Cowboy Boots and Cold Winds

It was a crazy early morning with me awake several times listening to little Granny Lexi having coughing episodes. I even took her outside before 6 and replied to a text from Mom, only to discover she was awake too but planning to head back to bed. The skies were already dark to the west, matching the weather alerts we'd been seeing. Once back inside, I tucked Lexi into bed and we both drifted off for a little more sleep.

Coffee was definitely needed today. S made and delivered our cups to bed where we enjoyed a leisurely social media scroll. I took Lexi outside a couple more times and switched her to raw food for the day, which she absolutely loved. The poor little blind 90-plus-year-old granny deserves a soft delicacy now and then.

While she toddled around the house, I tossed Roo her hay, finished and published Thursday's blog, and squeezed in my weight workout. S spent part of the morning on the phone and working on his Running With The Bulls volunteer list.

The vacationing Boysis family hit the hot springs!

B and Cooper arrived around noon as S was hooking up the trailer. She enjoyed her Tim Hortons lunch and we trimmed Lexi's nails before braving the wind to feed the horses and move them back into the middle and far paddocks. Meanwhile, we continued packing. It's amazing how many things are needed for a one-night sleepover, even when the trailer is already stocked with most of the essentials.

Lunch was a giant salad made with spinach from my own garden along with the usual fixings. S grilled the last two cobs of corn on the BBQ, although this batch turned out disappointingly gummy. Then it was back to packing.

By mid-afternoon the sky was getting darker. B and Cooper headed out (to best the hail she said), and not long after, before 3, we pointed ourselves toward what looked like the eye of the storm.

The rain started near the dump and intensified quickly. By the time we arrived and parked, it was coming down in buckets, complete with hail.

In Montreal it seems Shaina and Matt have similar weather before their concert too

We sat trapped in the truck for a while hoping it would ease up. Eventually S changed into his old cowboy boots and made a dash for the trailer to open it up. I followed with Lexi, pushed out the slides, grabbed a beverage, and ran to a neighbouring trailer where several people had taken shelter.

Eventually the rain let up enough for Harley to get out of the truck and join us. The sunshine soon returned, the picnic table dried off, and the water soaked into the ground surprisingly fast. Before long we were all sitting outside enjoying the sun again. Leonard reported they had received a full inch of rain here in town. Hope some made it to the ranch.

B arrived at the trailer around 5 but was disappointed to learn the concert itself wouldn't start until around 7. The two of us wandered over to the grounds, sourced supper, and brought it back to the trailer. She and I ate inside while S enjoyed his meal outside with the gathering of friends.

Boysis's in BC have much better weather

B headed home for a bit before returning after 7. By then we had made our way to the grounds for the opening act, George Pippen. The wind was bitterly cold and made standing out in the infield miserable. We took shelter behind the grandstand before eventually retreating to the trailer to add more layers. B even made another trip home for extra clothing. The fireplace and heated recliners in the trailer felt pretty wonderful.

Once everyone was sufficiently bundled up, we headed back just in time for Owen Riegling's concert at 8:45. The wind continued to howl. Without it, the evening would have been beautiful, but Mother Nature had other plans. I couldn't help but wonder how some of the scantily clad concertgoers were surviving while we were dressed in multiple layers. Even some of the guys were walking around in T-shirts.

Across the country in Montreal it seems the weather was better now

The poor weather combined with low advance ticket sales reportedly resulted in a crowd much smaller than expected. Rumours around the rodeo committee suggested a loss of about $75,000, and there was concern this might be the last June concert.

Naturally, as soon as the concert ended, the wind settled down considerably.

We headed back to the trailer while B made her way home. After I took the dogs out for one last walk, we settled into the heated recliner, connected my iPad, and finished the Noah Kahan documentary.

We attempted to start a Clarkson's Farm episode in bed, but S was asleep almost immediately, so it didn't last long. Goodnight to a cold, windy, stormy day in Strathmore.