Time springs ahead

So, guess what? Time skipped an hour ahead, and I was awake at my usual 7:30 which is now 8:30! S was up too, and we got the big coffee maker going. Mom joined us for coffee before S headed off to church. Mom and I had another cup together. Matt was up for a cup of coffee around 11.

S returned having picked up milk and cream after church. Shaina woke up a bit later having a sleep in Sunday. I made a double batch pot of mushroom soup for us to enjoy for lunch.

S doing Harley's stretches

Mom went to town to grab some fruit, veggies, and flowers to take to Kaylin and Nate. She’s chatting with Nathan about marketing and web building for Oyen’s chamber of commerce and other marketing possibilities.

Back at the ranch, we started a game of canasta with snacks and drinks. The wind was insane today. It made staying indoors, playing games, visiting, so much more easier. Unfortunately, Shaina and Matt's plans to have a hot tub or ride horses did not happen today. On the bright side, it was a warm 13 degrees of wind.

B and Cooper were out around 2 p.m. She napped on the couch until we finished the canasta game. Then, we all played call partner smear.

S and I cooked up a sausage and pasta supper for the crew. Mom returned before 6 p.m. to join us. Dave also came to join us. B took care of Harley’s eye, where an abscess was forming. She squeezed it out and applied an ointment.

Shaina, Matt, and Lexi loaded up the car and headed to Kaylin’s with Mom right behind them. Dave, Britt, and Cooper followed suit, leaving us alone in the house. I finished scrubbing all the pots and tidied up the kitchen while S watched some hockey and caught up on the news. Finally, the wind had finally let up. We relaxed in bed with a bit of Netflix before catching up on some sleep. The wind however picked up again thru the night.

Family games night

Darn it, it’s overcast and breezy outside with a temperature of -2 degrees Celsius, but it’s supposed to rise to 13 degrees Celsius or higher. I made some coffee and delivered it to bed after checking to see where the horses were. They were behind the house in the low-lying area near the evergreens. I relaxed a bit on Instagram before getting back to marketing while S finished his coffee in bed, browsing his news feed.

He headed out to push some of the old hay before it warms up. I made a tea and yogurt bowl and worked on the blog. It wasn’t long before he moved to the pit area. I looked out and saw that the horses had returned to the winter pasture and were making their way to the house paddock, where he had left the gate open to the yard. I rushed out in my housecoat to close it just in time, with Harley by my side. He was back not long after, feeling nauseous after bouncing up and down.

starting the big scoop up and not long after below

Shaina sent this great photo of their morning visit with Papa playing "golf"

He hit the big brown and had a nap. I prepared some food for chilli and snacks later, as well as scrubbed the toilets and did a bit of sanding on the coffee table. We enjoyed a tuna sandwich for lunch, then tidied up the work area where the water leak was accessed so that people could easily access the bedrooms and bathroom down there.

I brought in the can tab bag to send with Mom, I was shocked to think how many tabs were in there, collected over a year or two and the cost it would amount to if even $1 a tab!!

We had a health and wealth Zoom presentation at 1 that we thoroughly enjoyed in the sunshine at the island. It is a series that will run for 6 Saturday afternoons. S ran to the winter gate in his truck at 3 p.m. during a break because the horses had returned to the winter pasture. With all the people coming and going over the next few days, they need to be locked back up.

B was out before 4 p.m. Kaylin, Nathan, and Renn arrived soon after B. Nate just stopped by to drop off his girls, grab an orange cream coke, and was on his way to visit his grandpa in Drumheller. I started a large pot of chilli for supper. 

Shaina and Matt were back from their Medicine Hat venture at 5:15. Mom arrived to join in the fun around 5:30 p.m. It was an evening filled with Renn’s entertainment and visiting.

Not long after she was standing balancing on the edge of the stool

Nathan returned after 7 p.m having a nice but short visit with his Grandpa. He quickly washed up, said a quick hello, gathered his girls and grabbed his bowl of chilli and a rice crispy square for the ride home. Then, they all loaded up and headed home to bathe and put little Miss to bed at her usual time. Which, since time is moving ahead tonight, may cause havoc on sleep times. 

Dave passed them on their way out as he was on his way in to join the gathering as well. The men enjoyed smoking the cinnamon whiskey S had acquired in the city earlier this week.

Craig and the three youngest children arrived after 7:30 to participate in the visiting and games night. Poor Amanda, unfortunately, has a similar illness to what S and I had at Christmas. She stayed home in bed tonight. After playing with toys, the little ones watched Harry Potter movies, however they kept encountering DVD issues, suggesting that a TV might not be the solution and should be replaced, but this would render all our DVDs obsolete. :( The Paetz crew headed home before 10, while the rest of us didn’t shut down the TV until after 1 am.

Coyote invasion

Up and out of bed at 8, I gave Switch her 28th and final medication dose. It was another double cup of coffee day, and I caught up with Mom for an hour while she chatted. S looked up water line repairs online, and I offered to help in person. However, we decided to wait and see how big the hole should be for the repair, according to a drywall expert. Unfortunately, no one answered their phone, so we put it on hold.

This is what my usual mornings looked like giving meds however this is from Feb 28 taken by S and just ent to me today.

Latest in farm fashion

Below are ones he sent me from Feb 20, so much more snow then

We ventured out into the 8-degree sunshine for a soak in the hot tub. This was not only to enjoy the beautiful day but also to allow me to have a shower and wash my hair, which is a task. The bright sunshine also showed all the dust in the house, so I dusted and did some laundry since we don’t have a maid.

I had photos and videos to upload for yesterday and successfully posted them. Shaina had planned a family gathering tonight, but unfortunately, Manda is unwell. I completely understand, so we decided to postpone it to tomorrow night. Shaina swapped her plans to go to the Hat for today and back tomorrow along with Matt and Lexi. Kaylin and Nathan changed plans to come with Nate continuing on to see his Grandpa in Drum till tomorrow too.

While we were having lunch, I noticed a coyote right outside the house shelter. Wait, there were three of them! Just like Britt had been saying. Branchy and bravely stood their ground until S took a few shots at them. One of them quickly headed north at top speed, while the other zigzagged west and then north in a different pattern. The dimmest one slowly made its way back to the shelter before deciding, perhaps, that this meant danger?

Time to get ready for the church pictures! S took H for a walk to the gate and back to get some exercise. On his way back to the house, he spotted what appeared to be a coyote lying in the hay field to the east. Inside, we both looked through the binoculars, and sure enough, it was. This time, he took a shot, but it was too far away, though it scared the coyote off. I went to check on J—sure enough, he was curled up in his favourite hay stack by the raised beds.

We loaded up and headed to town at 2:45 p.m. to get our pictures taken for the church directory at 3 p.m. It took all of 45 seconds, maybe because we’re great smiley models? S had a conservative forum to hear candidates’ platforms running to replace our representative. We decided to stop at the station right next door to the hotel where it was held. We had a couple of drinks, a rib appetizer, and supper. When we arrived at 5 p.m., the line to vote for the candidates was wrapped around like Disneyland’s line, so we decided to come back. 

A quick stop to check in on Amanda, we found her in bed wearing her housecoat. We had a quick visit with Craig and the girls who were babysitting Lynda’s little girls then her when she arrived to pick them up. This time back at the political event, the stop to vote was much quicker, as S was in and out of the polling station. We drove through DQ to get a Blizzard and a sundae before heading home.

I had opened the winter pasture gate and closed the yard when we left, but the horses were still in the winter pasture, completely oblivious to our departure and the open gate. B came out shortly after, fed the horses, and headed back in without any delay. We watched the moved Back in Action - a fun spy movie.

We got a leak

I woke up before 8 and got out of bed to head out and give Switch her medication as prescribed. It was -4 degrees Celsius, and the sun was shining brightly, making it easy as they were near the house. Dave had just come into the garage, hoping Cooper would eat his breakfast, but unfortunately, Cooper declined. So, Dave headed off to trot his horses before the warm weather made the track a mess. I took the dogs out to give Switch her medication, and once we were back inside, both of them ate breakfast. Now, Ito get our coffees made and delivered to the prince in bed.  I got to marketing and doing accounting. S enjoyed his coffee in bed and relaxed there until about 10. Once he got up, he took the Costco items down to the storage shelves, stopped by the bathroom, and then, upon coming upstairs, he stepped in a wet spot on the carpet. "Oh no", he exclaimed. "We have a problem."

What I witnessed when I descended the stairs was astonishing. It appeared that we had a water leak on the main floor. Together, we diligently worked to remove the wet drywall tape and allow it to drip into a bucket. The process of carefully cutting open the ceiling took time, progressing in gradual stages. 

S marking the areas the hole may need to be cut

Eventually, we managed to remove enough material to expose the underside of the floor. Surprisingly, it turned out that S initial assumption that the water was sewer water from the bathroom above was fortunately incorrect. Instead, it was a remarkably long brad nail that had been directly shot through the in-floor heating tube. It seems that over the course of 14 years, this nail had gradually eroded away enough to allow the glycol to begin seeping out.

The hole was left open for the water to dry out until S gets the water line fixed. He moved on to browsing his laptop in his big brown chair, and I threw in some dog bedding. I then vacuumed and scrubbed the edges and floor of the island base near the sink to lay down my new anti-fatigue mat. It’s so squishy! 

Meanwhile in the city, Shaina took the dogs and Renn outside to do their business :)

S was off to hockey at 1, as I worked on yesterday’s blog post. I loaded the photos and videos and while the last ones were uploading, I took the dogs for a walk in the now 8-degree sunshine. It’s mucky again outside. Our walk along the south rails had me stopping to snap off dry caragana branches, and I did the same at the willow tree by the shop. Scooping a couple more forkloads of poop was next on my list. As I finished up, a parcel was delivered. The driver had to call me because Cooper, our guard dog, had him worried.

you can see little miss needs to go in her own lane :)

Shaina and Matt took Renn to a play place this afternoon

I continued with marketing, accounting, and general computer organization. I spent some time lying in the warm sunshine on our bed practicing Spanish. S wasn’t home until 6 p.m. because he had to go to the shinny, have coffee with friends at McDonald's, and then stopped out at Dave’s barn where his friend Donny lives to borrow tools to repair the water line and have a beer.

The weather was perfect for a BBQ steak night with tasty vegetables. Before we started cooking, I went out to feed the horses because Britt had another work event after work. I also gave Switch her medication a bit early, and both dogs finished their suppers quickly.

We were watching hockey when Dave left at 8 p.m. He and S had a great catch-up on sports, and Dave took Cooper to the barn on his way home at 9:30 p.m. The cozy bed called us to relax and unwind with our devices and books, but we didn’t have TV tonight.

City run full of errands

It is yet another dreary, overcast day. I woke up after 8 feeling sluggish but needed to get moving to give Switch her medication. Fortunately, only a few more days are left. She once again cooperated willingly, so it was a quick chore. I then returned inside to feed the cats and Harley. Be damned if I didn't forget to order Harley's raw food. I quickly placed the order and will have to pick it up later today when we go to the city. Harley has a chiropractic appointment, as she has been very limpy for weeks, poor girl.

I made us coffees as S perused news while eating his porridge. I did my morning marketing then he helped me balance the credit card. A heat pump fellow arrived at 10 for a meeting with him. It was then time to bath Harley seeing she is heading to the city with us. She loves the pre brush and the deep scrub of a bath and always stands patiently. 

We headed to town to complete our errands. S dropped me off at RBC to perform a quick transaction to refund Shaina’s money while he headed to Rona to purchase heavy-duty screws and wall inserts for Kaylin’s shop shelf repair later today. I walked over to Opa to grab lunch, but it took longer than expected due to a boggy app I needed to order from in order to get double-points rewards. Eventually, I got the food and jumped into the awaiting truck. I dropped off a library book and another bag of used coffee pods at their respective drop-off locations before we headed south. As we passed by, the trash bag was tossed into the dump.

Back at the ranch, we enjoyed our rice bowls and decided not to order them again. I was preparing for our trip to the city after catching up on my blog. Britt and Cooper arrived as we were about to leave at 1:30. It seems she has a tire that keeps losing air, so we suggested she go to Fountain Tire after feeding. She did so and had the hole repaired.

S drove Shaina’s jeep behind me as our first stop was to pick up Harley’s food. Next, we headed to Costco, where Harley patiently waited in the car while we did our shopping. After that, I took Harley to her chiropractor appointment with Dr. Sean. S, meanwhile, stopped at the distillers to get a bottle of his favourite cinnamon whiskey which has gone up $10 ($60). After that, he went to SugarMe to fix a shelf.

Harley's homework stretches

After Harley’s appointment, I took her for a walk and a pee, then loaded her back up and headed to the Boysis condo. Nathan and Renn were watching Mickey Mouse. Let the fun begin with our little chatty entertainer! We visited until Kaylin got home just before 5:30, and S soon after, realizing he didn’t have the right tools to fix the shelf and also needing help to do so. We had picked up a Caesar salad and rotisserie chicken for supper, so we enjoyed that with hockey on the tube.

Renn was calling I waving to Harley in the car window and knocking on the door .. until I got the camera out :)

needs her toothbrush

she has got mad drumming skills

again I was slow to get video as she would run over and say Bapa! as he watched hockey, giggle and run back to her kitchen. Of course he would say yes Renn, this time she says I'm Renn!

Bapa playing piggy in the middle 

More visiting until we headed home before 7. Harley was still sleeping in the car but had her hungry eyes earlier when I checked on her. Quick stop at Tim's, I ran in and grabbed us tea and carrot muffins for the ride home. Nathan is kindly going to the airport tonight to pick up Shaina and Matt, who land at 9:30. Shaina is here for almost 2 weeks and Matt 1 week, hence bringing in her jeep.

Back at the ranch, Harley was fed her favourite raw bison meal, and I mixed up Switch meds and gave them to her. They expected B’s usual feeding time, so they came when they heard me, but tonight, in the pitch-dark, it was more of a challenge, especially since she had food in her mouth, so she spit most of it out with the food. Then, the syringe clogged, I dug out the pill patty and poked it in her cheek, but again, most of it was spit out. As I walked back to the house, I got both feet hooked on the bottom rail and nearly face-planted in the ice if not for my wrist, which took the brunt of the impact with little ice stabs. OUCH!

S unloaded the car, removing his tools, food from Costco, and putting everything away. He was enjoying an orange and watching the end of the hockey game that was in overtime when I got back in. I spent some time practicing Spanish and blogging until the game concluded. Afterward, we watched the season finale of Prime Target. Both of us felt that the show had lost its appeal, and we wondered if we had wasted our time watching it.