Day 337 - And That's More Like It!!!

Wow! What a stunner of a day today was! I was so shocked when I stepped out onto the deck & was blasted with warm air! What a concept! I can't believe it! It's almost like, *gasp* summer! Whoo hoo! Bring it on!


I took the dogs for a walk to EVIC to see Joe, as it's been awhile. We chit chatted about this & that. Hard to believe next weekend is one year since their wedding! Time is flying by! The girls are becoming quite the guard dogs. They would give a little growl at every person who walked into the centre! 


However, the best part of my day was when we walked back & found a few cows & calves in front of the house. Valentina spots them & goes charging over, barking the entire way. She was running around one of the cows like it was on fire. It was the funniest thing I think I've ever seen. Do wiener dogs generally herd cattle when given the chance? That poor cow didn't know what was going on. It couldn't keep track of Valentina as she ran circles around it... I'm still chuckling! What a dog...


I took the recycling (finally Mom & Jaco are saying) & forgot to take the back way into Bragg Creek. On weekends when the weather is wonderful, the traffic can get pretty ridiculous at the 4-way stop. It took me about 15 minutes to get through the intersection! Crazy! 


I'm hoping tomorrow will be just as stunning. The Fall foliage is at it's peak right now... I just love the look of bright yellow poplar leaves dancing in the wind, the white bark of the trees & the perfect blue skies sitting as a backdrop. If only it would hold on... Another month of Fall & one less of winter would suit me just fine. 


I managed to do my injection myself today, but I'm starting to feel some bone pain, so I'm off to bed... Have a great rest of the weekend & get some Vitamin D while the gettin's good!


xxxxMJV&O

 Oceana & Papa passed out for the night...

Papa in his jeans - what a looker!

Day 152 - No Guts, No Glory

*******WARNING: SOME IMAGES MAY BE EXTREMELY DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.*******


So this morning I was up early to let little Miss V out & then went back to bed. The phone rang a few times, but I knew it would not be for me! :o) I finally woke up mid-morning & lazily got ready for the day. 


I researched a few more IPT Doctors in the States & Canada, but with little success. I did find one place in Arizona that sounded wonderful. So wonderful it costs $6500/wk & you need to attend for a minimum of 6 weeks! I mean, I know my life is priceless, but really, who has that kind of money when they have a serious illness?! I was reading about their philosophy & it said something along the lines of avoiding 'cooked foods, dairy, egg & meats'. Of course, I'm eating a toasted egg, mushroom & cheese sandwich as I read! Whoops! Guess I'll cancel that one for awhile! 


I went out with Dad in the afternoon to tag some newborn calves. It was fun to remind myself that I used to be of assistance with things like this. Now, I'm not so sure, but at least I enjoyed myself! We separated the Mamas & babies from the other cows that didn't have calves & then Dad roped the calves, tagged them & weighed them. After we finished with that, they were loaded into the trailer & we took them out to the Cabbage Patch to be with the rest of the herd. 


On the way out, Dad asked if I wanted to shoot some gophers. Now, before you have a hairy canary, these little rodents are SLIGHTLY over populated along side the road & when you are moving cattle via horse, the holes the gophers dig can be enough to take down a horse, break its leg & possibly worse with you on its back. I've never killed anything other than a gopher, unless you count that one little 6" fish I caught. I hadn't shot gophers for a LONG time, but I thought, ah, what the heck. Why not? So, I line up my sight & BANG! Wow! Got 'im! I hopped out of the truck & took Valentina over to see the aftermath. She sniffed a little bit, but wasn't too interested. I took a photo of the headless gopher. I'll put it last in the line of photos from today for those of you with weak stomachs & soft hearts.


Okay, so the next few shots, my aim sucked, but eventually I got the hang of it. We let the cows & calves out of the trailer & Dad caught & tagged another new one that had been born out at the Cabbage Patch last night. 


We came back to the house & Dad made supper. The healthy options of the previous night weren't so apparent tonight, as he made burgers with sweet potato fries. I had some leftover eggplant/mushroom stuff & a burger. Dad doesn't know it, but I don't really like hamburgers, so when he wasn't looking, I slipped bite size pieces into Valentina's bowl. I think I only had three little bites & she got the rest. She loved it!


We were supposed to go over to Glen & Lynette's, our neighbours, but we ended up at the other neighbours, Bev & Blair's. We were only going to stay a short while & then head over to Glen & Lynette's. We left Bev & Blair's at 2325! Whoopsie! They have been good friends since the day our family moved to Maple Creek back in 1989! In fact, not so long ago, I was admiring Bev & her ability to sit down & have a conversation with an 11 year old (me) all the way through to 20 years later! And we can still have a great visit! 


I'll be sure to stop in at Glen & Lynette's tomorrow before I go! So many visits, so little time! Tonight is my last night at 'home', tomorrow I'll make my way to Lethbridge and then home on Thursday. I'm pretty pooped & looking very forward to a solid night's sleep back in Bragg Creek!


See you back in Alberta tomorrow night!
Maria & Valentina,
xxxxxxxx

Calf #1 about to be weighed & tagged.

The doting Mom's

Piercings are fashionable in the cattle world too! :o)

Dad makes it look so easy.

Dad teaching Valentina Cowdog 101.

*****WARNING:OFFENSIVE PHOTO BELOW******

What's left of Mr. Gopher. It was my first shot! Don't mess with me! :o)

*****WARNING:OFFENSIVE PHOTO ABOVE*****

Valentina thinks she knows what to do now - 'Can I get out & help?'

Just another day.

Dad has good aim. Don't mess with him either!

And then there's the random boot we found in the middle of the pasture. It's not Dad's, so he figures it was baled up in the hay. Somewhere there's a 1/2 barefoot cowboy running around.

New Mom mothers up.

This little guy was so new, she was still wobbly on her feet!

Leaving the Cabbage Patch

Nothing like a big beautiful sky.

Day 151 - Driving...

Why is it that I can always find the snooze button before I gain consciousness? I hit the snooze button at 0740 (consciously) & the next time I heard the snooze button, it was 0805. Where did those 25 minutes go when my snooze beeps every 5 minutes?


Needless to say, I was late getting going this morning, but managed to get out the door & arrive at Jessica's right on time! We had a great session - how can I have a bad session? She makes me laugh for an hour & I get to lie on this really warm bed. Oh yeah, I get healthy too! Bonus!


Mom & I left for SK, but only after a stop at the insurance place & Planet Organic for a bit of lunch. She drove to Brooks & I drove the rest of the way. We had a good chat & were serenaded by Valentina & her squeaky toy. She still hasn't decided on the puppy, but I guess I'm optimistic she'll make the RIGHT choice & I'll meet Annie next time I'm home. 


We arrived at the junction at 1600. Mom was picking up a used car from my Uncle Darryl & he had left it at the junction for her. Phew. It reeked of cigarette smoke! I sprinkled lavender oil all over the seats & dash to try & eliminate the smell of smoke. We said goodbye & she headed for home.


I headed for my former home - Dad's place. It is always strange to go home & see what has changed & what hasn't. Buildings, businesses, family farms, and all the faces that I hardly recognize anymore. I politely visit & then when we're out the door, I ask Dad, 'Who was that again?' 


Dad had to take a few cows to town & his dog needed some shots, so we stopped at the vet clinic. Dad's dog, Mac, a border collie, is quite the character. He's a little large for a lap dog, but he'd sure like to be one! His tongue was out the whole time & he was happy as a pig in mud! 


We took a drive out to the 'Cabbage Patch' when we got back home & checked on the cows & calves. Valentina started to give her little 'woof' from the cab of the truck. Yeah, she is catching 'Little Dog Syndrome'. I'll bet she'd crawl right up my leg if I put her out with the cows!


Once back at the house, Dad made supper for us. (I survived my own cooking, but barely!) He made brown rice, asparagus, salmon & a garden salad. We followed supper with a pot of Rooibos tea. Quite the entertainer he is! I remember the days of microwaved perogies, so he's come a LONG way! Remind me one day to tell the toilet paper/microwave story...


We visited about a wide variety of topics & then Dad's eyelids began to get heavy. He can be mid-sentence & fall asleep. I knew it was time to hit the hay. I'm pretty wiped too! Here's to a fun filled day tomorrow...


Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxooxoo

Having a nice lie-in.

My rear view helper. (When she's conscious!)

Sleeping on the road again.

The big trees in the yard where I grew up. We used to have some swings in the trees.

Mac & Dad. Mac is the happiest dog in the world. Dad is cleaning the trail mix out of his teeth.

Grandad's Herd

My Cowdog-In-Training