrap.  We couldn't contact our regular butcher so we had to make arrangements to take all the lambs to Telkwa, about 2 1/2 hours away, for cut and wrap.  We went through a huge blizzard on the way there, snowflakes like pancakes.  But the sun came out and we had a beautiful drive home. 

The butcher there was so impressed by the size of our lambs that he wants to buy some live ones from us in the spring.  That was a huge endorsement of our breeding line!  Our lambs ranged from 40 lbs to 56 lbs on the hook.  For hair sheep, that is a good size.  We had 4 over 50 lbs.  Hair sheep are a milder tasting lamb, not at all muttony.  Most people prefer the mild lamb, but I had one guy from England telling me he preferred the wool sheep for their stronger taste.  I think it is all what a person is used to.

We are off to Prince George tomorrow for a two night stay.  I can't remember the last time Dennis and I went away together.  The planning and preparation for leaving 6 dogs and 8 sheep is incredible!  It wouldn't be so complicated if it was summer, but winter has a whole set of extra demands.  Water buckets must be electrically heated and topped up.  All plugs, cords and buckets must be in good working order.  Extra hay must be brought from the barn down to the sheep.  Hay must be put in the shelters for the dogs.  Niko cannot curl up his back legs to keep them warm, so he must have a warm hay pile to nest in.  We have made a nice hay pile in the wood shed, nicely out of the wind.  Gates have to be dug out so the person looking after our animals can get in and out of the pens easily.  Food is portioned out for each meal for each dog.  Morning meals have the MSM/Glucosamine/Condroiten mix added plus a salmon pill.  Bridget and Crystal have other medications added.  Evening meals have no salmon oil or joint formula but Bridget still has her thyroid meds added.  So each dog has a bucket with all their meals in, plus extra in case we are delayed, and each meal is labelled a.m. or p.m.  It is a bit of work to prepare but makes it so much easier for the care taker to feed 6 different dogs!  She will be here for supper tonight to do a walk through and get a feel for how things are.  I'm cooking her a leg of lamb!  

Since we have so many dogs they are all fed in their crates.  This is done right from the start to help them see their crates as a good place to be.  It also allows them to eat their meals without the pressure of another dog possibly challenging them for their food.  This way they eat calmly and don't gobble.  Each food dish is labled as is each crate.  Each dog knows which crate is theirs.  At meal time the crate doors are open and the dogs immediately go to their own crate.  Makes it simple and theirs NO FIGHTING.

The wind has been blowing for 2 days.  It is -7 and blowing like a hurricane out there, making it seem a lot colder.  The furnace is going for all it's worth, but the wind seems to just get into the house anyway, especially upstairs where we still have the old windows.  A huge difference standing by the deck windown upstairs compared to the deck window downstairs! 

The Colleymount Recreation Committee had our annual Christmas bazaar at the Trout Creek Hall on Sunday.  I had a table of Victorian Epicure there.  I have been a consultant for almost a year now.  It is a great product and a local BC company.  It is always good to get out and show people what a fine product it is.  I had a crock pot there with pulled pork as a free sample.  Almost everyone who tried it bought a package of the pulled pork.  I sold out in no time and took orders for more.  It was a great sample!  If anyone is interested in learning more about Victorian Epicure, or becoming a consultant, let me know! 

I had better get going.  Our neighbours down the road will be returning from Prince George soon.  He had to have a pacemaker put in his heart at the hospital there.  We are looking after their dog, Megan.  She is a great dog and a lot of fun to have around. 

Since my blog is rather sporadic these days, if you are interested in knowing when I post, just subscribe to the blog.  You will receive a notification in your email when there is a new post.  You can unsubscribe at any time.  Things will be a bit sporadic for the next week for sure, as we will be in Prince George for 2 days, then home Friday, then back on Monday.  I was told yesterday, after being on hold for 47 minutes, that I must come on Monday for a CT scan.  I will be glad to get to the bottom of things but it is a lot of driving, being a 6 hour return trip each time.  I just hope the weather cooperates.  Things can get so slippery this time of year.

We are taking the insurance off the truck and insuring the land cruiser for a few months.  We don't really need the pickup now and the land cruiser has way better traction. 

Ok, I had better get on with my tasks!  Bye for now! 

This is my 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser, right hand drive.  Imported from Japan.  Terrific vehicle!  It has power windows, locks, air conditioning, sun roof and is turbo powered.  Goes like a hot rocket!!

Today I am a busy farm wife.  It is slaughtering day.  Not the nicest word in the vocabulary, but one that anyone who eats meat should be able to tolerate.  Those nicely wrapped packages of tenderloin in the supermarket cooler were once living, breathing, fur covered creatures.  It is a difficult day for me and for Dennis, but again, we like to eat lamb so we go through the humane (is it ever?) killing of our livestock.  Joe, our friend from across the lake, is here to run the proceedings.  He will spend the night so today I am in the kitchen making lunch, baking for tea, and making supper.  Tomorrow morning will be a breakfast as well.  I thought about the days long ago when farmers from around the area would get together and thresh the grain from each farm.  The ladies would bake and cook and serve tables of food to many people.  Today I serve 2 men hot soup and corn bread.  Tonight will be chicken and gravy, carrots and potatoes mashed together with garlic and butter, a good salad with the remaining tomatoes from my greenhouse.  Dessert will be a wild fruit compote with ice cream.  The men work hard out there and it is not pleasant work.  The least I can do is have some good comfort food on the table for them. 

I am happy to say that Amigo has a new family to go to at the end of the month.  The absolutely perfect family heard about him via facebook.  We are excited for Amigo and happy he will be going to a loving family.  Thank you to my family for having Amigo's picture on their facebook pages and telling their friends to spread the word. 

A few days ago we were in Prince George.  While there we visited Bill, the father of my friend Lois, who is in hospice.  I have never been to a hospice (should it be an hospice?) house before.  Bill is suffering from the latter stages of cancer.  The hospice house is absolutely beautiful.  It smells good, it looks like a regular home and it is run by the nicest people ever.  I talked to the volunteer coordinator who told me a lot of people don't want to use hospice as it underscores that this is the last place you will be on this side of the sod.   Even though there is nothing one can do to stop death, we try to fool ourselves in that if I don't think about it, it won't happen.  Not that one should ponder death and dying continually, but as one marches towards the inevitable, it is good to get things in order.  Both Dennis and I said that if we spent our last days in the Prince George hospice house, or a similar facility, we would be happy.  It takes the pressure off the family, is a loving and comfortable place to be, and you are surrounded by people who's profession is to help you transition from this world to the next.  It makes a lot of sense to me.  Bill was as happy as a dying man could be.  He couldn't stop talking about how wonderful it was there.  I could see the visible difference in Lois also.  She was more relaxed and happy than I have seen her in a while.  I think she felt a huge load off her shoulders, knowing her dad was so well looked after, and that he was so happy to be there.  If you are looking for a charity to support, I encourage you to consider your local hospice house.  Go and take a walk through, talk to some staff and have a tour.  Hospice helps local people in the community at the most difficult time of any person's life.  I am so happy they are there.


Ok, time to get busy with supper preparation, making up the guest room and baking something for tea.  In memory of our lambs, here is a picture of happier times:

This last picture is symbolic in a few ways.  That is Crystal, our nearly 15 year old akita x walking alone down the road.  The fields are empty.   She walks alone towards the blue sky. 

The lambs eat the grass, we eat the lambs, we go back to the earth, the grass grows on the earth, the lambs eat the grass.....

bye for now.

Sheep.  Not always the brightest of God's creatures, but sometimes they are able to outsmart me!  Now is the time to de-worm the sheep in preparation for breeding.  Our one ewe lamb has to be caught and removed from the flock as she will be sold as a market lamb.  We cannot put her in with the ram lambs as they are still intact.  Having a ewe around them will cause them to want to breed which in turn will cause fighting and testosterone levels to rise.  They can bruise each other and the testosterone will give the meat a disgusting taste.  So the poor ewe lamb is alone in a pen across from the ewes.

For two days we have tried to get the ewes into the crowding pen and chutes in order to de-worm them and sort out the lamb.  The first configuration of the equipment just didn't work.  So I finally sent Dennis off to do other tasks while I pondered the problem.  I decided to put the ewes in the barn first.  I built a barrier to prevent them from running past the barn door.  Unfortunately, the post pounder had a broken hitch when it toppled over while Dennis was going over uneven terrain.

 

The post pounder was a barrier to the clear line of sight that the sheep need to keep moving forward.  Anything that blocks their sight will cause them to stop moving forward.  It makes them wary and flighty.  After a few tries and moving gates, they followed me with the grain bucket right into the barn.  When I tried to close the door the two brown sheep, the lamb and her mother, bolted.  I closed the 6 ewes in.  I knew the two rogue ewes would be drawn to the flock even though the flock was behind the barn door.  Once they were beside the barn I closed the gates so they were confined in the small pen in front of the barn.  I then opened the barn door and all the sheep came out.  It was easy then to pressure them all back into the barn.  With hay and grain in the barn it did not take much convincing. 

 After the sheep were in the barn, behind the door, I set up the chute and squeeze.  The blue panels to the left of the picture are the curved parts of the crowding chute.  I used them as a barrier to confine the sheep in the small area.  They remained there to prevent any escapee from bolting to freedom!  My plan was to have the door slide open just enough to let the sheep access the chute.  Obviously my plan was somewhat flawed:

They all pushed in and it was all Dennis could do to keep them from pushing the chute apart.  Of course, the crowding tub should have been attached to keep everything in place.  Oh well.  We kept them calm by moving everything slowly.  You can see the one ewe in the squeeze table.  That table will squeeze around the ewe, then we can actually tip the table on it's side so we can trim the hooves and examine the ewe.  When they are off their feet they go completely calm which enables us to work on them without harming them or ourselves.  This time I just tightened the squeeze to hold the ewe still while I injected the ivermectin.  I used the weights from the spring as I still have not fixed the scale. 

Once the ewes were done I led them all back to the winter pen by the house.  Dennis put a rope on the ewe lamb.  He tried to lead her but it was more like trying to lead a bucking bronco!  I wish I could have taken a picture but I was too busy trying to get the sheep across the road before a vehicle came along.  The lamb bucked and flipped and rolled on the ground.  Dennis was being swung around at the end of the rope.  It was hilarious!

Ben was happy to be with his harem at last.  The pictures say it all.

Tomorrow I am off to Smithers for my ultra sound.  Since it is son-in-law Chris's birthday, I will proceed to Terrace after having lunch with daughter Bernice in Smithers.  I checked the weather forecast, which said there would be sun on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  With any luck it is close to being right so I will have good travelling.  I will be home Saturday as I have a dinner engagement that evening. 

This may well be my last visit to Rebecca and Chris's home in Terrace.  They have been transferred to Williams Lake.  We do not know when the move will take place, but the move is confirmed so can take place any time.  It is exciting for them, but I will miss my trips to Terrace, especially when I took the train.  It was such a pleasant trip.

Dennis is cooking one of our last pork roasts for supper tonight.  Since we did not raise pigs this year we will miss eating pork! 

Time for me to go pack.  Still no takers for our lovely Amigo.  I am working on his leash training and he is progressing nicely.  He is such a lovely boy!

He has taken to sitting atop his shelter when the weather is clement.

Bye for now.

Stormy morning - coastal like!  It was a tea and scones morning!

But the sun came out in the afternoon.  The rain has washed away a lot of the snow.  Where a few days ago the snow was over my boots, now it is just a few inches.  The driveway is bare and there is grass showing where we have plowed. 

I took the opportunity to give Amigo, our foster dog (maremma) his first formal training session.  He is learning to walk on leash and to recognize his name.  He is also learning to come to me.  We are taking baby steps, but that is what is needed.  Walking on leash is still quite new to him.  He tries to bump me with his hips.  Consequently, due to the rain, I got soaked as I forgot to put on my rain gear prior to the lesson.  Amigo was like a wet sponge so every time he bumped me, he transferred his sogginess to me.  Oh well.  The main thing is to teach him that leash walking is fun and not a punishment.  We also visited each of the sheep pens, on the outside.  Ben, our ram, has no fear of dogs.  This was a bit of a puzzlement to Amigo, who likes to rush the pens to startle the sheep into running.  Ben just nuzzled him and gave him the once over, sniffing him from nose to tail.  Amigo seemed surprised with this.  He just stood there wide eyed, but calm.  Next we visited the ewes, who kept their distance.  Amigo was praised for sitting and looking.  Then we visited the ram lambs, who were curious about this large dog.  They came up to the fence but not close enough to sniff.  Amigo tried to rush the fence.  I gave him a voice and leash correction, not hard, and requested him to sit.  He did as requested and just sat for several minutes looking at the lambs.  I thought that was a successful meeting and left it at that.  It started to rain again and Amigo was clearly tired.  Training does tax their frontal brain so I brought him to his kennel.  He was happy to go in and find some hay to curl up in. 

My friend up the lake arrived to borrow a dog crate.  She is buying two Australian shepherds tomorrow.  She arrived with her three children.  I poured her and me a glass of wine and served some nice white, extra aged cheddar.  A bottle and a half later we felt pretty fine.  What a great afternoon!  One good thing about this time of year is the socializing that we have time for. 

Tomorrow is the day we de-worm the sheep and separate out the ewe lamb from the rest of the ewes.  It is time to put Ben in the with ewes so we will have early April lambs. 

bye for now.

Well, isn't life interesting.  I was going to ponder the mounds of laundry that two people can produce in a few days, when one phonecall turns our world into some minor turmoil.  Amigo, the lovely maremma that we nursed back to health when his people were struggling with their own health issues, is now back on our farm.  Today he was supposed to go to his new family.  Unfortunately they phoned to say they would not be taking him after all.  We cannot bring him back to his original family, as they are moving into town.  We are now scrambling to find a space for him where he cannot harrass the sheep.  We have the ewes in one pen, the breeding ram in another pen and the ram lambs in a third.  Amigo is adjacent to the ram lambs.  Before, he would run at the pen as he got a thrill from making them start and run.  Now we have stretched a flexible mesh fence, akin to a snow fence, in the ram lamb pen, between Amigo's pen and the lambs.  That way the lambs won't wander close to Amigo's enclosure and the fence sort of blocks Amigo's view of the lambs.   It is important the ram lambs are not stressed in any way as this affects the taste of the meat once slaughtered.  In the meantime we are actively searching for a new home for Amigo.

Today I made an appointment with the Smithers hospital for an ultra sound which was requested by my doctor.  In the winter I allow myself 3 hours to get from here to Smithers.  If we can go the back way, along the Owen-East and Morice River roads, it should take less time.  But the trucks are hauling during week days so if we get caught behind one going in to town it will be a slow trip.  We have a road radio wired in the pick up truck and the land cruiser, but we will take the van for comfort's sake.  My appointment is for 10:15 a.m. so we will leave here by 7:00 a.m. since I have to check in at 10:00.  At 8:15 I am told I must empty my bladder.  I will tell you right now there are no toilet facilities between our house and Smithers.  Yes, I can go on the side of the road, but we have a lot of snow so there is no running off into the bush to go behind a tree!  Plus, as I said, there are trucks hauling logs, and ore trucks hauling ore concentrate along that road.  Plus hunters.  Sheesh!  This is more than awkward!  I would go to Houston early and have breakfast, but I cannot eat anything after midnight.  Oh well.  We'll figure something out, but there you go, another complication of life in the remoter areas of BC.  It is annoying that we cannot have this procedure done in Burns Lake.  As I write this, they are building a new hospital in Burns Lake, yet we cannot get a simple ultra sound procedure done there.  Nor will they deliver babies.  Go figure.  When I had my son, there was one doctor in Smithers.  He served Houston and Smithers.  He did house calls, delivered babies, had a clinic and did the hospital rounds.  He had a clinic in Houston every Monday.  Sometimes he fell asleep on an empty bed in your hospital room when he sat down to talk to you, but he did manage.  Now, unless there is a specialist standing by for every event, doctors will not even deliver babies.  What has happened to this province?

Ok, enough of my rant.  It seems life was so much simpler back when I was a young mum raising my kids.  We only had 2 channels on tv, no such thing as a computer or iphone,  and you went to the local hospital for whatever ailed you and did not have to wait 2 years for surgery.  Of course, we didn't sleep at night worrying that Russia and the USA would start lobbing bombs and rockets over Canada!   
Here's a scene from a trail on our farm:

Time to put a training plan together for Amigo.  Stay well.

Halloween has come and gone.  Today we decided it was time to put poor Ben out of his misery and put him in the the ewes.  Before that could happen we had to catch our lone ewe lamb from amoung the ewes and get her out of the pen.  I tried grain - no go.  We tried moving them into a corner - nope.  They charged us or jumped over us.  Dennis tried to lasso her, to no avail.  After slipping and sliding around the pen we finally gave up and went inside.  Dennis made popcorn and I made cinnamon buns.  We spent the day watching season 1 of Downton Abby and eating.  It was just one of those kind of days. 

We had one neighbour kid come trick or treating.  I gave her a bag of goodies for her 2 brothers too.  That was it. 

Dennis hung up our 2 ghosts in the tree at the gate, then put the porch light covers on that look like pumpkins.  A few decals on the door and we were good to go.  But here are some pictures of Rebecca's house which was all decorated when I was there.

Isn't the cat hilarious?  I laughed out loud when I saw it! 

Rebecca has some nifty decals - they're really cute and stick well to the window.  Time for me to upgrade mine!

It looks like Amigo will be arriving back here tomorrow.  His people have to move to town as they are just unable to manage out here in the winter.  It is too bad, but that is just the way it goes.  So, we're now on the lookout for a new home for Amigo.  He's a great dog so we'll make sure he gest some great people!

You'll note that the above picture was taken prior to the dump of snow we got a few days later.  Autumn is so incredibly wonderful here, but this year it was cut short.  It annoys me when I wait a whole year for fall - no bugs, no scorching heat, just fresh, crips air and beautiful colours, only to have it snuffed out with a foot and a half of snow.  Well, nothing we can do about it so I'm off to bed.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.  More lamb rodeo, I expect.

Rather than focus on the incredible amount of snow we have falling, I am going to publish a few pictures of warmer, happier times.  These were taken several years ago but should warm everyone up a bit:

 

 

 

 

 

One of Dennis' favourite things to do is to eat outside in Mexico.  He loves to just sit and have a beer and a meal while watching people and soaking up the sun.  I'm not sure why we don't retire to Mexico.  I think it will be something to work on over the next couple of years.  At least for the winter months possibly.  We both LOVE Mexico - the weather, the culture, the people.  I think this early winter has pushed our plans of winter travel to the forefront!