Friends and Neighbours

With Christmas and New Year done for another year, we are starting to settle back into the realities of off-grid living in the high country. It was wonderful to spend some quiet time at home over the holidays, hosting a couple of casual dinners with friends and in turn being treated to wonderful meals on the reciprocal visits. A million thanks to Bud and Lea Thorson from Dreamscape Ranch in Knutsford. We love you guys and really enjoyed visiting with you!
The same goes for Jackie and Vance Brommeland, our closest neighbours, from just a few kilometers down the road. We have been up here for almost a year and a half and have never been over to their  beautiful home until New Year's Eve a few weeks back. It was encouraging to see what a beautiful home they have built for themselves over the past few years. Hopefully, it will help motivate us to finish our place! Vance rescued us last week when our tractor tore up the plate which anchors the steering cylinder to the front axle. He was kind enough to do a skookum welding job on the part, getting us back plowing right away.
Speaking of plowing, Brian Foley (Brian and his wife, Louise, are the couple who sold us the land) brought his big tractor over the other day and did an awesome job widening out our driveway, pushing the snow banks back to the ditches and making it easier for our little tractor to keep it all clear of the white stuff. We've had so much snow this year that we got caught out a bit. I didn't widen the driveway enough early on and before we knew it we were barely able to get our little car up to the house. Anway, thanks, Brian! I don't know where we'd be without your help.

We did have some very good news just before Christmas. Carol won a Weber BBQ package in a contest run by the local newspaper. The picture shows her with the barbecue and all the accessories that came with the package. Way to go, Carol!