Cool Mornings, Rodeo School & a Birthday Helmet

The open windows bring much colder air in the mornings. They also seem to amplify the annoying magpies raiding the apple trees and gardens while making their racket. Nothing like being woken up by a flock of feathered thieves!

S was up, made us coffee, ate some cereal and was out the door by 8:30, heading to the rodeo grounds—otherwise known as his second home. It’s rodeo school week, so I suspect I won’t be seeing much of him around here for the next little while.

I did the usual morning routine of blog posting, pet care and housekeeping while a beautiful day was getting underway. It really is amazing how much no wind and sunshine can change your energy and outlook. After all those blustery days, the calm felt wonderful.

My workout followed, then I got ready to meet Sharon and Coreena for C’s birthday lunch. I headed to town after 11, and Coreena and I had a good visit for over half an hour before I finally called Sharon, who had completely forgotten about our lunch! LOL. She made it over, and by 1:30 we wrapped things up and all headed our separate ways.

I did a grocery run before heading back to the ranch.

Once home, I was watering the tomatoes and planters when S arrived before 4. I dug potatoes and pulled onions for the Calgary kids and hosed everything off, getting their veggie load ready to box up.

Shaina and Matt arrived after 5:30 and brought S the right size hockey helmet for his birthday. He was pretty excited about it and immediately got it fitted to his noggin while enjoying a beer and visit with Shaina and Matt.

Then it was time to head out and catch Mac for her evening lessons and walk, with a very helpful Harley along for the adventure. Thanks for walking her too, guys!

Just a few girls relaxing in the sunshine

Fresh herbs and the picked veggies, darn scab, thankfully it is easily removed.

I had supper ready just after 7, with Britt joining us after her work day. After eating and more visiting, B headed out to feed, with Shaina going along to help before they caught Mac again. Jimmy was also brought into the barn, where B kindly did her front feet even though her back is still killing her from doing Hank’s feet a few weeks ago.

Matt found a little time during the golden hour to simply sit and watch the horses. There’s something about that time of day at the ranch that makes even a busy evening slow down for a moment.

B headed home first around 9, with S and M soon following with their load of vegetables. S headed for a hot tub soak while I watched some Surfer Girls, and then we wrapped up the evening with Lioness.

Only this time, I was the one who tucked out first.

After a day of sunshine, friends, family, horses, garden produce and plenty of visiting, I think I had earned it.

From Windy Drudgery to a Golden-Hour Evening

The wind blew through the night and right into today. Yuck. After my coffee, I finally published the last vacation blog—whew! That feels like a pretty big accomplishment after all those vacation days to catch up on. The ponies were released and cats and dog fed as per every morning.

grass cut always looks nice and the rain gave it some green again

S pressure-washed the Fireball and then his truck before putting the Fireball back up on the lift, while I tackled the drudgery laundry. Glamorous ranch life!

He came in for lunch before heading to town for a doctor’s appointment, hockey and his usual coffee klatch. I had a sandwich and then got busy in the garage, rearranging my furniture under the lift after sweeping the floors.

From there, I somehow wandered down an Ancestry rabbit hole after Vance had me share his login information. Many things needed updating, especially with new DNA connections and deaths. :( 

After 3:30, I loaded up Harley and off we went to see Murray, our horse chiropractor. He was kind enough to fit her in after hearing that the dog chiropractor had some issues that required a vet referral. A couple of adjustments later and we were on our way.

I stopped at McDonald’s so I could get a pineapple refresher, although that turned into more of an ordeal than expected. I had somehow been logged out of my app, then discovered I was out of phone storage, all while Sheldon happened to pop his head in the window because he was arriving to meet his hockey buddies for coffee. He continued inside while I battled with my phone, eventually gave up and headed home. Sometimes technology just isn't worth the aggravation!

I let Harley out at the gate and let her wander home while I made her supper, then picked some more zucchini for ours. Thankfully, by then the wind had finally settled into just a breeze. I gave Harley her Cartrophen shot too now that she was adjusted.

While Stella ate, I managed to cut quite a few mats out of her fur with the scissors. Not a pretty look but I bet it feels better. S was home after 5:30, and we soon got supper underway.

It was delicious—salmon on the BBQ with all the little zucchini I could find, onions and garden-fried potatoes. B popped in to enjoy some of the extra veggies before heading off to feed her herd.

And then, just like that, the day redeemed itself.

The evening had turned absolutely beautiful. The wind was gone, the sunshine was glorious and everything was bathed in that warm golden light that makes the ranch feel extra special. Sitting on the deck was completely tranquil after the blustery day we'd endured.

The hot tub came next as the sun continued its slow descent, followed by a shower and another couple episodes of Lioness.

A day that started with yucky wind, laundry and frustrating technology ended with garden supper, a calm deck, golden sunshine and a beautiful sunset. I'll take that ending any day.

Cake, Catch-Up & a Windy Birthday Visit

Happy cake day to my little (but taller) sister Amanda! Hope you have an amazing day filled with family, fun and lots of reasons to smile. ❤️

After coffee and S heading off to church, I settled into a morning of blog catch-up and accounting, with a couple of ranch breaks in between to feed the pets and let the horses out. I published Friday’s blog, finished up the last vacation day, and also completed yesterday’s medieval adventure. Slowly but surely, I’m getting caught up!

The day was overcast but horribly windy. Boo. The kind of wind that makes everything outside just a little more difficult.

I was finishing up my workout when S rolled in around 12:30 with Opa, which I had ordered after what turned out to be a lengthy after church visit. S ate his wrap watching baseball then hit the couch.

I spent the afternoon taking care of plants inside and out while S mowed the yard. Watering plants and digging in the garden with that wind felt like having a hairdryer blowing in my face, especially once the temperature climbed to 27°C. Not exactly ideal gardening weather!

B was out to ride and do her horse things, finishing up and heading home before supper. I had a roast beef sandwich while S took the Ranger out for a drive, then I settled back in with my new library book, tuning out the heavy winds.

I dug a couple of hills of potatoes and pulled some onions for the Paetz family, then cut a big sunflower bouquet for the birthday girl. Nothing says summer quite like a giant bunch of sunflowers!

S changed his clothes, had a sandwich and then we headed to town, stopping at the liquor store to pick up some refreshments before heading over to visit Amanda and the family for her birthday.

And of course, there was ice cream cake—which was delicious! Thanks! 🎂

We eventually headed home around 11, where I settled back in with my book for a little more reading before calling it a night. It was raining in town when we left but of course not at the ranch!

A windy day, but a good one. A little blog progress, some garden and ranch chores, homegrown vegetables shared with family, a birthday celebration and ice cream cake. Sometimes the simplest celebrations are the sweetest.

Knights, Jousting & an Unexpected Medieval Saturday

While having coffee this morning, S happened to notice a reminder that the Medieval Festival was happening in Strathmore today. Another last-minute, impromptu event! I quickly published our last full day of vacation blog, jumped in the shower, fed Harley and the cats, and we were out the door after 10:30, hoping to make it in time for the 11:15 jousting.

As we got closer to the rodeo grounds, it became pretty obvious that half this following was way bigger than we expected. Traffic was backed up to the lights and the line to get in was just as impressive. Eventually we parked way out in the boonies, walked all the way around and then down the long lineup to get to the end rather than going straight there. LOL. By then the line stretched down 817 about a quarter of the way down the high school football field.

It took more than half an hour to finally reach the gate, where the medieval experience really began. There were people in costume everywhere, and I would easily say 85% of the crowd was completely committed to the costume role-playing. It was quite the sight!

There were areas showing all sorts of medieval skills and activities—a stew being cooked over an open fire, metal being forged with bellows, a wooden boat with its sail, hand carving, sewing and all kinds of demonstrations. The marketplace was another whole adventure, with real swords, helmets, costumes, crystals and every sort of role-playing item imaginable.

We did manage to buy some very expensive coolers from a distillery we have bought from before. We probably should have asked the price first, because we bought eight bottles for $41! Oops. Apparently we were feeling medievally reckless.

The food truck lineups were about 50 people deep everywhere, so we decided food could wait and headed to the beer gardens for a cold drink instead. We sat in the grandstands and watched the armed skills demonstration before heading to the truck to meet Leonard and Ina for a late lunch at the Roadhouse.

 

 Full challenge video

The day had started out pleasantly cool at 20°C, but just as forecast, around 3 o’clock the sun came out and the temperature climbed to 28°C. Beauty!

We made our way back to the festival around 3:30 to get a seat for the 4:30 jousting performance. Good thing we went straight up to the grandstands instead of getting caught in one of those 30-deep beer lineups, because the stands were already almost full and people just kept coming. Before the show started, the “herald” even had everyone scooch over so they could squeeze more people in.

Then came the main event.

The knights came out in full armour and put on quite a show. Horses, armour, weapons and jousting—it was a pretty unique spectacle and worth the effort of getting there.

Once it ended, we picked up our coolers and made our way home. Chips and dip were had while we played a couple of games of crib, but S soon got hooked on the Jays game. I took advantage of the quiet time to work on today’s blog.

I was just taking Harley out for a much-needed walk when B arrived. She headed out to ride Roo in the dimming golden hour while I continued my never-ending battle with the weeds, pulling away at them one small chunk at a time. As I keep reminding myself, you eat an elephant one bite at a time!

Once back inside, we started Lioness again while B finished her ride, fed up and headed home. We made it through a couple of episodes before S was out.

I started a new surf-girl series instead, enjoying the tropical views and a little armchair escape before calling it a night.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday that wasn't even on the agenda when we woke up. One minute we were having coffee, and the next we were dodging traffic, watching knights joust and wandering through a medieval village. Sometimes days you jut have to try something unexpected.