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I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff

On Sunday things were pretty quiet at our ranch. I was in North Portal and Estevan all morning leading worship, Russ, Morgan and our friend Lynn were dealing with a cow problem in the pasture that came up the day before. After Russ threw together a very fast lunch they headed to the Alameda area to help our friend Miles move a herd of his cows home. When I got home from Estevan our home was empty and quiet. I had lunch and a nap, a long nap. Like I said, our home was very quiet on Sunday. By 6pm Russ and Morg were back, I had found my way past my nap induced stupor and was making supper. It was in these moments that Russ challenged me, “guess who got “Dog of the Month” today! Just guess!” My first reaction was, “Russ, its only the 5th day of the month, dog of the month….already?!” He insisted that something so spectacular had happened that yes this was certainly dog of the month material.

Who earned DOG OF THE MONTH? It was Knightwing, our German Shepherd/Marama cross guard dog who loves to travel with the crew and do what they are doing when we let her. She loves to herd cattle.

Here she is between Gina and Russ on the trail last fall.

Knightwing earned her award while working the McNeil cows. In those Sunday afternoon moments Miles witnessed Knightwing encounter a wolf. Miles’ description of the wolf is that it was big, as tall as his stirrups were from the ground. Knightwing caught sight of it and went in hot pursuit, she chased it away and followed it into some bushes. There was, at that point, some wondering, “will we ever see Knightwing again?” It didn’t seem wise to go off with such a potentially fierce creature. However, moments later, Knightwing reappeared, her work done. She had driven off that wolf, it was not to be seen again. We know that Knightwing rises to the challenge of coyotes regularly, often sinking her teeth into them, but to see her boldly protect her people and these cows from a wolf was new territory, not something Russell has ever seen. Through Miles’ recollection of the story Russ very readily made the declaration that Knightwing had earned “Dog of the Month” designation. Our wonder at this creature we have been entrusted with grew some more.

We hold Knightwing in our thoughts with alot of wonder for many reasons. She is the only dog we have that smiles. It really endears her to people.

Our friend Dawson sent me this picture one day while he was dogsitting for us. Earlier I had asked Dawson if he had a favorite dog, he told me that it was Knightwing because she smiles. Here you may be tempted to see a fierce expression, but this is her smile.

Kightwing connects with people, she is our 90 year old friend Shirley’s favorite dog, I think because Shirley feels that Knightwing remembers and recognizes her from visit to visit and looks for her. No arrival at the ranch is complete until Shirley and Knightwing have connected. Knightwing is quite a needy dog. She loves belly rubs and her favorite place to ask for one is in the driveway, where she is supposed to be guard dog on duty. Knightwing needs lots and lots of sympathy in the winter. She sleeps outside in a dog house just outside our door. In the morning when Russ lets the Collies out to do their morning routine, Knightwing comes barreling into the house. She heads straight for our room where I am usually still in bed. She jumps straight onto the bed and buries herself as close to me as she can and starts talking. She whines and I listen, when its my turn to talk I ask her questions, I thank her for fighting off the coyotes, for braving the cold, I say, “poor Knightwing” and we go back and forth until she is done. I really love those moments.

Here is a morning Knightwing moment, after she has finished getting all her concerns off her chest.

The designation of Knightwing as dog of the month for her wolf fighting work came at an interesting time. In the morning, at church, I had brought some toys to help tell the Children’s story, these included a Shepherd, sheep, lambs and two wolves.

We were talking about how God is like a Shepherd who cares for us and protects us and leads us to places where we can find what we need. As we thought about the menacing wolf that was set up a little ways away from the “herd” a little three year old girl whispered under her breath “I’ll huff and I’ll puff”, we ran with that a bit. We tried to see if I could be a wolf and blow the Shepherd and sheep down, nope I couldn’t. The wolf did not prevail.

In 24 years of living in ranch country I have had cause to think about wolves so very seldom I want to say “never.” I am therefore a little bit fascinated that on this one day these two stories lined up. When Russ told me about our “dog of the month”, I knew I wanted to blog about it and tell you readers.

I want to probe one more thing. I find myself wondering if Knightwing illustrates something important. She is wired to need certain things. She just needs tummy rubs. She just needs to get to cry/talk/whine when her world is frosty. Her vulnerability, apparent weakness and need for compassion have not compromised her ability to be attentive and fierce, very fierce, when need be. I feel like our culture readily shames people for being vulnerable, for needing tenderness and touch, for needing compassionate conversation. Does Knightwing illustrate the possibility that we do our best with our life callings when we are seen, when at times we are encountered with tenderness and when sympathy is shared through compassionate conversation. Such realities have not ruined Knightwing and her calling to be fierce and protective when need be. Maybe they have made her that much more invested in doing her thing to protect her people, her cows, her Collie sisters. I don’t know but seeing Knightwing in action as both needy one and protector I am more invested than I was before in believing that the world is better, that we all do better, when we let ourselves truly see and respond to those who cross our path. I see you, you see me.

Day 8 – THIS WAS A FEAT (for the feet)

The Bar MW Herd is all home thanks to the endurance and teamwork of our crew. What a relief. It’s Tuesday now and we are sure glad that in the whiteout blizzard conditions yesterday and deep windchill of last night we could picture our cows where they have winter type shelter options. They are sure hardy creatures.

Right now Bingo, Maddie and I are hanging loose in the truck while Russ loads bales onto the flat deck. He drove the tractor over and I the truck. What do you think? Should we eat our picnic lunch out there or stay in the truck?🥶

I am not sure if you readers are getting bored of somewhat similiar scenery from blog to blog if you catch each one, but for us who live these days, each chase has its own color and a memory that goes with it. As you will see from the following pictures, the color of this “Sun”day chase was gloom. However, the theme was youthful energy, our crew was 3/4 teenagers on this day. They endured and smiled at the end of it all. Maybe partly because it was finally done! The gloomy conditions arose from getting little sun and more wind developing than we were expecting, most of the crew stayed warm or almost warm, but the feet, cold feet were a problem, even with the help of hotpocket type boot warmers.

Our job on Sunday was to bring the herd that had been summering in the Souris River Valley home to the ranch. This meant about 12 miles of trail heading north east. The pictures I have here are ones that Russ, Sharon, Teanna and Patrick took. I love getting a broader perspective and thank them for their contributions.

The first thing to share is a video Russ took. The distant perspective at the start allows you to see the cowboys moving swiftly up the herd. Close up you see the snow falling.

Teanna and Dani in the early part of gathering the cows from the pasture.

I think you could say these cows are ready to hit the road.

This next video shows moments of getting out the pasture gate and onto the road. Russ couldn’t get over how dark it was at this point. The sun had already been up for 1.5 hours.

Once on the road the trail work is a bit more predictable and the shenanigans start. That is Jen in the center, Rhett and Dani at her sides. Jen has a knack for connecting with people and especially teenagers. Its cool to see.

A new rider on the trail this year, a brave one to join us for this frosty ride, this is Charity.

Mercy! Teanna this is impressive balance!

There was no lunch break on this chase, Vicki made coffee that we sent out with the crew at daybreak. Sharon brought homemade muffins. At the right spot they stopped for a coffee break. Things got goofy it seems, with no sick calves to rope this day Morgan practiced on Teanna and Emerson. Beyond that I really can’t explain this picture.

In very good time the cows were at the gate. Here they are, heading into their home pasture. I said we had 10″ of snow last week. It doesn’t look like it here….I don’t know.

This is a momentous picture. All the cows are tucked in for the winter. Here is the boss cowboy (Russ) and Morgan, whom he shares so much of the burden of ranching with. We all benefit from their shared energy, their skills and their humor.

A screenshot of the texts I got from Patrick. A feeling of satisfaction comes through, don’t you think?

Back at the house we were tossing salad at about 2:10, grace by 2:13pm. Great timing! By this point Vicki had helped move trucks, washed every dish I could dirty, helped me form buns, and prepped the salad, in addition to the 6am pots of coffee and hot chocolate she sent out. She also initiated some great conversation, for instance she asked me “what has surprised you most about each of your kids?” That’s Sharon in the background.

At church in the morning Carol Vanstone hosted a delicious coffee time and sent me home with leftover cream puffs and cupcakes. They were very much enjoyed. Sharon and Russ are pictured here.

Russell took alot of delight in calling Lynn “the ambassador of Switzerland 🇨🇭 .” She was great company! Here she is trying her first ever homemade butter tart, a staple Canadian dessert. Thumbs up!

On Monday Russ was part of a conversation on Facebook that had him singing my praises. Returning to the overall theme of our blog, “I see you, you see me,” I screenshot his comment when I saw it because I felt very seen. It’s pretty great when people sing your praises when they don’t have to, just want to, and you get the message that they saw you sweating and it meant something. Our crew has been great about saying thank you.

Well that marks the end of the Bar MW 2023 chase season. We have more work with the cows in the next month and then things settle down a little bit. I am currently working on a blog that explores why we do this fall work like we do, knowing that others look at us and think we’re kindv’e crazy. I have really been enjoying working on this upcoming post. There is a reason for all this!

Day 7 – Not A Day for Ice Cream.

What a day. We successfully got the cows from the pasture we rent near Alameda to the home ranch. That is a big move. Russell especially is so relieved that amid the cold and slippery conditions we had safety for all and our herd is now nearly all home. We had a good sized crew despite the bitter wind and cold temps and they stayed so positive. It is a pretty incredible experience to work among such people. I took quite a few pictures, I think few others did, because who wants to ever take their gloves off on a day like that? A few pictures were sent to me to share though.

Steve captured the low hanging clouds and the cows far off in the distance before leaving the pasture.

Steve also caught this more hopeful image, the sun is rising on the day, although it didn’t stay for long. That is Laurie in the foreground.

This herd was the Manor and PF cows, they had been vacationing together at the golf course in Alameda for a couple weeks. We had a alot of pairs coming down the road today, Dwayne’s pic captures this.

Sharon captured this moody, almost black and white, almost silhouette picture. It’s cool.

Duane’s selfie gives a good glimpse of just how chilly this was.

The truck and trailer swung home with 4 calves that looked sickly. They are now in the barn, have been treated and will beat this pneumonia. Paisley dog got a road trip out of that and Merrick made this picture happen.

Patrick shared this wide angle image of the herd on the move cross country.

A new and brave friend, Joanne, came from Regina with my friend Vicki. This isn’t the best picture of her but perhaps captures her appreciation of her lunch.

Morgan really got into this potatoe soup.

After finishing his shift guarding the cows Russ got his lunch. The scenery struck me as beautiful.

Esther and her horse having lunch. That’s Cassia in the background.

After lunch Vicki and I followed the herd for a bit and I got this picture of Jen, Patrick David, Russ, Laurie, Steve, Joanne and Emerson.

Russ caught 18 seconds of the scene in this video.

Dwayne caught this moment where the cows got to their destination. At 3:57 Russ was closing the gate and all were tucked in where they should be. That is such a good time for arrival.

Morg back at it, forcing people (in this case Griff) to cuddle with him on the chaise lounge.

A huge part of my day was the help I had from my friend Vicki. We have been friends since I was 19, she is really special to me and so capable in being a kitchen team player. She took an immense load off my shoulders and made a very challenging day really enjoyable. I did not take any pictures of her at work except this one.

Tribute to the Day 6 Team

After receiving about 10″ of snow in the last few days our plan for extended fall grazing in the pastures had to be changed. We decided we needed to get our cows home and soon. That meant that Russ asked some of our crew to be on hand today to get the cows home from “The Sheep Pasture.”

It was cold this morning when they started out, the high for the day was -6, the crew had about a four hour ride and it was into the wind. The willingness of these crew members is just amazing to me.

Russ said the day was simplified as much as possible by only having three dogs on the trail, Maddie and Coffee stayed home, they had no kids and they didn’t even have a truck trailing them. These were open range cowboys today.

I was a part of the action in the first part of the day, once everyone was unloaded and saddled up I drove the truck and trailer to the pasture where the crew was headed. Before I took off I got some pictures of the crew. That is pretty much all I have from this day and all I have time to post as well. So without further ado….the tough and ready crew of Day 6, they are a stunning bunch.

Lynn, a Swiss Farmstay worker hosted on a nearby grain farm. She is spicy and created lots of smiles today.

Here is Jen, she made the day extra special by chasing cows on her birthday. Her Mom sent a birthday cake with her from Regina, a carrot cake that was quite exceptional.

Morgan Bayliss, Morg, Morgie, Cowboy, my boy……all names apply.

In the distance is Ron, he helped get the crew to the pasture and then went and did some work to help one of our neighbors. He does a lot of being in the right place at the right time.

Patrick. I enjoyed a text from Pat yesterday telling of how much he was looking forward to this day. I can see it in his face!

Russ. Not only was Russ the trail boss but he was the head cook today too. I had a meeting this morning so Russ cooked up a pot of his famous chili last night and all I had to do was pop it in the crockpot. I added biscuits when I got home from my meeting, Jen brought cake and voila, lunch was made when the crew got back to the house for a late lunch.

We are thankful for a good day on the trail with a great team.

Saturday – 5:13am

I woke up to these next pictures waiting for me. Our friend Sharlene was heading to her family farm and caught our crew coming and going. Thanks Sharlene!

Day 5 – Cow Chase Season 2023

All of a sudden its Wednesday. If I don’t get this blog written it won’t happen. We are in the midst of a flurry of busy days. Flurry……hmmm, I wonder if that slipped out because there is a lot of snow accumulating out of my window. Our little corner of Saskatchewan is supposed to get as much as 8 inches of snow before the morning. I think we are almost there.

Looking at these pictures it seems to me that the star of the show for this 5th day on the trail this fall, was sun, and the amazing ways it casts it light. I was sent some really beautiful pictures. In addition to the light the sun did its job cutting through the morning cold, which was startling for the crew. By midday the truck was full of clothes, one of the riders told me at lunch, “thats what I like to see, a truck full of clothes.”

We were bringing our bred heifers and open cows home from the Carievale area and stopped along the way to pick up a group of cow calf pairs from their summer pasture near Carnduff.

Jenn took this first picture, it catches the frost on ground we have recently worked up in order to plant new hay seed in the spring. We can’t figure out who the rider is in the foreground.

Morning sun is gorgeous. Thanks for the picture Tenley! Clara and Elton John are in the front.

The sun and the herd are very beautifully lined up in this moment that Maja captured. Thats Gina and Laurie in front and Jenn and Morgan behind.

There is alot going on in this picture between the dogs, cows, horses and riders. The sun is kissing it all. Russ says one of the big deals of this picture is that we were trespassing but with permission and the access given meant alot to the herd. It meant three miles of grassland versus gravel and Russ had not been through there in 30 years. He said it felt “old-timey.”

We were happy to have our old friend Maja on the trail again. Jenn took this picture.

Steve caught these long morning shadows.

If you drove near Precision Ag at about 12:30 last Saturday you would have seen the cows crossing the highway and just off to the north me getting this set up going. I appreciate seeing glimpses of my part of the action as Becca has given here.

Russ keeping a watchful eye as the cows moved across the highway. The RCMP were able to have an officer on hand which helps reduce the stress relating to human behaviour. At times like this though Russ is watching to see how the cows will react to lines on the highway and in this case the crew had just gone over a train track. Both can cause trouble. It went quite well.

It seems Tenley’s horse needed a little shade over the lunch hour.

Clara sent this awesome photo of our donkey Elton John, just basking in the sun at lunchtime. Clara was our donkey trainer on this chase.

Laurie caught this moment, featuring four generations of Connellys, including Laurie’s cousin Barry visiting from Toronto. He said he really enjoyed the experience of being on the trail. It was a really comfortable lunch hour time. Laurie’s parents Mona and George have been helping us move trucks and trailers from trail start to end for a few years now. Its a huge help.

While the crew eats the cows still need to be supervised. Usually Russ and a few others keep watch while other experienced crew grab a quick lunch then come back and relieve the first shift. This is Dwayne taking his place on the second shift at lunch. Becca took his picture.

Here is Barry and Laurie, I am not sure what the story was here, a break from riding is sometimes a good thing. Lacee caught this moment.

Patrick took this picture of three generations of Connellys. The clouds are lit and interesting.

Tenley is a fan of Mike’s jacket and sent this picture for that reason. It looks especially good in the glow of the sun. Thats Jenn beside Mike.

Lacee’s selfie with her boy Lennox in the back. He had a great day.

Sharon caught this moment when her granddaughter Hannah and husband Bill were together, the clouds are gathering.

Sharon caught these smiles. Her grand-daughter Emma and a new friend Briella just met on this chase and really enjoyed the day together.

This picture features Dwayne’s shadow and Jane in what Russ calls her “self propelled” gear. She is very good at that. That is Knightwing in front of Jane.

Dwayne’s camera caught Liam, the day’s youngest cowboy on our mule Dick. Thats Merrick beside Liam.

Our good ol mules Dick and Jane hosting the days youngest riders Liam and Lennox. They look like two young boys off on an adventure, no other human or creature in sight! A photo of Becca’s.

The sun really lights up Chester’s mane in this picture Dwayne captured from his saddle.

Cowboy silhouettes are captured in this photo from Dwayne. This is Griffin, Meadow, Gina and Tenley, with Emerson off to the side.

Tenley grabbed this important moment when the herd got to the pasture gate.

Morgan tells me that Becca used a snapchat thing to make a time stamped picture of the herd going through the gate.

The same process allowed Becca to record her start for the day, before any sun had touched the day. That is quite a span of time her horse was on duty, and the whole crew!

Back at the house for a late afternoon snack before everyone heading off, there was hangout time in the living room. Thats Morgan and Jordanna, with Jo’s sister Clara grabbing the picture. This is cute. But it also lets me tell you that last night after supper, on the 3rd anniversary of my Mom’s passing, something that was a bit of bear to feel out this year, I went to this same spot to read. I had not been here long when Morgan came and asked me to shove over he was going to join me. I said to him, “I’m not as skinny as Jordanna,” he replied with something witty and didn’t relent. The two of us stayed there together about an hour. It was uncomfortable but deeply comforting to me.

Jordanna, Tenley and Becca, sunny faces, sunny spirits on a beautiful, sunny fall day.

Day 4 – Chase Season 2023

Sunday morning our crew was back at it. Most of the crew staying in the house and yard were off by 6:00am. They headed back to McNeils ranch to get saddled up and get sorting the large herd of the day before. The schedule for the Bayliss cows included a late in the day game of golf. Actually, they just got to watch the golf. They were headed for the pasture we rent that lines up with the Alameda golf course. To my eyes it feels like the day was full a variety of things that made it interesting. I don’t have the brain power to get the pictures from the day into chronological order, so I am just going to invite you to dance back and forth through the day with me.

This first thing is a video that catches some of the action as the cows were being sorted. Russ filmed and narrated.

Laurie sent me this picture from the scene at lunch time. Jill made two adorable cakes to share with the crew, a horse and a cow. I was so proud of Jill’s efforts I walked them around the lunch site so that everyone could see them before they were cut for dessert. I rooked the creator into this photo before Laurie took it. The cakes were delicious!

Our route with the cows included crossing the Alameda dam. Sharon caught this moment. The still water tells you we had little wind to reckon with. Its a beautiful set of moments when the crossing happens. It can be tricky cow wise and as it turned out it was this day.

Jill had her camera ready when Marisol decided to try some roping practice. She is growing so much as a cowgirl. In this picture she is riding one of the most demanding horses on our ranch. Coffee dog, seen here, is also growing alot in her skills, she has been working quite well this season. I love that dog almost as much as I love my kids.

This picture is special in a few ways. At my side is a new friend. Treasure is a teacher in Estevan, her husband Steve and her kids have been riding with us over the last several weeks. She gave up alot of her personal time to work at my side all day and make the cooking side of the day a success. She brought with her a pan of brown sugar fudge. Treasure grew up only a couple hours from my families homes in Nova Scotia. Brown sugar fudge is a piece of my family lore. She hit the nail on the head with that! It touched me alot. Also, when I was asked what they could bring I said a case of pop. I usually supply juice and water but I can see how much it is enjoyed when there is pop there. They brought three cases. They are generous and Russ and I feel very appreciated.

The menu was roast beef, gravy and buns, with veggie sides. Russell loves this menu. The advance cooking I had hoped to do didn’t happen, so these buns were served a little too fresh, if you catch my drift. I was nervous about getting it all done and we were a little late for lunch. Thank goodness Treasure was there.

Jill took this selfie off the back of her favorite horse Cinder, the sisters have been enjoying being near to each other for the first time in a long time.

Jimmy grabbed this moment. The cooking crew. With Grandma’s Shirley’s grand-daughter Kayla on the trail it was a given that we would pick her up and she could help us serve and get a glimpse of the action. It is always good to have 90 years of experience at your side.

In the center of this photo is our youngest rider on this day, Merrick Ross and the mule Jane put in a long day. Gary and Miles are in the photo as well.

Sharon got this view from the truck she drove so many hours over the course of the weekend. This captures the moments before the herd got onto the dam.

Esther, Teanna, Marisol, Emerson and Dani – Russ just looked at this picture and commented that all these cowgirls have what it takes. Sharon took this photo.

Teanna sent me this picture of her and Pat. I really love this picture of T, if I was to say all the reasons why I would embarrass her. I am very glad to have this record of her day on the trail with us.

Tenley sent this awesome photo of the action from the middle of the crossing of the Alameda dam.

Tenley sent this picture of just before lunch when the RCMP were on hand to help us make a safe crossing of highway 9 at Alameda. We give them lots of notice and they usually are able to help us out. We appreciate that sense of partnership alot.

Jordanna sent us this moment when Morgan convinced Jen to stand on her horse. I am pretty darn impressed by this skill.

Esther is a new cowgirl on the Bar MW trail this year. When I asked for pics from the crew she sent me this. She is always polite and cheerful, thats Teanna with her.

Jenn took this photo of the lunch scene. Grandma Shirley got people organized with plates and buns, I added meat and Treasure took care of gravy and stocking the chips. Veggies were self serve. A little tidbit about them……3 minutes from the ranch, enroute to pick up Shirley, Treasure and I realized that we left all the veggies in the fridge. Russ and I had just chatted and I sensed that our late-ness was going to be a problem. However, he pondered that our total to feed was even higher than we had predicted. We needed all the food we could get. We wheeled around and got the sliced carrots, cucs and apples. I was thankful many times that we had. They were almost all gone by the time all the cowboys got through the line.

Derek and Matt, the RCMP members were great sports. They stopped for lunch and while with us they took up the challenge to try on Russell and Morgan’s hats and hop on the Currie horses. At the time Jill and I were serving desserts, Jill looked up and said, “well that puts the M in RCMP.” I loved her quick thinking.

Dwayne caught these moments as the herd drew near to the pasture gate, he would have been ahead to get the gate opened.

Dwayne offered this glimpse of Miles and Gina supervising the cows getting through the gate and into the pasture. After walking for parts of three days this marks a very big moment.

Becca shared this selfie with me, those cows stretched out behind her as they cross the Alameda dam make a pretty cool backdrop.

Becca grabbed this picture of the scene where we ate lunch.

Its hard to tell there are 115 pairs and 30 plus cowboys on the damn in this picture I took from quite a ways away.

This is quite the line-up for me personally. It includes lots of my family that were visiting but also our friend Roy who at the last minute jumped in and helped us get trucks and trailers moved. We had a huge crew this day and the job of getting trucks moved took many hours. Gina and Jill so enjoyed getting to see Roy, a family friend for as long as they can remember.

Steven, Russ, Gina, Kayla, Laurie and Jenn as captured by Jill’s camera.

The weekend was fun but it was also really heartwarming for us. Our girls were home!

One last photo, its of Saturday’s events, but this shot of Russ and Jimmy means alot to me. Russ was so excited when Jimmy arrived, he yelled from the kitchen, at the top of his lungs, “JIIMMMMMYYYYYYY”, the weekend had begun. The optimistic and open hearted look in Russell’s face here says alot.

Day 2 & 3 – Chase Season 2023

The days around here lately have held many feelings. Most of them good. Thursday afternoon we got pictures from the Regina airport.

The above sign was the result of info shared in our family chat, as seen in this screenshot below.

I am not sure if Jill or Russell had the idea that if Gina needed a sign it should be a pretty spicy one. It was Jill that made it happen when she wrote on the back side of the sign something to raise a few eyebrows.

Gina had landed safely and she and Jill were soon to be on the loose in Regina. They had a 7:45pm flight to meet, and then would be bringing their adopted cousin Kayla to join us for a mega weekend of cow chasing. When the girls got safely to our driveway after dropping off Kayla at Grandma Shirley’s, the dogs and I were darn excited. When Russ greeted them in the morning it was pretty clear that we were about to experience some of the high points of our year.

What follows are moments from the first two of three days trailing cows this weekend. It is the 2nd and 3rd day of the 2023 chase season. The story told here is mostly through pictures, and through the eyes of those who were there.

On Friday a crew of 14 gathered at the barn just after lunch to head to the public pasture. This pasture is located about 70km from us. All summer we have had cows grazing there, under the supervision of a fantastic pasture manager. Our cows shared quarters with cows from the McNeil and Cowan ranches. Crew from all three ranches met at the pasture on Friday to get to the far reaches of these quarters and gather all the cows together. The goal was to get them out and moved a couple miles to a nearby quarter that friends of ours own. Our friends let the cows sleep over for the night there.

Gina sent me this picture of she and Morgan. Gina was darn happy to be back on the Bar MW trail.

Laurie took this picture of Morgan and Frances Smith holding a roped calf so that it could be treated for pneumonia. You can see Russell’s hatted head and Miles’ back as Miles administers the antibiotic.

Laurie sent this fun moment which happened back at the ranch when the crew came in for supper. Love the smiles.

That is all I have from Friday. As the work was getting done at the pasture I was zooming around getting the house and cowboy cottage ready for the weekend ahead. It was poised to be a big one in every way. One of the ways it was big is on a heart level, all our kids were home with us AND some of our Saskatoon family was here. I needed all of that.

A few details came together to make my Saturday morning very different than usual chase mornings. My cook helper Sandy had offered to bring a big pot of soup, so I had less morning prep to do. Our ranch photographer Liz Griffin was on hand and all my kids were on the trail. It was suggested that I should go to the pasture as they got started. I did. It was fun! I got to take photos of the photographer and I saw first hand the frenzy of activity that takes place as the crew arrives and gets ready to ride. We got a family picture taken. Pretty sweet!

Gina took a really amusing video of the dogs trying to boss Russell around. He had been bustling to get everybody ready to go. The dogs had no patience left.

I love Paisley’s interest in Liz’s camera.

The herd is in the distance. I really love this picture of Liz.

I took this picture of my girl while I was hanging out with Liz. Gina B riding our new horse “Shadow” on the trail!

Laurie caught this moment of Russ checking in with Jill before the ride.

I really like this picture that Tenley took. It is the herd on the move, in all their multi ranch, multi color splendor!

Claire was back at the ranch, having caught a ride from Saskatoon with my cousin. She put in another weekend of donkey training and is doing great! She is officially a grade 12 student but her business card could include her abilities to get the best out of donkeys. Behind her is Steve, he just met us in August and this day graduated to one of our real ranch horses (Thunderbird), after learning to ride on the older and more laid back horses. He had a good day.

Sharon captured Emerson, Teanna, Esther and Dani in this picture. It strikes me they are very relaxed riders.

Sharon captured Morgan and his new horse Padre in this picture. The fact that there are no cows in sight tells me that Morg has just been very effective at getting some cows out of the cattails and swamp. That is not a fun job.

Here is Kayla, usually a first year college student in Lethbridge but a cowgirl for the weekend. We enjoy her. Grandma Shirley was gracious to have her grand-daughter around for the weekend but with us most of the time.

When Brodie needed a cinch tightened she got some great help from these guys, Miles McNeil and Morgan, but they all got a bit behind. Sharon took this picture as they caught up with the herd. Brodie is my niece and normally a grade 12 student in Saskatoon. She is more and more a bonafide cowgirl.

The McNeil ranch team included brothers Orrin and Nolan, here they are with Gary McConnell in a picture that Sharon took.

Gina sent me this picture of Alyx, one of our people from Saskatoon. They are really bonded to our family after a couple years of dating my nephew. The ride for Alyx was made better by a little walk it seems, it was also about cuddling a stray cat that had found its way to the trail and was following the cows for a while.

Having flushed the cows out of the huge public pasture the day before, the ride this day was a very reasonable length. The crew walked the cows about 10 miles to the McNeil ranch where they were given a pasture to rest overnight and the crew was given a late lunch.

Claire tried on Gina’s hat at lunch time. This was the result. Brodie took the picture. Behind Claire is John, a part of our circle in Carnduff. He helped move trucks and trailers from the starting point to the end point of this chase.

This picture that Sharon took is pretty special to me. My friend Sandy has been very kind to our family over the years. She was eager to help me when I floated the idea and not only gave her time but brought a huge amount of soup and some special bread. We have alot in common, most vividly that we are both funeral leaders in our communities. We had a lot of work to get done as we prepped this lunch for a crew that numbered quite a few more than I was anticipating. Sandy was a lifesaver! About the hats…..Gina saw them in a party/costume store in Regina and bought them for Sandy and I. She knows Sandy has a great sense of playfulness!

As soon as I finish writing this post I will be starting on the next. Day four of this cow chase season happened on Sunday. It was such a good day and full of unusual details and fun things to remember.

Just in……a sneak peek from Liz from the photoshoot. We love it! This is Tenley and Jordanna.

The Tenderlands: Podcast Pondering

October 10, 9pm: I continue to really struggle with whatever sickness I am dealing with. With that being the case I am not feeling like getting lots done is a reasonable expectation. I am just rather happy to make a little progress on what is in front of me. I found myself in quite an interesting space late this afternoon as I tuned into a new podcast and got washing dishes that had piled up over the days. The podcast was hosted by Kate Bowler, a pastor, cancer survivor and very thoughtful human being. She was interviewing N.T. Wright, a person of some fame in theological circles. As I worked away, there were some really nice realities going on. The house was really peaceful and the sun was coming in. The fall scenery outside my windows makes me feel good, because I really like fall. The fact that I have been sick for most of three days, laying low and feeling quite off led me to a tender spot within myself. The fact that I was making progress on a job that I often let get ahead of me, my kitchen, and supper was well underway, well that created a certain peace. Into this setting I heard Kate ask her guest a question. Was it the tone in her voice, the content of the question, the space I was in or a a bit of all three, I don’t know, but the question hit me to the core. I rewound the pod and listened to the question three times. She said to Mr. Wright, “What was your first clue that this was the kind of person you were going to end up being?” Even as I re-read that question now I am stunned by it. It must be the content of it, because I don’t have her tone in my ears right now. As I chopped salad ingredients and thought about this in my own life I realized there are really two questions in the one. 1. What kind of person have I ended up being? and 2. What was my first clue that I was heading this way? I have always been analytical, curious about myself and what makes the world go round, so her question really landed well with me. Perhaps it landed well because although I am now firmly in middle age I feel like my life continues to put things in front of me that test what kind of a person I am being. Am I a rancher? A minister? A writer? A singer? A counselor? Which part of this will grow and which part will shrink? What do I want? I think there is a thread that weaves through everything and that is maybe truly the answer to what kind of person I have ended up being. I don’t succeed at this consistently, and when I fail its pretty clear, but I do want to come to ranching, ministering, writing, singing and talking with people with the message, “I want to see you,” not in a nosy way, but I want to be a listener, I want to offer space for what you need to say, I want to embody the gifts that God gives me, hope, joy, peace and love. I mess up alot. But somewhere along the way this has become the goal for “the kind of person I have ended up being.”

What was the first clue that I was headed this way? Who knows right? What have I forgotten? (Lots and lots to be honest!) Perhaps the memories that really stick with us are very telling though. As I was chopping the broccoli I got thinking about my job back when I was 17, until I was 22. I was a nurses aide at The Saskatoon Convalescent Home. It was a super meaningful experience for me, it created the setting for the most embarassing moment of my life which is a fun story to share and it also tested me in ways that were really helpful. I think it also offered me my first clues, and one very specific one. I have a memory of a day when I found myself with a little extra time and I was checking in on my residents. I got to sit and talk with one. For some reason she started to talk about her life before old age. It had been hard. There had been abuse. She was working through something. I mostly listened. I was probably 19 at the time, but I remember walking out of that room, stunned that she had confided in me, and grasping that my future needed to include more of that. That might have been the first clue.

As I worked more with the salad and back to the dishpan I was dying to stop everything and write, but I had men coming in that would be hungry. I could not. The writing now has been a way of teasing out what got mixed up with the broccoli salad as I chopped away. I share it because I think the question that started it all, “What was your first clue that this was the kind of person you were going to end up being?” is such an invitational question. Do any of the readers want to have those same words in front of them for a bit? How would you answer that question?

I want to add that I notice that my answer to the question holds no reference to my primary roles in life as a wife and mother, the stuff that goes on in my own four walls. I seem to have interpreted Kate’s question as relating to life in the world, I am too tired to analyze why I went that direction with it. Doesn’t matter really anyways.

Wednesday, 7:30am: I am including this picture because it was a fun moment from the day. I had alot of socks to match up yesterday as Morg, Russ and I were all getting low and that was a priority for the laundry. Its a good quiet job and I find it very, very satisifying to make order out of chaos. Russ is very particular about his socks. He likes them to be colorful and lightweight so that his feet don’t get overheated. He gets attached to certain ones. He is also not pleased with my system of managing odd socks. So as our lunch hour wound down yesterday he wondered very seriously if I could get serious about the odd sock situation. (Your’e learning something about Russ here aren’t you?). I was up for the challenge. It was with some glee that I sent him a picture of the odd socks and the stats arising from the reunions that happened. But this picture was the most significant. A while ago I had tried to throw out these blue socks with red dots and trim when it was clear they were threadbare. Russ was appalled. They were special to him. In the last month they got separated from each other. Russ was sad about this. So when my odd sock efforts meant this reunion and return to Russell’s sock drawer, this picture was sent to Russ. It was greeted with celebration. When Russell came in the door for supper, Morg had arrived a bit earlier, and from the porch Russ called out, “Morgan, did you hear the greatest news of the day?” Morgan had not. I didn’t know what Russ was talking about. I said, “you mean that Shutterfly sent me an extra plate?” No, that wasn’t it. “Your mother got my favorite socks back together!”

There are three things that are holy about this post. First is the obvious. Holey socks. Next is Russell’s incredible quality of being the last guy to give up on anyone or anything. When he does give up you know something significant is broken. That reminds me of the Bible stories of the lost sheep, the Prodigal son and the widows coin. People and socks are not disposable in Russell’s world. This is holy. Last, its a holy journey to keep working at figuring out our calling. That maybe seems a minister-y way of saying that. Another way of wording it……it’s a holy journey to keep figuring out how we are especially equipped to live to make a difference to the world. In the midst of that, tracing the movements of the Spirit and the clues we are given, can be a source of awe. Awe often feels very holy.

So, if you like, here is Kate’s question one more time. “What was your first clue that this was the kind of person you were going to end up being?”

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Thanksgiving

Its been a bit of a weird Thanksgiving. It has been a good and special weekend in its own way but not like you might think of when it comes to Canadian Thanksgivings.

The downer part first: We opened our eyes on Saturday morning with a bit of heartache hanging on from the week we had known. I conducted a funeral on Friday. It was for the husband of one of my friends. He was 75 but still too young and left quite a hole. During the week we received news that a woman in our community passed suddenly. I didn’t know her well at all, but Russ did and the sadness hit him hard and still is. We both feel for the families so much. On Wednesday I met with a friend of mine and her family to plan a funeral for later in the month. After that meeting I called Russ and said, “when are you going to be home? I need a beer.” He said, “Morgan’s not home, lets have charcuterie and forget about supper.” It wasn’t our healthiest meal.

Heartache was pretty close to us as Saturday dawned. However, we couldn’t linger and lolly. We had to get going. Russ was moving cows from one river pasture across the road to another and he invited some friends and family to join in doing it. It went well and they were back at the house for Brunch by 10:30. I was pretty much ready but had been boogie-ing to get to that point. It wasn’t my best brunch but not bad, I tried a yeast dough cinnamon bun for the first time in ages and had some challenges. It all worked out and we had some very fun visiting as the 13 of us sat around the table.

Saturday was a bit of an international day. One of the cowboys in the morning was new to us, a woman from Switzerland working on a nearby farm. Like Anja (our Swiss friend who joined us for six weeks of calving season), she is great on horses, positive, kind and we enjoyed her alot. Saturday afternoon had me heading to town to conduct a wedding, Russ was invited as well. It was a small wedding in the bride and groom’s home. There was a language barrier which I had accommodated by using google translate to make the whole wedding program in both English and Russian. I had thought I would pass my program to the couple after each part of the service and they would read to themselves what I had just said. It turned out that a guest was there who could read aloud the Russian, so we took turns through the whole ceremony, me reading out the English, she reading out the Russian and the bride and groom reading their vows to each other in Russian. It felt like such a culturally rich experience to hear the words of love and committment read in two such different languages. The part that sticks with me from that part of the day was how much the guest thanked me for letting her be part of it. I thought, “are you kidding me, you saved the day!” She asked for my copy of the ceremony. I just love the fact that I got to share the experience of being the bearer of holy words and I sense that these moments altered how this woman sees herself. Following the wedding we sat around the dining table and shared a meal that the bride and groom had prepared. It was delicious, healthy, perfectly prepared, and lovingly presented. It was topped off with two cakes, we were given generous pieces of both. Russ describes it as a feast and said he could not eat for the rest of the day, even when offered cupcakes in the evening. We visited at the table for a good long while, struggling with the reality of language barriers but finding the common ground of humor and pictures of our lives, shared from our cell phones. Marveling at each others live added to the quiet joyful feel of the event.

I had mixed feelings about the plans for Saturday night. We were invited to join Jordanna’s family at the Haunted Corn Maze at Pierson to celebrate her birthday. Jordanna is Morgan’s girlfriend and we appreciate her so much, so, of course we were going, however, I absolutely hate horror stuff. I told the guys I would just stay in the car while everyone was walking through. However, I let myself be talked into full participation and I was glad I did. It was a gorgeous night. Very cool and crisp fall air, a sky full of stars, and a walk through a maze of massively tall corn stalks meant some memorable moments. There were times to scream within the maze, I kind’ve gave myself permission to be dramatic and it was actually rather therapeutic. It was scary but not horrifying, I could handle that. Plus, Russ held my hand the whole time. At one point I checked my pulse on my watch, it was 152, I was clearly experiencing some stress, but overall it was just really unique and the night air was good for my soul. Afterwards we had a good visit back at the White’s place, we got to sing Happy Birthday to Jo and it topped off a pretty cool day.

Since Thursday I had been feeling like I was starting to get sick. But it stayed very low key and all was well. I got my jobs done. However, in the night it broke loose and I was very sick yesterday. I am still coughing and using the kleenex box alot but I have energy today. Its hard being sick. I only took 375 steps yesterday and I had to convince myself to do just about every one. At times like that I tend to thinking that I am never going to feel like myself again. But today dawned and Io and behold, I think I might just be able to tackle the week ahead. It was hard to message the friends who were having us for a Thanksgiving dinner and say, “sorry we can’t come.” There were no Thanksgiving flavors at our house this year, Russ did all the cooking, it was what he could quickly rustle up after getting off his horse. However, as this Thanksgiving weekend ends there is his efforts and more to be thankful for. Despite living my life in a quiet area where I have few formal opportunities I feel like life is really really interesting and I am very grateful for that.

I have not felt much like taking pictures this week, as I looked over my camera roll that was pretty obvious. However, there were lots of pictures there due to the groups I am part of. It struck me how much richer my world is because people share. I don’t always have the time or zip to say something in reply but the pictures move me. I am thankful that the world is made more large, I am allowed to see beauty and I get to see the faces of those I love because of what others can share and do share.

Jill was home this week and took lots of pictures of our creatures. When Jill posted this picture on the family chat I replied that someone needs to put words in Buster’s mouth. No-one rose to the challenge, but there is some definite sass in this picture.

My sister Jan sent this picture of paddleboarding at Osoyoos in B.C. This was part of her Thanksgiving time and it kind’ve blew my mind. The peacefulness of this scene is a bit of a balm for the soul. (Shared with permission).

Our Swiss friend Anja helped organize a huge festival in their canton. She sent lots of pictures and videos. This close up picture of a Swiss cow in the parade is pretty cool!

Near Saskatoon another of my sisters has alot of joy on her face in this garden moment. Its comforting for me to see these familiar faces. (Shared with permission).

When our Nova Scotia friends sent us this picture of their Thanksgiving turkey it told us they were thinking of us.

In ranch news, there is a new horse at our place this week. She is an 11 year old thoroughbred with a racehorse tattoo stamped in her lip. She came to us after Morgan rode her through the ring at a sale recently. He was helping out our Aunt Karen who was selling it. Well long story short, we didn’t buy it that day, but bought it from the buyer. We are thinking we have some pregnant horses around here, so in order to have the right amount of good riding horses next spring when its calving season we took the chance to get this one we feel good about. Morgan has been working with her alot this week and it is going well. Her name is Shadow but we are also referring to her as “Anja’s horse.” We don’t have a good picture.

Well that is the scoop here. It was an interesting week. Very interesting. As thankful as I am for that I am hoping this week means time at my desk and in my laundry room. There is build up in both places!

The Shoe Story

Last Friday I was getting supper ready, puttering in my kitchen when my niece Brodie posed a question. She had arrived a couples hour earlier, with her Dad, cousin and friend, they were at the ranch to chase some cows. After sitting visiting with me while I prepped things something made her think about an odd sight she had seen and she said, “hey Auntie K, why is there a shoe on top of your Bronco?” “Hmmm?” I pondered for a split second before I realized what I had done and a light version of sadness hit me. One shoe on top of the car eh? Oh no. Russell came into the kitchen, I told him what we had just figured out. He got a little quiet. About one minute later he said, “okay Kath, I put it on facebook and I tagged a bunch of people I think might see it in their travels.” I was a little bit, tiny bit, ticked off. Thats my shoe and I should be the boss of asking for help for it, I thought. I might want to think through what a help me post would be worded like. Realistically though I was in the middle of making supper and had other fussing about to do, so, it was a darn good thing that Russell took matters into his own hands and made that post. Here is the post.

This post was meant to raise awareness of this lost item but it seems to have connected with people’s sense of humor. Something about it brought out the best in people and we had so much fun reading the comments that came in when we got a chance.

It was bedtime before I opened my phone and found a text with a pretty exact location of where the shoe could be found. Then when we looked at Facebook Bonnie’s tip confirmed that. It was dark but I wondered if I should go searching, Russ told me to go to bed, the alarm was going off at 4:15am.

Knowing that there were some folks looking for the next episode I started a video as I pulled out of the yard the next morning. I thought it would be pretty nice to have video coverage of the discovery. An initial 14 seconds with the sun rising seemed to be good cinemaphotography.

Only minutes later as I was driving down the low level road Russell called me, “Barrett has your shoe!” At that exact minute a truck was approaching and slowing down and my shoe was being extended from the window. It was not Barrett, it was his Uncle Curt and he was making a delivery, at 7:05 in the morning. I was very happy and asked Curt to pose for this picture.

So what happened?

I woke up Friday morning at Last Mountain Lake. I had been on a writing retreat there, joined for a couple days by my cousin and one day by Jill. I was cutting the timing of my life very tight. I had only spent one full day in my house in the last three weeks between some travels and events near home I had to be at. I had company coming and with the cow chase the next day I had many mouths to feed. I had a lot on my mind. After leaving the lake at 8:30am I made a trip to the Wholesale Club in Regina and then Costco. I really value shopping local but when purchasing large volumes of food I find it so helpful to have access to these stores. Anyways, my Bronco is the small version and with $1400 worth of groceries on board it was loaded to the hilt. I tried to place things strategically for keeping food cold and also so that a collision would not cause a jar of pickles to jet forward and take my head off. I think about these things. This meant that my favorite shoes were tucked in a good spot, but, were in the way when shortly after 3pm I pulled into the driveway and began to unload. I took the shoes and placed them on top of the car and I went in the house with my first load. At that exact time my company arrived. “Can we help you Auntie K?” Sure! Logan, Brodie, Gary and Claire made the many trips that brought everything in and I kept busting my butt putting things away, never thinking about those shoes again. By 4:30 everything was stowed but I still needed a few things at the Carnduff Co-op and a stop at the drugstore so I headed into town. At one point I thought, “did the kids leave something in the back, that is a weird noise.” It never dawned on me that a pair of shoes was bouncing around on the roof and one was bouncing off. Nothing whatsoever dawned on me until I thought about Brodie’s observation and her question for me.

Russ called these my favorite shoes and that is not an exaggeration. They are comfortable and have their own vibe. In addition they have a little history. In 2020 when travel was limited Russ and I drove to Gimli for a few days to recharge. I usually dress a little boring but one particular day I felt inspired to go with a vibe that felt a little like Pippi Longstocking. I rolled up my pants, wore fun socks and these shoes. My purse kind’ve matched my socks. That day Russ named my shoes. They were from that day forward, my “so cute shoes.” That is how we refer to them. What is crazy is that my feet are huge, the style of shoe is masculine and in no way are these shoes in the “cute” category. But they are to us. Losing one of my “so cute shoes” off the roof of the car, somewhere over a 12 km stretch of road just felt like a write off. I would never see it again. But with the help of the community, a few with very observant eyes, the rest to be our cheerleaders, the lost shoe found its way back home. Thanks to all, but especially to those Paton men!