tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85237750942198245072024-02-02T17:54:08.929-07:00The Goerzen Girls.....and ArtThe Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.comBlogger617125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-14835970221017234172018-04-10T13:01:00.002-06:002018-04-10T15:47:53.511-06:00Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!<div style="text-align: center;">
Spring has been a long time coming this year.... and I think it's safe to say that it's FINALLY here? at least I think it's here....<br />
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We spent Easter weekend with -30C temperatures, so there were no Easter Egg hunts outside with cute spring dresses to be had. Instead, we were bundled up in 17 layers of clothes, checking on cows since we had just started calving, all the while, hauling buckets of water because our well decided that Good Friday would be a great time to quit. Excellent. <br />
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So between the ridiculously cold weather, lack of running water, and animals that wait until the coldest possible night to have a baby, it felt....different. Exhausting. Frustrating. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hh3vFfewKY/Ws0HirI_4OI/AAAAAAAADuk/DJZNP6gcrfc0hwMePxjVHokq_yH22Jz8QCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-03-15+11.57.35+HDR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hh3vFfewKY/Ws0HirI_4OI/AAAAAAAADuk/DJZNP6gcrfc0hwMePxjVHokq_yH22Jz8QCLcBGAs/s320/2018-03-15+11.57.35+HDR-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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But, as in everything, there was much to be thankful for... We have a livestock well, so we could access some water for the critters; <br />
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We have a really, really cute outhouse that we could use during the day, and we have really great neighbors who let us shower at their house as well as fed us Easter dinner and also drilled us a new well. Hooray for that! <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJ0k8EcdjlA/Ws0HuQpRgcI/AAAAAAAADu0/KrPWVJYLNVgC8mLc5-wz9lInKLBxhIz2wCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-04-04+19.40.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJ0k8EcdjlA/Ws0HuQpRgcI/AAAAAAAADu0/KrPWVJYLNVgC8mLc5-wz9lInKLBxhIz2wCLcBGAs/s320/2018-04-04+19.40.51.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Sidenote: Since they had to trench 8 ft. down to hook up the new well to the old lines, we've been left with some extra projects to do this spring. Don't you just love projects? Especially ones that you just did 2 summers ago? Sigh. So great. <br />
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When spring feels like it's a long time coming, I find I do things to trick myself into thinking we're "further along" than we really are. I pull my house apart and put out all my spring decorations - chicks and eggs and brightly colored quilts. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bfxNsH891Es/Ws0IRvu2KwI/AAAAAAAADvM/uRsGnfWVl6w_eqSHWBB6iPGkE2NgqQ4oQCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-02-27+14.38.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bfxNsH891Es/Ws0IRvu2KwI/AAAAAAAADvM/uRsGnfWVl6w_eqSHWBB6iPGkE2NgqQ4oQCLcBGAs/s320/2018-02-27+14.38.14.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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I also plant seeds.... and every year, Art tells me, "It's too early to plant!", and every year I don't listen to him. This year was no different, so I think I'll be replanting seeds again soon... these will be much too big, too soon!<br />
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Now that spring is here, and it is (don't tell me otherwise - I refuse to believe it!), we'll spend the next few weeks trying not to complain about the mud, we'll walk outside in t-shirts when it's 5C, and we'll anxiously await the arrival of the first bit of green to show up. <br />
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And if we're <em>really</em> lucky, one of the 200 tulips that I planted and replanted 5 times in the fall will make an appearance! <br />
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Happy spring, y'all! </div>
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The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-74187402550500187882018-02-27T11:10:00.001-07:002018-02-27T11:10:59.197-07:00Birthdays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Birthdays of my girls always make me stop a wee bit sad, if I'm being honest. Especially as they get older. Now don't get me wrong - I love to watch these little ladies grow up into young women, but there are times that make me yearn for years gone by. Knowing that I don't have little toddler hands to hold - instead, most of the girls' hands are as big as mine! No shoes to tie - in fact, the majority of us can share shoes! All those things that seemed, at the time, all consuming. And I suppose they were.... But now that we're out of those years of the girls needing me almost every minute of the day, I want to go back to those days. </div>
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Perhaps if I could go back to those days, I'd remember how exhausting they were, and I'd celebrate the season we are in right now, with teenagers and pre-teens.... It really is so much fun, but in a different way.</div>
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Anyhow, all that to say....it's my babies birthday today. And she turns 11. So I perused my pictures to find a few of my favorites!</div>
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This girl has always loved her animals.... </div>
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Little or big, it doesn't really matter.</div>
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She has also always love her friends....</div>
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....and her sisters. And what two peas in a pod these ones are!</div>
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She loves some excitement....</div>
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....and some adventure.</div>
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And I love her. </div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-43502487164153155502018-01-22T15:05:00.000-07:002018-01-22T15:05:05.727-07:00The Short Days of Winter<div style="text-align: center;">
I wonder if it would be accurate to say that winter is always on our minds? In the winter, we are thinking about how to get through the winter. In the spring, we're so thankful that winter is over. Summer brings projects that must be completed before the cold weather hits, and fall consists of finishing all those said summer projects, and the mad dash to finish everything up before....you name it....winter comes again! So yes, I suppose I can say that winter is all consuming. Especially when you live in Alberta!</div>
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There is, however, much to love about winter. And that's how I try and get through the (never ending) season in good spirits, being thankful. </div>
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First of all, since the sun rises so late, and sets so early, you don't have to be up at the butt crack of dawn to see the beauty that happens twice a day. When I really think about it, it's quite amazing.... that we would be privileged to witness such an event. Twice! Every. Single. Day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7WBtR6xECQgzBLIWjYBlyw0C_oItG8DeTPKqnyGU8tKAVB4dvIkdJS057PHoe-N4AjBxGFyt_RTWfAQ0gcbGHHzt_AtxJWjA5cFA3K6qRHpSveqLsG8Doa09siD3K4aqggUFpwd2Oq4/s1600/2015-01-29+17.02.36-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7WBtR6xECQgzBLIWjYBlyw0C_oItG8DeTPKqnyGU8tKAVB4dvIkdJS057PHoe-N4AjBxGFyt_RTWfAQ0gcbGHHzt_AtxJWjA5cFA3K6qRHpSveqLsG8Doa09siD3K4aqggUFpwd2Oq4/s320/2015-01-29+17.02.36-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since the days are so short, and the nights are so long, it's a really great time to work on inside projects. Our girls have learned to enjoy doing a bit of embroidery.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zm5V10GIxEE/WmZaAAkCd-I/AAAAAAAADsU/Jb7ByFiZIVcHn_zzYgMXXpdNFtASJ4eKACLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-22+18.51.56-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zm5V10GIxEE/WmZaAAkCd-I/AAAAAAAADsU/Jb7ByFiZIVcHn_zzYgMXXpdNFtASJ4eKACLcBGAs/s320/2017-12-22+18.51.56-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Weather it be tea towel or pillow cases, it's always fun to bring out a new project.</div>
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I also really enjoy quilting. This is my winter project, to finish up this vintage quilt I bought. I'm hoping it'll be finished in time for spring - I think it'll look awfully sweet on my bed!</div>
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And sledding. Because really, who doesn't love some sledding?? Either by hill.....</div>
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....or by horse. And you're never too old to sled!</div>
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Fires. Again, who doesn't love a great fire?! If it's outside.... </div>
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....or inside. There's something just so comforting and relaxing to me, to sit by a fire. I love it!</div>
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And naturally, another winter sport we enjoy is skating. Since moving out to our ranch, every year, Art has made a big skating rink for the girls, their friends, and our neighbors to enjoy. This year, we moved it to a more protected spot, closer to the house, and we hung these sweet lights around the rink so they could easily skate in the door (due to the aforementioned long nights!), and the light makes it look almost magical!</div>
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I suppose the last thing on the mind is caring for livestock throughout the winter. Due to the ridiculous amount of time, energy and planning that is done throughout the year, I feel very fortunate that our feeding routine is very, very easy. Of course, we check on our animals every day, usually a couple of times a day - especially when the temperature really drops. However, since we bale graze our cattle, we are moving electric fence every 4 days to allow them to access new bales. It's an inexpensive, easy way to manage livestock through the winter.</div>
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The chickens are especially happy this year with a new chicken house. We built this house in the spring, and have increased our flock to about 60 hens, and next year I think we'll bump it up to 80 layers. With their new, roomy digs, the chickens are happy, happy, happy!</div>
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So many, many things to be thankful for during the long season of winter!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-52219753990613669272018-01-10T14:16:00.000-07:002018-01-10T14:16:07.926-07:00Value Village for the Win!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Recently, Spruce Grove opened up a new Value Village. It's big and exciting news for someone who loves a good bargain! Often, when we go into town, we'll pop into "VV" to take a quick look around. I'm a sucker for any sort of embroidered linens, antiques, or housewares. I have my couple of items I always look for - quilts, hand painted barn pictures, aprons and antique crockery. </div>
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The older I get, the more I place value on items that are either handmade, or have stood the test of time. For example, I have a hard time saying no to vintage tea towels and aprons. I know how long it takes me to embroider one simple tea towel. How many hours do you think it to someone to embroider these? And on flour sacks, none the less.... how do you not take these home?</div>
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How I appreciate that the well loved items of yesteryear were actually cherished. And reused, often times again and again. It's so different from our culture today, isn't it? Lately, The girls and I have loved looking for handmade wool sweaters. Again, the time that was spent on these projects.... and I don't know how to knit, so I really do appreciate a beautifully knit sweater. Throw in the fact that it's wool, and that baby is coming home with me! Wool is so incredibly warm, we wear these sweaters for everything through the winter. Here's my "choring sweater", which I found a couple of weeks ago... Incidentally, it's really, really great to have someone in your life who knows how to knit, because this beauty had a couple of small holes, but my SIL was able to fix them up fairly easily for me. </div>
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Again, because I know how much time and energy goes into making a quilt, I rarely turn up any quilts. And I really do love those old school polyester quilts, because you cannot wreck those things. I've bought a few over the years, but this one takes the cake! It's bright and beautiful and stays in my truck for when we need to spread out a blanket to sit on. Or in case we ever get stuck in the snow. My girls really don't love this quilt, but I think it's so bright and cheery. And no one will ever steal it!</div>
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My "commitment to thrifting", as a friend likes to call it, has wielded me some pretty exciting deals, so I'd rather think of this activity as an "investment for my retirement". I keep telling the girls that the <strike>junk</strike> valuables I buy from VV are actually items of worth, and that when I die they'll be able to sell them. For example: I bought this pretty sweet Hudson Bay Point Blanket. It's an iconic Canadian keepsake! (And don't worry - I took it directly from the store to the dry cleaners!)</div>
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And then, I found a few more points blankets, all in great shape, all keepsakes, and all dry cleaned!</div>
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I also got Abby started on a little collection of her own.... enamelware. She's even picked up several more pieces since this picture was taken. She tells me that when she moves out, that's all she's going to use.... we'll see about that!</div>
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The most exciting find, I think, to date, has been a beautiful vintage, hand sewn, honeycomb quilt. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TViy-B8g-kk/WlVCEyQ5DbI/AAAAAAAADrI/YkB6RP1F5HwKjBrhKO2A9QCBwY2BSJEtwCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-10-06+09.39.11-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TViy-B8g-kk/WlVCEyQ5DbI/AAAAAAAADrI/YkB6RP1F5HwKjBrhKO2A9QCBwY2BSJEtwCLcBGAs/s320/2017-10-06+09.39.11-1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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The quilt was unfinished, and needed a bit of tweaking to make it back into a rectangle. It pains me to think of the amount of hours someone spent making this quilt, and I've decided to finish the quilt myself. I justified the cost of finishing the quilt by the fact that I bought the top for a mere $5... </div>
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I'm having it professionally quilted, since doing so myself, on this size and shape of a quilt is beyond my skill level, and I'm so excited to see it once it's finished!</div>
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I suppose I've realized that I really do love the thrill of the hunt when I'm thrifting. You never know what you're going to find when you walk through those doors, and for a relatively small investment (I don't think I've paid more than $20 for anything I've ever bought from VV), it's a fun little hobby. </div>
<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-83472588490103544352017-12-11T18:15:00.002-07:002017-12-11T18:15:50.427-07:00A Christmas Update<div style="text-align: center;">
I was talking to my sister-in-law this morning (Hi, Mary!), and she was reminding me that I hadn't posted here in quite some time. So here I am, posting an update... Let's make it almost like a Christmas card, because we all know that I won't be sending them out any time soon...</div>
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First off, we'll start with The Girls. </div>
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As I scroll through my photos, I realize that this is the only photo I have of The Girls from the year that doesn't have them covered in mud, dirt of cow poo. How nice. Anyhow. Collectively, The Girls love horses, cows, quads, dogs, their family and basically anything to do with ranch life. They love their friends and neighbors, staying home on a Friday night (it's my dream, really), and being outside.</div>
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And now, for some more details:</div>
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<strong>Hannah. Age (almost) 17. Grade 12</strong></div>
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It's Hannah's last year of high school this year, she will be graduating at the end of the year. Her plan next year is to work for the year, and then she's hoping to attend college to be a Vet Tech, specializing in Equine. Hannah loves horses, and enjoys cows. Last year, her steer won Highest Rate of Gain in our 4H Interclub achievement day, so she was pretty happy with that big boy. </div>
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She bought a couple of heifers this fall to start her own cattle herd also. Hannah spent a week helping at camp this summer, and I think is hoping to go back again next year.</div>
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Hannah continues to work at a horse barn, where she's worked for the last 3 yrs. She loves watching movies, being outside, riding her horse and reading. Always reading.</div>
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<strong>Abby. Age 15. Grade 10</strong></div>
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It was a big year for Abby. After getting skunked last hunting season, Abby was bound and determined to fill her deer tag this year. She talked of little else. All. Year. Long. Abby also works at the same horse barn that Hannah works at, and she saved her pennies to buy her own gun for hunting season. </div>
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Abby loves cows. And she likes horses. She is most often found in the steer pen, working with her 4H steer, or walking through the pasture checking out the cows. Abby also enjoys baking, reading, hunting, and talking with friends on the phone. And she loves cows (Did I mention that already? 'Cuz the girl is crazy about them!)</div>
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Besides buying herself a gun, after years of pleading, we finally let Abby buy a puppy. So she purchased a really sweet Chesapeake Bay/Lab cross puppy who she named Dixie. Dixie fits right in with the rest of our pack, and is sure fun to have around.</div>
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Lastly, and probably most importantly to Abby, the girl managed to fill not one but two deer tags this season. She harvested this doe on opening day, and learned how to gut, skin and butcher her deer. Truthfully, all the girls learned. We've been enjoying the great meat, and Abby has also made lots of jerky.</div>
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<strong>Molly. Age 12. Grade 7</strong></div>
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Molly had a really great year in 4H this year. Her steer won Reserve Grand Champion at our interclub show, which meant she won herself a nice buckle. She was beyond excited! She was quite sad to see that steer go. Molly loves cattle and horses, as well as being outside and playing inside with Playmobil or Schleich. The girls spend hours in the basement, setting up their own ranches, which is quite fun to watch. It's Molly's first year in youth this year, so that is a big change for her, but she's really enjoying it. </div>
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Molly loves being involved in everything around our farm, and is often Art's little assistant. She can work a full day outside and then still have the energy to run around and play.</div>
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In going through pictures, I was chuckling that it really is hard to find a picture of Molly on her own. She's definitely a social butterfly, and loves her sisters fiercely. I am often asked if her and Elizabeth are twins, as they are almost the same height, and there's definitely some family resemblance! Molly is usually the one making everyone laugh in our family, and she is very quick witted.</div>
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<strong>Elizabeth. Age 10. Grade 5</strong></div>
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Elizabeth had her first year in 4H this year, and loved every minute of it. I guess, after being dragged to countless meetings and events of the last 5 years, it's about time. Elizabeth works really, really hard and is very diligent in everything she does. She loves horses and cows, she's crazy about owls, and she enjoys being outside with her animals and sisters, as well as playing inside with Playmobil and Schleich. Elizabeth has sure had big changes this year as 1-2 nights a week, all of her sisters are gone to youth. She misses them quite a bit, so we try and plan a few fun things with her. </div>
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Elizabeth is very affectionate and sensitive, and is always the first to hug or cuddle in. She really loves Science. Her sisters are her best friends, and they sure do have fun together.</div>
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She loves working with cattle, especially if it's horseback. One of her favorite spring time activities in castrating calves (For real. That girl outworked grown men at cutting calves), and she gives such a huge effort in all things. </div>
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So there you have it. As for Art and I.... well I suppose our lives are spent mainly keeping up with life. As I was looking through pictures, specifically for Art, I was struck that in every picture, the man was either working on the farm or doing something for us girls. He works very, very hard at providing us with not only our needs, but many times, our wants. </div>
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Besides running our cabinetry business in town and farming, with all the spare time we have, both Art and I enjoy shooting and hunting - especially when the girls are along.</div>
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Having our farm is a dream come true for both of us, and we love our life. It's exciting to continue to build our herd every year, and produce some great cattle. It's a privilege to raise our girls this way as well, learning the value of hard work and having fun while doing it.</div>
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We both continue to enjoy learning more about how to raise great cattle and be great stewards of our land. This whole life long learning thing is something that we've tried to install in our girls, as well as live it out in our everyday life.</div>
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Art has always had a way with kids, and his even temperament make him a good cattleman. Our cows are very quiet, and (usually) will just follow him around like a puppy dog.</div>
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Lastly, the man loves his girls. He loves to see them work hard and do well. He is so steady and reliable, something I very much appreciate.</div>
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Soo there's an update on our family this year. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and cheers to a Happy New Year! </div>
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The Goerzen Girls.... and Art</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-86353799972998333252017-05-02T15:24:00.001-06:002017-05-02T15:24:49.808-06:00Spring is FINALLY here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After a couple of false starts, I think it's safe to say that Spring is finally here. I think...</div>
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We've had an extremely wet spring, with several late snow storms, as well as lots of rain, so there is water everywhere!</div>
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This is our front yard, where we've never had water, and The Girls couldn't even walk through this in their rubber boots, the water was higher than their boots were. Half of that little bridge in the distance was covered with water.</div>
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We've had fun making horses go through the puddles, and it's given them a chance to get the pounds of mud off their feet. I'm sure it feels good for them! </div>
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This is also the first year we've had this secondary seasonal creek running through our land. It's sure pretty!</div>
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This may be my favorite picture of all time. This is a sloughy area that normally fills up in the spring, but not usually close to this amount! The little spring fed dugout is probably 6 ft. deep, and it extends well in the low lands. The ducks love it!</div>
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It's been really great to get out riding again, and start getting the ponies in shape for the spring. I always say that riding is like therapy for me.... but I haven't quite decided if it's cheaper or more expensive.</div>
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This spring, we finally bit the bullet and built a new chicken house. The house is significantly larger than our last house, and so we thought we'd fill it with 50 layers this spring. As you can tell, 50 layers doesn't even come close to filling it.... so maybe next spring we'll do closer to 75? We'll see how that all plays out. I love the new house, with several windows to let natural light in, and lots of room for the chickens to roam. There's 2 chicken doors for them to get outside into runs, as well, the large door at the end will make cleaning out this house a dream. We'll be able to pull the skidsteer right up to the house and shovel right into the bucket.</div>
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There's also storage for feed and water, as well as some great nesting boxes which open to the other side of the wire mesh, so we don't even have to go into where the chickens are to collect eggs. The house is finished off with a man door at the end. We still have some work to do - we'll side the outside with old barn wood, as well as run electrical in there so we can have heat and light in the winter.... but all in all, it's been great to have some new space for these silly birds. And having new chickens always makes it feel like spring is finally here!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-84884087602734226992017-04-04T11:37:00.000-06:002017-04-04T11:37:00.392-06:00Calving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The first week of March, when our snow was almost gone, we got a huge storm with -30C temperatures and about a foot of snow. It was a bit of a blow, although completely acceptable for this time of year in Alberta. We were crossing our fingers that our cows would cross their legs and not drop any babies until after the temperature had warmed up and some of the snow had melted, because friends, it. was. miserable..</div>
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Thankfully, the cows co-operated, and we had about a third of our herd have their calves in the nice, warm, muddy pasture. It's always exciting to go and check cows during calving season, because you never know what you're going to find when you get to them. Usually The Girls come with me, and it's almost as exciting as Christmas morning. You scan the herd, piles of straw....looking for a mama who is licking a new baby, or seeing a new, fresh calf up and running about, trying to figure out how these things called legs work. </div>
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This mama kept leaving her baby all over the place - under trees, in puddles.... the coyotes kept trying to get closer and closer, so we brought them in a small maternity pen close to the house in order to keep the baby safe until her mama remembered that she needs to keep a close eye on her baby.</div>
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This mama and baby are so quiet, and she loved it when the girls would come and hang out in the fresh straw. The baby would come and lay her head on the girls' lap, just enjoying the attention.</div>
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Good thing her mama was nice and quiet - we had plenty of opportunities to pet this little lady.</div>
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This handsome guy surprised us being red. We expected to have only black calves out certain cows....and as you can see, he is certainly NOT black. But he's my favorite. He's a big lug of a guy, and he reminds me of our giant dog, George.</div>
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We still have some cows to calve, but are expecting a bit of a break for a couple weeks until our next set of cows start calving. </div>
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I'm telling you, it's the most wonderful time of the year!</div>
<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-5513496857263614922017-02-17T14:09:00.002-07:002017-02-17T14:09:53.560-07:00Homeschooling and 4H<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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January marks the start of a more intense couple of month of 4H involvement for us. We started off the year with our Awards Banquet, and Hannah, Abby and Molly all won awards. This year, for the awards, we put what they won on the back of a hoodie, and all the kids seemed to like that. The Girls worked hard last year, and they can be proud of themselves!</div>
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This is the first year that Ellie Mae is in 4H, and she has waited many, many years for this, so to say she is excited may be a tad bit understated. During our busier season of 4H, one of the things the Girls have to do is sell raffle tickets to raise money for our achievement day in May. I took the girls to the auction market the other day, and they sold a whole lotta tickets in a short amount of time, which was great!</div>
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The beginning of February starts off with public speaking in 4H for us, so the Girls spent a whole lotta time preparing their speeches. The all did really well, with Abby winning in her age category, after a speak off. Molly competed against Ellie Mae in their age category, and Molly came in 2nd and Ellie Mae came in 3rd, and Hannah would've won in her age category except that she ended up with time faults, so she came in 3rd. They all worked really hard, and we are super proud of them. It's been so great to watch their progress and confidence increase over the years in public speaking, so much so that Hannah volunteered to emcee our district public speaking event which her sister will compete in. I would've never thought I'd see the day that would happen! Hooray for 4H!</div>
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We haven't started calving just yet, but some friends of ours have. We've been over there a few times to walk through the calves, and it makes me extra excited for our calving season to start, in just over a month from now. You must check out this sweet, silver calf!</div>
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The other day, we were at their place and they had to pull a calf. This was a first for us to be up close and personal in helping/watching a calf be pulled. We haven't had to pull any of our own calves....yet, so it was a great learning opportunity for all of us! In my mind, it was the perfect homeschooling day!</div>
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First, we had to bring the cow into the barn, which she wasn't thrilled about! But we got her in and got her checked out, and sure enough, she needed some extra help getting this calf out.</div>
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After some pushing on her part and pulling on ours, she had a big (huge, really) healthy bull calf. We figured he was about 120 lbs.! After he was born, our friends showed the girls how to make sure he was breathing, and recovering as quickly as possible.</div>
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Then, the Girls got a lesson in how the placenta works inside of a calf. This was laying outside, from another cow that had just calved, and the Girls were fairly fascinated to see how everything works. Things like this always make me amazed at how God has created us!</div>
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Our last task of the day was to bring in a twin who's mother decided she wasn't interested in mothering it (she took the other twin instead), and give it a bag of colostrum. Did you know that calves aren't born with any immunity, so it's imperative that they receive colostrum from their mamas within 6 hrs. of being born. After that, their intestines start closing up and they aren't able to receive those good antibodies after that time. Fascinating. </div>
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Anyhow, after this twin got loved on by our girls, and got some warm milk in him, the next day she got a new mama - a jersey cow that our friends had bought at the market. Hooray for happy endings!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-71124666972593527272017-01-27T15:45:00.002-07:002017-01-27T15:45:49.081-07:00Outdoor Winter Activities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Since I talked about some indoor activities on my last post, I thought I'd share some pictures of our favorite OUTDOOR winter activities on this post. </div>
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Firstly, winter in Alberta means feeding cattle. This year, we started bale grazing for the cold winter months, so we placed bales in the pasture, cut all the strings, and have electric fence to limit how and when the cows get them. It's working great so far!</div>
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We have really, really great neighbors here. And our great neighbors have been <strike>toys </strike>tools. Just before Christmas, they came over and lifted Art up in their picker truck so that he could put snow stop on the shop roof. This chore also involved rides for the kids. Naturally.</div>
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We spend lots of time going on walks out in the pastures....</div>
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....sometimes to check cows....</div>
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.....to exercise the dogs (and ourselves!)...</div>
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....or to enjoy a sunset!</div>
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We spend some time spreading straw for the livestock, so they stay warm and dry(ish).</div>
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....and rush outside to catch a picture of the sunrise!</div>
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We have spent many hours combing the woods, doing some shed hunting. For those that don't know, this means looking meticulously under every tree and branch for antlers that have been shed by moose, deer or elk. The great thing about shed hunting is that it's extremely beautiful in the isolated bush that we walk.</div>
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Sometimes we take the dogs, sometimes family who is visiting gets roped into coming....</div>
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....and The Girls always want to go!</div>
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Lastly, and perhaps the most favorite winter activity of them all is skating. Art and The Girls have been working faithfully on getting our skating rink up and running, and the Girls enjoy it every day they can, along with friends and neighbors.</div>
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So there you have it. Winter activities around our ranch. Always beautiful, always fun, and we (mostly) stay warm!</div>
The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-66829089760855859052017-01-16T11:43:00.001-07:002017-01-27T15:09:50.675-07:00Indoor Winter Activities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The great thing about winter is that it gives us a chance to relax, and instead of working outside all the time, with short days and long nights, we spend the majority of our time inside. It feels good to start a fire and hunker down inside, while the cold wind and snow blows outside. </div>
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One of our favorite inside winter activities include Lego (lots and lots of Lego!!). The Girls have collected much Lego over the years, and they also have Art's from when he was a child, so their imaginations run wild with Lego! Thankfully, I've only stepped on a few pieces this year!</div>
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Every year, around Christmas, we pull out a puzzle. We do a new puzzle every year, and it usually stays out until it's complete. Not all of us are puzzlers, so those that aren't can often be found curled up the couch, reading a book, while the others puzzle. It's just nice to be in the same room, hanging out together.</div>
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We also enjoy baking. Lots and lots of baking! Truth be told, this happens all year round at this home, but it's fun to work on special baking projects, especially around Christmas!</div>
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This year, I taught The Girls to embroider. I sat down to embroider a few flour sack tea towels as gifts, and a couple of the Girls asked me to teach them. I was surprised at how quickly they caught on - the little girls especially. They enjoyed embroidering some tea towels, and especially loved giving them away to friends. I thought they did a fantastic job, and I'm always a little sad to see the towels go, after spending a few hours working on them. An extra fun thing was that when my parents came out after Christmas, my Mom also got in on the embroidering bug, and her and I spent time visiting and embroidering together. After my Mom went home, she was talking to my Grandma, who is 97 yrs. old, about flour sacks, and this is what she had to say: </div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>Flour sacks were precious as they were used for many things
like aprons, boys boxer shorts underwear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were always in short supply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
C</span>urtains were made from flour sacks and cut them with a
scalloped edge, then crocheted around the edges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> T</span>hey were the prettiest curtains and
really make the old rundown house more beautiful and homey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing was ever wasted so even the thread
from the flour sack was used to crochet around edges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Women </span>crocheted around edges of
almost everything like tea towels, tablecloths, pillowcases, and aprons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything to make it look pretty and some
items were embroidered like the aprons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My Grandma said she did a lot of embroidery even before 10 years old.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I'm fairly certain my Grandma could out-embroider me any day of the week, even when she was 10 yrs. old! I really didn't learn, as a child, to embroider, so this is my attempt to try, and also to teach my Girls. I think embroidery is such a lost art (as is baking such things as pies and bread!), but I'm thrilled to pass it on. Here's a fact about me: every time I go to a thrift store, I look for hand made items such as embroidered table cloths, linens and aprons. I just can't help myself from buying them, knowing how many hours went into making them. And to buy them for a dollar or two.... it seems like they're grossly undervalued!</span></div>
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Of course, many hours are also spent reading, playing games, doing crafts and watching the occasional movie.... </div>
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The great thing about living in the Prairies during our long winters is time spent together!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-12465568307934573512016-12-02T16:38:00.001-07:002016-12-02T16:38:24.921-07:00The Nature of Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The older I get, the more I get to know about myself....some good, some bad. The thing that I have realized about myself over the last several years is how I really do love to be outside. (Remind me of this post when it's -30C and the wind is howling!)</div>
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As I look through the pictures that I take, or the times when I feel most like "me" is when I'm outside, or working on a project with my family. It's always a bonus if both are involved!</div>
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When I'm outside, I'm always amazed at the world that God has created, and how I know so little about the world. I marvel at the details and intricacy of His creation. I feel connected to God, aware of my surroundings, and oh, so grateful that I get to live my life here. </div>
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I thought I'd share some of those images with you....</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b534CT0O7P0/WEH_7EGB2SI/AAAAAAAADhs/9lTZLpxyIu8kytVdgzdyjCjuVY9vIF0lwCLcB/s1600/2016-09-27+15.41.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b534CT0O7P0/WEH_7EGB2SI/AAAAAAAADhs/9lTZLpxyIu8kytVdgzdyjCjuVY9vIF0lwCLcB/s320/2016-09-27+15.41.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And now, as I remind myself of my love for nature, and I'm curled up under a blanket, I feel inspired to get outside, and take a quick walk before the darkness falls. Enjoy your weekend</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-19534938187212586852016-11-01T14:17:00.006-06:002016-11-01T14:17:55.299-06:00Cows, Steers and Heifers<div style="text-align: center;">
It's that time of the year when our lives are full of fall works. We've helped a few friends bring home cows from pasture, and I've been so thankful that the weather was nice each time! It makes for a fun day, outside and on horseback, enjoying all that fall has to offer.</div>
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We've also been helping haul cows home from pasture, and since we've had so much moisture this year, that made for a very, VERY muddy job! Each time we backed up the trailer, we had to have the tractor pull us out. It made a big job even bigger, but we got it done, thankfully. </div>
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4H has also started, and that means that the Girls needed to go and pick out their steers. We spent several hours on the weekend looking through a friends' herd for the Girls to pick out their steers. </div>
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After walking through the herd, looking at steers, writing down numbers and then narrowing down their choices, the Girls finally each picked one out. </div>
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It's one of my most favorite parts of 4H.... We'll go pick up the steers in a week and then we'll have our club weigh-in, and then the real work begins. We always try and get them halter broke right away, when they're at their lightest weight. Hopefully the weather cooperates and we can continue to do that this year. </div>
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We are still hauling hay, and next week we'll be weaning our calves and shipping them. </div>
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Fall always feels busy, and we're trying to get all the stuff done that we need to before the snow is here to stay. Thankfully, we've had some nice warm days, so the majority of that white stuff that we had a few weeks ago has melted. But we know that the countdown is one, and any day, the snow will be here to stay!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-40669332574546122412016-10-17T14:39:00.001-06:002016-10-17T14:39:20.140-06:004 Months<div style="text-align: center;">
It's been 4 months. 4 short months since we've had snow on the ground. As some of you may remember, we had <a href="http://thegoerzengirls.blogspot.ca/2016/05/may-long-weekend.html" target="_blank">snow on the May Long Weekend,</a> and then we just had a good dump of snow on Thanksgiving weekend. 4 short months since we've seen that white stuff!<br />
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We had a house full of company for Thanksgiving, and I knew that they were forecasting snow, but I didn't really believe that it would happen, especially since our Thanksgiving weekend was early in October. Alas, I was wrong, and the weather forecasters were right. We got almost 5" of snow on that weekend. It was cold and wet and miserable!<br />
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The Girls were excited to get outside and make snowmen....which they did.... The worst part was that as they rolled the ball for the snowman, green grass turned up again. Such a bizarre scene - leaves on the trees, snow on the ground, and patches of green grass everywhere.<br />
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Thankfully, I had harvested my garden the day before the weather turned, so my root veggies, along with my pumpkins which overtook the world (or my garden!) were all safe. Phew! <br />
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Being the optimist that I am, I thought the snow would disappear pretty quickly. I was, however, wrong. Boo for me! We received another 2" of snow this week. <br />
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My optimism is starting to wane that the snow will melt.... however, I took a look at the forecast this week, and it's supposed to warm up, so here's hoping the green grass will show itself again before winter sets in... for good. <br />
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We did get to do a couple of other really fun things this fall... and have a few more to come. We helped friends round up cows on their lease land about an hour and a half north of here.<br />
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It was a cool start to the day, but by the afternoon it had warmed up considerably.<br />
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I suppose cool is relative - heck, I'm thankful there wasn't snow on the ground!<br />
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The other really fun thing we were involved in is <a href="http://multicentre.org/wp/agriculture-2/city-slickers" target="_blank">City Slickers</a>, which is a program put on by the Stony Plain Multicultural Heritage Centre, funded by Ag for Life. The whole idea of the program is to continue to show urban children how food is produced, since the average Canadian is 2 generations removed from a farm. The Girls were involved in this program 2 years ago as presenters, and this year they were asked to be presenters again. We talked about what they wanted to present about, and they decided that each of them would choose a tool that we used on our ranch, and share it with the kids. The subjects they choose to present on were branding, roping, what we used our horses/dogs for on our ranch, and how to care for our horses. The Girls all did a spectacular job on their presentations, and the years of 4H public speaking sure got put to good use! <br />
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They each wrote their own portion of the presentation, and then they used props to illustrate. We brought along 3 horses and Hannah's stock dog, as well as a dummy roping head, ropes, saddles, branding irons and various brushes for the horses. I believe there were 900 kids, grade 3-4, that went through the program this year, so it was a full, exhausting day. <br />
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I was sure proud of our Girls, and how they used their knowledge about our lifestyle and shared it with other kids. </div>
The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-5422038334047962852016-09-19T11:56:00.001-06:002016-09-19T11:56:29.817-06:00Getting Into the Groove<div style="text-align: center;">
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, and I tend to try and spend as much time outside as I can. I am constantly saying to the girls, "This might be your last chance to get outside to ______ before the snow flies..." And they get sick of it, but really, in Alberta, one never knows when the snow will come. </div>
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We're had an extremely wet fall, and the mosquitoes are very bad - worse than they've been in the last 2 years, I'd say, so I am looking forward to a good, hard frost to kill those bad boys off!</div>
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We've got started on school, and it's nice to get into the routine of the year. When we get our new school books every year, it's like Christmas! Everyone excitedly opens the boxes, and then they scatter, each with a new book (or 6!) to read.</div>
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I love that our schooling takes place around the kitchen table. It feels cozy (and sometimes cramped!), but it's great for me, because I can also get work done in the kitchen while the girls whittle away at their school work.</div>
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We've had a few fires this year, and after a late night, all the girls fell asleep on the lawn by the fire.... that is, until the dogs came along....</div>
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We've gotten out for numerous rides on horse....</div>
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....and on quads. Both are so enjoyable!</div>
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My pumpkins are taking over my garden...</div>
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....and I can't stop taking pictures of the leaves changing on the trees</div>
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The other day, we joined our neighbors to get out on quads to some of their pasture land. After a climb up a little hill, the view was outstanding. You could see for miles and miles, and the leaves were all changing to delicious shades of red, yellow and orange. Pictures don't begin to do it justice!</div>
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There's also an old barn that we poked around.... </div>
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I love how the wood has weathered so differently from one side of the barn to the other.</div>
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Happy Fall, y'all!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-48031198551538700312016-09-02T12:47:00.000-06:002016-09-02T12:47:23.522-06:00Fall is Here<div style="text-align: center;">
Last summer it was hot and dry. This summer was cool and rainy. Like, really rainy. There were a couple of days that we received over 4" of rain. So fields are green and wet, and the grass has done lots of growing. The nights are cooling off, and I even turned on my furnace today. The leaves are changing, there was a frost warning the other night, and I am looking forward to winding down on outside work and turning our attention inside. But before that happens, I get to enjoy my most favorite season.... fall. </div>
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It hasn't felt like we've really had a stellar summer - way too few days at the river, and not enough lazy afternoons, but it is what it is. I've finally ordered all of my curriculum, and we'll start school next week. Or perhaps the week after.... depending on the weather. And my mental state. </div>
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Every year, I have what I like to call, "The Fall Freakout". I suppose I'm thankful of the fact that I'm consistent, and every year it happens. I feel overwhelmed with getting back into the routine of things, and getting everyone back into "school" mode....wondering if we're doing enough school, if we've made the right choice for our family in homeschooling... The weight of responsibility is sometimes overwhelming. Our girls are in grades 11, 9, 6 and 4 this year, and I realize that for our oldest, we have only 2 more years of her here with us, and that is terrifying to me. I hope that we are doing well by her, and preparing her for her adult life. </div>
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Fall in Alberta is a short lived season, and I find myself getting giddy at the thought of the long days of winter approaching. Each fall feels like a race against the clock, to get done everything that needs to happen before the snow flies. We have wood to cut, pens to clean out, cows to move, the garden to clean out, lawn furniture to put away, calves to choose for 4H, and the never ending other projects that need to be complete before it gets seriously cold. I'm hoping we're still a couple of weeks away from frost, and if we're lucky, 2 months until snow.... But one never knows in Alberta. And that's the fun of it.</div>
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1. It's the long weekend. The weather is supposed to be crummy, but that's ok, because we're working on a pumphouse, so it won't feel so bad to be working all weekend when the weather is crummy. </div>
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2. My house is decorated for fall. My most favorite time to decorate. And I bought new fall pillows last winter that I totally forgot about until I pulled out my fall décor. It was like Christmas...in fall.</div>
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3. I bought mums the other day at Costco. They were beautiful.... until the dog ate them.</div>
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4. Flank steaks are marinating for dinner. </div>
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5. Art is coming home early (to work on the pumphouse... but that's ok! He'll still be home early!)</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-80584060537433431692016-07-06T16:10:00.000-06:002016-07-06T16:10:01.453-06:00The Never Ending Job<div style="text-align: center;">
We've been planning, since last summer, to do a major fencing project this spring. We wanted to fence both sides of the creek which runs through our property, and although some of it was fenced, there was lots that needed to be repaired or replaced. Since the creek bed is an environmentally sensitive area, we also want to limit when and how much time the cows have to graze it, and limit their access when it's most vulnerable - in the spring. </div>
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The majority of our free time these days has been spent doing the preparation for the fencing project, and it feels like the work is never ending! We had to mark out where we want the fence to go, clear a 10 ft. wide swath through the bush, take out all the old fencing nails and posts, and wind up the wire. Oy. In addition, we had to repair a bunch of fencing on another grazing quarter in order to be able to move the cows to that pasture so that we could pull out the old fencing around the creek. </div>
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Thankfully, the weather has been a bit cooler, although lots of rain has definitely increased the mosquito population around these parts. During the day, I had my fencing crew help me come and pull the nails. Those little fingers worked well, and the Girls actually quite enjoyed that job!</div>
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I love the look of concentration on their faces!</div>
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Art (a.k.a. Mr. Patient) took lots of time to teach the girls how to repair broken or loose wires, and they caught on quickly to that as well.</div>
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I don't think we've been in before 10 pm any night this week, and a couple of the girls even fell asleep in the ranger as we drove home, but everyone felt quite proud of the job that we have done.</div>
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The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-13669031832617272672016-06-27T15:23:00.000-06:002016-06-27T15:23:05.695-06:00Summertime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I know I said that after 4H was over, it was going to be free and easy around these parts, but somehow, that has failed to happen! The random going-ons that have prohibited that from happening have been all good, such as....</div>
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Kittens! We found 2 litters of kittens in the hay shed. Fortunately, there were only 2 in each litter, so it is quite a bit easier to get rid of 4 rather than the 8 we had last summer!</div>
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Parades! We always try and make the Farmer Day's Parade in Stony Plain. It's been fun, over the years, to watch the kids, as they get bigger and bigger. We weren't going to go this year, but the Girls begged us... "It's tradition!" they said. And so we went.</div>
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Branding! We branded our own herd in the last few weeks. It was awfully exciting... (I loved it!)</div>
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Calves! Ellie Mae has been asking fairly regularly to work with her 4H steer for next year, so it's not so hard to halter break in the fall. Well, she finally got her wish!</div>
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Bulls! We turned the bull out with the cows, and my girls have been vigilantly watching to make sure he does his job....</div>
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Hair! We have some crazy hair going on around here. Hannah curled Molly's hair....with straws! </div>
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More calves! </div>
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Riding the ponies! It's a good time. Always. </div>
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The last calf. Finally born at the end of June. Hooray!</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-3720288287708343482016-06-06T15:25:00.000-06:002016-06-06T15:25:03.073-06:00Beautiful Beasts<div style="text-align: center;">
We recently had our 4H Show and Sale, and let me tell you, it was a good, long, exhausting day! </div>
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I should start off this little ditty by telling you what happened the night BEFORE the sale.... The day before the sale, the Girls were outside, washing their steers, getting them gussied up for their big day. They bathed them, touched up a few spots with clippers, hung out with them.... It was a great day! Since we've had so much rain over the past few weeks (which we are SO thankful for!), we decided to put those beautiful beasts in a different, dry pen so all of the girls' work of getting them clean, wouldn't be in vain. We moved them and got them settled in, and headed in for an early night. The Girls were all in bed, and Art and I were also laying in bed, almost asleep, when I heard the dogs start barking like crazy. I looked out my bedroom window, and I see a steer walking by.... in the PASTURE. Ummmm, what?! We jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and headed out to catch a steer. We get to the pen where those beautiful beasts were supposed to be, and there was only one steer instead of three. After a quick assessment, we see that those beautiful beasts had broken through 3 fence boards and gotten out. Ahhh!! Thankfully, they hadn't wandered far. While Art quickly mended the fence, I kept an eye on those beautiful beasts, and we eventually got them back in their newly renovated pen. Just before dark. Once we headed inside, we were no longer tired...rather, we were sweaty and hot....and extremely thankful! I can't imagine what would've happened, and the panic that would've ensued in the morning, when the girls went out to catch their steers to load them up and they weren't there! Oy. It would've been disastrous!</div>
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After a shorter than anticipated night, we loaded up those beautiful beasts in the morning and headed to town. I'd like to think that these bad boys had been given a taste of freedom, and therefore were less than thrilled when we got to town, and they realized that they had to walk around a show ring all day. Let's go with that theory....because we had a few unimpressed steers on our hands. Molly's steer especially, was a wee bit wild in the ring, which made her very frustrated, especially since he's been the quietest this whole year. Oh well. It is what it is. The good news is that all three of these beautiful beasts got sold that night, so the Girls got to come home with a cheque instead of a steer. Although they were sad to see their buddies go, Molly especially was ready to hand hers over to be sent to the butcher!</div>
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After we got home from our never ending day, after everyone had showered and gone to bed, and I lay, wide awake in bed due to the excessive amounts of caffeine I had consumed earlier in the day, I was able to reflect back over the day and really think about it. And here are some things that I realized I am so thankful for the lessons these beautiful beasts have taught us.</div>
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<strong>1. It takes a whole lotta work to raise an animal</strong>. It's true. My girls were out there every day, twice a day, feeding their steers and checking on them. Rain or shine, blizzard or heat wave, those beasts were cared for by girls who loved them. They halter broke them, groomed them, figured out what made them tick.... A whole lotta work.</div>
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<strong>2. Farming is uncertain business.</strong> We bought these steers last fall, when the market was at it's peak. And the market has fallen substantially since then. So these boys really needed to pack on the pounds in order to bring home a paycheck. Not to mention the state of our economy right now, and these are fairly uncertain times for a whole lotta people. The input costs are still there, but at the end of the day, you get what you get, when you take a critter to the market. Honestly, I'm just glad the girls didn't lose money this year!</div>
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<strong>3. 4H kids are awesome.</strong> And so are the parents who raise them. My Molly came out of the ring and burst into tears, because she was so upset at how her steer had (not) preformed. He was being a butthead. In real life. Instantly, she was surrounded by her fellow 4H-ers, comforting her and encouraging her. And then, I watched as many of the parents took her aside and spoke to her as well, telling her that it was ok....they knew she'd worked really hard on her project and he just was being a pooper. It made me cry, seeing their compassion for her. And in no time, she was smiling again, and joking around. They helped her get him ready for her next class, and some of the older members helped her lead him and give him a "chat" about acceptable behavior. Ironically, he was pretty darn good by the time the sale rolled around, and she got a pretty penny for her steer. </div>
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<strong>4. Losing graciously is a really good lesson to learn.</strong> Maybe even more important to learn in life than winning graciously? Last year, our kids did really, really well in the show and sale. This year? Not so much. But that's ok. Because they are not going to win at everything in life. Hopefully they won't lose at everything either.... But it was really, really great to see the Girls genuinely happy for their friends who did win. They were excited for them, and cheering them on along the way. And that is a big, fat win in my books.</div>
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<strong>5. Helping others is important</strong>. Even if you don't know them. Due to how 4H is structured, parents are not allowed to help their kids during this 4H show. The leaders are allowed to help, minimally, but what is encouraged the most is that kids help each other. Regardless of age, club, which project they are involved in.... And I think it's great. You get less of parents interfering in things, and more of kids, figuring things out. And the comradery that this facilitates is priceless!</div>
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I could go on and on, and have a few more lessons in which I can see these beautiful beasts definitely had a big factor in us learning, but I will sum it all up with this. 4H has been a great experience for our family. And I'm so, so thankful for our club. </div>
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I'm also thankful that it's summer... And there will (hopefully) not be any more blizzards.... for at least a few months!</div>
<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-77008864002801539912016-05-27T10:14:00.000-06:002016-05-27T10:14:29.244-06:00May-Long Weekend<div style="text-align: center;">
This past weekend, we were thrilled to have a house full of company for the May Long weekend. My oldest nephew and his wife came out from BC, as well as my parents were here. Although I'm fairly certain our company wasn't excited about the weather forecast of rain all weekend, since we've been in a drought, we were ecstatic! The clouds started rolling in on Thursday night, and looked awfully ominous! </div>
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After a good douse of rain, we even got snow! Definitely not unheard of for the long weekend.... and we decided we'd take the moisture in any form we got!</div>
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My lilacs still smelled amazing, even though they were covered in snow.... and thankfully, we didn't lose any trees, as the snow melted by the afternoon.</div>
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Since the weather was cold and dreary, we spent lots of time playing games at the kitchen table, which was fun!</div>
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We also took everyone to the Reynolds Museum, which is a favorite spot of ours to visit. I knew that both Alex and my dad would really enjoy the museum, so that was fun to go through with the kids again.</div>
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Also on the weekend, Hannah also took her dog, Bandit, to his (and her) first stock dog training clinic. He was definitely VERY eager to get at the sheep, and I was pleased to see that by the end of the day, both him and Hannah were starting to get the hang of working sheep. What a great experience for both of them! We were also thankful that the clinic was inside, because it rained over 3" that day!</div>
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Since we had a full house on the weekend, I was trying to figure out where to put everyone to sleep. We decided to convert my <a href="http://thegoerzengirls.blogspot.ca/2016/03/she-shed.html" target="_blank">She Shed</a> into what I like to call.... The Love Shack</div>
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We took the loveseat out of there, and put in a double bed. I didn't anticipate it being so chilly, but we had an electric fireplace and a bunch of blankets out there also. I think it turned out quite cute!</div>
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Naturally, once everyone had left, the weather turned nice again....</div>
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When I was driving home from dropping my Mom off at the airport, there was an elk, standing in the middle of the road. She was quite content to stand there, so I had to stop and wait a few minutes for her to move.... eventually, she met up with a buddy in the field and they took off. I'm always amazed at what I see on my drive home. </div>
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The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-69301260719447498462016-04-29T17:32:00.000-06:002016-04-29T17:32:01.169-06:00Branding<div style="text-align: center;">
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!</div>
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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!</div>
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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! </div>
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We got to soak in the sun, and find some baby mice. Yuk!</div>
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The mama's were vaccinated, and divided them into breeding groups. </div>
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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.</div>
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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. </div>
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Ellie Mae and Art were in charge of running the squeeze, and our friend vaccinated, branded and tagged the calves.</div>
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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.</div>
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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! </div>
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The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-55822326524890479022016-04-21T09:39:00.000-06:002016-04-21T09:39:35.739-06:00Signs of Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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...</div>
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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!</div>
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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!</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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5. My apple trees are blooming. In real life. It feels very, very early, but they are very, very beautiful. So I'm excited. </div>
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Hooray for Spring!</div>
<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-78095862656860776942016-04-13T13:58:00.000-06:002016-04-14T19:16:05.801-06:00Randomness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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:</div>
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1. Alberta Sunsets. Or sunrises. Whichever, it doesn't really matter....all I know is that I like 'em!</div>
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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 <strike>had </strike>got to go to either presentations OR speeches on a variety of weekends. Alas, it was a great learning experience, and they did great.</div>
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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....</div>
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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!</div>
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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?!</div>
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5. We love being outside, exploring. And that includes crossing sketchy looking beaver dams... yikes!</div>
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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!) </div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-66794757565254333542016-04-06T15:41:00.000-06:002016-04-06T15:41:05.494-06:00Shed Hunting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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!</div>
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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!</div>
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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?!</div>
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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.</div>
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That was added to our pile of deer sheds, of course in the living room.</div>
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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. </div>
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And promptly asked Art to carry them home.</div>
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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....</div>
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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! </div>
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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!</div>
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Here are some pointers for those of you who may be new to Shed Hunting:</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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?!</div>
<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-10051768003793747962016-03-28T15:07:00.000-06:002016-03-28T15:07:24.616-06:00We Caught the Easter Bunny!<div style="text-align: center;">
This weekend, we had a great time of relaxing, being together as a family, seeing friends and neighbors, being outside and working on some projects. I've changed up my décor for spring - it always seems so bright and colourful, and I'm glad to see signs of new life outside!</div>
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This weekend, in the midst of Easter bliss, Abby and Ellie Mae decided that they wanted to attempt to trap a rabbit. We've seen them hopping around a bit, and so their great idea was to trap the rabbit, and then sell it at the Odd and Unusual auction that's coming up next month. I was all for this idea, of course, because I didn't think it would happen. But alas, it did. We caught the Easter Bunny.</div>
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He's quite cute, really, and has mostly lost his white coat in favor of his brown coat. The trap was checked when our neighbors were over, naturally, so the Girls could all join in the fun!</div>
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The dogs were quite interested in this cute creature as well, and so when Abby decided she would like to HOLD THE WILD RABBIT, and the dogs came up to investigate, that thing jumped out of her arms and took off. And the dog, after it. I am happy to report, though, that no rabbits were harmed in the making of these pictures, and ol' Thumper got away. He ran back into the bush, where we most likely will never see him again. Phew. </div>
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Abby's been itching to set the trap again, but we'll have to see about that....I'm not sure that the dog will be outsmarted again...</div>
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The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523775094219824507.post-38897034164160930302016-03-15T14:37:00.002-06:002016-03-15T14:37:20.898-06:00She Shed<div style="text-align: center;">
Last summer, Art got it in his head that he'd like to build me a little "she shed". I'm not sure if y'all have heard of them, but it was a project that he wanted to tackle. His purpose in converting this little shed for me was to give me a space of my own, where I can escape the hustle and bustle of homeschooling The Girls, working, and general life to get away - if even just for half an hour. </div>
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We took an old shed that we had kicking around (the cutest one, I might add!). I emptied it out....and let me tell you friends, it was FULL. Of junk! And not even good junk! I think in it's former life it was used as some sort of workshop, so it smelled like oil, had pegboard hanging everywhere, and the floor was full of mouse dropping and dead bugs. Yuck. </div>
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There was an old desk, nasty dirty junk, and anything else you can imagine!</div>
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I kind of loved the pegboard, and thought about painting it white.... but alas, we took it out.</div>
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Here's the outside, before we did anything. After we emptied it out, I put a fresh coat of pain (red, naturally!) on the outside, and we put new skids underneath, to be able to move it.</div>
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Here's the side, before we put in the windows.</div>
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Right after we painted the building, our dog went and rubbed up against the building. When I saw him, I definitely did a double take, wondering where he was bleeding from....until I realized it was red paint! The paint on him last for a good few weeks... poor guy.</div>
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We painted the inside of the shed white (of course!), to make it nice and bright. Thankfully, Art was able to spray the paint, so it was a quick (and messy) job.</div>
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Art used old fence boards for the flooring and window trim, and he added a few old barn windows to let more natural light in. The door was already a wonderful, chippy white, with glass on the top half, so that was great. </div>
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After we moved the shed into place, Art built a deck on the outside, so we could sit and enjoy the view. This shed is right close to my garden, so it's got a great view!</div>
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The most fun part of doing this shed, for me, was to decorate it. I didn't buying anything for this shed, but rather, shopped my home and storage room for furnishing it. The loveseat was given to us when we were first married. It's not my taste, but I covered it with a drop cloth, and the loveseat looks great. </div>
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I've furnished it with a cabinet, some old egg boxes, books, some antique quilts and lots of candles.</div>
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In the fall, Art also put an electric fireplace in here, so that I can enjoy the shed in some of the colder months as well.</div>
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All in all, this was a relatively quick project, and it really, really turned out well. I'm thrilled with the results.</div>
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<br />The Goerzen Girls...and Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00222544028962131659noreply@blogger.com1