Deer

The deer haven’t been a problem for the past few years. A really hard year of deep snow and lots of cold weather a few years back decimated the population around here.

But I think it is recovering.

During the winter of 2014 when things got tough a nice little doe brought her fawn into our yard and lived here with us for the winter. She and the fawn became really quite trusting of us and didn’t even get up when we walked by them. They ate hay with the horses and practically killed the couple of small apple trees we had growing in the garden at the time. They do seem to love to eat the twigs of the apple trees.

The last few years we seldom saw deer in the yard.

Reminders of A Different Time

Some folks get rid of every old piece of equipment. Some folks not so much. We are somewhere in between.

We recently got one of those garbage bins that they come and empty so we could get rid of some of the “junk” around here. We have always had lots of outbuildings. Outbuildings on a ranch are a magnet for almost anything that could possibly be used in whole or in part in the future.

And This Is How It Starts

Winter.

The season we all love to hate. Officially it doesn’t start until Christmas time but when you are living here in central Alberta you would either be new to the area or delusional to think this beautiful fall was going to last until then. This year the fall has been warm and dry and exceptionally beautiful but we all knew the day would come when cold and wet would take over. And when it is cold enough… the wet is snow.

But for tonight I think I will let the darkness take over the scene and pretend until morning’s reality proves it wrong that my flowers are still all gloriously cheery and bright.

While I figure out where I left my warmer muck boots.

Horse Joke

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move. Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!” Nothing. Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch. The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try!”

Reminders of The Good Old Days

I’m having trouble finding interesting news for the blog. This may change when the pandemic is over. Or not. Who knows? So in the meantime I have decided I may as well just post some of the things that are happening here on the ranch.

Dave and I were having coffee in our little garden the other day when he commented that this summer reminds him of summers of his childhood. Like most farm kids we didn’t go anywhere in the summer. Perhaps to the fair although Dave had to work in the dairy barn with his uncle so even that was a different experience than the town kids. Not to say it wasn’t even better. You got to sleep over and hang out on the midway until late. You got to visit friends and other kids who were involved with the animals at the fair. And mom made fried chicken and potato salad and sliced up a big watermelon.

Fried Chicken, potato salad, watermelon and family at the fair. Good times.

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Like Being Dropped in Borneo

Imagine being dropped off in the middle of a country where the locals are out to get you, you don’t understand the local customs, and the food sources, water, rules and terrain are completely different. You have no map, in fact you are not even sure why you got moved here. Not a single one of your friends in your past life are with you. The first day you broke an, unknown to you, important local custom and there is a good chance you could be soup.

That’s pretty much what happened to Rio.

By horse standards Rio was raised and lived in a fairly protected world. A pretty black mare with a popular pedigree, she was destined to be a show horse. Her coat was kept smooth, soft and shiny, her mane groomed and her tail washed and braided and protected.

She was trained and had proven herself in the show world when we met her. She was loved, being cared for and shown by a very nice young man and his family. He was ready to move up. Rio was offered for sale. We bought her.

Rio found it difficult.