When It's Springtime in Alberta.....

Well, spring has officially sprung here. The garden is planted, not by me, of course. Biff had that taken care of a week ago. Yesterday he and Kelly spent an hour pot bellied pig proofing it, as I've planted his potatoes three times. They put up a hot wire, so we'll see how that works. It may get the best of the weiner dog before it does the pig.

Branding season is here. All the neighbors are calling, so we have a fun filled week ahead. We start by heading to Nanton in the morning to Keeley's. That is always a fun time. Yes, Jessie is missing school to go to a branding. It is perfectly ok. This time of year, there are many missing from school due to brandings. In a town of 350, they tend to understand. I think branding could even be an "excused" absence in Big Valley.




We cut our beef calves the other day. This only furthered my suspicions of Jessie being Sarah's child. I headed down check out progress and here stands Jessie in the middle of the pen in her Crocs and a skirt holding the "nut" bucket. I started cutting after a while, so Kelly and Rolly could wrestle. Two of them crawled the fence and got in with the cows, so the just roped them and we did them amongst all the cows. I was cutting as fast as I could because the cows were not pleased with the goings on. Rolly and Kelly were getting snot blown all over them, I turn to throw Jessie her treasure, and she is standing right behind me. She had come in the pen with all these mad momma cows to do her duty. My heart skipped a beat or two. She was as proud as punch with her new job and wasn't letting fear nor fashion stand in the way of getting the job done. Afterwards, I cleaned them and we cooked them on the fire for the kids. Jessie and her friend Grady ate most of them by themselves. Be it known, that I did not bother to batter them. They were just cooked. Jessie has been asking lots of questions about heifers, steers, and bulls lately. So, Kelly took the opportunity to explain to her while cutting a calf that this was how a bull becomes a steer. Her reply: "Ohhhh, now I get it!" The kid never ceases to leave me speechless.



Well, I should get outside. I see my horse is saddled, so I must have a job to do. Kelly is out on the new love of his life, Goose, whom he now refers to as "Mine that Goose." He has found his soul mate in a free gray horse. You would know that with Kelly it would have to be free for him to like it.

Have a good one everyone.