Friendship – As Far As The Eye Can See

A Rich Weekend

It is 4:29am on Monday November 3^rd. I woke up from a dream about an hour ago that has not left its grip on me. It was not a bad dream just a dream that touched on a lot of pieces of my weekend. It left me thinking. I had such a meaningful weekend. I am here to attempt to capture what it was.

Last week at this time Russ was looking ahead to our big November 1^st cow chase and he was worrying that we were short handed. For a few reasons many of our regulars were unavailable and several could only say “maybe.” The herd being moved was a large one, two herds that had already come some distance this fall and had been hanging out together 18 miles from home. (For those who know our ranch lingo they are the PF herd and the Manor cows). Bringing this big herd a full days ride home is a big job and Russ could not leave our crew situation to chance so he did a bit of recruiting. That resulted in five guests arriving at our home on Friday evening. Every bedroom and our guest space that we call “Clare Hall” was occupied. Of these guests one had been many times, one was on her third visit, one was on her second and two had never been in our home before. Over time chaos of old has subsided a bit and our spaces feel better and its kind’ve an enjoyable thing to dust and straighten and put out clean sheets and towels and just enjoy my home for what it is. I had that pleasure on Friday and it was a bit new to me. Usually getting ready for guests is a race to the finish line and involves an attempt to keep the situation to as little embarrassment as possible.

As it turned out all our “maybes” ended up being able to come and several of our firm “no” friends became “yes” when rain late in the week meant they were not working. By the time all was said and done we were at a solid 22 people on the trail by Saturday morning.

Saturday morning brought a chilly but beautiful sunrise for Laurie.

I had two helpers lined up for my part of the work, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It turned out that my morning helper got a little more than she asked for but handled it like a champ.

It was strange when my phone rang at 8:45 and it was Patrick, one of the cowboys on the trail. My heart was in my mouth as I answered and true to my worries his voice was shaky. Russ was ok but was doing all he could in the first moments of a crisis with Coffee dog, holding his hand like a cinch on Coffee’s upper leg to slow bleeding caused by a deep cut. I needed to come. I dropped everything, changed into work pants, a jacket that could easily be laundered, I grabbed my rag bin and hit the road. Russ used a scarf of Sharon’s to create a tourniquet, loaded Coffee in the truck, Sharon and Hannah left the crew and headed my way. Enroute to meet them my job was to find a vet. We are so incredibly lucky to live in an area with several vets. I can’t state enough how huge a reality this is. I was so incredibly thankful when I found that one was available. Sharon, Hannah and I met part way just as vet details were getting finalized. I told Dr. Sid I could be there in 20 minutes, thinking after that was not true, I had more than a 20 minute journey ahead of me. It turns out I made it in 18 and beat him there. I stayed with Coffee until her general anaesthetic took effect and then sat in the waiting room. A second vet had been brought in and I was not needed, I didn’t realize a second vet was near and had imagined myself helping with the procedure. I like to think that I can do what is needed when necessary but I was quite relieved to have time to sit, breathe and message. It turns out that the profuse bleeding was caused by a cut artery. Noone knows what happened to Coffee, the first sign of trouble was that she was chasing cows with blood spurting out of her leg. What makes the most sense to Russ is that she cut herself on an exposed culvert. Murtada the vet observed that Coffee is brave and Sharon later reflected, she is resilient, she needed everything she had in these moments. I would be lying if I said experiences like this don’t affect me. At face value its just darn hard, but its triggering, hurt people and animals are all too common an occurrence in my world and there is some interior management required. As I sat in the waiting room I challenged myself to be totally honest. What I was facing down in those moments is how incredibly vulnerable I/we were. Russell, Dr. Sid and Murtada saved Coffee’s life, they are all that stood between a level of emotional devastation that I do not want to think about and a day that could end up feeling almost normal. I named that to Dr. Sid as we were saying goodbye. I needed to. To meet someone in their utter vulnerability and give of yourself is very holy ground. I stood on that ground with profound gratefulness on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile back at the ranch…….Vicki was following recipes and making things happen. She made me laugh when she spoke of her texting with her husband to check in, confessing her lack of felt direction he advised, “stir the soup.” The crew was running a little bit early as it turned out so when Coffee and I returned to the ranch and I got her settled I had to switch gears, it was tough but with Vicki’s help we arrived at the lunch spot only 10 minutes late. This spot has a dugout and grass for the cows so it is a priority to meet there versus wherever the crew happens to be when lunch is finally ready. My time with Coffee meant I didn’t get fresh biscuits made to go with the soups we were offering, knowing this I stopped at the store and got Melita Bakery bread and it was just fine, some thought it homemade. Lesson learned!

Sharon and I look pretty fresh for the morning we put in.

On the trail…..A new and unexpected crew member. We got a new cow dog this year after losing Bingo and Knightwing in the spring and summer. We were not expecting to have Zip on the trail until next year but sensing her good instincts and ability to listen Russ tried her out on a shorter job earlier this week. She did wonderfully. I was so proud when I heard this I wanted to do a whole blog post just about her! A dog on the trail who is younger than most of the calves! (Zip was born May 14^th) Based on this success she was brought along on Saturday. In Coffee’s absence, and with Paisley on vet ordered retirement from chasing cows (Paisley belongs to our friend Jen), we only had Maddie and Zip on the trail. She was needed. While not perfect she did super well. She took some rest periods, but not in the truck with Sharon, she rode with Jen and with Becca in their saddles. I love thinking about the view she had, as opposed to her regular perspective where its a lot of angles of ankles.

After helping serve lunch Vicki joined the crew for the rest of the ride and shortly after I got home to the ranch my friend Erin arrived. She has helped me many times, her daughters love to chase cows, so she moved in very naturally, got dishes done, did prep work, made one of her signature casseroles and visited easily. She is fun. We had a supper ready when at 5:30 the crew was in, a little earlier than projected. These helpers who come alongside make me look good and allow me to experience the joy of hospitality when otherwise I would be swearing and sweating.

After a very long day on the trail people don’t linger long after dessert is served, two of our house guests headed home and our day ended with a cozy visit of five people with a shared footstool between us sipping on tea. At 8:33 one of the circle looked at their watch and said, “well I made it to 8:30, that was my goal, I’m going to bed!” The party broke up and we were all resting before long. Coffee slept between Russ and I, her long body and her cone making for a bit of a bed hog.

Sunday morning had us returning to the cozy circle with cups of coffee. The time in the circle included thoughtful questions asked of me. People don’t ask me about myself too much and I quite enjoyed the chance to ponder and speak. It was the weirdest experience though to be fighting waves of nausea arising from a stubborn headache and sitting there speaking deeply, wanting to carry on as if nothing was wrong. I had to give myself a talking to. As much as I was enjoying the attention and conversation I had to tell myself it was okay to state where I was at, so I did, and of course people were very understanding and enjoyed the chance to ponder that this might be “morning sickness.” That had my mind wandering! At that point we were six days into our empty nest and I was not appalled at the thought of a baby. I am not sure what that says. I am actually enjoying the quiet and order of the house a lot, with modern technology I still hear my kids’ voices and know some of their stories and while its different around here, I am doing okay, but I could handle the thought of a new baby (at least I thought I could, reality would be much much different if that were to come to pass.)

The good-byes with our guests included some feedback that really touched me. I feel like I am bragging to share it but it has such meaning for us. We were told, “this experience is so unique, there aren’t many things I’ve done that are so tiring to the body but refreshing to the soul, there are layers of rest and depth that I hit when I come here that is just…….…..” I won’t say much more about this but basically that reflects one of the primo life goals that Russ and I have. I have pondered it many times since I heard it. It was a big part of my weekend.

Not long after everyone was gone I headed out to meet with a nearby congregation wrestling with decisions about future plans. I was there as a rep from the region and my only job was to listen and support as necessary. It was such an honest meeting shaped by fragile hope, confessions of grief and deep care. I am certain that this meeting was the launchpad for the dream I had that woke me up.

Despite having several hours of discretionary time later in the day I did not put away all the clean dishes that Vicki had whipped into shape while Russ and I were making breakfast and they sit beside me even yet. This is the privilege of the stage of life I am currently in. I can do a little bit of “I don’t feel like it” time and it is not the end of the world. What I did feel like was a bit of creative work on a gift for our ranch crew, I am really happy about this.

My writing spot today, clean dishes on side.

Another special thing that happened this weekend is that at one point I had the chance to listen to someones pain, I felt very very calm within as a story was unfolding. I noticed this and have pondered since, “was I detached from the situation or actually becoming the person I want to be, able to exist in the midst of great pain and be fully present?” It felt more like the second than the first. To put this in broader context though, what I have noticed about myself is that I am absolutely terrible about being present to pain that I have no chance to impact, so I have just about stopped watching the news, it just distresses me. Perhaps finally I have come to really believe in the power of just being present to people, listening and creating space for them to be honest and I can actually hold pain when asked to.

The dream I mentioned earlier felt absolutely major when I woke up, now I am not so sure. The turning points of it seem to be two things. The first part was very specific, I was dropping off something at my friend Linda Powell’s house and decided that there was no time like the present to do some work for the church that would help us understand things better. So I knocked on the door of her neighbor (I have absolutely no idea who that is in real life) and was given the chance to introduce myself. The transitions that happened I am totally fuzzy about right now but the next point in the dream is that I was at her kitchen table. I was able to communicate that I came with no agenda except to listen. She was able to say “that’s good, cause I was kind’ve offended at the start of this.” I don’t remember any of the conversation that followed. I told her I had no agenda but I know I did. I am not sure how this was communicated in the dream but I know I knocked on the door because I am so curious about and want to respect and respond helpfully to what is really going on in people’s lives. In our churches we are reckoning with the fact that fewer people attend. People have a lot going on and are tired and torn and the world is changing and technology is multiplying peoples’ options and so on and so on. In the midst of that, what needs are left unmet? What do people need? I have always thought it isn’t right to say, “how can we get butts in these pews”, that sounds a lot like self preservation, and we can do better. In place of that I want to ponder “what does the church offer that people need?” So as I was waking from this dream I was actively processing that if I went out one evening a week and knocked on the doors of an entire block, in the course of a year I could cover seven communities. Clearly that is not accurate, but in a dream anything is possible. The feeling I had in this dream is that listening was going to be key to the strategy. I was perhaps naïve to think that trust could be built quickly and what people really need could be explored but I think not naïve to believe that it feels way different to be listened to rather than talked at and being listened to and taken seriously is a big part of what people need. We don’t do this perfectly in our United Churches but we really try to welcome people as they are and experience together the good news that God loves us, as we are, and is actively working with us for greater wholeness for ourselves and the world.

As I ponder all this the theme I see is holy ground. Maybe that is a piece of what we all need. Is it fair to say that many of us are hungry for holy ground, for ground where we can be fully ourselves, vulnerable, human, hoping, chilled and thrilled by our adventures, and there we find God waiting for us. In the terrifying space between life and death, and when skilled hands and kind eyes meet us where we need them, in the midst of caring conversation, in the saying out loud our fragile hopes, in the love poured into a warm bowl of stirred soup? I can’t speak for others but that is where I found holy ground this weekend and I am so thankful.

Thanks to Jen and Becca for most of the photos in this blog.

Grace

Over a month ago I started this blog, the timing in it may seem odd as you read it.

Our boy Morgan is not a boy anymore, that seems to be getting quite official in the days after his 18th birthday, sliding into his grade 12 graduation.

In the midst of the storm that is created by the converging of very special days, calving season weariness and my personal limits as a woman inching closer to 60, I received a gift of grace. Our friends Patrick and Jenn were happy to host a joint graduation party for Morgan and his friend Rhett, Patrick’s son. It is hard to fully relate how much of a relief this was for Russ and I. We want to celebrate Morgan with all the bells and whistles he deserves but for a few reasons we are not doing well with getting that kind of action going. This party, at their place, with overall co-ordination by Pat was such a help to Russ and I. I have a few pictures.

We had this cake made at the Oxbow Co-op. It was delicious!

We have many shared friends with Griff and his circle, the party made sense, but we also were able to invite folks like Bonnie and Roy. They have been a part of Morgan’s life always, and have helped fill the holes left by our losses.

Morg and Griff cut the cake, Grandma Shirley absolutely loved watching them tackle this. “No two pieces were the same size!” she said. We agreed that was good, for varying appetites.

Old friends seeing one another was a splendid part of the night.

I learned something about entertaining this night. Pat was organized and relaxed and it made a great setting. I usually try to pack too much in when I entertain, guests find me rushing, perhaps flustered, maybe quite readily inclined to swear under my breath at the slightest hiccup or frustration. Pat did things a little differently than I do, this contributed to the relaxed feeling. Once the food was laid out he invited people to eat whenever they were ready. This meant no lines and also a sense that the meal wasn’t the main event, being together was. I got the message, “lets enjoy being together and when you are hungry, there is food over there.” I can say food wasn’t the main event but it had been beautifully prepared, and there was abundance. The smoked meat and salads were an event, just not the main event. That’s how it felt to me. The main event was our boys, our pride in them, and our desire to celebrate them with those who love them almost as much as we do.

I am thankful to Pat and Jen, they gave me an experience of warm relaxed hospitality and celebration and also significantly helped Russ and I with what was on our plate.

In the days since I started this blog both boys have officially graduated and summer is here. Here are the graduates on their special days….

Morgan receives his diploma from the vice principal who happens to be his good buddies Mom, Mrs. Wolf.

This was Griff’s grad day and Pat is seen helping with the finishing touches on the outfit.

At the parade held after the Carnduff grad ceremonies it was getting a bit chilly, here Jen and Clare are ready and waiting for the floats to go by. I think they were both pretty proud of Morgan but especially Jen. She has been a major friend, supporter and source of fun to Morgan perhaps for as long as he can remember.

Grace was the word that came to mind as the summary theme and title for this blog because Morgan, Russ and I didn’t really do our share in the work for the party that Pat and Jen held. There was no tallying of hours spent in prep or dollars spent on food, but if there had been I know it would show that we did not do our share. There was one rule we all seemed to grasp, “do what you can.” Maybe there was another rule, one that I had trouble grasping, “don’t worry.” Maybe this is what it means to live in a state of grace more generally speaking. We don’t have to be superheroes, who are remarkably efficient, flexible and impressive, we just have to do what we can, and surround ourselves with others who are doing what they can, we give and receive, and trust that will be enough, that we are enough and we don’t need to worry about that. Graduation 2025 held a good lesson for me, it was a lesson that lines up with my faith but I have a hard time really living and believing. It is, “just do what you can Kathy, receive from others and me – God, don’t worry if you are enough, you are.”

Do You See What I See?

I must really love my husband. I am at David’s house with Russ and Morgan, we came to join David watching the NFR Rodeo finals on TV. I really hate watching rodeo, the potential for disasters seems to be happening all the time. At least that is how it seems to my tender self. I am here because Russ invited me and I figured I could bring my laptop, be near my fellas and David, and ignore the stressful stuff on the big screen. The situation strikes me kind’ve funny actually. I brought some ministry books and I have been reading and getting my head around a couple special services coming up, including our Blue Christmas service. I’m not working as a minister officially but I do fill in for special services when the ranch schedule allows. So here I am pondering caring liturgies while off to my side the Powell’s projector makes it seem there is a life size rodeo going on. The National Finals Rodeo is in downtown Carnduff!

Now its time to blog a little bit.

The week has gone by very fast. Russ and I ended up deciding to go to Minot for a 48 hour trip. It was such a treat. One of our favorite stops in Minot is Ebenezers Irish Pub & Restaurant. We had some of our favorite food and drinks and felt really lucky to be there and to feel relaxed. We had earned it we thought, after doing so much close up work with our entire herd in the weeks prior.

I discovered “Chelada” on our last visit, its has the same flavor hit as a Caesar but is lower alcohol and way more volume, the experience lasts through the whole meal. This experience of drink and food made me so darn happy.

Russ loves ordering their 32 oz beer. It lasts through our whole visit at Eb’s and feels so plentiful.

It is now a couple days later, not “at the rodeo” anymore……It was easy to decide to go to Minot, the money we spent on our hotel was more than made up for by the exemptions at the border that a 48 hour journey gives us. However, for days and days we have been flying in and out of our house and doing the BARE minimum. The word “tsunami” has been applied to our place this week. I really could have used and should have used the days away working in our house. I shouldn’t even be writing right now. I should be house and Christmas prepping. But sometimes you just have to give yourself some room for expression and making memories.

Are you noticing that Russ and I are wearing matching shirts in our Eb’s pictures? Russ loves that. I am well aware how weird it is but it honestly makes Russell so happy. Teams wear uniforms and I guess you could say, that is our deal. We had matching tops for each of our days away.

Russ found an old friend at Marketplace Foods where we also scored some Bugles!

I am amused by how things get crazy kind’ve quickly sometimes. Here is what happened Friday night during supper. This video is Morgan and Coffee Dog’s version of “Jaws,” click on the arrow in the centre to start the video if you have a minute and 30 seconds. Volume is neccesary for full effect for sure.

If you follow the blog you will know how much I go on about “being seen” at times, you will know the blog address (iseeyouyouseeme.ca) has meaning to me. This week a few things have come my way that say “I see you”, each in their own way. There is humor and wisdom in them.

This screenshot captures a picture and quick message I received. I love it. It tells me that someone is thinking about me. It tells me that this person is not afraid to tease me. I love being teased. I see it as a sign of acceptance and that life is not deadly serious, we can play. This really did have me grinning ear to ear, I might have looked silly, I was alone at the time. Feeling seen does this to a person!

One of my people sent me home with this. In the days prior she had heard me say that I love peanut butter marshmallow cake but I haven’t had it in ages because it was one of my mother in laws specialties and she is not here to make it anymore. This is the kind of gift that feels just perfect, it definitely gave me the message, “I see you”, but furthermore, “I want to give you a bit of comfort.” Very very lovely.

This jar of Haskap Jam was waiting for me in town this morning. I don’t even remember the conversation some time ago that led to me getting this. But someone else did. We must have been discussing my love of peanut butter and jam on toast. It worked out perfectly that I could come straight home and make myself this decadent feeling brunch. I think another piece of helping someone to feel seen is when you remember what they tell you, especially when its about what they love. Oh why do I love peanut butter layered with other numminess so very much? The Haskap jam was a first for me and I really really enjoyed it.

In one of my recent blogs I featured a picture of one of the personalized ornaments I made last year. It was for Gina and it celebrated her accomplishments in stage combat. One of the readers mentioned they would like to see more of our ornaments. In the last week I got the package at the post office that held our ornaments for this year. I feel a little guilty but I think mine is the cutest. So thinking about that reader’s request…..Marj this picture is for you! We order from personalizedornamentsforyou.com and find they do a great job of supplying ornaments that work for our annual highlights of each year. Noone else in the family has seen their ornament for this year so I can’t feature them. Unfortunately I broke Jill’s when I held it up to take a picture of it and it slipped out of my hand, it was a very fragile one. I couldn’t believe what I had done. So…my ornament for 2023.

I am curious what you see when you look around the places where you live. I have two things on my mind alot these days. I am worried about our postal workers. With online shopping the volumes of bulky parcels that they are dealing with every day seems overwhelming. Amid it all, our local staff are staying kind and patient and I admire them so much. I feel like I could easily become aggressive if I was to be in there and find anyone treating them with anything but respect. But who am I kidding, I would probably just come home and blog about it versus finding the strength to stand up for my postal heroes. I suspect all customer service jobs are trickier in this season, there are so many people burning the candle at both ends in our world, healthcare workers for sure, for always, and right now, these warrior women in the post office. I need to tuck them all into my prayers in a more vivid way.

We also have a terrific team working on something in our community called “Santa Cause.” Their mandate is to create a Christmas gift experience for children whose families are challenged to do so. In what feels like one of the most trickiest seasons, emotionally, time-wise and more, they are finding the time to think through and make happen the collection, preparation and distribution of these gifts. I can’t deal with what is in front of me let alone take on other families. To me these women and the community generosity behind them is one of the most important “I see you” messages out there. It says to burdened adults and hopeful children, you are seen and you matter. The leaders and the generous community members giving to the cause are living one of the essential truths of the Christmas message. That God became one of us, and the whole way it unfolded affirmed that we are all of great value, our needs matter and we each have a place in the story. That last sentence basically sums up why I am a minister. Before this turns into a sermon, which it could….I will sign off. By the time I write again Christmas will have passed. I wish all you beautiful supporters a Christmas experience that really touches your soul and fills your cup and gives you something to grin from ear to ear about. God bless you.

Okay, not done. I read it to Russ and he said this very cute picture of Buster really needs to be included. They “held hands” for a long time.

Russ also objected to the fact that the cows we love are barely even mentioned. So, one little ditty, late on Sunday afternoon we ran 9 calves through the chute. We had been at a concert where absolutely beautiful sounds were made, and we got to see our friend Lori doing what she loves to do. Lori and her family had us in a tender heart space.

This is Lori at the piano, she also sang powerfully for us.

We came home to those calves. They had been in the barn recuperating from sickness when the rest of the herd was treated last week. It was hilarious how daunting it was to face going out to do 9 animals. We were slow, we couldn’t care less about taking a picture, we were on the verge of cranky and we made mistakes. I think we definitely need a rest! However we can now say that all the Bar MW cows have had Ivomec!

One last thing….really…..A picture of cows to make Russ happy and because I love it. Do you see what I see? Tenley and Jordanna are on either side of the picture and they are having a conversation across a herd of cows. Liz Griffin’s picture captured something so beautiful and also typical of these two. A good friend can see you and hear you, even across distances.

Now….Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Thankful all the way to the bank.

I am sitting in the Chopper K Auction Mart with Russ and Morgan. We are on hand to watch our calves sell. It is always a big deal to get to this day but with the market being very strong we have been holding our breath, hoping for things to keep until we got here.

The story of this day definitely starts with calving season. Here are a few pictures serving as reminders of the work of those days.

When the calves were small enough to sit on our laps.

A calf needed orthopedic help, Russ splinted with duct tape.

When the calves were small enough that Jill could throw one over her shoulder.

Many beautiful summer days and crisp fall ones, with a temporary return of winter for a week or so, got the calves a long way to being ready for sale day.

The predominant experience of recent days is gratitude. We have been experiencing mild weather. That can bring about some health challenges for a cow calf herd. We have been thankful to see ours remaining well. We worked closely with our animals over the last couple days with no injuries to report. I am always super grateful for that. We seem to have made it to sale day with markets holding strong. Gratitude.

Its the next day now…..our calves came into the ring and all blogging was finished.

It is always a little thrilling to hear Farren the auctioneer say, “we’ve got the Bar MW calves coming in next.” I don’t know how much of this is in my head and how much is real but it seems there is a particular feeling in the air at that point. It maybe arises from the fact that the buyers are engaged, we are on pins and needles, and we are proud.

We have a relationship with those calves. Its not the kind that makes me grieve when they are gone, this process stirs other things. I know I’m a bit of a whackjob but it’s like this huge drama unfolds every year at the ranch, there are so many roles and so much action. The calves are the heart of the action. After letting us know them through the vulnerability of their birthing days and all the ups and downs that follow, mostly ups for them, we watch them grow with a certain awe. In the fall they come home from summer pastures, our big cow chase crew has laid their eyes on each and every one of them. Alot of human and bovine protective instinct has been directed at them. Now, at the auction mart, as they enter the sale pen, it’s like the final scene at the Bar MW Ranch has taken place and this is their curtain call. They enter, and in our hearts we give them a standing ovation. After this they move behind and they are no longer ours. I don’t have grief, instead it seems gratitude for them is stirred.

The hours leading up to the sale held lots of action. This first set of pictures captures some of the faces and scenes as the herd came down the centre alley to be sorted.

Ron ran the gate that opened to the cows pen.

Laurie ran the gate that opened onto the heifer pen.

I ran the steer pen gate and a clicker counter.

We had a stunningly gorgeous morning to work. This was a huge contrast to last year when it was about -40 with the wind.

Russ sorted in the alley, he weaved some magic, at one point he was able to peel 8 heifer calves away from the pack and send them down to Laurie’s gate. This picture captures the moment when the cowboys had just advanced a fresh group of cows into the sorting area. It would quickly become less congested as cows moved out of the pack and Russ let them by to the gate where Ron was waiting to let them in.

This picture captures the cowboys after their big job of the day was done. Dwayne, Morgan and Crystal made sure we always had cows ready for the sorting pen. At this point they are helping to get the heifers moved around to the sorting pen again. We needed to decide which of these female calves we would keep instead of sell, so that they might become Bar MW cattle.

Amid great weather and markets we had another perk, a special visitor joined us this week. One of our Nova Scotia friends was here for several days. Crystal brought with her an abundance of humor, a heart the size of Texas, readiness for adventure, generosity and much appreciation for us.

I caught this picture of Crystal after she got off her horse.

After lunch and getting semis loaded Russ, Crystal and I got ready to go to Regina. Crystal had a plane to catch. The first leg of her journey was a ride with our wonderful trucker Harold. He gave her a glimpse of the semi experience. We followed him to the stop sign 5 miles west of us and then stole Crystal back. We left Morgan and Ron to load the last truckload.

We were relieved to get to Regina safely and with time to get supper before Crystal was due at the airport. Jill already had supper plans with friends, so we went to the same restaurant and admired her from afar. Russ and I found this comforting. (We recognize this is somewhat creepy🤭🥰).

After a quick hug with Crystal at the airport departures curb Russ and I got in the car and headed straight for the ranch. I am thankful our trip was very smooth. We were home and sleeping by midnight.

The next morning included farm jobs for all of us before getting to the auction mart to watch our calves sell.

We were connected virtually with Halifax, Carnduff and Regina while our calves were sold. In Regina Jill had the right mug for the day, and the timing of our calves selling lined up with her break at work. She was able to watch the first 100 sell. She sent us this picture.

I sat beside the sale pen for a bit while some of our calves sold. I needed one last good look at them. That allowed this closeup picture in the pen.

I was amused to hear Morgan’s spurs scraping against the stands. When I had a look at his boots I became obsessed with getting a picture of them. Those boots tell a story, and another one and another one and…..

So then I wondered about Russell’s boots. He had on his “go to town” boots.

And how about my feet? I found comfortable cowboy boots this summer and have been wearing them alot. I still struggle with whether I deserve to wear them when I don’t even know how to saddle a horse. Yesterday I noted something. At a point in the sale when the ring girl was struggling to get calves moving in the right direction I felt within myself the instinct and confidence to jump in that pen and get the job done. I stayed in my seat but my self concept clearly includes something that means I should wear the boots.

A celebration in the Chopper K Steakhouse, (attached to the auction barn) when we were all done selling. This is a pretty sweet moment. It was a bit of a tough fall for our marriage. We are finding our groove again.

The current Bar MW home crew. A shared moment of relief and joy.

It’s our tradition to get a “Kim handing us the cheque” photo when we are on hand to watch our calves sell.

Russ and I were at the bank this morning. I usually do the banking but I wanted Russ to have the thrill of the deposit this time.

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 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.

Love & Coffee served…this week at the Bar MW

We had a good week here at the Bar MW. This first picture does a good job of capturing some of what happened at our place lately. The sign nestled into this book shelf in our kitchen was a gift that arrived this week from Nova Scotia. We love what our friends celebrate about our kitchen!

Monday could have gone two ways. Either Russ and Morgan were helping friends with their pasture work or we were doing our own. The deciding factor was whether our friends birthed a baby that day. As it turned out, they were working on that! I didn’t realize that and thought when I awoke to a quiet house that I could put on my shirt that said, “People, Ew!” I was going to be home alone all day. Nope. I was wrong. That baby meant we would be working in our own pastures and our friends from Estevan were joining us. Then we got the chance to add other friends visiting the area from Regina to our lunch time experience. So, what was going to be toast for lunch for Kathy turned out more exciting. The Ross family brought dessert. This bountiful tray of donuts which Danika arranged with care and Merrick is bringing to the table, was as much of a treat as the platter of watermelon Treasure was creating in the kitchen at this moment. We don’t often have either!

Steven, Danika and Merrick on their horses to check pastures.

Tuesday meant back to school. This is Morgan before heading off. Coffee Dog might have been distracted by a bird but it looks like she is saying, “I can’t believe it has come to this, I am not even going to look at you.”

After school Morg asked me to come out to the back pen and keep an eye on him while he was working on training a horse. I enjoyed watching his process and even managed to be video taping at the part where he was able to get on this two year old.

This is a video capture, Morg was in the midst of getting on Skywalker, our Andalusian gelding, for its first time. We bought Skywalker a year ago from a friend near Saskatoon. Morg sat quietly for a bit and bent him softly both ways, he got off without incident. It made for a boring video by todays standards, but I was relieved and it made Russell happy.

A treat for me this week was having our friend Lindsay contact me saying she had a cancellation in her schedule and would I like her to come for a deep clean at our place. How long did it take me to decide “YES”…..not very long. Lindsay is great at what she does but also a wonderful person to spend time with. We used to see her regularly but circumstances changed for her and I and we had not seen her magic for a very long time.

Another thing that enriched my week was time with Dawn. She helped me out earlier in the summer and I said let me help you in the garden when its harvest time. We went to the garden to collect some fresh herbs for an amazing looking spaghetti sauce we were working on. Dawn definitely gave me the easy jobs.

Meanwhile in Toronto, Gina was going full tilt and had a week that seems to have created positive momentum going forward. She had a few extremely positive phone calls with us.

Jordanna sent me this picture. She was the biggest sport this day. She came over thinking we were all going out for supper at Chopper K . She got roped into helping with a few ranch jobs before having a very late supper at our table. At this point she grabbed a moment for us, when she and Morgan pulled into the drop off chute at the auction mart. This was the first time that Morgan delivered cows to the mart without Russ. We had cull cows and bulls to sell.

By Wednesday night we had all given up on time and dug-outs making the faint smell of skunk go away from this dog. Morg decided to give a scrubbing with pretty smelling human shampoo a priority. It worked.

When he had the chance Russ kept puttering away at the fencing job he has been working on.

A super exciting part of the week for me was getting to go out for lunch with Liz Griffin. I asked for her to meet with me to discuss a shift in the vision I have for our book we are creating with her ranch photographs. The result: full steam ahead! I have several days ahead booked off for writing and I am feeling so excited!

While all of us having been going several directions for several weeks our hired man Ron has been working on preparing fields for new grass seed. His behind the scenes work has meant I have not seen much of him for a few weeks. I don’t have a picture of his work. So I tucked in this Liz Griffin picture from two years ago. Ron spends so much time in tractors.

Friday meant Steven was back to help the guys with some cowboy work. He helped me too. I was gone over the lunch hour, he brought enough lunch to share that I had buns for Morgan’s school lunch today and lunch for Russ and I today (helpful since I blogged way too long this morning!)

This picture says 6:03am in the stats. Morg rose a little late, had just sat down with some coffee near to where I was doing my morning routine and Russ said, “we gotta go Morg!” I felt for him. However, the crew was due in the yard in a few minutes and Russ hates not being the first one in the barn.

The crew included our friend Medhi, I love the big smile on his face in this moment. He was on call this morning, but our work this day was brief and he figured out a way to be free to come for a few hours. The cows were flushed out of one river pasture and brought back over to another where due to rain the grass was good again. (“For the first time in 5 f’in years,” Russ adds upon review of this.)

The move went smoothly, for the most part, the crew arrived back at the house at 9:28am. They were two minutes ahead of schedule. I on the other hand was a bit late getting brunch on the table. There were some very light hearted moments to enjoy this morning.

This is a Liz Griffin picture from 2021. It illumines what Russ got back to this week…..more baling. He worked on straw earlier in the week and Saturday afternoon went to a field of green feed oats Morgan cut a bit ago. Russ was relieved to find they were finally ready to bale.

I led worship Sunday morning in Carnduff. It was a morning that felt pretty rich in several ways. This picture Russ took has me looking a little odd, but I guess this is me.

I am in charge of the lawn at our place. I have avoided it like crazy this summer. Several weeks without rain made that kindv’e possible. Recent moisture meant I had to conquer whatever was holding me back and get at it. I have wondered if I might be dealing with fear about fire. After the haybine hitting a rock in the hayfield threw a spark that started a fire last summer, with our shop fire this winter on top of that, I am not okay with any risks. I told myself yesterday, “you just need to do 15 minutes.” I know myself well enough to know that momentum kicks in easily for me and there is no way I would quit when the progress was so rewarding. So I tricked myself into getting going and almost 3 hours later I was almost done. (I am amused by the burr on my shoulder and Knightwing’s paw on my chest…..business as usual?)

A hard moment happened when in the midst of mowing I spotted this dark grey plume of smoke. I called Russ who was baling 20 miles away to tell him what I was seeing and took this picture to send him. He asked me to drive down and check it out. If it was a machinery fire in the field there was nothing we could do, but if livestock needed to be moved he wanted to do what he could to help. I drove close enough to discern it was in a field being harvested. I couldn’t slow down my thoughts enough to describe the location to Russ in a way that he could picture whose field it was, the firetrucks were arriving. It was an interesting thing to encounter in the midst of my own fears.

About Jill…..our Jill was quite sick this week and made us all laugh with a video of her Covid testing herself. It was negative. She is better now and has begun rehearsals as part of the vocal section for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which will be staged in Regina at Halloween. Meanwhile at the ranch, Russ caught Jill the cow on video, she is looking great and her steer calf is gorgeous.

For sheer amusement I reccomend you look at this video. Morgan had the job of picking rocks from our new hayfield yesterday. He got quite creative and Bingo and Maddie get to show how cool they really are.

That was the week we had here at the ranch. We know that some of our circle had a pretty tough one. We hope that whatever your week held you have frequent reminders telling you clearly just how loved you are.

Reporting in ….

Our days at the Bar MW this week have been a mixture of many things. The picture round-up starts with a cartoon that Russell posted on his social media. He related to it so strongly and he shared it with some definite emotion. Our corner of the province had some soaking rains this week. The timing is poor for the grain farmers trying to harvest but it means alot for pasture conditions and taking down the fire risks. Around here we are all feeling very grateful.

Another answer to our needs was the chance for Russ to get in very quickly to have a root canal done. On Tuesday he sent me this selfie from the dental chair while I waited for him at the Estevan library. He started to feel relief very quickly.

Jenn came down to pick up her dog Paisley whom we had been dogsitting and while she was with us she cut Morgan’s hair. She is doing alot to keep him comfortable this summer!

The next day my sister in law Tammy and I went to Regina. While Tammy was in her appointment I whipped over to Jill’s apartment for a visit. As I pulled away from there afterward I felt I had just had the best part of my day, just being with Jill was good for my soul. Later Tammy and I dropped into Starbucks and I caught this picture of Jill listening to a customer. This is very true to who Jill is.

While I was in Regina Russell hosted new friends we became connected to through one of our family in Nova Scotia. Charles, a strawberry and sweet potato farmer, had come to Saskatchewan with his wife to visit their family in Estevan. Before heading to Halifax on Thursday Charles squeezed in a visit to the ranch to meet us and see what we do. He brought his son-in-law and grandson. They helped Russ check pastures. Charles told Russell it was a very good day.

Meanwhile Morgan was doing something he loves. He spends a few days in the summer helping at the government community pasture. He took this picture from on top of his horse in his role as heeler while Francis treated a cow for footrot.

This is a screenshot from our family chat, not a live video link. Those of us who watched it know that the fun fact Gina shared in this part of the audition intro is that she can hotwire a Case 2390 tractor.

Sterling productions released this promo shot this week. Jill’s play is coming up and we are really looking forward to seeing it!

Russ is working on a fairly large fencing project. While dealing with posts he came across this survey stake, marking the boundary line of the pasture. He says that is good evidence he is building at the right spot! The stake is dated 1959. How very cool eh?!

My sister in law Tammy organized a really nice family gathering in Estevan for Valarie, (Russell and Tammy’s sister), who celebrated her 60th birthday on Friday. We really enjoyed being with our extended family circle and friends of the family to mark this milestone with Val.

After the party and some back to school shopping we headed up to Arcola for the rodeo. We had a very important rodeo act to see, the kick-off, which was the Truco Trick Riders. Morgan’s girl-friend Jordanna is seen here, I must give Russ credit for the cool framing of the picture.

Here is Russ and I at the rodeo. It was a bit of a painful night for me. I am an absolute chicken, I am so uncomfortable watching the roughstock events, I mostly look away. I do all the running for food, beverages, garbage disposal, anything to give me an excuse to leave my seat and miss some of those moments when humans hit the ground near the mighty hooves of powerful animals. If I could go to the bathroom on others behalf I would. Why even attend you might ask? Well this evening, the answer started with Jordanna and ended with Tenley.

This is Tenley. She has been a part of our family for several years now in her official role as one of Gina’s besties. We have the hugest soft spot for her in our hearts. Tenley was one of four women doing bronc riding at the rodeo. We needed to stay and watch her give it her all.

Tenley shared this picture with me. It gives me goosebumps. She is brave and so strong in everyday life, this picture makes that extra clear. Tenley had to wait a long time in the chute before they opened that gate. The announcer said she must have ice water in her veins. Noting her presence as she waited through a long delay he said she was “cool as a cucumber, she’s the coolest cucumber in the fridge, nothings bothering her at all.” She had a good ride and stayed safe. We were very thankful. When she sent me this picture she said, “sitting in that chute is a feeling I can’t explain. You truly feel as though you have ice water running through your veins!”

Saturday things came to a bit of a standstill for me personally. I was struggling. I simply cannot write a blog about this life and only tell a partial tale, it feels dishonest. I live with humans and sometimes things get really hard. I feel my feelings very hugely at times. We are working through stuff. The wisdom below sits right with me.

A little comic relief. Russell asked me to take this picture to commemorate an important day. He had decided that this was his last day wearing this work shirt. He has had it a long time and its special to him. My sister gave it to him. At one point he outgrew it and gave it to a friend, then Russ slimmed down and the friend outgrew it and gave it back to him. Its travelled many roads with these guys. Only one of six tears is visible in this picture.

The job of the day at the ranch on Saturday was to trim horses hooves. Our friend Layne has a hydraulic tipping table he hauls here and he sets up shop. Friends with horses and donkeys come over and get their animals done too. Its a big day with lots of work and lots of visiting. In the chute at this point is our donkey, you might remember we named him “Elton John.” He is as cool as his name suggests.

Today the guys were up early with a fun plan in their minds. We had friends coming over to bring the last calves of 2023 home to be tagged, needled, branded, and castrated. We usually do that in the pole shed with a small crew and a tipping table for the calves. Morgan requested that we do this last small group like an old fashioned branding, Russell agreed. It was indeed fun. It seemed less gentle on the animals in one sense, that was iffy for me. But there were perks to this other way too. The calves were not separated from their Mamas as long and they were soothed to see them nearby it seemed.

Morgan and Carter Ewart were on horseback and doing all the roping. Russ, Emerson, Laurie and Tyce saw that all the jobs were done for each calf. Coffee dog is seen here, she was not terrifically helpful, Maddie got dog of the day today.

Carter is seen here dragging a calf down to the guys. Tyce is ready with a piece of equipment that will temporarily and painlessly keep the calf immobilized, its called a “deadman”. Tyce is very experienced with how to do this work and was invaluable today. He is Jordanna’s Dad.

Emerson was the runner, bringing needles and tags to the team.

Jen was the operating room nurse, filling taggers, needles and the de-nutter. In the background is Laurie’s son and his family. We had a good visit.

It was a very diverse week at the Bar MW. I think in everything that transpired, from parties to appointments, to time with our kids, and big jobs getting tackled, hurt feelings, rodeo feelings, much animal action and everything in between, those five words can apply powerfully, “we believe in each other.”