All In A Day's Work

A female Pine Grosbeak hit the patio door this morning.
Martha wanted out there in the worst way. Go figure.
And my little Athena is saving the world...
one bird at a time.

Beginnings

I have wanted to live it the country for as long as I can remember. In fact, I remember when the thought solidified itself in my mind. I think I was 11 or 12 year old. My family was invited to someones house for dinner. It was on an acreage in the middle of a lot of trees and bush. I remember that it was a log home. I remember the fire in the fireplace. I remember trying snowshoeing for the very first time there.

I don't know who the people were or where this place was located. I do know that it was in Alberta somewhere. What I remember, crystal clear, was the feeling I had when I was there. I hoped some day that I could live in a place such as that. Mom, Dad, can you help me out? Who were these folk and where did they live?

After Paul and I got married and after we had three children in very close succession, I began to feel the twinge again. I wanted to live in the country but I would settle for a small town. We spent countless hours driving with Realtors to find just the right place.
Some places were downright scary. Girls, remember Corrine? With the old man sleeping in the rocker? Yikes. I don't know if it was fear or finances or what, but we remained firmly planted in the city. So what did I do? I decorated my house like a farm house. Geese and the whole bit. :)

When Paul got a new job and we had to move to another city we found a home in a relatively small town about 10 minutes away. Now this was better. Only 4000 people and since we were near the outskirts of the town we could hear coyotes howl at night and could often see the Northern Lights. Girls, remember the first time Dad showed them to us? We were all standing in awe on the front lawn. I will never forget.

After the girls moved out, another job took just the two of us on an adventure of a lifetime, or so we thought. We moved to Peace River, Alberta. We rented the last house on the edge of town overlooking the Mighty Peace River. Deer bedded down in our yard. Just outside our property edge was a sign nailed to a tree that read: Warning: Bear in Area. Oh yes, I was almost home. We hiked the side of the "mountain" every Sunday. We bought a salt lick from Peavy Mart and put it in the unfenced yard. No need for compost as I just ran it out for the deer each night. It was a quiet nature filled life. I still remember the chill that ran up my spine when I heard a wolf pack howling to each other and how it echoed across the river. It remains one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Granddaughters and a job recruiter brought us back to Saskatchewan. Having lived "up north" near the wilderness gave us a taste of the life we wanted so moving back to the city was not on our list of places we wanted to be. After much looking, by Paul, he found us the house we currently live in. It is in a small town of about 900 people and we are steps from the countryside and a short drive from a lovely Provincial Park. The downside is it is on a busy busy highway which connects Saskatoon to Calgary.

And now, we are faced with another move. Hopefully it will be our last. We are going to make this one count. We are looking for a place with trees as far as the eye can see. A place where we can have a huge garden, a few chickens and maybe a goat too. We would like to use solar panels, wind turbines and woodstove heat. And so our quest begins...

(all pictures from google images, but the landscape one really is Peace River.)

Cats and Dogs

 

This is the cat.

Martha is 5 months old.

She is sweet and cuddly and she sheds.

A lot.

Well, maybe not a lot but enough for

you to know she was on your lap.

She is also kind of a brat.

And she is mischievous.

 

 

 

This is the dog.

Nahla, too, is sweet.

She loves affection and long walks.

She cries when we leave her behind.

Very loudly.

She does not shed, thankfully,

and is easy to keep clean.

She is also incredibly stubborn.

 

 

Most of the time, Martha can be found

doing this.

 

And most of the time,

Nahla can be found doing this.

 

 

But then there is the time in between.

And this is what occurs.

 

 

 

They like to play with each other.

Until Martha's little head

finds its way into

Nahla's big mouth.

And then... it is not so fun anymore.

 

 

One day Nahla had her cousin

Cash over to play.

And play they did.

All day long.

It was a great day...

for them.

 

This is what Martha

thought of the whole thing.

 

I didn't know she could puff up so much!

 

 

The best times are few and far between,

but they are when this happens.

 

They are finding their way.

Slowly but surely.

 

They both let me know when dinner time

rolls around. The meet me in the kitchen

and sit, side by side, and wait.

 

They eat their dinners...

and the chase is on again.

 

 

Some day it will be calm around here again.

Fingers crossed.

 

In Nahla's defence,

she was bred to chase raccoons,

and having a kitten with a tail like this...

 









 must be a bit difficult. No?



Long Weekending

I just love long weekends. Don't you? They seem to be filled with all kinds of wonderful. We make time to do the fun stuff and the things we have been putting off or just not getting around to doing. We slow down and we just "are". No schedule, no time frames. Long weekends are just like a big exhale.

We have the space for our individual interests.

We play and have fun.

 

And of course, there is food.

 This is what Paul and Athena ate.

 And since I don't eat pork chops,

I make tofu for myself.

These out breaths, or maybe these deep inhales are so refreshing to the spirit. They let you know what is really important.

Unexpected Gift

A box arrived in the mail just

the other day.

It was addressed to Athena.

 

 

When she opened the box,

she was surprised to find

some horses and some

handmade fencing.

 

 

She knew them all by name.

Black Beauty.

Ginger.

Dutchess.

Merrylegs.

A blogging friend of mine

sent them to Athena.

They were hers when she was you.

Her Grandfather had made the fences for her.

Since this sweet woman is

"childless by choice",

she chose to send them to my little one.

And my little one couldn't be happier!

 

 



 

And this blogging friend of mine

said :

 I know my Grampa is smiling, seeing another little girl playing with the fences he made.

 

I'll bet he is.

Thank you so much Jayme.