We have very busy lives these days and we never seem to have enough of that most precious commodity - time. When I sat down to write this post, I couldn't believe that almost 6 months has passed since I last took quill in hand to update all of you (okay... both of you) regular readers out there. I'll try and bring you up to speed quickly.
Winter is finally over! The news this year had been filled with one story after another about the harsh weather all over the Great White North (Canada) , and the USA. We were no exception. We had more snow than usual up at our place, although we didn't have any long periods of extremely cold temps. It just seemed that winter went on and on and on. Into the spring, or what most people refer to as spring, the cold kept clawing its way back onto our little mountain. We'd get a few warmer days and then the snow would once again cover the ground. Anyway, it's done now. It hasn't snowed for almost a month. Roll on summer!
Carol and I are getting married in September. It's been a long time coming, but we're finally gettin' hitched! September 13th, is the big day and we're hoping to have a great time with a group of close friends and family. It's not going to be some high falutin' affair, just some friends, food and fun. We'll be sure to post some pics.
As we noted in an earlier post, the economy here has been cruel to our little printing company and we've been forced to take on second jobs to pay our bills. This is where all our time is going. We're both basically working 7 days a week right now - either at KPA or at our other jobs. It makes for some long days, but there are some good perks. My security job sees me walking a lot - sometimes as much as 15 kms per shift. I feel good. I've lost a few pounds and have some "wind" back.
We've put in a raised vegetable garden at the house and are hoping to reap the rewards. We started a bunch of seeds in window boxes in the house and just moved them outside. Hopefully some of the stuff will actually grow and give us some fresh veggies later in the year.
Our horses are doing great. We're down to 4 now - Acorn has gone back to the KTRA (Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association) and is being re-homed. They had been paying for his food and upkeep (we were providing the labour) but the new board there has changed plans and no longer wants to support him financially. They asked us if we wanted to keep him as our own but we declined. We love him and wouldn't let anyone have him destroyed but on the other hand his feed is expensive (he can't eat hay because of his teeth being completely worn away) and he is too old for one of us to ride him. We miss his happy face and wonderful attitude but are happy to report that one of the local farriers is going to be taking him. Good luck, Acorn!
Spring and summer make us really appreciate our solar powered house. We rarely (if ever) have to run our generator for anything other than equalizing the batteries. The rest of the time we rely on clean, quiet, FREE sunlight to power our little house. Very cool!
Brian and Louise stopped by for a few minutes last night. Yesterday, they moved their entire herd of 80 cows and calves and 4 bulls up to our property. They will spend a few weeks mowing down the grass here before being moved to another pasture further up the hill from us. They will be back again later in the fall before heading back to their home range. Of course, the horses and the dogs were very impressed with their new neighbours with many hours spent staring at the big bovines.
Joey is at the dog groomer's today getting her annual brush cut. She always seems so happy after having it done as I'm sure it's much cooler than the very thick, double layer of fur she grows over the winter. Ben is ...well, being Ben. Just about as happy as a dog can be...all the time...constantly. It's exhausting just watching him sometimes. I don't know where he finds the energy! He keeps busy digging up mice and voles, running and attacking Joey at every opportunity, stalking imaginary game in the woods, or running after one of us on the ATV.
We moved our bird feeders around the front of the house this year so we can see the birds on them. We have lots of junkos, yellow-headed blackbirds, grosbeaks, sparrows, finches, cow birds and even crows attend the feast on the feeders. It only takes them all a few days to empty our 4 feeders. Then they make us feel bad as they hunt through the grass below for any missed or dropped seeds, forcing us to go and refill them again. We have been lucky again this year and the swallows have returned to Carol's little birdhouse. It's wonderful to watch them zooming around catching mosquitoes. Go swallows! We also see a variety of woodpeckers from giant pilated woodpeckers to little yellow bellied sapsuckers. Great gray owls, ravens, sandhill cranes, red tailed hawks and even eagles visit frequently. It's wonderful to have such large birds, so close!
Coyotes regularly patrol through our forest. We like to see them but don't like it when they come too close to the house. We worry about the dogs being lured out and attacked so try to discourage the coyotes when they become too bold. Moose, elk, deer and bear are residents in the area, too but it's still special when we get to see them up close, as is often the case.
I have promised Carol that I will make a real effort to get our window trim and baseboards completed before any visitors arrive for the wedding. I'm also secretly hoping to get the staircase done as a birthday present for her, so please, don't say anything to spoil the surprise! That would leave just the pine tongue-and-groove ceiling boards to complete and the house will be finished. Well, okay, there are a bunch of little finishing jobs still to do but it will be more or less, done!
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