It's been a rainy cool day today. Not that we're complaining, it was good to have some moisture, things were getting pretty darned dry out there. I think the rain gauge is showing three quarters of an inch since it started (with a lot of noise and light) at about 2:30 last night. There was even five minutes of hail to start the whole thing off - I got up to see how big the stones were and decided that the planters on the deck were going to stay there. I wasn't interested in being peppered with marbles falling from goodness knows what height. As it was, the hail ended and the rain took over about the time I had made up my mind that the plants were on their own.

This morning Jesse came up from Moosomin for her day off to help her dad with the cattle. Nothing makes them happier than a farm day together. They also rounded out their crew with Sandy and a friend/neighbour, Jenn. I should have really taken a picture of them when they came in at the end of the day ... four muddy, dripping drowned rats. If it wasn't a steady drizzle it outright rained all day long. While this is great news for pastures, the humans could have handled a little sunshine in their lives as the day wore on.

First they had to bring all the cattle in from where they were grazing about a mile away and get them into some improvised sorting pens. That took until dinner was on the table. Then they sat over their tea while Glen went through his records to make a list up of the cows that had to go in a separate pasture from where their sire (the bull that fathered them) was going to be this summer. That done, they went back out and fine-tuned the sort even further and then did a double check to make sure that the mamas and babies were all together in the same herd breakdown before they pushed them out the gate and up to summer pasture on 21. As they had all the vehicles already manned for that trip I stayed home and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for when they got back to the yard. After lunch they went back out and finished up the chores and got the bulls back where they belong. I'm pretty sure that those big boys thought they were getting to go along with the cows this trip, but that would have meant that we would be having calves way too early next spring. We much prefer late spring temperatures and conditions for the newborns, so the bulls are just going to have to cool their heels for a little longer yet.

My vegetable garden is all planted now - the last of the potatoes went in yesterday morning, and then I cut grass (well, mostly dandelions) all the rest of the day. I was glad I got it all done before it rained. It sure looks nice when it's all done at the same time. There's a lot to do - the immediate house yard is probably as big as three city lots and the front yard, including garden, is at least as big as a baseball field - with a large outfield. I do the biggest part with a riding mower, but the part up around the house has fruit trees and evergreens to work around so there's lots to push mow as well. I'm not complaining - the exercise is good for me.

This week we're off to Winnipeg to see the kids and take in Wayne's convocation from the University of Manitoba. We're also going to be looking into the housing market as both girls are enrolled there this fall and need a place to live. Mitchell, our youngest, is also interested in schooling in Winnipeg, at Red River College, but will probably have to wait another year to be able to get in to what he wants. At the moment he's working on the crew that is building #1 Highway the last piece through eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba.

This coming weekend the town of Redvers is hosting the Relay For Life Cancer fundraiser and I'm on one of the local teams. I'm afraid I haven't been the most active member as I was away when they did their major fundraising project, but I'll be there with my sponsorships and I'm looking forward to the all-through-the-night walk. Hope it's got this rain out of its system by then!

Getting Back To Normal

Well, I'm home again from my jaunt to Merry Olde England. It was a lovely holiday and visit with my aunt Helen who has lived there since the '50's. Sandy and I had two weeks to soak up some history, take in the beauty of gardens and trees in blossom everywhere, and linger over good food and glasses of wine with Helen's friend Ron, and her in-laws, Richard and Sarah. In retrospect it was a very pampered two weeks - especially when I think of all the work there was to do when I returned to the real world!

The trip over didn't seem like such a marathon ( I guess I was probably pretty fresh and rested) but the return trip seemed to take forever. No matter how good a time you are having on a trip like that, there comes a time when you subconsciously turn a corner in your mind. For months you've anticipated the trip, and then you have actually experienced the travel and adventure, but, with a few days left to go, all of a sudden you find yourself focussing on going back home. At least I do. Whoever said "the best part of going away is coming back home" was absolutely correct. Mind you, if you never travelled, you would never know this.

Glen was gone to an auction sale when I arrived back at the farm so I had the place all to myself for a while. He's not the overly romantic type, but there was a big basket of flowers waiting for me with a card that said "There are too many chairs at the table, the house is too empty, the bed is too big." I was away for two weeks six years ago but he still had Mitchell and Jesse at home at the time - this time I think he really missed me. Maybe next time he'll come with me. Mind you, I have no desire to leave home again for a while so the old home-body is safe for the time being.

The rest of my week has been very busy. I unpacked and did laundry for what seemed like forever and tried to get my days and nights straightened out again. Wednesday night I finally slept all the way through - instead of waking up when the sun is rising on the British Iles. I had taken Monday off to try to make this adjustment and then Tuesday and Wednesday I was off to a two day meeting for Canada Post in Estevan - about 100 miles away. I'm pretty sure I looked like a space cadet for most of the first day, but slowly my brain kicked back into gear. Finally, on Thursday and Friday I went back to real work. Next week should be pretty darned close to normal.

Glen is working on his airseeder. We traded our 4 wheel drive tractor last year; there was just no way we needed that kind of horse power, so we now have something more suitable for the baler and our smaller pull-type combine, but the seeder had to be cut down to less feet of cultivator. It was a simple enough operation to take the wings off, but he's busy now getting the calibrations right for the new width. As we plan to only plant around 200 acres this spring there is no panic to get crop in. Most of the neighbours have reached their half-way mark.

Glen has put the main herd out on the land for now. One field had a lot of volunteer rye grass come up this spring so it only made sense for the cows to enjoy the green grass while he worked on the seeder. He kept in the heifers and a few other cows he was worried about but the rest are enjoying the change in their diet. He checks them every night to make sure everything is going okay. There are a lot of coyotes out there so he's been keeping a watch for them getting too as well. They wouldn't go after an adult animal, but those newborn calves are another story.

I've just spent the better part of two days mowing the lawn. When the job is done it looks lovely out there, but I wonder if we really need that much yard anymore? It's not like I have a couple of kids around the place to draft into the job like I used to. Glen threatens to make half of it (or more) into a calf pasture - I suppose it may have to come to that someday.