WOULD SHE HURRY UP ALREADY!

I just came in from checking a very pregnant cow for the hundredth time. She is totally oblivious to why she's getting so much attention these days - just stands there, chewing her cud, like there's nothing going in.

She's right of course, there is nothing going on. I'm sure she'll know when that calf is about to make an appearance - that's when she'll mosey off to the far end of the pasture for a little privacy. She's been doing this calving thing for years and isn't worried in the least. She doesn't watch the Weather Channel. She is unaware that the Arctic lost it's hold on the top of the map and is sliding down into the States, freezing solid everything in its path. If we aren't there to make sure that Momma and Baby aren't safe in the barn, we'll be calling the little guy Popcicle Pete - or even worse. Losing a calf is not the way we want to start out the new year.

We humans can merely watch for signs of imminent birth (and they are all there) and try to keep her under surveilance - especially when it's forty below zero. Morning, noon, and night - even a midnight stroll for Glen on the coldest night and still she just stands there, chewing her cud! There are some who believe that cows and horses can actually stall their labours for a day or two if conditions are very bad. I don't know if that's true, but this cow has managed to miss the bitterly cold temperatures now, and whether she had anything to do with it, or not, we're glad we didn't have to deal with a frozen calf last week.

I took a few days off this week to stay home and enjoy the grandchildren. Our son, Wayne, was on break from University so he and Jacqui packed the family up and headed for the farm for a few days. They have a three year old girl and twin boys at eight months old so it's been a busy place since Wednesday. They left this morning when the boys were ready for their nap so that they could cover some miles in peace and quiet. One of the little guys doesn't mind sitting still and playing, but the other one is on a mission to conquer the world before he's two.

We are again a billet family for the Katimavik program. This time we have Caro, a girl from Quebec. She is very much into experiencing the diverse cultures within Canada; very inquisitive and quick to understand what we tell her. She says that she didn't have much English when she started out in October, but you'd never guess it. After dinner today we drove over to where Glen is building an oilwell site and he gave her a short ride on the CAT. Those will be pictures she can brag about! We also went out and took some photos with her and the cattle and horses to help her remember her stay at a Saskatchewan farm. I don't know if all the billet families can say the same, but we've sure enjoyed our temporary teenagers every time.

I think we're going to try to catch the next Olympic hockey game. We haven't seen either game where the Swiss have beat Canada or when Sweden beat the USA, maybe it's time to pay close attention to what the Europeans are doing right and the North Americans are doing wrong.