Papa making progress

The morning was -2 degrees Celsius when I woke up at my usual 7:30 a.m. circadian wake-up time. I read for a while until S woke up, and I made us both coffees to enjoy while relaxing in bed and catching up on his family visit. Papa is recovering on the rehabilitation floor and working on improving his mobility. However, he still has a long way to go, with an April 7th goal of being able to walk 50 feet. You’ve got this, Papa! Keep up the good work. S spent a lot of time visiting with his Dad and treating him to a burger meal. He also took his dad outside in the sun to enjoy an iced cap. S also enjoyed some quality time with his Mom, including taking her out for dinner one-on-one.

Today was extremely icy when I went out to give Switch her medication after 9 a.m. She stood still as a statue, took her medication, and I was back home in no time, cautiously walking. S and I finished our coffees (I had made an iced one once back in). I was doing Spanish lessons while he had cereal before heading to town for hockey after 10.

I sent Harley out with a deer carcass for a while while I worked on marketing and blog work. I recovered half of it and put it back in the freezer for another time. I then gave the bread box another clear coat and came in to write up its sale post for my CM page. I then worked on finishing yesterday’s blog and starting today’s.

The potato bin was put back together and bread box were brought in to video and stage a few. I am going to keep potato bin I think. Kaylin text she picked up her wedding dress XOXOX how exciting.  I then packed up for our weekend in the mountains. S was home after 2 with a late lunch of Edo noodle bowls. Once down we took Harley for a walk and trudged thru the much less water today.

the girls enjoying a lake splash

Back at the house we changed to head out for a soak in the hot tub in the full on plus 9 sunshine. Beauty day indeed but there was a bit of wind again. A shower while S packed his bag then a bit of a relax with S eating a plate of spaghetti and pork chops before we left at 5.

The scenic drive had us to the retreat location in just over an hour near Bragg Creek. It is a lovely well treed venue that reminded me of a church camp. We checked in, dropped our bags at the very minimalistic room in one of the lodges then back to the main building for the 7:30 start. Once the workshop began, the evening went really fast with highlight being fresh cinnamon rolls between presentations. They were so delicious. The evening wrapped up around 10:30 with us crawling into a double bed after 11 to get some sleep. The rooms have no TVs allowing you to focus solely on the present. Not quite what S had in mind. How will he live without hockey? :)

Water is running everywhere

Ugh, even after sending Harley out to bed last night, she still wanted out at 3:50 am. This time, Jay burst into the house, requiring me to track him down and send him out again. I woke up at 7 am in time to watch the sunrise. Today’s forecast predicts a beautiful day with temperatures reaching 13 degrees and above. I made myself a cup of coffee and browsed a bit of Instagram before heading out to give Switch her medication, which was at the shelter. As usual, she wasn’t keen on this daily routine and tried to escape. Despite the temperature being plus 3 degrees, the ground was still icy, making it challenging for her and me to move around. Additionally, I had underwear issues with no elastic, which didn’t fare well for wearing a nightie and housecoat. Eventually, she relented and took her medication.

I fed the cats, and Harley then got to work on the bread box before 8:30 am. I added new contact paper to the bottom of the potato bin and stained it a dark, rich walnut. The temperature was 12 degrees Celsius by 11 am, and the pastures had created small lakes everywhere. I came in while everything was dry and submitted my time sheets for Dixie Belle. I also did some marketing and worked on yesterday’s blog post.

All votes but 1 wanted flowers so flowers it is.

The wind has picked up as per the forecast, but at least it’s warm. The water areas are expanding rapidly. After 12, I headed to town to complete a bunch of errands. I picked up groceries, prescriptions, booze, and a $25 gift card from Walmart for the mispriced pop 2 times now (very kind of them). I also grabbed lunch, Cooper, and a library book before returning to the ranch at 2. Now, the water is flowing from the house shelter lake towards the pit.

this is before I left for town at noon

and below is 2 hours later

I took the dogs out for their spring like walk. Naturally, back at the house, there were more spots that needed to be scooped and deiced. The bread box was staged, and the entire outside was given a clear coat to seal the transfers. The more sanded side of the potato bin was given another coat of stain.

look at the water running 

Drawing and playing at school

A woman arrived from Calgary at 5 to purchase the small half-moon table. The transaction was quick, and she was on her way. Now, I need to update my spreadsheets, mark the table as sold on my sale sites, and get more pieces done to sell as I am all out of bigger pieces other than the recent fold down table.

Britt showed up at 5:30 getting off work early. She fed horses and gave Switch her meds early and was off for home with Cooper. Spanish followed by relaxing in the sunset watching Love is Blind til I started supper at 7:30. S arrived home from his Medicine Hat visit after 8. We enjoyed a late supper, he had a hot tub soak then we started the new Prime Target episode but both got tired and lights out around 10.

More projects underway

Last night, the coyotes were busy, and when I let H out at 3 am, both cats were hoping to rush into the house but denied. Today started a bit colder, at -2 degrees Celsius, when I woke up at 7:30 am, but the sun was shining. I made a cup of coffee, browsed Instagram for a bit, and then ventured out to give Switch her medication. She wasn’t interested in this and instead went for a short run, lasting only about 15 minutes. I managed to get the job done and headed back in.

bubble blower extraordinaire

Kaylin said she also said the sentence "where it go" after the bubbles popped

Afterward, I fed the dog, the cats, and the horse, then soaked the horse feed before coming in for an iced coffee and some marketing before 9 am. I worked on the blog photos and videos from yesterday and got it posted. I also wrote and uploaded the photos of the IKEA dresser tutorial to date to stay on track rather than leaving it all until the project is complete. Then, I went to the garage to work on the dresser. I applied more wood filler, sanded the surface, and applied two coats of primer to the inside edges after setting the drawers to see what would show.

While I was working on the hand painting, Britt stopped by after 12 pm to drop Cooper off while she went to the city. I finished up, washed my brushes, and came in for lunch, which was the last of the soup. Today will be a repeat of yesterday, and I’ll finish off the leftovers. This is reminiscent of the week S would be up north, and I could survive on leftovers and chips all week. ;)

I’m currently stuck at a standstill with the dresser. It was supposed to be painted in a new colour that’s been released, but it hasn’t arrived yet. I decided to head back out and sand the filler. Then, I put the drawers in place and will leave for now.

While I was out in my workshop, I pulled out the bread box and decided to give it a makeover. Just the front edge needed some attention, so I scrubbed it well, sanded it, and applied pine stain oil that matched the wood.

nice day to go to the park

It’s time to take the dogs for another muddy walk around the west perimeter. This time, I closed all the gates, thinking it would be best to let the paddocks soak up the snow and not fill with poop. This way, they can prepare for spring. I then walked around the snow edges in the yard to break up the ice. The temperature has risen to 11 degrees today. Britt drove in as I was breaking up the ice around 3:30.

She fed the horses, and I started scrubbing up the potato bin then added wood filler to the dings. Then, I moved back to the bread box to begin applying western transfers. I think these transfers will complement the rustic pine wood look. I finished up at 5, fed Har, and came in to eat my leftover supper. 

I was torn which one to put in centre so posted an online poll. Which would you vote?

Being such a beautiful day, I decided to soak in the hot tub. Afterward, I took a shower and put on a toque on my head and a nightie under my coveralls. then at 6:30, I headed out to give Switch her medication a bit early. She didn’t run this time, making it a breeze. Back inside, I made a yogurt bowl and finished watching the first episode of season 2 of Surface, which I started last night. I then started Love is Blind UK recommended by Sharon.

Loving the warm weather

When I woke up after 7, there were a few raindrops on the window, but they had disappeared by the time S woke up. I made our coffees and brought them back to bed. The horses were in the middle of the paddock but didn’t come close, so I had to go out there to give Switch her medication. She was not felling like taking them today so gave herself a half-hour workout. Eventually, she gave in and took the syringe full. S was outside taking down the Christmas lights from the apple trees. He had packed his backpack earlier to head to the Hat, but he ran to town to pick up Cooper on Britt’s request because he was acting “weird.”

It seems in Ottawa it was really raining.. in February!

S returned with Cooper and a roll-up-the-rim tea (BTW I did not win a thing), then headed off for Medicine Hat just before 11. I was sanding the wood filler on the dresser and drawers. Now that I had my glasses on, I noticed that there were many areas that needed more wood filler. I filled them and left them to dry while I went in for a bowl of soup for lunch.

I put most of my Etsy items on sale for 20% off and did some marketing. I then sanded the dresser and all six drawers, and applied a first coat of primer/sealer.

I finished the first coat of paint at 3 pm and took the dogs for a long, muddy walk. Back at home, I scooped up the dog poop and then did a childhood favourite: diverting the melting water from the plus 8, windless sunshine day 2.

school day for little miss

While I was working, I heard a cash register chime announcing an Etsy sale. I packaged everything up, printed the label, and prepared it to be taken by Britt later tonight. She’ll drop it off on her day off tomorrow. Harley had supper, but poor Cooper didn’t because S forgot to feed him when he picked him up. I cleaned up all the dishes again and then trimmed and re-shellacced my nails before having leftover tenderloin and vegetable supper.

Today has melted a lot more snow, and it’s still bright at 6 pm. I was back in the garage, finishing up a few more wood filler spots, sanding, and applying the second primer coat. Podcasts are so convenient to listen to while working, and I listened to many today. I was finishing up the last side of the dresser when Britt came out. She fed Cooper, the horses, and gave Switch her medication. Thanks, Britt!

notorious pine bleed thru, this is why I prime

I ended my night with some Spanish lessons, catching up on my blog for today, a call from S and watching Netflix and Apple TV in bed.

Spectacular sunshiny day

I woke at the usual 7:30 to sunshine and no wind. I made us coffees and we were relaxing in bed when Deb FaceTimed around 8:30. I went my housecoat again administer Switch's medication and feed the cats and Harley. While S continued chatting politics with the Schmitt's, I posted the little table tutorial and then shared it with all the sponsors and sites.

Upon cleaning out the dishwasher, I discovered that the bottom rack dishes was still dirty. I had been mentioning this to Sheldon for quite some time, but he never believed me. However, once he pulled out the filter, it was indeed gross. He cleaned it out while I ran baking soda and vinegar through all the sink drains and the dishwasher drain.

It was laundry day, after getting loads going I got busy in the garage, pulling drawers out of one of the recently acquired dressers. I had S help to maneuver the dresser body out of the pile at the back and get it to my work area. He then for a walk to the gate with Harley and took down the rail Christmas lights. Garage laundry was underway as well. I vacuumed the drawers out, then hauled them the cleaning area, scrubbed all the pieces inside and out, and left them to dry.

when your outfit matches your rubber gloves :)

After lunch, I put fertilizer spikes in all my plants while swapping laundry loads. S was off to town to get oil, then he hit his hockey shinny at 1. I was back working on marketing the little table tutorial. It was then back to the garage to get all the dresser parts onto the work table and start filling all the cat scratches with thinned wood filler. This skim layer will dry overnight before sanding. I hauled out the two garage dog beds and used a shedding blade to remove all the cat and dog hair. 

What an incredible day outside! The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature was a pleasant 9 degrees Celsius and there was NO wind. I decided to go out and empty the compost bucket and put away the washed horse blanket. However, I ended up staying out longer than I planned. There are now many more areas that are open for poop scooping. Harley and I took a long walk around the west side of the property. We also opened the middle gate to give the horses more space to move around and help them shed some of that winter weight.

In addition to these tasks, I also cut down a large branch on a chokecherry tree that had a black spot on it and a few other branches that were visibly in the way of the lawnmower.

Walking home from "school" Renn expresses she doe not want to wash her hands

I came in reluctantly after 4 to feed Har and make an iced coffee. I worked on yesterday's blog photos and videos totally not getting done this am. I was just posting it when S drove in with Cooper after 5. I worked on some accounting while S perused his auction site. Supper was BBQ'd bison tenderloin while watching the Voice. B was out to feed and take Cooper home, she also gave Switch her meds, THANK YOU! We moved to bed and watched a couple Ransom.

Renn and her rents for sausage supper

The winds had blown all night, creating a super soft yet slippery snow-covered paddock when I went out to give Switch her morning medication. I made an iced coffee and got to work finishing up yesterday’s blog. S got ready and headed to church at 9:30. I jumped in the shower and prepared for the day ahead. The Boysis family is visiting us today, and I’m looking forward to seeing them all.

B was out to drop Cooper off just before S returned from church at 11:30. She’s off to yet another escape room with work friends this time. After publishing yesterday’s post, I cooked up a pot of mushroom soup for a later lunch. Despite the beautiful sunny high of 9 degrees, the persistent wind continued.

B returned from her adventure around 2:30. She fed and trimmed the roosters’ feet. Kaylin, Nathan, and little Miss Renn arrived around 3, and the fun began. She’s such a busy little bee. She opened her belated Christmas gift from the Paetz’s—a handmade Bluey toy and a Bluey-themed water book.

quite the parcel opener, but more excited to be out of her car buckle really 

our artist

Isn't this Bluey Amanda made adorable?

S napped in big brown bed while the rest of us played some Tantrix. However, Renn was certain that Bapa should wake up after completing her puzzles and helping to pick tiles. 

she is also aspires to be a cat trainer

Dog trainer Renn, not long after Cooper escaped with his muddy feet and Renn was in laying beside Harley.

It was a good thing I washed up Harley's big bed as we all had to get in :)

She wanted in the cart, sure enough she fits :)

Turning off and on the pantry light

S cooked up a delicious sausage, noodle, and pea stew for a comforting meal that everyone enjoyed. Not surprisingly, there was no sausage left from the jumbo party pack I had taken out. Even Renn tried it, but Cooper got her chewed up pieces.

When B was leaving Renn wanted to go outside but needed a jacket so I created one out of her Mom's hoodie.

Flames game started at 6. B headed home before 6:30 with the Boysis family not long after her. Thanks for the visit, children! XOXO

finishing her freeze before they go

Once everyone was gone, I tidied up the toys and snacks while S washed up all the pots and pans watching the game. I got busy finishing the little table tutorial, which will be published tomorrow. During the first intermission, S went out to find Jenkins, who was hunkered down in the straw. He then headed to the TV room to continue the game.

Lake Kuhn is returning after todays warm weather

I finished up the tutorial and today’s post at 7:30. I went to check if the horses were in, but there was no luck. So, I swept and scrubbed the garage stairs while waiting. Then, I sourced a flashlight because my phone light was like a candle when I went out to check at the shelter.

I mixed up the meds, but that went haywire. The pressure in the syringe shot meds all over the wall and clean horse blanket. The tip was clogged, so I needed a thin screwdriver to unplug it. Eventually, I got the pills dissolved and the syringe ready, along with a halter and an apple. Harley was forced to come along because there was no walk today, so we headed out into the darkness. There was no moon whatsoever.

Of course, the horses were at the pit hay, so I walked the road. Harley, the big chicken, didn’t come along, but she eventually arrived as I was giving Switch her meds. The follow-up apple wasn’t enjoyed as much as usual because of the drugs on it, but most of it went down. 

Harley, of course, beat me back to the house. I stopped to fix the solar light on the gate that always goes off, then went into the garage to clean up the syringe and other stuff. I quickly stopped down in the TV room to watch the hockey game as they were about to win. Seeing it’s not 9 o’clock yet, I’ll finish this blog and head into relax in bed. I started a new series about biggest Instagram scammers which was about the real life person in ACV. When S came up we started a Ransom episode but both got tired so it was lights out.