Today was a bit of a rain day but we were better off than the places that got snow. So early for bad weather.
Tonight the boys fenced the last of the of the steel fence that we will use to separate the Billy goat ~ Man oh Man he is one smelly little goat. They are a mixed breed that we bought local here so they won't be too big of a goat. I would like to get them a bit tamer so they are easier to handle and so that I can have a bit more control over them.

It is a beautiful fall here on the farm it is just starting but it is promising to be awesome

First day back to school or at least it should be it is perfect weather dreary, wet and gray outside. The teachers have been on strike since June and the two sides still can't get their selves together. Then once they figure it out they think the kids can bounce back and jump in ~ oh they all say it is for the kids I truly believe at this time of the strike they are not thinking of the kids.
I have been using  a rototiller my sister and her husband have been letting me use. It is hard work and totally messes with my neck but I did manage to get the herb garden redone with the herbs replanted and sitting in the soil with a nice rain on them. I had let this garden go during the course of getting ready for the wedding.
This last weekend I used the time to visit with my kids our youngest daughter was home for a few days so I did a quick road trip with two of our girls it was fun to spend the time together. Our middle son we have hardly seen him he has been away all summer fighting forest fires the only time was when he was home for his three day break in between.
It is time to head to the auction one more time this year to sell off some ducks, rabbits a few turkey and a couple of lambs. Now it is getting hard to find the time to schedule a trip with hockey starting, hockey has a way of sucking the life out of life.
Our kitten have all gone to their new homes they were special kitties they were born on the full moon and on the night of our daughters wedding. Now as soon as I can afford to take Studio to the vet I will get her spayed.

Beautiful day on the farm  summer is winding down 

On the farm from the gardens

 

It has been a busy time here on the farm and it is so crazy to think it is the end of August.

WOW

summer flew by

We have had a few fun weekends visiting once to the lake to see family. We have headed of on little day trips on the weekends to visit our daughter. Our kids that are away have been home to visit so I guess that is why time is flying by.

 

 

It is a funny thing even with our intense heat I can still feel fall creeping in. The hay is being brought in and my mind has been drifting towards ahh we need to get fire wood!! We also need to pull off one more auction trip before the summer grass goes.
School is two weeks away and that is plain crazy the time has flown by even with the added days of the teachers strike I feel like I missed summer.
Today I canned peaches and only one jar sealed hmm so over it so much work for it not to turn out. I was going to do more but no point I will have to keep these in the fridge and I will be running out of room.

A beautiful morning here on the farm. We had some rain last night so it made a wonderful misty fog this morning. The drive into town was awesome.
It has been quiet on the home front this month of August and part of July once the crazies of the wedding settled the day after the wedding mu kids all departed. Two back to school for their summer semesters, one off to try a new job and jump into the grown up world and will add she is totally pulling it off, One off to be a married women and plan her future, one off to fire fight and has been kept busy right through and one left at home to learn what it is like to a be an only child.
The farm is always busy never dull moment.

Wow so much time has gone by and I have so much catching up to do. It has been crazy, unreal, unbelievable busy I can finally come up to breath. So much to tell you.

Happy Anniversary

 

Twenty six years married it is amazing how quickly time goes by

A lot has happened over the years but at the same time we have just steadily moved along.

 We live a simple life not a quiet life it is full of noise, kids and loudness.

 And, a life full of moving meaning working, running and just doing things always busy.

Stress loves to jump in all the time we could do without that but it clings on to us for dear life.

 

We have moved from babies to grown up children our youngest just turned sixteen and our oldest is getting married in about eight weeks ~ Too crazy for words

We have added a beautiful boy to our family a lovely grandson who is the apple of every one's eye.

 

Here's to us wishing us many more.

Time is marching on by we are already into May ~ how does that happen.

We are in birthday mode we have one celebration after another.
It goes Easter, birthday, birthday, birthday, Mothers day, birthday, wedding shower, grad , wedding shower, birthday wedding...all within the next three months.

Crazy busy

Our weather has been nice the last few days and it made a lot of the trees come out into bloom so pretty with a nice scent amidst the farm.
My new orchard is nearly all planted I need two more trees to even it out and I am thinking pear tree and maybe apricot. The only problem with pear and apricot is they bloom early and we always get frost.
On our road trip last weekend I saw Apple trees that are just like straight sticks column tree I think they maybe called whole fields of them. I would like to get some of those but I wonder where you find them. They really are cool looking

Well I must run and try to finish my walk way today and that means loads of smaller rock from the rock bluff and then that means a whole lot of heavy lifting

Happy Easter to all of you

It was nice all our children were able to make it home for the weekend. We had our Easter today so our oldest son could join us as he flies back to school tomorrow.
The weather has been okay not super warm and not super cold.

I made a new orchard here on the farm so far I have eight trees. I would like a few more then I will sit back and watch them grow.
We have been pretty busy here on the farm the days blend into one another it is an endless work but it is also very rewarding.

Today my middle son was called out to a fire this afternoon the fire season has started soon and it all seems to be Man started. Our wind has been crazy so people who are doing Spring cleaning and fire burning the wind picks up and off it goes.

It has been so crazy here on the farm no time for blogging at all. We have been in a mind crazy cleaning and sorting stage Huge, huge amounts of work done.
It is amazing how much work we are getting done. We have done some real nasty jobs that we looked at for years ~ yes years and could not face.
Our wood shed turned  into a storing shed which turned into a complete dump it is all empty  and clean now we are deciding pull it down and rebuild or leave it. Maybe we don't have to decide right now it is just clean.

I planted six new plum trees in a new area it will look so nice. First a couple of weekends ago my husband flattened the area with the tractor then we raked and made piles which I will move later today. We coyote proofed the back fence some more. Then in went six trees all plum five of one kind and one that is different plum. I would like to add some different fruit trees but I picked up the plum trees really reasonably priced. Now I will still work on the area throw a bit more grass seed and make into a relaxing orchard. Ahh so excited.

We also moved a cage and shed from my Mom's yard so we have an extra cage at the barn which is already in use. The shed is in the lavender garden to hold little tables, garden tools and lawn mower.
So we will keep ongoing with Spring cleaning

 

Good Morning this is the rock bluff where I get my rocks from this picture just does not show how awesome it really is. Always have one eye on those rocks never take for granted you are at the bottom...

 

 I have moved so many rocks but the gardens are looking great. I have been working like crazy here every Spring it is intense but with my daughter changing her wedding from November to July a little bit of panic mode hit me. Why? well it does not matter what I have plans for wedding etc. the lavender blooms like clock work and that alone is a huge amount of work.

My Mom and I are ordering some chicks and a few turkeys this Spring The turkeys are ready so I am getting them Sat. I already have a house cleaned for them all I have to do it put on the heat lamp.

I am so stalling this morning as it is snowing again ahh so miserable out'

A lovely weekend to all of you

 

These two little guys were hatched here only one of each they were so tiny and cute and now they fly at me and get all puffed up with so much attitude. Totally ungrateful

 

 This is our youngest son winning his hockey award MVP for his rep team he is a goalie.

 

 

 

 

This weekend I used up my time in the gardens we finished the raking of pine needles in the one garden and darn it if we did not have a huge wind storm. I am so over pine needles

 

This has been my last couple of days. A charming little boy has been hanging out with me. In this top picture we had been outside in the front garden me cleaning him on little adventures. He has had a cold so I think all the adventures, fresh air just tuckered him out. Isn't he absolutely beautiful.

 

The next day we did not go outside as much as he quite a good cough and a cold. However it was a cupboard day one where every drawer was calling his name so I gave him a cloth and told him to clean. He absolutely loves to clean and sometimes he sings clean up clean up...

 

At the beginning of the week I did manage to get quite a bit of cleaning done on the farm, mainly on the gardens it is so overwhelming in the Spring. All you can do is one step at a time or you just don't even know where to begin. My one goal has always been to have the front yard nice for Easter then it is set for the summer.

Enjoy your day

Spring time finally found us and I am sure we may still get some cold spells like it is still -4 this am. I managed to get an amazing amount of work done in the lavender garden no I am no where near being done but I will win. You know if I did not have pine needles 99.9999 percent of my work would be gone. This tree is huge he has been hit my the pine beetle quite a few times but he has managed to hang on. Mano h man if he dies and has to come down I am leaving for the weekend I would cry to see all the damage

 Poor little lavender plant it was crazy how it just squashed it the branches were huge when we cut them down they do not look so big in the tree.

 hmmm.

 

 

I truly do not know where the time goes. We are still having winter and even though it was a fairly mild winter I am so over it now. I have so much work to do that I need to get outside. My daughter has moved her wedding form November up to July so I need to clean, clean and more clean. I know I can do it, it just seems overwhelming right now.

 These two pictures show of a very nice way to add nature to your home and garden without spending any money. I have Cedar branches living beautiful in the jars of water and I could change them over to nice vase if I choose to. I just clean out the water now and then and they stay so fresh.

 Here are more branches that add a little green and nature to your home. This was a sweet mistake and the liven up the house during these dreary months.

I hope to bring in more rocks this weekend for my walk way to the lavender house. I need to make it nicer for the wedding. So that is my agenda this weekend.

 

We have had a busy month here. A lot of family time we celebrated family day it was a perfect day cold enough to skate this will be the last time for our rink we are now warming up and rain. All the kids skated and hung out together.

 I have been enjoying learning my new machine. It is time consuming but it can be pretty cool. This is a shirt I had made for my brother for his birthday. I had to rush it but once I had it ironed up it looked okay.

This is our baby Alpaca she lost her Mom this winter so we are keeping her close and giving her lots of love. It has been a rough winter on the animals. Which I am not too sure why as it was pretty mild, yes the temperature has been jumping around and we did hit some cold days and nights but over all not too bad.

Winter has found us again temperature is dropping this is not too good for the lambing. We have eight little lambs now and so far everyone is fairing well. We have five ewes left to birth out. There is nothing fun about tip toeing across the yard in the middle of the night at -18.

For me lately every little spare time I have I am debudding the lavender I am sure I must be winning at this.

Hockey season for us (Minor Hockey) is done for us another practice it is a shame for Sam but for us we are okay with it ~ time to move on. The kids seem to be getting colds they go so long without one then it slowly creeps into them. Gosh I sure hope I do not get it!!!

This pictures are off my iPhone and then I have a new App that makes them turn into water colour painting. Pretty cool and so much fun