A Cleaning Binge, Garden Harvest & More Ancestry Additions

I was awake before 8 and got busy with my brain puzzles, while S slept in until after 9. He was slow getting himself organized for church today, enjoying his coffee and a phone peruse first. The sun was shining brightly, making it a great day to get some laundry going and tackle the floors. Friday’s skeet shooting blog post went live, too.

S was back from town before noon with a tea and muffin before settling in with Big Brown to catch up on his phone. I took advantage of the quiet time to clean out a cupboard, and once I got started, the cleaning bug really took hold! S headed back into town to watch Archer’s hockey game while I braved the wind outside to pull all the beets and get them ready for storage. A fellow was at the pit dumping dirt, and I pulled some carrots while I was out there, too.

Back inside, the cleaning continued. I squeezed in my workout before B arrived shortly before 3. She got busy washing blankets, putting away the tack from yesterday’s trail ride and harrowing the middle paddock.

S was home from the hockey game before 3:30, grabbed a beer and headed off to the sports room while I folded laundry. With the household jobs mostly behind me, I wandered down another rabbit hole—this time, ancestry!

I’d received a reply from a relative who used to correspond with my Grandma Walker about the family trees. That was an exciting little connection to uncover, and it sent me digging through my own family tree to update information and see what else I could find.

B headed home at 5:30, but I carried on with the genealogy work for a while longer. Eventually, I switched gears and watched some Leanne, worked on a few more brain puzzles and settled in with a book.

S, the sports buff, finally called it a day at 11:30, but I was still reading and carried on for another hour before turning out the light.

Between the garden harvest, a good cleaning binge and a promising family-history connection, it was a productive day. Those ancestry discoveries are dangerous for bedtime, though—there’s always one more branch to follow!

A Mountain Trail Ride, Windy Roads & a Cliffhanger Ending

I woke a few times during the night and was up for the day at 7, excited for our big trail ride. B had said she’d be here at 8 today, so I was ready to roll. I started the daily brain puzzle with a coffee while waiting for her to arrive.

Meanwhile in Bali :)

After 8, I woke S and got myself ready, tossing a few snacks into a bag for the ride. I soaked the beet pulp for later and prepared Harley’s food before heading outside. B arrived before 8:30 and we got busy catching the horses.

Three were easy, but one was not! Beibs put on a ton of steps before he finally turned toward me and allowed himself to be caught. Meanwhile, S hooked up the horse trailer and checked the tires. We were planning to leave by 9, and soon enough we were pulling out. That’s when I asked if S had packed the drinks—and remembered my phone was still on the charger! (who would take photos of the ride?) We looped back to grab both before finally getting on our way to Grey Jay Campground near Rafter 6 Ranch.

About half an hour into the drive, we hit the wind that had been forecast. At least we knew what we were in for!

We weren’t the last to arrive, pulling in at 10:45, although we did have to park a ways down the road. It worked out just fine. Allyson, one of Britt’s coworkers, met us there to ride Jimmy, while Kaylin had a previously planned market with a friend and missed her chance to join us.

We unloaded the horses, got everyone tacked up and soon joined the other Moore’s workers and friends. There were ten others riding with us, making it a good-sized group for our adventure.

We enjoyed a ride of just under two and a half hours, covering about 11 km through the mountains. The skies were dark to the west, and between occasional sunshine, a few sprinkles of rain and some wind, we had a little of everything. Still, everyone enjoyed the adventure, and it was wonderful to be back out riding in the mountains with a group.

I took a group photo of the Moore's workers but S wanted to be part as well it seems

Once we returned to our trailer, we untacked, groomed the horses and enjoyed a cold drink and some snacks. Sandy G drove over to join us while the horses grazed nearby. By 3, it was time to load up, say our goodbyes and head home.

Thankfully, the crazy wind was behind us for most of the drive, practically pushing us along. The final 5 km on Highway 817 toward home was another story, though, with a nasty side wind trying to shove us around. 

We let the horses out at the winter gate before pulling up to the house. Harley was ready for her 4:30 supper, while B got busy feeding the ponies. S settled onto the couch with hockey and his brain puzzle, and I started setting up a replacement robot vacuum.

Of course, the ranch had one more job waiting for us. B was having trouble getting Hank to eat his beet pulp because he knew his pill was in there. I put on my jacket, caught him, and we changed tactics. Instead of trying to disguise the medication in his feed, B put the pill directly into his cheek, just as I used to do with the geldings. Hopefully, that will make things easier from now on! All the horses got to stay out in the winter pasture overnight!

B finished her horse chores and headed home after 5. I continued setting up the replacement robot, but an Amazon parcel arrived and, wouldn't you know it, it wasn't mine! Someone else will be wondering where their package has gone. LOL.

Then, just like that, the wind stopped—as forecast! Too bad it couldn't have happened a few hours earlier.

I moved to our bed as the sun began to set and started writing today's blog, enjoying my first rum and eggnog of the season. After his sports viewing, S headed out for a hot tub, and later we finally finished the season of Widow's Bay. Naturally, it left us hanging on a cliffhanger!

We both tackled our brain puzzles one last time before calling it a day. It was a full one, with mountain scenery, good company, a few weather challenges and plenty of horse wrangling. The best part was getting everyone home safely after another memorable trail ride.

Skeet Shooting, Pizza & a Shooting Star Before

Our new usual start to the day: I was awake first, working on my brain puzzle, followed by S waking up, making coffee and joining the puzzle challenge. I also ordered more coffee pods after a shower, as it seems we’re going through an awful lot of them!

3 years ago today

1 year ago today

With guests arriving after lunch, we got busy tidying the house and getting things ready. I headed out to move the horses back into the winter pasture. I led Switch to get things started, and the others knew exactly where I wanted them to go, so off they ran! S took the Ranger to open the gate and closed it again once everyone was through. Harley and I then walked across the field to let the chubbier ponies out.

Back inside, I tackled a bit of accounting and placed an Amazon order after S found the quad part he needed there. I finished yesterday’s blog post while he watched the news, and since it was Friday, I also got the plant care done.

Glen and Roxie arrived around 1:30, just as we were loading our tack into the horse trailer for tomorrow’s trail ride. We started our afternoon visit out on the deck, enjoying the sunshine, before the fellows set up the skeet-shooting area south of the shop.

It was warm 23 degrees and sheltered on that side of the shop, making it a good spot for shooting. Snacks and beverages aplenty. The downside was that the shots echoed off the metal, so earplugs were definitely required! Roxie and I eventually came inside while the fellows carried on shooting. They tidied up afterward and joined us indoors for more snacks and visiting.

S and Glen made a run into town to pick up pizza for supper, and the conversation continued while we enjoyed our meal. It was a lovely, relaxed afternoon and evening with friends.

Mom was sending photos, above is Grandad Jack with Dad 4 months and Lorne Wells 1942 and below is Dad's 11th birthday 1953

 and 14th birthday 1956

B arrived at her usual time to feed the horses, but she was concerned because Hank was acting strangely. After Coles left at 8, I headed outside to help B catch him and give him a once-over. While we were out there, I spotted a very bright shooting star streaking across the sky—an unexpected little bonus during our horse check.

Thankfully, Hank ate some hay, and B suspected he might have tasted his pill in his bucket and then decided he wasn’t interested in eating any more. Hopefully, that was all it was. Once we were satisfied he seemed okay, I headed back inside and B went home after loading some tack for tomorrows trail ride.

S and I tried to finish the season of Widow’s Bay, but we only made it to the last 25 minutes before calling it a night.

Tomorrow we’re off on our trail ride, so hopefully the weather cooperates and the horses are ready for an adventure.

A Calm Morning, Winter Planters & a Spectacular Sunset

It was a beautiful morning, waking to full on sunshine, although the temperature was only 3°C. I worked on my brain puzzle until S woke up, made coffee and joined the puzzle challenge. Once I’d mastered it with my second cup, it was time to get Tuesday blog post published.

S took Harley for a walk to the winter gate to let the horses out, but as I watched him struggle to get them moving out of the winter pasture, I got dressed and headed over to help. Using Switch’s usual mane as a makeshift halter, I led the horses to the gate and out they went! S stayed behind to open the chubby ponies’ gate so they could graze in the winter pasture, and we met back at the house.

It was spectacular outside, with not a breath of wind and the temperature already up to 6°C. Those are the kind of mornings you wish would last all day!

I got busy pulling plants out of the planters and tossing them into the wagon while S worked on boosting the quad battery and ran the wagon out to the pit. He then got the battery charging while I hauled all the empty planters back under the deck for winter storage and did some tool weeding. Another little bit more of seasonal cleanup checked off the list.

We met back inside for lunch and then started planning a vacation to Costa Rica, old-school style! We searched for hotels and places to visit, using ChatGPT’s recommendations as a starting point. It was fun to explore the possibilities and see what might make a good trip.

Funs Snapchat filters - I sent Renn my princess costume

Unfortunately, the wind picked up in the middle of the afternoon—boo! The temperature only reached 11°C, and it had actually felt warmer in the morning with the sunshine and no wind.

B also let me know that Hank’s blood test results from yesterday, when they drew blood to test for Cushing’s disease, came back with his numbers off the chart. He’ll now be starting a daily pill, like Hawk and Pepper did. Poor little guy has certainly had his share of health issues lately, but at least we’re getting answers and can start treating this one too.

S needed a filter for the quad, so he loaded Harley up and we headed into town. I picked up a library book while we were there, and we swung through Tim’s for an iced capp and a treat for Harley. When the gal at the window saw her, she handed over three Timbits, saying she bet that wouldn’t be enough once the window was rolled down. 

Back at the ranch, I got back to blogging while S installed the new filter. Unfortunately, he discovered the air inlet boot was cracked in three places. So much for a quick fix! Now we need to track down those parts too.

I put the prime rib in for supper and headed out to lock up the chubbies. While I was outside, I picked some fresh carrots to go with the fresh tomatoes for our meal. Nothing like having a few homegrown goodies still available this late in the season.

As we sat down to eat, the sunset put on an absolutely spectacular show. The sky was ablaze with bold oranges and pinks—one of those sunsets that makes you stop and stare. Stunning!

B arrived around 7, and the sky was still glowing beautifully. After feeding the horses, she popped in for some leftover dumplings and a bun before heading home. I published the crazy vet day blog post finally catching up.

S and I finished the day with a hot tub soak, although that cold, stinky wind certainly took away some of the enjoyment. After a quick rinse, we settled in for three episodes of Widow’s Bay.

From winterizing the planters and sorting out horse health issues to dreaming about Costa Rica and watching that incredible sunset, it was a full day. And despite the wind trying to spoil things, we still managed to enjoy some lovely moments along the way.