Monday, December 29, 2014

Christ, What A Time!

Well, Christmas 2014 is officially over.  A quick trip out to the homeland for some turkey and all the trimmings (funny term that), and a day spent playing a Wii game, in which I almost had to go to the hospital for an injury.
As the years pass, I tend to reflect on how things used to be when I grew up.  We would wake up early on Christmas, chomping at the bit to open some gifts.  We would start our morning with sausage and eggs - the only time we had such, so it was a treat.  Then it would be the gift opening, but....there were the cows and chores to be done first.  Oh, how the time dragged by waiting for Dad to come back in.  I usually knew what my brother and sister would get, since I would sometimes open their gifts up before Christmas and see what they got...hell, sometimes I even opened mine up. 
You had to be very good to open the gifts and rewrap them without ripping the paper...I really should been in the secret service really.
Gifts were opened eventually, and the day would be spent playing cards or visiting relatives, and then the night chores had to be done.
Dad and Mom had milked about 30 cows, and shipped the cream away...something that does not exist anymore.  We only have two to milk at times, and that does not have to be every day since the girls have their personal milkers with them. 
Three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, the cows had to be milked, calves fed and eggs to be collected.  Throw in feeding, mucking out the barn, making hay (all squares) and picking up bales with an International truck, it is amazing that we ever made it off of the farm.
But we made it off of the farm, going to neighbors, playing cards, visiting them at the lake, going to my aunt and uncle's in Grenfell for suppers (the 15 minute drive felt like forever as a kid). We may have not gone on any big holidays, but many micro-holidays.
Mom and Dad always had a horse, and my big thing would be to go around the block (8 mile ride) in the summers. We did not have quads, or skidoos.  In the winter I would harness King on the stoneboat and he would be our skidoo.   I bet nobody knows what a stoneboat is now.
We used to have about 100 or so chickens, selling eggs to the aboriginals... oh hell, to the Indians who lived north of us.  There was always the threat that if we were really bad Mom would run to the reserve....she never did, so I guess we weren't that bad.
Sometimes she would call us jackasses, but rarely.
Now we have grown up and we have left home and made our own mark in life.  Mine is full of animals of all sorts...but no pigs, definitely no pigs.  Chris covers that area.
The only thing different from the holidays, is that Boxing Day is a huge deal around this place.
We could only spend the day with Mom and Dad - up at 6:30 am and back by 11 pm that night.  We have the chores to deal with now...my only regret is that we don't have kids to share with those chores, or the anxiously waiting of Christmas.
I will, however, live that life vicariously through others.
May the season bring you health and happiness you all deserve.

 
 
 


Saturday, December 20, 2014

It Has Been Too, Too Long

Forgive me, for I have sinned.  I am not sure if the priest wants to hear this, but hopefully I will be forgiven for not keeping this blog up to date.
 
So much has happened, so many gaps to fill - not sure if there is enough Polyfilla to do the job!
So, where do I start? I guess, where I left off is probably the best place.  That was WAY BACK in February.  Yikes.
Let's see - there was snow,
And more snow. 
 Our asses were cold.
 In the midst of it babies would come along.

 Surgery was done on Floss, her teeth would not feel sheep for awhile.
 Lots of fog, cannot remember when though - foggy memory.
 Visitors came the house.
 There were some meetings.
 More lambs. 
 It was back breaking work. 
 Everyone pitched in.
 The spring came and clothes could be shed off. 
Brandings with the neighbors.
 Occasionally we had time to eat. 
 Dog trialing - just a few.
 More time with the dogs.
Time with friends.
 
 The trials went okay, but not stellar, for myself and the dogs this year, perhaps I should take up golfing.
Not.
 In a blink of an eye, some loved ones were lost forever.
Eldon walked into my life as a scraggly cat.
 And left us as a lovely nurse.
Nurse Eldon helped me nurse Stormy as a bedraggled kitten...
 
....to a drug induced cat.
Larry also left us this year - leaving another hole.
But, then Winky has come along...helping to fill up the holes. 
 And filling our time with his antics.
 
 
 
 
There were some pups throughout the year.
 
 
 
 There were visits with the family.
 Gambling....
...and some partying.
Some girls went to town.
Some boys went to town.
We had to deal with some jackasses. 
But we did not let them damper our spirits.
We found we had a lot of flocking friends to see us through the rough patches.
So that will, sort of, get everyone up to speed with our lives. 
I do solemnly swear, that I will make at least one entry a week in this blog.
But don't tell my mom...she doesn't like it when I swear.