Matt shoots guns, rides a horse and northern lights

Our day kicked off at 7:45 with a call from the trencher guy—time to get the chicken coop sorted. S brewed some coffee, had a leisurely cup in bed while scrolling through his phone, then got dressed and headed out. I wrapped up my coffee, unloaded the dishwasher quietly, and dove into marketing work. Papa was up for his coffee, scrolling on his phone, so I focused on Saturday’s blog. S popped back quickly for tools before dashing off again. Dave and Cooper had their quick feed and were off, just as I was feeding Har.

Matt, Shaina, and Grandma emerged for coffee and cinnamon buns. I unearthed a hill of potatoes and picked fresh herbs for Ma and Pa to take home. Sheldon made about four trips to and from Matt’s place before they packed up and left before 11. S was hungry, so we laid out a smorgasbord of food for everyone to dig in. Shaina headed to town for a doctor’s appointment and to renew her driver’s license soon after. Matt got back to work and then headed to Matt’s to check the trenching around 12:30. Can you keep the Matt's straight? I can't even add last initial as both are G :) I threw the turkey bones on to make soup.

The weather was amazing, so I spent time gardening and watering. When S returned, he and I moved the balers back in and started hauling wood he had stacked around the shop, tidying up. My back felt better today, but moving that old bar wood fence panel wasn’t my brightest idea—it’s sore again. S started leveling the shop gravel and sand before wrapping up around 1 when Matt finished work for the day. Time to shoot some guns! Shaina was back home and back to work.

I kept on with my gardening, moving a Karl Foerster plant. The full sunshine, no wind, and temperatures hitting 21°C made it feel like summer. Shaina took a break to join the OK Corral shooting contests for a bit. Once the shooting was over, Matt, S, and I enjoyed a cold beer on the deck. Shaina took another break around 4, wanting to go for a ride. All four of us caught the horses, saddled up, and headed out for an hour ride. It was Matt’s first official horse ride, and Roo gave him a lovely ride. Bird and Switch, however, were amped up and eager to go fast. Shaina got Bird back on track for the ride through the winery, but coming home was fast-paced and prancy for both of us.

tally ho

Once untacked, the horses got a hose down and a roll. We went inside for a cold beer and more to eat. The Ottawanians had a smaller plate since they were heading to join Kaylin and Nathan for supper. They packed up and set off after 6. I continued making the soup. S had a plateful of food, then we went out for a hot tub soak in the golden hour. What a beautiful day indeed.

Renn getting her work done with a coke of course :)

Inside, I had soup for supper and finished Saturday's blog while S watched baseball. Britt and Dave came out around 8 and requested my help to catch Basil—in the dark. Once caught, we took him to the barn where Britt washed his swollen legs, flushed, ointmented, and poulticed the back one. S called to say the northern lights were back. Cool, Britt finally got to see them. I texted the other girls and Amanda. Shaina and Matt jumped in the jeep and headed west to find darkness to see the lights, and they did. Amanda also found a darker spot in town to get her pics.

Once Basil was done, the three of us wrangled him out of the barn—navigating the dark coming from a brightly lit light was a bit scary, especially down the rubber ramp, we shut off all lights and he finally conceded. He and Suzy are staying behind the barn tonight in the smaller pen. I watched the northern lights for a while before heading in. B and D threw some hay and headed home after a brief stop inside to say hi to S, who had unloaded the dishwasher in his underwear and had two bowls of soup, giving it rave reviews. He was chatting on the phone with a friend, so I went to bed to write the blog. After he joined me, we scrolled a bit before he drifted off to dreamland. I was back to YouTube once I finally caught up to today's blog.

Happy Thanksgiving

Good morning and happy early Thanksgiving! We started the day with a cozy cup of coffee in bed. Ma and Pa - Happy Anniversary XOXOXO -  soon joined us for another cup and some porridge before heading off to church. Meanwhile, I spent almost an hour assisting an Etsy customer who received a teal jewelry box and only opening now 6 weeks after it arrived with a broken pane of glass. After that, I did a bit of marketing and then got busy cleaning bathrooms and prepping snacks.

Renn, Kaylin, Nathan, and Lexi arrived around 11:30, and the churchgoers returned before noon after picking up some groceries. Britt was out with Matt and Shaina not long after, gathering ingredients in town to make chicken wraps for lunch. Dave was at home, cooking his delicious apple crisp and arrived a bit later.

GG and Great Papa brought Renn a new stuffy. These coveralls are the girls too when little xoxo

I tried to replicate a cute photo of Asher behind our pantry glass but this one is too speedy but still looks cute

Harley's new bed got lots of action

We enjoyed lots of visiting and Renn’s entertainment until she went down for her nap around 1. Nathan worked on his photography skills, capturing some great photos. The fellows relaxed on the deck with beers, keeping the house quieter for the nap. Shaina enjoyed Harley’s new bed while the gals visited inside, and I prepped the turkey and potatoes. Britt trimmed Lexi’s nails and gave her an anti-itch shot before heading off to ride Roo.

3 photos by Nathan

When Dave arrived around 2:30, Renn was just waking up. She was eager to explore outside, see the horses, and run around. B returned from her ride, and Renn got to sit up with her for a bit. Dave and B then went to check on Basil, who had a swollen back leg. B treated him just in time for supper. The meal turned out to be delicious, with birthday cake served alongside ice cream and strawberry sauce, thanks to Grama Pat. Dave’s hot apple crisp was also a hit.

listen to her story she is telling me

I just missed the cutest picture of Renn down after opening door kissing Harley XOXO

Happy birthday to Kaylin, Papa, Dave and anniversary to Grama and Papa.

Someone loves ice cream, stewed strawberries and the apples from the crisp.

Before the Boysis family headed back to the city after 6 for bath and bedtime, we snapped some memorable photos. Then it was time for card games. Papa rested in the big brown chair for the first game before joining in. We wrapped up around 9 since Matt and Britt have early work mornings. I ended the night watching some YouTube videos while S browsed the internet—our typical way to wind down without the yogurt bowl.

wave goodbyes and high fives <3

On the car ride home, junior photographer at work

there is always card games when our family gets together

Kilroy thinks a selfie will capture the card game players

Ada helps babysit Renn

Copper jumped into bed with me just after 8 as I was reading. Dave had already fed the animals and set off for his big race day—good luck to him! Britt is attending yet another course in the city today. Eventually, I started the coffee, and our day began, feeling like yet another repeat of Groundhog Day. It was a brisk 4 degrees but sunny as the three horses were let out to graze. S went to the shop to continue arranging his equipment, while I took care of watering the indoor plants. This led to rearranging the storage shelves in the furnace room, where I discovered we have more pasta than we need.

This is her new kong toy 4 days later

S came in for lunch, had a beer, and checked on his hockey equipment washing. I uploaded videos and photos and published yesterday’s content. Before changing the hot tub filters, S put the furniture back that he had moved from under the truck lift to get fireball in and out. It was time for me to get back to work on custom desk pieces, as I have a custom dresser coming next week. However, when I went to the garage, I had to rearrange a few more things he forgot to move back, including an art easel I picked up. I started working on it by washing and sanding off the graffiti.

Then I worked on sanding the desk parts. It was too nice outside to stay in, so I wrapped it up and went out to dig potatoes for tomorrow’s dinner. S had changed the filters and put the current ones to soak. He set up the water for Brittany 2.0 evergreen. I weeded the garden and enjoyed the sunshine. S and I had a cold beverage on the deck, finishing just as Ma and Pa arrived a little after 4. I visited briefly before jumping in the shower and then chowing down on a bowl of chili while they had a cold beer on the deck too.

I was off to pick up Ada on my way to the city. She is job shadowing me, as Amanda described, to learn Renn’s routine while the kids go out to celebrate Kaylin’s birthday with supper and a night out. Everyone was getting ready—Shaina, Matt, Kaylin, and then Nathan after he put the new slushy maker to work for us to enjoy and finished cooking the noodles for Renn’s supper. She hammed it up for the crowd. The group set off for their dining reservation for 10 people at 7.

such a ham, this was the tail end of her big laughing entertainment

the birthday girl and her beau

Ada and I enjoyed playing with Renn after she finished eating. We sang lots of songs and gave her a bubbly bath. She settled down for the night just after 8:30 and was soon sound asleep. Ada and I then watched a short kids’ movie followed by Leo. We had about half an hour to go when Nathan returned at 10:30. Ada was soon asleep on the quick, less-traffic ride home, dropping her back in 43 minutes. I continued home, checked on the turkey thawing in the sink, then watched some YouTube before falling asleep. Sheldon, Ma and Pa left for town soon after I did to buy new cowboy boots, went to OJ's for a drink and nachos then home for ribs and wings while watching baseball.