From Cowboy Boots to Strappy High Heals

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

I have to admit I’ve always been a bit of a shoeaholic in fact if you ask my friends they still question if I wear my stilettos out to milk the goat!

So I laughed today, literally out loud in the barnyard carrying the slop bucket out to the pigs.

I grew up “ in – town” a small town but still town, I was not a farm girl nor did we growing up ever have animals that were not “pets.” A petting zoo when I was young was as close as I ever got to “farm life.” Don’t get me wrong I have always loved the outdoors, and we spent much of my child hood exploring the great outdoors getting dirty and adventuring many remote locations outside my small hometown. However, this did not change my desire to after graduation move to a bigger city where I could nightly don my party dresses and stilettos. Then I met Steve and to my amazement he brought out the get down and dirty adventurous side of me that I reserved for only some occasions. I still make the 60-mile commute daily for work and often fly to a neighboring city for meetings at which I am always business appropriately dressed but at the end of the day my favorite thing is arriving home zipping up my jeans and heading out to the barn yard with Steve to see the animals, or embarking on our next big adventure!

This is where the laughter came from and likely why the animals looked at me as though I had lost the plot. As I headed out to do chores this morning before getting ready for work I was making a mental to do list for the things I wanted to accomplish today. (Personally! – My work list sits nestled on my desk and I try hard not to let that infiltrate my brain when I’m not in the office!) As I was running down the upcoming event list and what I would need to prepare for the next few days, I remembered that I needed to take my ball gown to the seamstress to have the broken zipper fixed, and that I would need to drop off Steve’s Tux at the Dry cleaners and I would need to remember to get those garments out of the closet before leaving for work! This though made me laugh out loud! My ball gown why on earth do I, the now country girl in her rubber boots carrying pig slop, need a ball gown.

Well…

Steve and I were invited to a fundraising gala (black tie formal – the invitation read) so as the weekend nears I will set aside my cowboy boots and slide in to my high heals, pretty up my hair, and slip in to my gown. It really was an honor to be invited to such an event and I am sure we will have a wonderful time. I still always enjoy the moments when I get to dress up for a night out on the town.

And I still love my shoes… some things will never change!

18Jun2013

Baby Horse!

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Last night was incredible, Neighbors had a foal that was just born on Monday afternoon and she was so tiny and soft.

sdf

Mom was having some issues feeding her so baby just wasn’t getting enough nutrients from her alone. She is pretty skinny but was up and full of kick and bounce as we walked her over to mom to try again to drink!

Before heading over I milked LB and Steve picked up some colostrum paste. When we arrived they were concerned that she hadn’t had a bowel movement yet and as such were worried about supplementing with the goats milk until she did. She was given the colostrum paste and tried to feed from mom for a while getting very little in. they had another bottle of colostrum from a cow that was proving a little more tasty than the paste and she drank that out of a bottle. Scouring the pen we still could not find anything to indicate a bowel movement and so they decided to refrigerate the goats milk until today when they would look again to see if she could have it!

She is absolutely beautiful, we sat in the pen with her and mom for a couple hours and when all the children arrived home they helped with

ngfd

the bottle and cleaning herup as she had chosen a cow pie earlier in the day as a good napping spot! They were all so gentle with her; they have named her Rosie, although temporary as there seemed to be some discrepancies around what her name should be!!! I’m sure it will stick though!

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go over and see her as that was the first time I have seen a foal at one day old! Just Beautiful!

17Jun2013

The Fun Filled Last Few Weeks!

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Well it has been a bit since I have posted an update, apparently the days have been flying by and with all the ongoing I have fallen behind in posting!

What excitement; again!

The chicks started peeping piping and protruding from their shells. Late Monday the 3^rd when I arrived home two chicks were out of their shells and many more were moving around in the incubator. By the next morning five were hopping around chirping away! By the end 8 of the 20 eggs hatched, the babies were out happy and healthy as can be! So we are enjoying having the little ones finally join us! Final egg incubating for the year! That meant an enormous clean of the room that for the past months became the incubator/ brooder/ greenhouse/ bird recovery room. I learned a lot from having the birds in the house such as the awful smell that is hard to keep up with, and the mess they all make! I am looking forward to having my

green house built and running in full swing by next spring! I have now added to my design an area for incubating and brooding; I am hoping this will eliminate the

need to ever having poultry hanging out in the house again! Of course Steve who encouraged me along the

way said, “ah I knew you would learn from this” a little smug isn’t he! Oh well true I suppose!

The babies have been moved outside now and the big chicks have entered the coop with the existing residents. All the chickens are doing well in the big brooder and coop; they are growing like little weeds. In fact all the animals are thriving on the farm.

On the 6^th and 7^th

Cow 3

Steve and I headed out to help processand move cattle to nearby river side farm land, a location the cows will spend their summer at. I always have fun moving cows with/for friends and family!

We saddled up the horses and headed out across the fields and after many miles of chasing we made it to

the river, beautiful country and wonderful company!!

Cow 1

Cow 2

One of the neighbouring bulls decided to jump the fence and make the the trek with us so once the cows were safely locked in their summer home we turned back and chased the bull home!along the way! … One of the neighbouring bulls decided to jump the fence and make

482065_453420214682754_1414563514_n He was a little quicker going than the group of them and Willow got to do a little running!

That weekend!

I headed off to the city for my friends bachelorette party.

Friday was spent out in the city and the following morning (after a tater tot breakfast) traveled to a friend’s house in a neighboring town where we went for pedicures in the afternoon and barbequed and danced all evening. And like Vegas what happened at the party stays at the party! 🙂 All fun though and so terrific to see old friends I don’t see very often, it was a wonderful weekend. By Sunday morning we had coffee and enjoyed a short visit after which I headed out on the road for the long drive home. Arriving home rather late in the evening I met Steve at his mom and dads where we enjoyed an amazing beef roast together a delightful meal that I did not have to prepare after the long journey!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIL

The weekend was just as eventful as ever, celebrating early my mother – in – laws 50^th birthday party. We all thought for sure she was going to find out, she is sneaky like that! 🙂 But she didn’t know anything was up. Planning and preparing for the day was so much fun, Saturday morning my sister – in – law had everything designed and picked up, she was ready, and we all were ready. Friends and family traveled from far away to spend the evening with her and it was all very exciting. I headed to town to a meeting that morning and then to coffee with some friends who were in town for the weekend. That afternoon I went home, we did chores, and then after getting ready headed over to the local hall to decorate and greet guests as they arrived. Finally it was time to make the call. All went well and she was on her way, the excitement in the hall grew as everyone anxiously awaited her arrival! When she walked through the door she paused for a moment seeing the bright and shining faces of her friends and family who were yelling “surprise” and singing happy birthday, as she scanned the room she noticed good friends from far away had made the long trip to be there for her. She was so happy and in shock for the remainder of the evening! It was a great night complete with stories, songs and games!

16th June 2013 – Happy Anniversary

A few Photos From a Year Ago!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Photos by: http://www.katrinafavellphotography.com/

Steve and I have been married for 1 year and oh what a year it has been, full of exploration excitement and happiness. We spent the day together, hanging out and relaxing together at home, watching movies, eating the top of our wedding cake (which I saved last year after the wedding) and drinking a bottle of our wedding wine. We enjoyed the solitude and quiet of the day and had a fantastic time just the two of us!

And on to the Next Adventure…

3Jun2013

We’re off to the Rodeo… and Other Weekend Adventures

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Wow… what a weekend of fun filled adventures! Starting off early on Friday Steve, my sister and I headed to the Lake where my family has water front property and spent that afternoon/evening and Saturday morning with family. Dia dog made the trip with us and enjoyed her time immensely at the lake… swimming, chewing on bones and chasing squirrels!

After having lunch with my grandparents in the afternoon we drove the short distance to the lake where we relaxed in the +40° weather on the deck! My sister made a fantastic cake for my birthday that we enjoyed after a wonderful ham dinner that evening.

Later as the sun set and when the air was cooler we headed down to build a fire and enjoy the rest of the evening visiting and enjoying the view over the calm lake.

It was a late night so we slept in the next day waking to see the sunshine pouring over the calm waters. We had coffee with my family while we visited and enjoyed “Gran-Made” Cinnamon buns! We packed up in the late morning and headed back home to do chores and clean up.

View from the Sugar Shack!

After all the work was done Steve and I were off again … this time with my sister and her boyfriend to watch the Evenings Chuck Wagon Races at the Stompede.

The Very Large Crowd

The vehicles were backed up so much that what would have normally taken 10 minutes to drive took over 45min. We were a little late getting in but had good company with us and nonetheless got to see some excellent races. When the races were over we met up with some more friends and headed over to the beer gardens where Joe Diffie played a great concert. We danced and partied for the rest of the evening and early into the morning.

Joe Diffie – Concert

After the night had come to an end we headed back into town to stay at our friends place.

We woke the next morning and headed out to pick up vehicles from the rodeo grounds. After a bit of shopping we met up with Steve’s brother and his roommate, and my sister and her boyfriend for lunch. Once we finished eating we drove out (not as long of a line up this time) for the final day of Rodeo Fun. We all spent the afternoon in the grand stands taking in the action of the events and entertainment.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

During the short break between events we met up at the carnival with other friends and their children to ride the rides and watch the kids take in the whole experience.

After ordering very large burritos we all found seats together again in the grandstands for the final night of Chuck wagon racing.Before the Races began the children were called down for the Calf Scramble event; that was so fun to watch.

The races continued into the evening and we were there cheering on the local drivers and partaking in some friendly betting with our group!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Once the races were over the crowd filed out of the large stadium and Steve and I headed home for chores and a night of good rest. We had a great weekend with all our friends and family and look forward to the next Rodeo Adventure in July!

28May2013

A Week Off Work Well Spent!

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

The days after our new animals arrived were busy ones with lots of guests and company stopping in to see the new additions and share in drinks and conversation out in the sun. We spent a late night visiting and enjoying company on Saturday and to end of a wonderful long weekend a wiener roast by the camp fire complete with delicious smores.

…

Well I have been off work and away from most technology for over a week now and thought I would write a brief update on how things went after the arrival of all the new animals. I planned the week off so I could spend some time relaxing and soaking in the sun… I had the opportunity to do some of that but most of the time was spent taking care of the animals! With all the new additions there was lots to do!

We were able to get the new pigpen set up and now the pigs are roaming freely in the yard spending much needed time outside the barn. They are loving it and enjoying the space to run and root around as they please. The move from the barn to the new pen was a little nerve racking however in the end with four of us went very smoothly.

Mommy Hen spent my entire time off in the back room of the house recuperating and finally once her wounds appeared to have healed headed back out to the coop to join the rest of her flock. She is doing well back in the coop with everyone else. All of the chicks have moved out in to the big brooder in the barn and are enjoying the large amount of space they have. After the new ones hatch (in a week) and are ready to move outside these ones will be ready to move into the coop with the other birds.

The Guinea fowl did not fair so well. After they were settled in to the coop and felt at home they flew the run (which I might add was their purpose… to roost in trees and set off an alarm when intruders were near) one of the guineas made it to the grove of trees in the pasture however the other was stopped suddenly by Dia. He was injured and joined Mommy Hen in the recuperating room of our house. He healed quickly and was set free a couple of days later down where the guinea hen had made her new home. They spent time down there and we could hear them now and then until one day Dia decided to head out on a hunting expedition and brought the hen up to the house injured and needing reprieve. She spent the night in the barn and once again a guinea fowl was released in the trees. Finally Dia’s determination and perseverance paid off; I awoke one morning to a dead guinea fowl on the deck. We are still feeding the other one in the grove of trees, however we have decided to forgo acquiring any more free-range birds in the future. We hope that the surviving guinea makes it until winter and can spend the season in the coop with the chickens however I hesitate to be optimistic at this time with our monster dog on the prowl.

The goats continue to free range and seem to enjoy staying close to home… even made it past Dia one night on the Deck… knocking on the window to let us know where they were. Olive was not to sure about these new animals and sat inside on the windowsill watching intently as they tried to eat my freshly planted flowers! Soon enough though they headed off the deck and back out in to the barnyard. We chose to name the other goat LB for Little Black she is learning her name now and is sure to run away when I call her at milking time! She still has a tether rope on for quick catching but Vera who runs over to a quick shake of a bucket has a pretty purple collar on! We still think she will kid soon but aren’t sure of dates as the previous owner was a little confused about when this should happen!

Penelope has been enjoying herself and looks much more healthy too… her very excited owner has been out a few times to see her and spend some time brushing her and even riding her! Soon she will be able to move in with the horses!

I was able to get my garden planted and all my flowers in pots. I have planted a variety of fruits and vegetables that will provide us with delicious meals through the late summer and into the fall and winter. I still have more work to do on the secondary garden but just did not have the time to get that all set up before returning to work.

Next weekend my sister and I have a trip to the lake planned as well as some time to take in the Rodeo here. It should be another eventful weekend full of friends, family laughter and fun!

…

19May2013

May Long Weekend

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

The saga begins! Friday after work I loaded up on supplies to get my weekend ready for some fun! Then I headed out to the airport to pick up a friend who was flying in for her own may long adventures! After leaving the airport we headed out to the farm for some wine and relaxation on the deck! We spent the evening with my husband (who was home working on the outdoor pig pen) visiting playing cards drinking wine and listening to old records! It was a late night but great to catch up! Early Saturday morning we got up filled our travel mugs with coffee and headed out to catch up a couple horses! Once they were saddled we jumped on and went for a beautiful and relaxing morning ride through the nearby fields! Soaking in the sun enjoying the quiet and each others company!

Once we returned home my husband had the animal crate all fixed up and loaded for the next part of our day! Traveling to a nearby town my friend had arranged a ride to her next adventure of mountain biking water skiing and boating! We said our good byes and off she went… My husband and I continued 2 more miles out of the neighbouring town to the exotic animal sale. There was some confusion about start times as advertising had been very vauge but by noon we had seen what was for sale in the stocks and found our seats with some of his work friends and the sale began! Many hours later we had purchased a pair of Guinea fowl, 2 goats, 6 chicks (likely only a week younger than the babies already at home) and a mini Donkey (a gift for a friend! – this was not an unwanted gift mind you and we will keep her until she has a space at home for her.)

She was lovingly named Penelope! One our way home after a few hang ups on how we were going to manage getting all the new animals home I spoke with my friend the new Donkey owner and she was headed out to the house to make supper and meet her new stead! She called back once she arrived quite worried about the health of mommy hen (one of my very broody and excellent laying buff ophington hens) she had flown the coop at some point and Dia dog managed to get her teeth in to her… She was in rough shape and I was worried we would lose her all together. As we were still about 1/2 hour from arriving home my friend wrapped mommy hen up ( who had been drug out to the front yard) and took her back to the barn for safety until I got home! Dia dog knew she was in trouble when we arrived home and slunk away from me as I headed out to the barn to retrieve her. I created a makeshift crate out of a box and headed in the house with her where she will stay to recover!

She was given some of the chick feed as it has some medication in it and some water with electro lights to help with her healing! She has a definite sore spot on her back but she must have fought back pretty good because she appears now that she will make it and be just fine! Once Mommy Hen was all settled in I headed back outside where my husband was unloading our new farm additions and my friend and the children were checking out the donkey! I must add that she too is not a farm girl anymore than I was when I moved out from town but she is embracing and loving the country life as much as I am!!! Once Penelope was safe and sound in her new pen out came the goats Vera and a mini black, to be named! We penned them up with some food, water, and shelter. Dia dog was most interested in them so she stayed back while we headed to the barn to introduce the Guinea fowl to the chickens! Everybody was a little worked up and the chickens flew high on their roosts to watch safely the new birds who arrived! After everything had settled in the coop we checked in on the pigs who were happy as could be and headed inside with the baby chicks to set up a second brooder… All the chicks (and hopefully Mommy hen too) will move out to the barn by the end of the weekend as it is more than warm enough and the brooder out there is much much bigger for them. We ate a magnificent supper and shared wine, stories and laughs from our day. The children were still very excited about Penelope and wanted to head out after we had eaten to see her and ride her (again)! So we headed back out to the barn yard to find Vera and little black goat had Houdinied out of the pen! They seemed to be sticking close by so decided rather than fighting them they could free range. I will have to build a gate system so they stay out if my garden once it is planted and starts to grow but for the time being they seem to be doing well! Once everything had settled down and the evening came to an end we too went to bed getting a good night sleep so we could spend the day with the animals on Sunday! Well Sunday has just begun and the goats survived their first night free ranging in the barnyard, Mommy hen has much more energy as well, all good signs! Ill be heading out shortly to do chores and check on all the other animals as well… So I can safely say the weekend has been an adventurous one so far!

15May2013

Mid May

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Well here we are, already the middle of May and I am thinking about how exciting it is going to be to get out in to my garden. This past weekend my Father – In – Law brought over the heavy duty rotatiller and got to work in the garden mixing up the soil after last years much too early snow fall.

In fact because the snow fell so early last fall we missed 2 entire rows of carrots at harvest time. Lucky for us this created a wonderful spring bounty and tasty treats early in the year! We were able to salvage most of the carrots from the two rows before the ground was worked up and ready for planting again this year! Of course this will not be the case every year; I fully believed we lucked out, as there was no care taken to ensure the carrots would not rot over the cold and frozen winter.

The carrots that didn’t quite make the cut were still a delicious treat for the pigs that enjoyed the early evening snack!

As my husband has just purchased a new backhoe, after some brush clearing he will be heading out to build me a secondary garden. The main garden consists of annual plants and crops; I have now learned how to save most of the different plant seeds and hope to do so this year for a more personal planting experience next year. The idea of the secondary garden is perennial vegetables, herbs, and berries to provide us with a plentiful crop that can be nurtured year after year.

Once the weekend comes to an end and the chance of a May Long weekend Snow Fall (haven’t experienced one with out some amount of snow yet!) is behind us I will be getting out in the dirt and planting! I am looking forward to the extra time this year I will have to devote to working on out farm and planting a wonderful crop for fall harvest. I have many projects I would like to complete through the summer and warm weather and hope as well to have many barbecues, fires and gatherings with Friends and Family.

This weekend we are heading out to an exotic animal sale… more on that after the weekend!

1May2013

Welcome!! :)

Posted in Life, Welcome by livinthecountrylife

Welcome to my Blog and Web page!

This is my First ever blog space so please bare with me while I figure this all out! It is my intention to update, as often as possible but with a busy farm life and work life there may be some breaks along the way… As spring is here now (well almost!!) I hope to get outside and doing more so will try to keep the pics and stories of our journey through our second summer on the farm! It’s exciting and every day presents a new adventure so I will fill you in on some of the adventures so far!

Pigs: We just recently acquired pigs as new additions to the farm. They have been so much fun! Quite the personalities! As it is relatively cool out still they have a home in the barn. Once the sun is shining and the weather warms up they will have a large outdoor area to live and play in! While living in the barn in the pen next to the chicken coop they sometimes think they would like to be chickens… rooting under the wall in an attempt to reach the chickens on the other side they have succeeded on three occasions! The Chickens who can get out to the run before the pigs block the exit by bumping in to and closing the make shift wind blocker generally end up spending the day outside and the others who were not quick enough are perched high on the roosts awaiting the pigs eventual exit! … Of Course Dia Dog is usually sitting patiently by the barn door hoping to help herding them back into their pen!

Incubating: About 3 weeks ago we acquired an incubator, immediately 9 eggs went in. To our amazement this past weekend 8 chicks hatched (on our first try)! They are now chirping away in their brooder in the spare room happy as can be! They will move outside to the bigger brooder in the barn in a couple of weeks when it is a little warmer out! Cute little fluff balls though! Olive cat is quite intrigued by these little moving noisy fluff balls although he sits on the chair above the brooder watching he has not yet tried to eat one of the little nuggets (knock on wood)!

Gardening: Through the winter I might add!

As the snow has started to melt this spring and the garden has now become visible and passable I headed out to see how the carrots faired through the cold months. Last fall it was not initially my intention to leave the carrots in over the winter however with the early and abundant snowfall I had no choice I couldn’t get to them for harvest and they had to stay put. I figured that it was no big deal… I would just work the rotted carrots into the garden in the spring before planting, count it as a loss and plan to harvest earlier next season… no need though I could see the tops of some of the carrots when the snow melted recently and I dug in to find full crisp tasty garden carrots ready for eating! Now I just need to get out and harvest the rest of the row before I have to get in and work up the garden for summer planting!

Well those are the most recent updates although so much has already happened since we moved out to the farm … more about that under my Livin’ the Country Life Tab.

Have a wonderful day all!