A Warm Fall Day, Beibs’ Antics & Another Family Tree Discovery

Rinse and repeat—that pretty much sums up our mornings on the ranch. Today, though, S slept until 10 while I had already finished two coffees, tackled the brain puzzles and published Wednesday’s blog post.

S finally got his coffee and puzzle challenge underway, taking a break to go fill the water. That’s when he spotted Beibs playing with the hose at the house! By the time I grabbed my phone and got outside, Beibs had lost some of his enthusiasm and was no longer whipping it around. Too bad I missed the best of the action!

I got my workout done, followed by a refreshing shower, while S settled in for lunch and the news. He enjoyed grilled aged cheddar and onion sandwiches, dipped in a combination of ketchup, HP sauce and jam. Yes, all three! 

After eating, S headed out to install the quad part. I took Jimmy some grapes, which he happily accepted, of course. Then I continued my own workout by moving the deck chairs individually to the shop, where I stacked them up for storage. I also put fresh flagging tape on the gate to make it more visible to drivers.

B texted to ask if I could feed the horses, so I headed to the garage to mix up their feed tubs and get them delivered. Hank is still refusing to eat properly, even when I tried adding some of Bird's pellets. He did at least give them a try, but getting him to eat continues to be a concern.

It was another stunning day, reaching 20°C with not a breath of wind. After getting the quad running right as rain, S moved on to preparing the A/C unit for winter storage. UGH! It was DIRTY! That job was clearly overdue.

Look at the condenser coil! How is it even working?

I got supper underway using the excess tomatoes along with chicken and mushrooms S had bought. The recipe I'd found online turned out really tasty, so that was a nice success for the evening meal.

With the Flames playing, I returned to building my family tree. I find sorting out the families and piecing together their histories so intriguing. There are always interesting details to uncover, including discovering a distant cousin who died in Vietnam. Every new connection adds another little piece to the bigger family story.

During the last hockey intermission, we headed out for a hot tub. Knowing the weather is about to change drastically, it felt rather strange to be sitting outside on such a warm, calm night beneath a sky full of stars. I rinsed off afterward and returned to my family tree while S finished watching the game.

Once the Flames won, S moved to the bedroom to carry on with his sports viewing and work on the brain puzzle. I joined him with our bowls of yogurt, and together we tackled today's puzzle until we finally solved it. Just before midnight, the forecast winds began to blow, marking the end of that unusually calm evening.

I read for a little longer before calling it a day, and sent Shaina a text wishing them safe travels as they began their journey home tonight.

It was another full day, with winter preparations underway, a little horse mischief and more family history pieced together—all squeezed into one of those beautiful fall days we're going to miss when the weather turns.

A Warm Fall Day, Plant Care & Another Hank Good-Boy Moments

Another day began in much the usual way, with a tough brain puzzle, coffee and words leading to the completion of Monday’s blog post. S got a few more water-related jobs done outside, including filling the small water barrel to the east. The five horses are still out enjoying the hay field and cleaning up what they can, much to the chubbies’ chagrin!

Poor Harley threw up on the rug, so S and I carried it outside for him to hose off. I held off on feeding her until late morning, but when I finally served up her meat tube, it splattered all over me. That meant another load of laundry to deal with!

Next, it was time to sort through the tomatoes again, filling two more big freezer bags. Unfortunately, this batch had plenty of soft and spoiling ones, which ended up buried in the garden for the worms. I think I planted too much of several things this year, and some produce simply isn't getting used while it's fresh. It's a shame to waste it, but there are only so many tomatoes we can eat and preserve.

After lunch, S loaded up the trash and headed to town to get a load of water from Britt's to top up the hot tub, along with a few groceries. Somehow, though, he got sidetracked at the rodeo office and ended up joining a WPCA meeting!

I disappeared down another rabbit hole in the family tree before turning my attention to the scale infestation on my rubber plants. Armed with rubbing alcohol and a helpful tip, I worked my way through every single leaf, top and bottom, removing the scale. Then I sprayed the plants with neem oil and rinsed them off. It was a painstaking job, but hopefully it helps get the problem under control.

See the row of black dots on underside of leaf

The last two horse fly sheets were washed and hung outside, and with the temperature reaching a warm 21°C, I couldn't resist getting out for a walk with Harley. There was a bit of wind, but Friday's forecast was calling for snow and a week of temperatures near zero, so I intended to enjoy every minute of the lovely fall weather while it lasted.

We met B coming into the yard as we walked. She caught Jimmy and trimmed his feet while I got busy weeding with the long-handled tool. Next up were Mac's front feet, and I was appointed holder while B did the trimming. Once that job was done, I returned to the weeds while she went off to catch Beibs.

S rolled in before 5 with his tote of water. He unloaded the truck and loaded the tote onto the skid steer, positioning it over the hot tub. I opened the spout to get the water flowing, then returned to pruning the trees. The branches that were growing in the wrong direction were easy to spot, so I got some of those cleaned up while the tub filled.

When the tote was empty, I shut off the water and S moved on to dumping what remained in the island. He ended up dumping the tire tote there as well! With supper approaching and a rodeo meeting on S's schedule, it was time to get organized for the evening.

B was still trying to catch Beibs, but just as I headed outside to check on her, she finally managed it. She trimmed his feet while I went back inside to get the vegetables roasting and S prepared the steaks.

B had moved on to feeding the horses when I was recruited to bring out the weight tape and dewormer for little Hank. I also took along some hay cubes because he's not keen on his beet pulp anymore. I gave him his pill while B administered the dewormer, all with my hands wrapped around his neck to keep him settled. Such a good boy! Once we were finished, he beetled off on his way.

B filled the water trough east of the house before joining us for supper. S headed out to his rodeo meeting at 6:30, just as Amazon delivered the replacement parcel containing the quad part I'd had to reorder. 

Once B finished eating, she jetted home, leaving me to tidy the kitchen and get caught up on the blog. I worked on today's entry, uploaded all the photos and finished yesterday's post, too.

Shaina and Matt got out of Tokyo and saw some lovely sights.

and this missed one from back in Bali

I was reading when S finally arrived home from the rodeo office and beers around 10:30. He still had time for snacks and sports before calling it a night. I read till midnight.

With the garden winding down, the horses needing their regular care and the weather about to take a turn, it was good to make the most of a warm day outdoors—and get a little more of the never-ending list of ranch jobs done.

Potato Harvest, Hockey Jerseys & a Little Amazon Mystery

The days on the ranch tend to start much the same way: me awake before 8, working on the puzzles of the day, making coffee and publishing a blog post. S, on the other hand, sleeps in before making his coffee and settling in for a phone peruse.

Kaylin was sweet enough to send me a Starbucks gift card as a thank-you for running into the city yesterday. “Enjoy some fall drinks on me,” she said. XOXO. That was a lovely surprise!

I also spent some time on the phone with Amazon, trying to sort out the missing items that had been misdelivered. After a couple of calls, I reordered them. I still can't make sense of their policy: if you receive someone else's parcel, you're apparently supposed to keep it or throw it away!! How does that make any sense? Why can't the delivery person return with my parcel on the truck, pick up the wrongly delivered one and get it to the right person? It seems like such a simple solution.

Meanwhile, S and Harley walked out to the winter pasture and turned out five of the horses, keeping the fatties in. I attempted my workout but got waylaid before I could get very far. Back at the house, S got busy pressure-washing the house windows  with the deck water tanks and cleaning things off like his skid steer..

We also had good news about Papa. He was dropped off at 8:15 for his 10:15 kidney stone removal day surgery, was picked up by 2 and was back home enjoying a tasty snack by 2:30!

With an unfavourable weather forecast coming for the weekend, I decided it was time to dig most of the potatoes. I left them out to air-dry before bringing them in for storage.

Amanda arrived shortly after 1:30 with 32 hockey jerseys and the kids' name bars that needed sewing onto the backs. We got busy with the sewing and kept at it until everything was finished and loaded up again. By 5, she was ready to deliver them back to the team's jersey mom.

It was stressful trying to get the name bars pinned on the backs straight, then sewn straight while manipulating all the jersey material. We joked she would tell the team she had a little old neighbour grandma do them to take nay heat.

However this was the post the jersey mom posted on the teams group chat!

And Amanda's reply:

Oh boy a shoutout before you’ve seen the results 🫣 Disclaimer: we aren’t professional seamstresses, so if anything’s a little crooked, I’m going to claim we hired a 97-year-old grandma with shaky hands and one good eye. 👵🏼🧵😂 Any imperfections are vintage charm, and Grandma is standing by her work! 

I headed outside to feed Harley and box up the potatoes while S continued spraying and washing things off. Once back inside, I worked on the blogs before finally investigating that mysterious Amazon delivery. It turned out the box contained clear display storage boxes—but for what ?!

S headed out for a hot tub while I assembled the box and ate a spinach salad for supper. He opted to make his favourite Kraft Dinner while catching up on the news, followed by his usual sports lineup. I moved into the bedroom to finally get my workout done.

Partway through, B texted and then called to ask if I could take care of the horses. Once I'd finished exercising, I headed outside, checked on everyone and gave Hank his pill.

Back inside, I finished the new season of Leanne and spent the rest of the evening reading while S watched all his sports. I also checked in with Shaina and discovered she was on day three of a headache. Poor thing! That's an awful way to spend part of a vacation, especially when you're in Japan exploring somewhere so different, with all its unique and crazy sights.

This is why Japan is not on my list... crowds!!

And this also has me a little alarmed! :)

Between the potato harvest, 32 hockey jerseys and a little Amazon detective work, there was plenty to keep me occupied. And with the weather looking less than promising for the weekend, I'm glad I got those potatoes dug while I had the chance.

A Sick Day, Smoothies & an Afternoon of Renn’s Imagination

It was an interrupted-sleep kind of night, with the wake-up call of gunshots at eight! Shaina and Matt had made it to the last leg of their journey yesterday, and my guess was right—they’re in Japan.

I settled into my usual coffee and brain puzzles while Kaylin sent me a picture of a sleepy Renn, which seemed a little unusual. I was working on ancestry answers for a cousin, adding to the family tree and finishing Saturday’s trail riding blog when Nathan called with a change of plans. Renn was sick and couldn’t go to daycare, so he asked if I could come in.

Of course! I published the blog, jumped in the shower, fed Harley, made the horse food and headed for the city after 10:30. Sheldon was finally up and installing the lower edge seal on one of the garage doors as I pulled out of the yard.

The drive in was quick, and Nathan had just returned when I arrived. He picked up some delicious smoothies for us, too. Thank you! Renn was feeling better, although this was the first time in her little life that she’d thrown up, so it was a new experience for everyone.

We visited (K had moved clients around till later) and got started painting while Kaylin headed off to work. The afternoon was soon filled with role-play, snuggles and the infamous brain puzzle. I even managed to squeeze in a little more ancestry work between activities.

Aislyn's portait

Renn’s imagination never stops, and she absolutely loves being the director of whatever adventure is unfolding. There was one particularly funny moment when she decided to go downstairs and show Nathan her Barbie hiding in a hat while he was in an online meeting. Luckily, the fellow on the other end was understanding and asked her a question that sent her back out the door where I was crouched down trying to call her out! LOL.

She went to the kitchen to get a "pruprise" returning with a box of Rice Krispies, 2 plastic bowls and 2 big spoons.. and ate her bowl of cereal dry :) while I fed Evie her breakfast.

Then it seems Evie soiled her nappy ... created from her kinetic sand!! 😂

Nathan headed out for a haircut, and once he was back, he made us Kraft Dinner and hot dogs for supper. It was lovely to have someone else take care of the meal—thank you, Nathan! Kaylin had worked until six before heading off to a workout event, and I left shortly before seven.

I made a quick stop at Costco on the way home but came away with only a sundae that was challenge to eat on the drive.

I arrived home around 8:30 to find Sheldon, naturally, watching sports. B had already been here and gone, tending to her horses.

After a full day of family time, painting, imaginative play and a little genealogy squeezed in around it all, I finally kicked back in bed with my book—or should I say Brittany’s book? It was a good way to wind down after an unexpected day in the city.