Hunting Plans, Costa Rica Research & a Box of Tomatoes

I was awake shortly after 6 with travel plans running through my head. S was up at 7, making coffee and breakfast while getting ready for the hunt. Matt joined him, and they headed out in the dusk before 7:30, meeting Phil at the winery. Phil joined them for the morning portion of the hunt.

Matt sent me this photo he took early this morning

I settled in for more Costa Rica research, checking out various groups for information. I found a couple of tour guides and requested quotes, then contacted car rental companies and got those details nailed down too. There is certainly plenty to figure out!

The hunters returned around 10:30. Phil headed home while Matt and S enjoyed another coffee and more breakfast before going for a drive around the area to scout. I ordered some more coffee pods while they were out.

Harley and I took a walk down to the winter gate to show the horses it was open. It was a lovely day, sunny and without a breath of wind. A nice change and perfect weather for getting outside.

The hunters were back at noon just as I was washing up the dishes. They had something to eat, and S settled in for a big nap while Matt caught up on work, including a call at 1:30. After 2, they loaded up and headed out toward the Milo area.

I carried on with my Costa Rica research and sent the family trip questions to the travel agent, but I also started doing some of my own research. I took a break to complete today's two brain puzzles before diving back into the travel planning.

Eventually, procrastination caught up with me and it was time to deal with the remaining box of tomatoes. I sorted and bagged more for Shaina and Matt, along with some onions. I'm glad they can make use of them. I also made a tomato-based goulash for supper and put a pot of the softer tomatoes on to simmer. Once cooked, I blended them in the Vitamix to freeze. I much prefer the simple method of freezing tomatoes whole after this!

I invited B out to join me for supper before she headed out to feed the horses while there was still some light. As she was doing chores, Harley's raw food delivery arrived.

The fellows had thought they would be home by dark, but that didn't happen. I FINALLY got some Creative Moments work done, publishing a Hometalk post for the IKEA organizer before working on a blog post about the metal bird cage I painted up over the summer. It's nice to finally make a little progress on that side of things too.

The hunters eventually arrived home, unsuccessful in getting a whitetail, but they had spotted a huge elk and mule does. They ate, and Matt packed up and headed back to the city after 8.

S went out for a hot tub while I continued researching our trip. I used to enjoy being Julie McCoy, planning all the details of a vacation, but trying to organize a trip in an unfamiliar country with so many different opinions and bits of advice has turned into quite a challenge. By the time S came back inside and picked up his phone, I was ready to call it a long day!

Travel Plans, TV Boxes & Flu Shots

A new day, same morning routine with coffee and brain puzzles. Today's highlights included more vacation planning, a few errands in town, and a little ranch gate repair to add to the list.

I spent over half an hour on WestJet Vacations trying to find a family trip for January before deciding to contact Ma and Pa's travel agent. I figured I'd let her do the fancy footwork with that many of us to coordinate! Much easier to hand that one over.

I got in a workout and shower while S worked on getting the lawn mower going. Unfortunately, he discovered it needs a fuel pump. NAPA quoted him $100, but he found the exact same part on Amazon for just $16. Quite a difference!

After publishing Sunday's blog post, I got back to planning the remaining details of our trip. We also decided to add a couple of days, since the Saturday flight is in the afternoon and we won't have to be at the airport at 3 a.m. That sounds like a much better way to end a vacation!

We loaded up the recyclables and headed to town mid-afternoon. 

As we passed the winter-pasture gate, all the horses were in together having a drink of water, so we closed them in. S and Matt are planning to go hunting around here tomorrow, and it will be easier to keep the horses in the smaller area.

We dropped off the trash and recyclables at the dump, stopped at the post office to drop off my Nespresso pods, and dropped a book at the library before heading to Walmart. S picked up four of the TV boxes while I grabbed a few groceries. We also stopped at the pharmacy to get our flu shots, then picked up supper at Edo before heading home.

We settled in with our noodle bowls and watched the news.

B texted that she was working late and asked if I could feed, so I headed out while there was still a little colour in the fast-setting sunset. I tossed hay, handed out carrots and apples, and gave Hank his pill.

Renn demonstrating the spider punch

Back at the house, S was perusing his laptop when Renn called to tell us she had been brave and got her flu shot too. Her parents may have had a slightly different version of how brave she was, but she did still get to go for ice cream afterward!

At 7, Matt drove in to pick up S, and the two of them headed to town to buy their deer hunting tags. I worked on both daily puzzles while they were gone. Once they returned, we had a visit before heading off to bed, where we watched another hour and a half of Citadel.

A Laid-Back Day, a Clever Hank & a Little Ranch Sorting

-5°C when I woke up, so it was coffee and brain puzzles to get the day started. It turned into a very laid-back day, with me working on credit card and accounting details while S perused things on his laptop.

I did have to make a change to our hotel Riu Guanacaste bookings for Costa Rica. That darn flight doesn't leave until midnight and arrives the following day, so I had booked the hotel for the wrong starting day. Oops! Thankfully, I caught it right away and was able to get it rebooked.

Harley and I headed out for a walk and a little poop-scoop loop in the sunshine. The temperature eventually climbed to 10°C, making for a lovely day outside. S was working on getting the trailer moved into the shop, but the lawn mower sitting in the way had trouble starting. I tried to help with some soldering, but we didn't have any luck.

I'm still trying to move a few things along, and a fellow was interested in the vintage folding chairs. We took them out to the gate so they would be easy for him to pick up.

I sent Harley out with a frozen treat while I tackled the garage, sweeping up about 100 dead flies. Back inside, I was working on the Halloween blog post when I looked out and spotted Hank in the yard. The little rascal saw me and immediately started hustling toward the gate. He is one smart little fellow! I had to pull the Hank high hot wire across to keep him where he belonged.

OMG - look at all these geese, tons had went over already and so many seen far to the west still coming

Roasted vegetables were prepped and popped into the oven, along with pork chops in mushroom sauce for supper. S discovered that the hockey games, including the Flames, weren't on our TV again being a Monday. He started looking into getting a couple of the TV boxes so we can hopefully avoid this ongoing frustration.

B came out to feed the horses in complete darkness before heading home. She's back on her regular work schedule now.

We finished the evening by starting a new series Amanda and Craig recommended called Citadel. A pretty easygoing day all around, with a little ranch excitement courtesy of Hank!

Candy, Crepes & a Costly Trip to the Hockey Rink

After a restless, sleepless night, I was awake when the clock said 6:30 and a little patter of feet announced the arrival of a blond head beside my bed. She hopped in and snuggled quietly for a few minutes before asking, “Nana, is my candy still here?” Of course it was! She drifted off again for another five minutes, although it turned out it was actually 7:30 when she arrived. That silly clock had moved ahead!

Once awake, she headed out to choose three treats from her goody bag before climbing back into bed with them. We played rhyming games until after 8, when she decided pancakes sounded like a good idea.

Breakfast was a bit of a distraction while I made my coffee. She was much more interested in looking through her goodies and playing with them. I finally weighed her treat bag out of curiosity: eight pounds of candy, and that didn't even include the chips! Kaylin joined us, and I got started on crepes. Nate even got in on a couple before the Boysis family loaded up and headed home shortly after 11.

S was home from church before noon and let the five horses out into the hay field as he went by. On our way back to town, I opened the gate so the two chubbies could join the herd as well.

Our first stop was to pick up the last bottle of gin I had on hold, followed by a drive-through stop at Tim's for lunch to go. We were headed to the hockey rink for Archer's 1 o'clock game, but things took an expensive turn before we even got inside. S opened the back door at the arena and we heard a smash of glass as the $60 bottle of gin went crashing onto the pavement. Just like that, it was running across the ground!

Archer's team ended up tying their game. Unfortunately, AJ couldn't attend, as she had spent the day sick in bed. Hopefully it isn't contagious, and I hope she feels better soon.

We made a quick stop at Walmart on the way back before returning to the ranch. S headed straight for the sports room and settled in for the rest of the day. I finished today's puzzles and booked a vacation to Costa Rica, all while watching a fellow shovel more dirt off his trailer at the pit.

Hank with the big kids.. in the big field! Don't over eat buddy

B arrived just before 6:30. With the days getting so short and darkness already setting in, she decided the horses would have open access for the night rather than trying to put them in.

I enjoyed a soak in the tub with a book before moving to bed and turning out the lights around 10:30. S popped out for a hot tub between sports, eventually crawling in bed and worked on his puzzle until after midnight.