I Do Believe It's Over!!!

The snow is gone and the sun is shining. I think winter is over!!! I pruned trees all day yesterday in a t-shirt and today was definitely short sleeve weather. How exciting is that? There are flurries forecast for Thursday, but no big deal. They sometimes forecast flurries in July.

Jessie did great at her ballet recital. She was quite the little star. I don't think she is sad that dance is over though. Baseball has already started. She is the only girl on the team. She doesn't seem to mind. We went to practice today, and they were so cute. Turns out that if you are a parent and you go out on the field to help then you are the coach. So, stupid me, not knowing this, ambles out to help the only dad brave enough to go out. I now have a truckload of ball equipment. I guess, not only am I the assistant coach but also the equipment manager/water girl. Apparently sitting in the dirt picking your nose and watching a ball go by is quite dehydrating.

The only incident we've had this week is Jessie paying a kid ten bucks not to tell on her. Kelly said that had to be from me because he sought out trouble, never tried to get out of it. I guess she had the ten dollars in her coat pocket that was left over from money I gave her at a bullriding to get food. She hit the kid with her locker door "accidentally" and he was going to tell on her, so she just paid him off. I found out from his mom, which is the absolute worst way to hear about these things. I informed Jessie that if I hear it from someone else first, then it is always going to be worse than if she tells me.

Other than that, life is pretty tame here.

April Showers Bring May Flowers, but.....

What do you think April blizzards bring? Well, let me just tell you. Actually I won't because I might sound bitter if I do.

It started snowing here on Friday. It quit yesterday at lunch. Not nice. This wouldn't be all that bad if it was just snow. However, add to that a gale force wind, and you pretty much make my life miserable.

Of course, Kelly left here for Dawson Creek on Thursday with everyone commenting on how beautiful the weather was. I informed everyone that winter wasn't over until Kelly came home from Dawson. You see, this is usually when we are well into calving. It never fails to snow on this weekend b/c I am home alone. Friday morning the temperature dropped to -17 and the snow started. I started packing the barn. In went the 37 year old horse, a Holstein, and a cow with twins. I went to bed the cows out in the pasture and feed. When I came back to check on my barn crew, the pot bellied pigs were buried in the straw in the barn with a Holstein cow threatening to kill them. I shut the door and went to the house. So, on Friday night, Jessie and I got to take bulls to a bull riding about 15 miles from here. Of course, I didn't get left with the A string, so I was a little nervous. We made it through without incident. They only rode one, so I was proud of my flanking abilities. Nothing ran. That is a plus. Because, somehow, even though I got sent with the absolute worst bulls on the place, it would have been my fault if something didn't buck.

The weather did not improve all weekend. We got more snow out of this storm than we had all winter. It is insane. Kelly is removing most of the animals from the barn today with exception of the Holstein, who is now raising one of the twins and another beef calf. Luckily, she loves all babies. It's almost unbelievable how well she has taken them. This cow is definitely worth my trip to the Hudderite colony drinking instant coffee with ten Hudderite women dressed in black staring at me. All the while I'm trying to make conversation and decipher the broken English.

Kelly did have a near death experience in the barn. I hate that I wasn't there to see it, because it was caused by Piglet who was not wanting to give up his place in the barn to a new cow. Apparently the cow, with a brand new baby, did not like the pig, so she started hooking the pig who ran to the gate Kelly was holding. By the time it was all said and done, Kelly and the pig were both squashed between a gate and the fence with the cow trying to kill the pig. I have got to install barn cameras. Kelly kicked both pigs out of the barn. He was not impressed. I think this is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time. He was kind of chuckling by the time he told me about it.

Jessie had her dress rehearsal last night. They are all so cute. I do have pics, but for some reason I can't add them. I will try that later. She is very excited about the recital Saturday.

That is all I know for now. The sun is finally shining today. I'm hoping the forecast of flurries for the next few days dissipates. I don't think I am mentally stable enough to take anymore snow. I know my husband isn't.

Another Boring Week on the Ranch!

Well, we successfully made it through another week. A successful week here, is nobody dies, nobody gets hurt. Okay, never mind, with the exception of one bull, we had a successful week. One of the bulls pinched a nerve last weekend. We've tried every thing to get him up, but the prognosis isn't good. Of course, it is always the good ones.

After I overheard a phone conversation between Kelly and a friend a few days ago, I have decided that the Armstrongs should establish a color coded "Danger Threat System" like the one the US uses for levels of terror threat. Kelly was asking a friend to come over and help lift the injured bull up with the front end loader and rig some apparatus to keep him on his feet. Kelly was telling him the danger threat was moderate to high, and he felt like it would test the strength of his marriage. He was probably right. I feel like we should hang a sign out at the road with the color coded system. If it is green come on in. Yellow or Orange, you might see some excitement. Someone might get chased or bucked off, you could get to rope something, and chances are high of seeing a marital dispute. If the red is posted, I suggest you drive on by. Don't even slow down. Dare not wave or acknowledge you know who lives here.

At a threat level of orange, I made the mistake of going to the pens the other day while the boys were tipping bulls. Kelly told me to go open a gate and let a bull down the alley, so I did. I walked right down the alley thinking that I could walk past a bull threatening to get me. I thought he was bluffing. I was way off. He hit the fence about the time I fell over the top rail. However, being the athlete I am, I landed on my feet on the other side, only to get snot blown in my face. Kelly was doubled over howling. Because short of being killed or mauled, everything is funny here as long as it isn't happening to you. Kelly made the comment that if he got me, I just had to stay on my feet because his horns point down. If he ever got me down, then I would be in trouble. I assured him I wouldn't find myself in that position.

Jessie has been busy getting ready for her ballet recital. She has been practicing hard, and got to try on her costume the other day. It is very cute. Her recital is on the 26Th. Kelly is going to be gone to a bull riding, so he is quite disappointed. The grandparents are also going to the bull riding. I'm going to have to play the part of makeup artist, stylist, videographer, photographer, and whatever other chores that come with being a "dance mom." Can't you just see that? I'm really worried about putting makeup on her and fixing her hair. We need "Saucy" to live a little closer. I can't even do those things for myself.

She also starts baseball this week. She is pretty apprehensive about it. She thinks that the games she plays in are going to be like the ones Chase pitches in. I have assured her there won't be any screaming crowds, much less more than 10 people between the ages of 8 and 80, or TV cameras.

That is all I know for now. Sorry there are no pics this week. I'm not sure what I was doing without the camera. Good thing I didn't have it with me. It might have gotten broken.

April Fools!

Well, Jessie and I are back on Alberta soil after a great trip to Texas. We did come home to a little bit of snow on the ground and cooler temps than down south. However, the days are noticeably longer than when we left. This is a good thing for me, and not so good for Jessie. She does not like going to bed when it is still daylight.

We had a good Easter in Texas. Jessie got to hunt eggs twice and actually hugged the Easter bunny at church. I guess an Easter Bunny in church can't be that scary. She is generally terrified of oversized animals and rodeo clowns.

I was excited to help brand. We all know that dragging calves is my favorite thing in the world to do. Jessie let me ride her new horse and he was great.

Jessie got a Nintendo Wii while we were down south. Kelly couldn't wait to get playing of course, so we had a tournament last night. He wouldn't let me quit until he won something. He finally beat me at boxing. He and Jessie had a bowling tournament, and as I was giving her a speech about being a good sport, he yells, "Ha, take that. Now whatcha gonna do? Do you feel this game slipping from your hands?" He may get grounded from it before she does. However, I have twenty on him injuring himself within the week.

Now that we are home, of course, the calving has begun. We had our first beef calf last night. Kelly carried him in this morning as I was pouring my first cup of coffee. He is now warming up in my kitchen. I think I may have saved his ears by putting hot water bottle on them, but I'm afraid his tail isn't going to make it. It was pretty cold when he came in. Jessie told Hooch to look after him while she was gone, and he has taken her orders to heart. He growls at the cat anytime he gets close to the calf. Hopefully, he will be up and going before too long. I would like him out of the house. Things aren't looking promising though.

Tonight is Cowboy Church in Stettler. We are playing for it, so I have to run into the Leather Shop and have a quick practice session at lunch. I have been gone and our fearless leader can't make it tonight, so Lori has been panicked. She did some recruiting, so I think we will be okay. We played before for it and didn't they asked us back, so I'm thinking it's one of those jobs that you can't get fired from.

Hope all is well with everyone, and have a great April Fool's Day. Don't let anyone pull one over on you.