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!