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.