Potato Salad Lessons & Family Around the Fire

The smoke continues to hang thick in the air, although the morning was pleasantly cool when I headed out to toss hay to the three horses. I always enjoy opening the windows early to let the house cool naturally before another hot day settles in and the A/C is kicked on. With another 30-degree day ahead, every little bit of cool air helps.

Coffee in hand, I published Wednesday's blog while S enjoyed his usual morning routine of coffee and X in bed before heading off to the rodeo grounds shortly after 9. Accounting and marketing duties were also in order—tasks that always seem to get forgotten until they can't be ignored any longer.

I squeezed in a workout (one of my most procrastinated activities) before turning my attention to housework. Having guests coming is always excellent motivation to get things tidied up.

Fresh onions were pulled from the garden in preparation for today's potato salad lesson.

I was scooping poop in the round pen, B arrived. It was already 28 degrees and climbing. She fed horses while I caught Hank and, true to form, she caught Miss Mac in under three minutes. Together we moved them into the east paddock before she spent more time in the heat hosing horses and tending to Bird's still-puffy chest. Beibs, Switch, and Jimmy were all more than happy to line up for additional cooling sessions.

B is back on evening shifts for the last time tonight, which meant she'd miss the family gathering. Thankfully, we have brunch plans tomorrow morning to make up for it.

S arrived home before 2 with the few groceries we'd forgotten for burger night after spending the morning hauling. rodeo bales and having lunch with the rodeo crew.

Not long after, Grama, Papa, and Candace arrived. Papa navigated the front steps with ease and made it into the house without any trouble, which was wonderful to see.

Ten pounds of potatoes were promptly put on to boil as Grama prepared to make her famous potato salad. I made sure to take notes this time for Amanda—and anyone else hoping to learn the family recipe.

The Boysis family was next to arrive, accompanied by the pups. Kaylin helped me catch Hank for introductions, and for once I actually caught Mac and before Hank, so both of the littles got their moment in the spotlight. With temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, we waited under the shade of a tree for Shaina and Matt to arrive.

Princess Renn with fancy shoes too

Once they did, Mac was whisked away for mane braiding and handling while I returned Hank to the round pen.

Inside, Renn was delighted to receive a sweet little western outfit from GG.

The kitchen quickly became a hub of activity. Grama and Auntie peeled warm potatoes while Shaina assembled one of her healthy salads. Renn played, dogs chased one another, conversations overlapped, and before long S was out at the BBQ.

I tried to get the potato salad measurements as they went along - adjust to taste :)

Renn opted for her usual supper of zoodles and patiently waited for the main event—birthday cake.

Renn's famous side eye and pretty smile <3

Sheldon and Candace celebrate birthdays next week, while Renn insists her birthday was "last week."

Poor Beans after he drinks water and plays

After supper, a few people ventured back outside to retrieve Mac from the lush paddock and return her to the round pen for the night. The littles and Roo were all supplied with fresh hay before families slowly began packing up.

The Boysis crew headed home around 7:30, leaving the rest of us to enjoy what had become a beautiful summer evening on the deck. Stories were shared, laughter carried across the yard, and eventually S decided it was the perfect night for a fire.

Just one of Papa's stories he shared

Before long, everyone had migrated to the fire pit. The boys—and Shaina—roasted hot dogs over the flames while the conversations continued well into the night.

I was the first to wave the white flag, heading inside around midnight to read for a bit before bed. The others weren't far behind, although Matt and S managed to squeeze in another hour of visiting before finally calling it a night as well.

It was another hot, smoky, wonderfully busy summer day. The kind filled with family recipes, birthday celebrations, horse updates, and stories around a fire. And while I suspect I'll forget exactly what we ate or who arrived first, I have a feeling I'll always remember Grama teaching potato salad lessons while Renn proudly showed off her new western outfit and the smoke hung over the ranch like a hazy summer blanket. ❤️

Smoke, Shelter Plans & A Very Full Costco Cart

The heat wave continues, with temperatures expected to hit 30 degrees once again. The difference today? Smoke. Lots of it.

I headed out shortly after 8 to toss hay to Roo and Hank, who had just woken up from his morning nap. Back inside, Wednesday's blog was finished and Tuesday's was finally published. 

With the coolest part of the day still ahead of us, it was time to get moving. I hand-watered planters and pots while S put the Fireball back in the garage. Once it was safely tucked away, I put all the furniture back in place and gave the garage a good sweep on that side.

The round pen was next on the list. After a bit of poop picking and enlisting Harley's "help," Hank was caught and moved over to the east paddock for some grazing and visiting time with Miss Mac. 

Meanwhile, S finally installed the hot tub control panel after months of using only his phone. It's funny the little projects that sit on the list for months before finally getting checked off.

I spent a little time giving my childhood Mexican saddle some much-needed hydration with my beeswax hemp oil butta while S worked on organizing volunteer information and passes.

The guest room also received some attention today. Mom's beloved flannel sheets were swapped out for cotton ones in this warmer weather. 

Before long, we were off to town. First stop: UFA, where we purchased the new horse shelter that will hopefully be delivered next week. No more shop door kept open nor chance of Roo getting into the barn area and equipment. Hank will be joining her in the diet pen.

An iced coffee was mandatory before heading to Costco.

S spent much of the drive entertaining himself by trying every button on the steering wheel—a luxury that comes with a longer trip. There was a light mist falling when we arrived and again when we left, although it was more of a dust attractant to our car.

Naturally, we left Costco with a full cart.

Somehow, among the groceries and necessities, a paddle board found its way in. I asked S if he planned to fill the pit with water.

trying a new ambient lighting color in my car.. yep you guessed it!

Back at home, after unloading groceries, we enjoyed one of my favourite easy suppers: rotisserie chicken and salad.

Then it was right back to work.

Another bed was stripped and fresh linens put on while the garage received even more attention. There was sweeping, laundry, and general tidying while S took both the car and truck to fuel up and give them a rinse on the parched lawn. Hand weeding, poop wagons emptied and things put back away rounded out more hot dusty smoky annoying mosquito chores.

Outside, the bugs were relentless. Poor Miss Mac spent much of the evening exercising herself around the paddock trying to escape them. Hank's dusty round pen seemed considerably more appealing by comparison. I offered to move her, but she declined the invitation.

As the evening wore on, the smoke seemed to thicken. B had worked a day shift so she could play baseball in the evening and stopped by around 9:30 to feed horses. Impressively, she caught Mac in under three minutes tonight—a far cry from where we started. I suspect Mac was more than ready to return to the bug-free dust bowl and her little friend Hank.

We settled in to watch Mile One, Chapter One with yogurt bowls in hand before attempting the second movie in the series. This time, however, I was the one who couldn't make it through.

I called it a day before the movie did.

Looking back, today felt like one of those classic summer days—heat, smoke, Costco, and a seemingly endless list of chores. But tucked in among the laundry and grocery bags were a few milestones too: a horse shelter ordered for the barn paddock, a hot tub panel finally installed, and Mac continuing to trust us a little more each day. And somewhere in Alberta tonight, there's a brand-new paddle board waiting for a body of water. ❤️

Cookies, Curious Ponies & Holes in the Hay Bag

I looked out this morning to find the littles laying down enjoying a morning nap. After my coffee and they had rousted, I attempted to catch Mac, but juggling a bucket of cookies and a lead rope proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I decided to leave well enough alone and tossed both her and Hank some hay instead.

As I was cleaning the pen yet another bucket full  of poop, I heard a kerfuffle coming from the shop.

There was Roo, happily rooting through all of the clean buckets and containers stored under the stairs. Apparently that wasn't enough excitement for one morning as she'd also helped herself to a large bale S had tucked away in the shop. She was promptly escorted back to her pen, supplied with hay, and the shop door was firmly shut behind her.

With temperatures forecast to reach 30 degrees, it was time for some yardening before the heat settled in. I spent the morning removing suckers from the bases of the trees and doing some pruning while S tackled mowing duties. Despite the minuscule recent rain, things are drying out incredibly quickly again.

At one point, while refueling the mower, S lost the gas cap. The search was unsuccessful, but at least the littles benefited as I picked them a nice pile of fresh grass while searching out for it. (He did find it later not quite in that area :)

After a quick soup lunch, we were back at it. B arrived to feed horses and turn Roo out with the herd while S filled the far trough. I hauled water for the round pen and we set up a tub in east paddock. Once chores were finished, B caught Miss Mac in about 15 minutes today and moved her into the east paddock. Hank who was caught with cookies and taken out while Mac was caught was taken over as well. 

The afternoon's project involved mowing beneath the evergreens—a two-person operation requiring one person to hold the branches up with a rake while the other maneuvers the mower underneath. It's a bit of a dance, but it certainly tidies things up.

Eventually it was time to move Hank back to his dry round pen after an hour or so of lush eating.

While filling the slow feeder bag for him, I discovered why the littles had polished it off so quickly yesterday. It turns out they weren't simply enthusiastic eaters—they had chewed a hole in the bottom! Mystery solved. Roo was also rounded up and returned to her diet pen for the evening.

Shaina took this cute picture the day they arrived, and the round pen had grass :)

By then it was 30 degrees outside, and after a full day of hard dusty work, showers were definitely in order.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the air conditioning. I squeezed in a workout while S enjoyed a nap before getting ready for his rodeo meeting at 6:30. I finished Tuesday's blog, loaded photos and videos, did my usual horse feed and checks, had a fresh pea feed in the garden and settled in to watch a little Elle.

S got home from the rodeo meeting and social time before 11 p.m., just as I was finishing an episode. He ate a burger and went to bed. 

Looking back, today was full of the usual ranch shenanigans—Roo's shop adventures, Mac continuing to test our patience, and two clever little rescues teaching us that slow feeder bags are apparently no match for determined ponies. These are the kinds of details that probably won't seem important tomorrow, but I have a feeling future me will be glad I wrote them down.

Mac accepted a halter on Day 5

Bing bong. Eyes open. A quick look at the clock confirmed it was 7 a.m.—of course it was. Time for coffee.

By 8:30, I had tossed hay to Roo, put a little in for Mac in case Shaina wanted to try some food motivation, and settled Hank into his stall with hay. Back inside, S was on Big Brown with his coffee while Matt tackled calls and work.

About an hour later, I made a coffee for Shaina which she took out to spend some quiet time with her filly. 

The morning was filled with watering planters ahead of another heat wave, finishing up chores, and enjoying a late brunch of scrambled eggs and beans courtesy of Shaina. Somewhere in there, I also received my whopping $100 Alberta energy rebate!

B arrived around noon (she is on evenings this week) just as Shaina and Matt headed to town for horse cookies. While B fed horses, I took Hank out for some grass and then the biggest event of the day unfolded.

Mac was haltered.

After five days in the round pen, with directed movement, scratches, and encouragement from B, Mac finally accepted a halter for the first time since arriving at the ranch. Once Shaina returned and gave the okay, on it went. Shortly afterward, B walked out of the round pen and passed her to Shaina who brushed her just a bit before taking into the east paddock with me taking Hank to enjoy some lush forage.

It felt like a pretty big milestone, maybe she did learn something at the trainer they said she was sent to after all. Or maybe she learned to respect the person catching her.

The Boysis family spent the day at Calaway park!

S and I headed to a meeting in the afternoon. Shaina moved horses and topped up water before she and Matt headed home. By the time we returned, we'd missed them by only a few minutes.

The rest of the day settled into its usual rhythm. Roo went back to her diet pen, the robot vacuum did its rounds, and S continued researching shelters for the littles. We also introduced Hank and Mac to a slow feeder hay bag. Whether they'd ever seen one before is anyone's guess, but they figured it out quickly—so quickly, in fact, that it was empty within two hours.

Before long, a young fellow stopped by to discuss shelter ideas and provide us with a quote. It seems every day brings another project around here.

The evening ended quietly. I tossed horses more hay. A hot tub soak in the 26 degree sunshine before I deadheaded the last of the peonies and discovered the first six pea pods of the season. Later, I finished Sunday's blog and we watched a silly comedy movie before attempting another series : The Hawk— unsurprisingly, S nodded off. :)

NOTE- 

I am trying to condense the blog to keep it more engaging for those reading. My blog is not a traditional blog and more as a modern-day ranch journal. Fifty years ago, ranch wives kept notebooks full of weather, visitors, births, losses, and daily happenings. I am just doing it digitally with photos and videos but know I get too detailed at times. <3