Change

Morning light - great light for taking pictures - not usually a time that I'm out with the camera BUT this morning I was!!




8:20 a.m. - the sun is rising at our farm and the cattle are gathered




Waiting




In the pen




Because today they are going up the chute




And taking a trip on one of these trucks




Heading off




Down the road to tomorrow's auction!

We've made the decision to sell our cattle so it's been a hectic week, especially for Bob. But this morning 94 cows left our farm and it's a little quieter around here now. Hopefully the auction will go well and our adjustment to a new chapter in life will be smooth and enjoyable! You can keep us in your prayers please - thank you, my friends and family!

More About Farming

Here's a little glimpse of what it looks like in the field when our silage making grinds to a halt. Actually it usually happens in a split second when a bearing seizes up, a belt breaks, a gear is stripped or a shaft is bent.




Up close and personal with bearings, gears and chains. This one didn't take too long to fix (after Bob spent 2.5 hours finding and getting parts) but it led to a more major catastrophe before the situation got better. However - today was a pretty good day with machinery but it was blistering hot for people. It's supposed to be +32 again tomorrow so we're hoping to get a very early start while it's still cool.

The best thing about yesterday was that Naomi and Meadow brought us supper! That was a big treat and we got to play for a little while too. Meadow had her first tractor ride in the field too.

Summer on the Farm

I wanted to give you a little tour of our farmyard before we go to the field to make silage today. We've done this silaging thing every year as long as we've been married (31 years this July!) but I have precious few pictures it so I resolved to change that this year.



Here's the equipment we are using this week. I'll drive the tractor with the forage harvester and hydump in the field(it's the rig on the left side). Bob's truck isn't in this picture and the silage press is already in position with a bag on it to stuff (literally!) the silage into so that it can be sealed off and rest until winter. It looks like a lot of stuff here, doesn't it? It is a lot of machinery and my talented husband, the farm mechanic, has been very busy repairing and fine tuning to have everything shipshape and ready to go. Theoretically, the more time you spend getting it all in perfect running order the less problems you should have once you are in full operation. It rarely works that way - there's always something else that breaks when you least want it to!!!

Notice that blue prairie sky? It's one of the seven wonders of Canada, CBC announced recently. Pretty cool, I think!




This is the farm shop where Bob's tools and some replacement parts are kept. All those bins in the front are treasures he bought at a recent auction. He did get some really good deals but still - it seems like a lot of stuff. I guess we're going to be farming for a few years yet!!




This is the disc bine that will cut down the grass, hay or grain. Today it's cutting fall rye that was planted last August.




Putting the power takeoff shaft on can be such a delicate process as the teeth and splines need to aligned correctly. This is what makes the implement behind the tractor go up and down or around and around - it gets its power from the motor of the tractor - amazing, hey! I took this picture to capture my husband's hands. They are covered in grease and oil whenever he's in the shop but he is so talented when it comes to mechanical things - understanding how they work and how to keep them running. He's a self-taught mechanic and is ingenious when it comes to adapting and improving.

Images of the Farm

I went on a little mini quad tour around the farm yesterday through the mud, over stream and up the hill. Here's some of what I saw.



It's so wet in the pasture where the cows usually hang out that Bob opened the gate and let them come up into the hillside pasture. They are delighted to be on higher, drier ground. This reminds me of Western movies where you see the silhouettes of cattle.



Some of our baby calves, frolicking as their moms eat




Supper time in the field on the farm!

It was nice to cruise around and splash through the mini-lakes that are dotting our lower land.

Spring Is . . .

no where in sight this weekend!!
It's the coldest, snowiest, blowiest Easter weekend that we have had for many, many years! The temperature is just below zero but the wind has a chill factor of about -25 degrees C. and it's awful outside. Our plans for quadding blew out the window
and instead we are fighting the elements and trying to care for newborn calves. Two of them spent the night warming up in our calf hutches and this morning they went back to their mothers. Meanwhile another one is shivering so we gave him some extra milk and he'll come in to the "calf motel" tonight. Then a heifer is trying to calve but it's been a long time with no progress so Bob and Darrin are currently loading her on the trailer and she's going to the clinic where the vet will work with her. When one complication develops, it quickly can snowball into an avalanche around here!!

Thank goodness for cheery brightness on the kitchen table today!






We are eager for +9 to hit here, hopefully by mid-week, and we need a whole lot of sunshine to dry up all the snow and mud. It's hard farming in all this wetness.

Our Farm

On my little foray outside on Saturday afternoon, I had some fun snapping everyday pictures of our farm. We've always had cattle, dairy cows for 25 years and now for the last 5 years, beef cattle. The animals have been such a big part of the farm but I don't have very many pictures of that part of our lives! Bob had just fed them so they were more interested in food than a photographer.




At the southeast corner of our home property, there is an artesian well and this old, old willow tree grows beside the spring. The sun was right behind the tree when I took this - kind of a cool effect, I think. See my little 'fun machine' at the side?!!




These are absolutely the biggest daffodils I have ever seen! They opened up to be so big and beautiful - I think each one would fill a teacup! On such a cold, windy and gloomy day, they radiate springtime and sunnier days ahead.