trying a new blog

even after deleting some photos I am out of space to trying to start a new blog and update the ranch progress for another year. lets try this new one

http://crazyone30.blogspot.ca

let me know if it does not work for you to link here and subscribe to this one for updates :-)

390 - Britt leaves for Eastern Canada

Day 390 started very early, I was up at 3:30 to see Britt off on her Eastern Canada trip and she was already to go. Rhonda and Hannah arrived at 3:45 and off they went. Britt is lucky enough to have Rhonda as her parent chaperone and in a group with her friends so is bound to have a safe and fun trip. hard to believe 6 years ago, 14 year old Kaylin made the maiden voyage across Canada and then 3 years ago Shaina went. Someday I hope to get there but not with 80 grade 9'ers and sleeping on gym floors :-)

I had a hard time falling back asleep but finally managed to after 5:30 but was up by 9 and ready to get to work. So much to do with only 1 week left till graduation. I organized the spare room and washed all bedding and pillows. I even ironed!! It has been ages and took lots of time but items looked very nice once done. I wrapped grad gifts and mothers day gifts that have been waiting to be delivered :-)

Sheldon unloaded the load of bricks he brought home yesterday then grabbed some lunch before heading to town to grab treated lumber to start the front planters. Back home he got started on the back wall.

Watered my garden with the catch rain water and pump system for the first time.

 

 I have radish seeds sprouting!! 5 days!

Shaina arrived home finally at 3:20 and spent next 4 hours scooping manure. Sheldon went and helped her for last 2 hours. I changed out all Sheldon's hangers so the new closet is all wood hangers. I made macaroni salad and baby potato salad for supper and finally at 8 we ate enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on the new barbeque. Britt text she arrived safe and was tuckered after so much walking seeing St Catherine Lock and Niagara falls already.

After supper, Sheldon went out to continue on the back wall of planter, Shaina cleaned bathrooms while I updated the blog and captured my garden plan to date.

She then rode her horse at 9:30 as I did dishes and continued to tidy for next w/e.After a hot bath, I passed the tub to Sheldon and watched "I'll have another" win the Preakness stakes, this made me finally watch the Kentucky derby he recently won . What a race, he ran in 7th for most then took it in the end! He is now in the running to win the triple crown if he can secure the Belmont stakes in 3 weeks! And the kicker this colt is Canadian owned and has a Canadian jockey!

389 - flex friday fun

Day 389 was a overcast day with occasional bouts of sun. The house slept in of course since no school or work for any of us. Sheldon and I were up at 10 preparing for the day while the girls were lucky to be up by 11:30.

flowers for Shaina's grad, so pretty mini roses

Shaina headed out to scoop manure from the skinny pen and Britt joined soon after. Sheldon loaded up the old freezer for horse waterer and the old "free moldy" fridge along with the cardboard and trash and was off to the dump then brought a load of gravel for the front planters home.

Around 12:30 Brandon came out and brought me a chai tea... bonus points for the young lad :-) Shaina made grilled cheese for her, Brandon and her Dad while Britt made her own earlier. Then they headed out and finished scooping the skinny pen. It sure looks much nicer.

At 1 Sheldon headed to Airdrie to Cam Clark to get a long awaited credit on an overcharge (they cannot do without the actual card.. is this 2012?) then to expocrete to get the last load of landscape bricks. At the ranch I finished planting the raised garden beds. Matt stopped to borrow the skid steer for a couple hours then it was back for the girls to fill in the pasture with Britt at the helm.

At 3 Shaina headed to work and Brandon home. Britt was finishing packing for the trip. She leaves at 4 am tomorrow morning!

Sheldon arrived home around 4 with the bricks and after a refreshing drink finished putting the barbeque together after I helped him put up on the deck.

 the old one

 assembly of new

 and the new assembled, Happy early Father's day Shel!

then it was time to wash bid D after another roll in the fresh horse poop! I whomped up supper during this time creating creamed chicken, pasta, Shaina's famous cauliflower and roast sweet potatoes while updating the blog.

After supper I went out and raked horse manure from various places and cleaned up the shards of my bird bath the horses trashed in the winter. After a nap, Sheldon hauled a couple loads of manure to the pit and returned with some top soil to fill the low area by the road at the house. Matt stopped to fill the skid steer with gas and a quick visit.

Shaina worked till 9 then had a scavenger hunt grad party and stayed in town at Kaylin's overnight. Britt was not feeling well so drugged her up and sent her to bed at 10 for her early morning trip.

388 May 17 new barbque

Day 388 awoke to rain but it petered out fairly soon. The day was occasional sun and clouds with little precipitation. I dropped Britt a school and headed to work for the morning.

At noon it was errand time again but one errand included buying a new barbeque!!

I stopped for mail and turned around back to town to meet Shaina to get gas since she had 4 litres left so did a few more errands. I arrived home at 1:40 and got busy cleaning.

I organized Kaylin's new closet Sheldon finished last night and changed the sheets on the bed adding a bed skirt in preparation for grad guests.

 

The girls arrived home from school and got busy cleaning up manure from the fields while I vacuumed the main floor. Then Shaina tacked up my horse and the 3 of us went for an hour ride each ponying another horse. Impressive when we were 6 horses astride in some areas loping at once. Once back from the ride, Shaina and I trimmed baby's feet while Britt booked it to the house :-(

 

Sheldon made it his mission to unload the landscape blocks but found the pallets were too heavy for Gerti so he had to hand bomb the top layer off first. Then he moved them all off and sorted them around the house.

I came in and made supper finally at 7:30 but we did not eat until 8:30 since someone froze the burgers unannounced to me.. Sheldon! :-) But it sure was delicious once we ate, sweet potato fries, hamburgers with all the fixings and asparagus.

After supper the girls went back out to scoop manure and Sheldon started to assemble the barbeque while I updated the blog! Later in the evening Britt continued to pack for her trip and Shannon came for a sleepover.

387 - expocrete blocks trip & more plants

Day 387 was another great weather day hitting highs of 24. The girls headed off to school and I followed close behind to work. At lunch I ran a few errands before meeting Sheldon at the ranch around 1 and we were off to Balzac to pickup a load of planter blocks from Expocrete.

It took awhile as we did the order in a color Sheldon liked and then redid it after seeing en mass and going with a softer desert buff color, I liked better :-) We loaded 5 bundles which was 360 blocks equaling 16500 pounds of weight!

 look at my new pillows :-) yes!

A quick stop at Costco for food and more plants and we were off home arriving at 5:40 pm. Britt had been packing for her trip to Eastern Canada which leaves Saturday am and Shaina is working till 9.

 gorgeous dahlia and below 2 blueberries, one a new hybrid called pink lemonade blueberry!

Britt made homemade coleslaw, Sheldon cooked up some steaks and I created a sauteed veggie/quinoa dish for supper. At 7 pm a huge dust/wind storm blew in. After the main part blew thru I went to check the horses and the mineral tub I saw they had pulled off the wall.

Back in the house Sheldon finished Kaylin's closet installation after watching the hockey game. I sorted papers on my desk and did accounting. Later it was shower and reading time. Sheldon tried his new reading glasses :-) (He is reading the Hunger Games)

386 - last 4-H riding lesson

Day 386 started overcast but ended up a plus 27 scorcher. I dropped Britt at school and picked up Tim's for the girls at work. For lunch break we walked up town but my wedge sandals caused grief with my healing knee so at 2 I left work.

A quick stop at a ladies place to grab old blinds (which I plant to use for plant markers) and then at No Frills to buy some bedding plants for the front door pots. I also did a quick stop at Cnd Tire to see if new plants in but no luck so had them order the 12 more spirea I need.

Back at the ranch around 2:30 I potted up my new mothers day planters and watered my garden.

The girls arrived home after school and Britt promptly had a nap until I finally woke her up at 6:10. It was a quick pizza supper. Shannon came over and the girls loaded horses and I hauled them into the last 4-H lesson of the year.

At the ranch, Sheldon finished the irrigation water line after his nap and graded the road

385 - May 14 planting day

Day 385 was a lovely day. I had a disrupted sleep and at 4 when letting Coco out I heard strange horse sounds so donning a flannel coat and duck shoes I grabbed a flashlight and trudged thru the darkness. I did not find any wounded horses thankfully and it can only be the 2 fellows fighting that caused the noise. It was then an early rise getting the girls off to school and me out planting. At 11 the first load of fill came in and then there was one per hour. The dogs and I went to greet Tommy the driver on his maiden dump.

It was so nice to be able to plant my bedding plants (yes I know it is early but I have fingers crossed)

 seeds and the master list

 and plants and seeds go in, below is the small 3 mostly full, what a great day!

Matt and his dad stopped to visit before picking up skid steer

I baked up another pan of granola while doing laundry, Monday is the never ending laundry day. Shaina came home after school and Britt took the bus. Shaina had a nap as her throat is sore while Britt watched TV.

I worked on blog updating while creating tomato topped sole and quinoa with asparagus for supper. After supper the girls conditioned their horses, hosed and put out to mow the yard lawn while Sheldon went to push the piles of dirt into the pit. Just before that Matt and Marissa stopped returning the skid steer and it was now fairly windy and had cooled off a bit.

 here are the piles dumped

 the 2 top soil piles

and here is after he pushed them all in

then put the irrigation hose in to the winery line. At 8, Shaina headed to town for her Monday night with Kaylin, tonight however she skipped yoga thinking her cough would disturb the group so she just joined Kaylin for a run after. Britt went out to practice ball throws against the storage trailer and put horses away after trying to convince Bird to eat her new food mix.