Branding

Last week, we helped friends brand some of their calves.  It was the first time that we, as a family, all had the opportunity to be involved in helping.  It was event that was much anticipated in our home, and we knew it would be exciting and exhausting.  It was definitely exciting!  And it was definitely exhausting!

We started out by separating all the cows from the calves.  It was Molly and Ellie Mae's job to man the gate to the pens of the calves.  They did great!

While many hands makes less work, when you are working livestock, that can most definitely backfire, so some of us had to sit on the sidelines and watch.  That was a-ok too! 

We got to soak  in the sun, and find some baby mice.  Yuk!

The mama's were vaccinated, and divided them into breeding groups.   

Then, we loaded up all the calves and took them to a different part of the ranch, to a smaller squeeze, to vaccinate, brand and tag them.

This was my view for the day.... Hannah and I were in charge of pushing the calves through the chutes and into the squeeze.  I think we got one of the easier jobs, the only downfall was that my foot is fairly bruised from being stepped on. 

Ellie Mae and Art were in charge of running the squeeze, and our friend vaccinated, branded and tagged the calves.

I think the highlight for Hannah was watching a calf being born.  Abby helped "direct traffic", and directed the calves to their groups, according to which group their mamas had been put in.

When we finally ate dinner at 10:30 pm, the girls were both exhausted and proud.  Exhausted from the hard day's work they had put in, and proud of the jobs they accomplished.  Honestly, the older they get, they are so helpful to have around, and it feels like those seemingly endless years of training as they were younger are really paying off.  Way to go, G-force! 

 

Signs of Spring

Well, my friends, it's been an early, dry spring around these parts.  We've had such a mild winter, with a record low snow pack, and no spring rains, which means that farmers are concerned.  The snow melted a whole 3 weeks earlier than last year, which is bittersweet.  Don't get me wrong...I'm SO happy for spring, but we are definitely praying for rain!  Here are some sure signs of spring from our farm...

1.  Potting Bench.  I've wanted a potting bench for years and years and years, and this year, Art found the time (somewhere....after all, who needs to sleep?!) to build me one.  He made it out of cast off cedar boards that our neighbor gave us because he wanted to get rid of them.  We used a sink taken out of my parents house when they renovated, and will hook the hose up to it for when I want to wash vegetables from the garden.  It's very rustic, huge, heavy and beautiful.  I love it!

2.  Riding has started in earnest, once again.  We're working on getting the ponies back in shape, and some are happier than others about it.  I'm loving the warm days and more hours of daylight, that's for sure!

3.  Green is starting to appear.  Magically.  In my garden.  Hooray!  My rhubarb is up, tulips and hyacinths are poking through, and I'm expecting my asparagus to show up any day now.  I'm looking forward to getting some dirt under my fingernails.

4.  Farm auctions.  And plenty of them.  We love going to farm auctions, and have, in fact, furnished most of our house from them.  True story.  So when the warmed weather hits, we pack a lunch and hit the road.  Last weekend, we attended an auction just down the road from us.  We weren't able to stay long, so we didn't come home with any treasures, but it was fun to get out, take in some sun, do some people watching, and look at some junk.

5.  My apple trees are blooming.  In real life.  It feels very, very early, but they are very, very beautiful.  So I'm excited. 

Hooray for Spring!

Randomness

It's been so long since I've done a post on random things, so I thought it was high time.  Alas, if you can follow my brain (or my life!), here are some of the random happenings around these parts:

1.  Alberta Sunsets.  Or sunrises.  Whichever, it doesn't really matter....all I know is that I like 'em!

2.  4H Public Speaking.  This took up a LOT of our weekends towards the end of winter.  Hannah had done a speech, and she won the club and district level, so she moved on to regionals.  For being incredibly shy, and her first year as a senior, she did great!  We were really proud of her, and she grew a lot in her confidence with public speaking.  Abby and Molly did a presentation, and they also won at the club and district level, and ended up moving on and placing 2nd at the regional level.  We were really proud of them also, especially considering they competed as intermediates, and Molly was only a junior.  The really (not) great thing about them choosing presentations and speeches was that they were never on the same weekend, so we had got to go to either presentations OR speeches on a variety of weekends.  Alas, it was a great learning experience, and they did great.

3.  Cows.  I love em'!  We have one lonely cow left to calf, (and another one in the summer, but that's another story), so we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our last calf.  If only Lucy would cooperate!  I've really loved this calving season, as the first on our ranch.  It's been really exciting and we've learned lots.  I mentioned to the Girls today that what I've enjoyed most about having cows is all that I'm learning.  It's good to know that my brain still works....sometimes....

4.  George the Giant.  He really is a giant.  We think he weighs about 120 lbs., and he's only 8 months old.  This crazy lug thinks he a lap dog, and he'll try and climb onto our lap when we sitting outside on the chairs in the yard.  The Girls love to snuggle with him, and since he loves to be touched, he's a-ok with that!

George also loves the water.  He hasn't shed out his second coat yet, so as the days get warmer, we'll often find him sitting in ice-cold puddles.  The other day he had a splashing contest with my horse....while I was riding!  Guess who ended up winning?!

5.  We love being outside, exploring.  And that includes crossing sketchy looking beaver dams... yikes!

6.  BBQ Season has officially arrived.  And I am over the moon excited, because that means that instead of eggs being my go-to dinner, burgers have now taken the lead.  I think that burgers are a bit more filling than eggs, and somehow, bbqing them make me feel like I've actually thought ahead about dinner... so I feel like a superstar in that department.  Yay me!  (And hooray for Lulu, the steer we butchered last spring.  He's delish!) 

7.  Again with the 4H.... Last weekend we hosted our spring supper and sale.  I was in charge of decorating the hall again, and I've gotta say, I think we nailed it!  I bought vintage sheets (which reminded my of my grandma's dresses when I was a child) from Value Village, which we used for tablecloths, and we strung banners all over from the ceiling.  Topped off with the candle holders which Art made last year for centerpieces, as well as pussy willows and pots of fresh herbs, I think the hall ended up looking quite spring-like.

We threw some barn doors and old picket fences up on the stage to dress that up a bit as well, and it was a great night.  I think we had about 300 people come through for dinner, so it was a very exhausting and long day, but also a lot of fun.

8.  Bananas.  This girl is making me bananas?  Oh wait, no.... she bought a LOT of bananas.  Like 120 lbs. a lot of bananas.  For those that may not know, Abby has a little baking business.  She has a couple of regular customers who buy banana bread every week from her.  My SIL had a contact of someone who buys and sells fruit, and when she told him about Abby, he said if he ever had an excess of bananas, he'd let her know.  That was about a year ago.  Last week, he called and said that he had 3 boxes of over ripe bananas, and asked if we wanted them.  Of course, since they get frozen at our house, we took them all.... and let me tell you, my house smelt like bananas for a few days, and I no longer have any room in any of my freezers.... but it's all good.  I'm continually thankful for the kindness many people have shown us in their own way, and this was one of them.

Shed Hunting

Since moving onto our farm, we've had the opportunity to start (another) new hobby as a family.  Our land has provided ample opportunity to start doing some shed hunting, and we've sure enjoyed it!  It's like a giant treasure hunt....or looking for a needle in a haystack.... Either way, it's pretty fun to get outside and look for animal sheds.  We've found mostly moose sheds so far, but I'm hoping to come across some more deer sheds, as well as possibly an elk or two?  When Art was driving home the other day, a few miles up the road he saw an elk with only one antler still, and since then I've been dreaming of finding the other one!  That is a long shot, for sure, but who knows what the future holds!

The first set of sheds we found in the fall, along a trail in the bush.  We had gone out for a walk, after the Girls had showered, so they were in their pj's.  First we found one, and then a few feet up the trail, we found another.  That was awfully exciting!

These sheds held a place of honor in my family room for most of the winter, and now they are on a shelf in my kitchen.  Naturally.  Because isn't that where everyone puts their moose sheds?!

This winter, while out on the ranger looking at some land, Ellie Mae yells, "STOP!  I see a shed!"  Truthfully, I didn't really believe her, but she jumps out of the Ranger and runs into the bush, where she starts digging like crazy.  A few minutes later, she comes out of the bush, triumphant.  Holding this little beauty.

That was added to our pile of deer sheds, of course in the living room.

A few weeks ago, when the snow really started to melt, our shed hunting began in earnest.  On another walk, the Girls found these two beauties. 

And promptly asked Art to carry them home.

We were over at some friends the other day, and went out shed hunting with them.  Abby came away from that walk with this little buddy....

See?  Apparently this is a social thing, because when we have friends come over, this is also what we do.  Shed hunt.  Again, Abby found this bad boy - it was covered in snow, and she actually stepped on it! 

 

I think we've found the "easy ones" now, and maybe caught up on the last few years of sheds, so perhaps we'll have to wait until next Spring to find another set of moose sheds, but that's alright.  Because we've accumulated quite the stash of these beasts, and I'm not sure how much more room I have in my house for them!

Here are some pointers for those of you who may be new to Shed Hunting:

1.  We appropriate clothing.  It's no fun having wet feet, or being cold, so dress in layers.  That way you can take a layer off if it's too hot.

2.  Go for a walk.  This is a great excuse to get outside for some fresh air.  We live in the bush country, so every trail leads to new adventures.  Pick a game trail and walk it.

3.  Be aware of your surroundings.  This has been so, so fun to teach our girls.  We all look for rubs on trees, poop on the ground, places where animals may have bedded down or eaten the plants.  It's a great time to teach your kids about the land, and animals that live on it.

4.  Have fun.  Even if you don't away with the prize, it's still a win-win, in my books at least.  Fresh air, family and friends.  Really, how can you go wrong?!