Ranch Life

Being as I am not very computer worldly wise or whatever one would call it it is hard for me to do this blog when they change how it was done and how I was use to it being done. Now to re-figure out how to get what I want to get on here on here is the challenge. Push this button and presto zappo it is all not what I want but I have no way of changing it cause I can not figure that out!! 

Those are the challenges of living in the wild and not having anyone near by long enough(or patient enough) to teach me what, when, where, why, and how of this contraption. I do understand that as a Christian who loves the LORD my God that it is not appropriate that I should want to swear or threaten to kill the computer either. I sit here humbled by a machine that thinks it thinks and have completely come to the conclusion that I should probably stick to listening to the birdies twitter or the river roaring down its watery pathway or the trees swaying in the breezes. I do have the comfort of the fire crackling cheerily in our wood heater seeing as it is June 15th and was 33F this morning. A hot cup of tea and a small bowl of yogurt to appease me in my total state of confusion.
               For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches 
                           of the saints.  1 Corinthians 14:33

Blessings of Home Life

Bread rising

I sometimes think the blessings of home-life are not given much praise. The sweeping and washing of floors. Endless dishes to wash after the making and cooking of meals. The laundry that piles up waiting for washing. Toilets that need scrubbing. Cobwebs that need to be swept down from ceilings. Not to mention the cupboards that are needing re-tidying and re-organizing. Closets and dresser drawers that are hard to close because of overcrowding.Porches to tidy, little bums to clean, phones to answer, internet to look at, books to read, sewing to do and all kinds of other handiwork. And all that and still look as fresh as a daisy. That did not include the cow to milk or a calf to pull or a chicken house to clean, a garden to weed or to plant so you can weed. And on and on BUT still the blessings of freshly baked bread. The smell of homemade soup.  Being able to eat off of clean dishes. Not afraid to use the bathroom cause it looks so nice a clean. Climbing into a fresh smelling nicely made bed after a long hard days work. There are so many sweet blessings of the daily living in the homes God has blessed us with. I only pray that all of you who have a home will feel the honour that has been bestowed upon you. That you can truly look upon this as a blessing and not a drudgery. That you can take a quiet pride in all that you do even if the family does not fully comprehend all that you do.

Moose(y) Monday Morning

Comforting sounds of the coffee making in its electric pot. The automatic washing machine chuga-chugging away as the bedding gets washed. The fire in the wood heater gives an occasional sparking throwing its welcomed warmth into the kitchen. The very comfortable so-called working cow-dogs stretch out on the floor soaking in the heat.. Large brown moose have nibbled their way across the wee island over the frozen snow-covered river to Laurene's cabin and meandered off into the bush behind it. Always pulling at a willow here and there.Snow-laden trees are their only cover.
Silence fills the air. The deep silence of a cold march morning in an almost forgotten corner of the Cariboo country here in the northwest central British Columbia.
That was Monday morning now it is Tuesday the temperatures have fallen to 30 below zero. Moonbeams are still touching our part of the world somehow making it magical inspite of the cold. Hinting of dawn is being greeted by numerous over-zealous roosters.
I love the mornings~~well I actually love the days too but mornings are somehow my favourite time of the day. This morning with my cup of tea in hand and my fire stoked dressed in warm flannel I am going to cut out a new nightie and crochet on some of the afghans I have on the go.
This is the day that the LORD has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Have a great Tuesday
Roxanne

Ice covers my "screen"door. The one with glass in it. There is a strong breeze blowing on this dark dark January morning. Temperature is below zero if you are here in Canada but slightly above zero if in the States. Our whole winter thus far has been pretty mild with just a few very cold temps that never last longer than a day or two. Gives credence to the global warming following.
As of yesterday I am a year older and here is hoping ~wiser too. Can't really understand the whole age thing. It seems like as we grow into elders we still think we feel like we are nineteen or in our twenties but our bodies don't always get that and tend to act like we are much older than what our minds picture ourselves as! Strange ain't it?
It seems like it has been a long time since I have written anything on here. One comment by a friend was that my husband has been sitting on that stump for a long time. Could be he is just slow moving and not as young in body as in mind eh? But really Christmas gift making, helping one of our daughters and her husband and baby move back here has been pretty time consuming.
True too that I just kind of lost interest in fighting with my computer too. Today (maybe cause I am older now) I am full of patience thinking I would post something on here just to get myself back into the roll of things.
So here I am trying hard to think of what to write about and not coming up with a whole lot of anything. I could tell you about the winter but I already did that. Maybe Christmas~~that was very fun~ a blast really. Lots of target practice and the whole family here by Boxing Day. Even a really magical display of fireworks!
Dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens, rabbits keep us occupied. Wolves howl around us day and night. Coyotes come in for a visit too. No moose so far this winter season. But then it is so mild out they don't need to come eat our hay. that part is nice but miss seeing them.
Firewood to get for our daughter as her husband is in the north country working. I guess that helps our bodies to try to act like the youth in our minds. Somehow I am not sure that it is working all that great but nonetheless we carry on.
A single pileated woodpecker flew over me the other day when I was walking a very old old horse up to this corral near the house. There is usually two of them but haven't even seen one of them for a long time so it was a surprise to me.
Friends and neighbours drop by for coffee off and on bringing news and laughs and just plain friendly conversation with them.
Handiwork keeps me occupied too when I let myself sit around and do it. I now (since Christmas) have a jigsaw and have started learning how to use that. I could do that kind of thing for hours but it gets cold standing outside for a long time so usually last about an hour and then come in for a warm up. Of course once in one realizes it is time to put laundry in the dryer or make a meal or answer the phone and then it is another day before I can get back at things with the jigsaw.
I have this desire to start my own hanging baskets so am hoping I can scrounge up enough seeds to start some sometime soon here too.
There is a huge jigsaw puzzle taking up space on one of my kitchen tables that I pick away at. The picture is an aspen forest with the odd pine tree in it. But all the pieces are beginning to look alike to me. YIKES!!
That about rounds up the happenings here. We are looking forward to 2012 with a wedding of our son and fiance coming up in the summer. Our youngest daughter and husband are expecting a new little one due in the summer. The hopes and dreams of a bigger and better garden. It will be interesting to see what the LORD has planned for us this year. God Bless all of you Love Roxanne
Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will increase greatly. Job 8:7 NASB

Firewood is a very important part of our life. We spend much of our time all year round thinking about firewood. If we are not out falling trees and limbing and bucking them into the needed lengths then we are burning it.
A lot of hard work goes into the gathering of firewood. First comes the drive to the end of the ranch that we like the most for firewood at least when the weather allows us to get into it.
Once we have got ourselves to the area we want to be in it is just a simple matter of trying to park the truck so that it is not in the way of falling trees and won't roll away on us (not a very good emergency brake have to block it) Powersaw, fuel, tools, ax, wedges, chain (for if we need to drag a log to an area to get at it easier) We walk around sizing up the trees as my husband decides which ones he is after and where he is going to fall them.
And then again not all the trees are obedient to his wishes! When these scene happens there is some very careful falling of the trees that had the audacity to get in the way. Sometimes that goes real straight forward sometimes not! Nonetheless the wood still has to be got and it is.
There are times when we as a family get firewood in huge loads for each other. That is quite the deal. Nice to get a lot of it at once. Everyone has to pitch in but the work gets done and gives us a bit of a break for a little bit.
I love stacking firewood even if it isn't exactly always the most stable of stacks. There is just something about getting it all piled up neatly in ones woodpile. Kind of makes you feel warm and cozy and taken care of.
And then when the winter weather hits it makes for a nice backdrop for one holding a Yedi Teddy bear too!! :)
Here is hoping and praying all of you have your firewood in too~~we still have a long ways to go and there is snow on the ground today from yesterday.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might... Ecclesiastes 9:10

Fencing

Fall brings all kinds of interesting chores to be done ~~Fencing is one of the many things that we have to do around this ranch. Our fencing is snake fencing which is done with logs. It is all done by hand sometimes a pickup is used to pull the logs to the fence. When the right size log is found it is put in place after first notching at just the right angle the log then lifted into place. It is very nice to have two strong good looking men to do this. I have lifted logs too but oh my gosh I do not have the strength of a man that is for sure!! There is a lot of fencing here. When you are working on it it really seems like it will never end. I suppose that is a form of job security. LOL

Much of the outer fence now is getting quite old
so next year will have to be replace. It was going to be this year's project for sure but we were flooded out most of the season. the year before was a huge forest fire. I think the only thing left to hit us now is an ice age!!

There are some remnants of old moose fencing here and there still around the ranch ~~I love this old fencing and hope to one day put some around my garden.Try jumping that !!It is a fence with the poles sticking up at angles to keep moose out. Cows and deer don't like it either and will not jump it. If they did the outcome would be critter on a stick! This kind of fencing is a little more work intensive but the good part is it takes poles instead of logs.

One mustn't forget the corrals and the shutes are all needing fixing too and the stackyard ~~So nope no time for boredom in the fall and seeing as we really won't be fencing this fall we will move onto the next part of fall work~~FIREWOOD~~but that will have to be another posting LOL

Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, leading to edification. Romans 15:2

Mya God's Word be your fence love Roxanne

Rodeo and More Rodeo

As the hats are off for the national anthem. The animals are ready and raring for action. After the grande entry comes the various events ~~sometimes it starts with Wild Cow Milking. A funny and wild full of action event where cowboys and even some cowgirls in teams of three try to rope and milk a cow and get back to the judges with at least a squirt of milk in their bottles. There is usually a steer thrown in for fun sometimes more than one. The teams rope and get dragged around the arena . Getting tangled with others ropes is not unusual.

Next there is usually barrel racing, Team roping. For some folks these are their main events for some it is the interlude to the rough stock. Rough stock being intermingled with the more gentlemenly events if bulldogging can be considered gentlemenly.Wild horse racing is an event that is full of action. Cowboys and horses everywhere. Horses kicking, biting, jumping high into the air with some cowboy (the header in this event) hanging on so that the rider can get on while the anchor man holds on tight on the end of the rope. Eventually the little steer riders come out. They are tough little guys and girls riding for all they are worth. Alternating between events with barrel racers and more team roping the rough stock makes its entrance. There is bareback riders and saddle-bronc riders and the bull-riders. Rodeo seems to get in folks blood~~Riders competing with their rides it seems at times. Crowd tense some cheering . Before you know it the whole show is over and if you somehow mangaed to get yourself injured in any of these crowd pleasing events be of good cheer as someone is sure to come up to you with a serious look in their eyes and those encouraging words on their lips"COWBOY UP"

So, don't be anxious about tomorrow.

God will take care of your tomorrow too.

Live ond day at a time. Matthew 6:34 God Bless Roxanne

Chicks cheep and chirp beside me as I type away on here. I hatched them in a borrowed incubator so now have fifteen tiny fluffy little chickies. It is kind of late in the year but I didn't get the chance at an ncubator until late so that's the breaks, eh?

The last few days have been pretty nice and warm here. Blackflies are doing wonderfully well. The berry picking is fabulous. I have been able to pick wild strawberries and enough of them to freeze. Wild blueberries are just coming around and oh my are they going to be plentiful. Saskatoons grow wild here too so have lots of them picked and same with raspberries. In other words no shortage of berries. The rose hips are coming. Many large reddish ones and some are becoming quite a bright red. Although we have had some frost they really need to get hit with a heavier frost yet. Same with the blueberries but never fear as it will happen.

I have dried many wild herbs and still more to pick. Finding it hard right now to keep up with everything that is growing out there at the same time. Many of these plants and berries the bears enjoy too so I have to be on the lookout for them as well.

There are a few jars of saskatoon rhubarb jam done and a few apricot jam and just two very tiny jars of raspberry jam. Mostly I am freezing the berries for later on.

The evening is closing in on me here with ten hungry pigs to pack feed to and wash out their water trough yet. Chickens need their evening rations. There is wood to bring in and I would like to set the fire ready to throw a match to in the morning so I am not running around in the woodpile in barefeet and nightie gathering kindling ~~

I still have some dishes to do from jamming and making supper but what I really really would like to do is just sit and knit on the little sweater. I want to make two of them for our five year old grand-daughters. They are white with embroidered flowers on them. At least they will have embroidered flowers on them when they are done!

Things have been hopping around here with folks dropping in to say hello and use the phone. There is a big gold mine trying to set up back in the mountains so the first nations peoples are invited by the company to view the actual sites. Then there is going to have to be tribal meetings to talk about making deals. Our youngest son is working in the one closest to traditional areas in our part of the country. It is cold up there so thankfully our friend can take some warm clothes in when he flies in next week. It will all be very interesting.

I need to go for now get all this stuff I mentioned done instead of just talking about it. Would be nice if they had a button on this computer you could press and these things would get done. But until they invent that button I guess ~~it will just have to be traditional old fashioned hand done.

The sluggard craves and gets nothing,

but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

Proverbs 13:4 NIV

Sweet Dreams to all

Roxanne

Moon Washing

It actually gets dark here now around 10 pm~~That is until the moon comes up and washes the dark away. The we are bathed in moonlight. Don't you just love that? So pretty.

This photo was taken in 2009 but my dog that is on the leash was still alive then. I don't have many photos of her so this kind of touches my heart. She was a great friend even though she was a brat at times. The reason she is on a leash is that if she was let off when the other two were loose with her she would take them off into the bush for many many hours. Not too good. The other two will stick around but as soon as the ring-leader came out to play they would be long gone. They have no self-discipline. Easily led astray. She was good and stuck around if by herself. Go figure. The photo is taken out at the back end of the ranch.

Today I have ironing to do and all that exciting stuff. Lots of outdoor things to do.

It would be good to be able to get to some heirloom sewing patterns for children. That would be fun to do if I can squeeze in some time. First off though I should probably finish organizing my sewing area so you can get to the sewing machine without breaking your neck. LOL I am trying to put it inot some kind of logical order but I am sttarting to wonder how much logic is in that??!!

When I have a little more time I will post some of the projects I have completed . for now I will just put this one of the crocheted dress I crocheted for one of our grand-daughter's birthday.

In the meantime I had better get at some breakfast and some chores around here before I get fired! haha now there's an idea~~

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusted in Him,

and I am helped.

Psalm 28:7

Have a dog gone good day

Roxanne

Blackwater River Ranch

Mornings are taking longer now here in this corner of the Cariboo country. The birds would wake us up with their twittering and anxiousness to start the day at a quarter to three in the morning just a few short weeks ago~~Now they start their day sometime after five. The sun is taking longer and longer to hit the cabins and bless us with its presence. But at least we are getting sunshine. The "summer" has been fairly cold and extremely rainy. So much so that the rivers flooded and are just now starting to get back into their rightful spots. The hay meadows are still wet and the garden that was under five feet or so of water is now down to being quite soft. The mushroom picking (morels) was pretty decent until even the mushrooms couldn't stand the rain anymore. We have wild strawberries big and sweet. They are so abundant it is just wonderful. The raspberry plants are taller than me and loaded with ripening berries. My husband has picked a container full of ripe deep purply blue juicy saskatoon berries too. Wild blueberries are so plentiful and soon they too will be ready for the picking.

It has been sometime since the last time I have been able to blog but I am now back in cyber space thinking I am pretty KOOL too! LOL

The weed whacking has been done, house work is done, animals are fed and wateredand relaxing in the heat they are so not use to. The men folk have gone down the road to pick up fishermen that are on tour and bring them and their raft and gear back up.

Tonight we will have a wonderful supper with friends that are camping here for a few more days. Fresh Blackwater River trout. Mmmm!

The blackflies and no-see-ums are alive and well shredding us and livestock and wild critters. All that rain and now the heat Perfect breeding conditions.

There are so many beautiful wild flowers and tall grasses covering the wildfire area now that it is hard to believe it was such a fire. If one looks you can still see the blackened earth that burned so hot. The trees are easily spotted as they stand out black against the backdrop of green.

There are fifty-seven eggs in my incubator so I have high hopes of seeing some baby chicks later this month.

In the meantime dear friends I must be on my way to complete some more chores.

The earth is full

of the goodness

of the LORD. Psalm 33:5

God's Blessings be upon you

Roxanne

Wolf Scat and Sasquatch Crossing

It seems some days are just plain meant to be just this side of heaven! Walking with the dogs yesterday in the later afternoon along the river was one of those times~~at least for the most part.
We wandered along the edge of the river bank with Sassy dog walking and flopping in the cold clear water. Blueberry has a little more dignity so she stays out as long as possible. Nellie was on a lead rope as you know she will take the other dogs off into the bush for many miles and many hours. Not too good an idea anytime of the year but especially during hunting season.
The two dogs romped and chased each other while Nellie and I ambled along. The screeing of an eagle as we got close to its fishing grounds came from high up in an old cottonwood tree. Leaves of vibrant yellows floated to the ground and onto the blueness of the river water. The late afternoon or early evening air if you prefer it to be called that being as it was around five(ish) smelled of the earth and the scent of the aspen leaves. Old spearmint along the banks still throwing of its sweetness. We decided that it would be nice to go to the far hay meadow. Just a small meadow with a really picturesque spot looking onto the river. This part of the ranch is known by the local First Nations as a Sasquatch Crossing. I knowing that bears frequent this section of the ranch and this being one of their favourite times of the day to do so was on the look-out for them. Trucking right along musing to myself about Sasquatches and such things I notice some scat. Hmm ~~pretty big scat must be one big coyote! I stopped to check it out while the loose dogs bound off into the bush, Nellie checking this out too and anxious to go with the other two. I looked up and saw Sassy bounding straight up into the air! I have no idea what she saw. I did not stick around decided we would turn around right then and there. I will never know if it was a bear, a wolf, or a Sasquatch but whatever the hair on the back of my neck was feeling rather prickly. hahahaha I spooked myself pretty good.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear;
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Peace and Love
Roxanne

Yellows and Golds, Oranges and Even some Red

After a long and rather cold rainy day at the funeral for Ruth the lost elderly lady neighbour today seems so slow.
The morning started out dark as now the sun doesn't come up anymore at 4 a.m. it is more like 7ish although it is getting lighter before that. The sun shining on this splendor that God has blessed us with is beyond my word capabilities to describe. The intensiveness of the colours and even the contrasting shadows with their deep dark depth is something to behold. I did try to capture it on camera to share with you and praying it will look at least halfways as wonderful as it did in reality. Now the clouds are moving in again and their is a different kind of beauty to behold.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Psalm 19:1
Praying you are enjoying your Fall
Love Roxanne

Summer So Strange

It is a quiet evening at Blackwater River Ranch. There are no cows near the house for a change Only a Screech Owl makes its funny noise. I thought I could hear the sound of a wolf but it is far away.I am soaking my cookie sheets that I had cinnamon buns on and the big bread bowl thinking back over our so-called summer~~
I believe the weather got very hot for this part of the world. I am told the sun shone day in and day out and the sky was clear blue. I do not know for myself though it is all heresay. June was a cold month. The grasses did not grow well as the nights would freeze them and the days would grow hot and be dry. By July we were still getting frosts and dry weather. Our mornings would start out sunny and clear and still, very still. Not even a leaf would whisper. By nine in the morning, a breeze would come ,by ten or eleven it was a full fledged wind. Drying everything out ~~ One of those hot dry summer evenings we got an incredible electric storm. Shocking blue streaks zapped their way across the heavens. Winds blew. The display of crackling, snapping lightning was really quite awesome. The problem was evident the next day when we had the pastor's wife (a pastor herself) show up as she needed to use the phone. There was a fire just up the road from our place. That, my dears, was the beginning of a very long,long summer ~~I think it was summer as not long after that we could no longer see our sky. The sun disappeared in a strange amber clouded light.Choppers making their bwaap bwaap bwaap sound filled our quiet world turning it into a war zone. The sound of the fire roaring on the other side of the ridge from our house was heightened by the sound of six to eight of these whirling, water- bucket carrying,man -made humming birds. Non-stop for hours. We danced our fire hose dance under their bwaaaaping, the beat throbbing within our very bones. The days went on and on. We watched our ribbons tied on the stick. Wind is blowing north to northwest~ wind is blowing east (hooray away from us) wind is blowing north west again wind is blowing south west to us depending on which side of the ranch the fire was burning the heaviest. We attempted to create an envelope of humidity around the buildings. And we did succeed at that too. With help from a fire structural protection crew and their handy dandy sprinklers and hoses added to our already existing fire hoses. The fire-fighters were happy to have us here even though this was an under evacuation order area. We had chosen to stay and fight for our home and the hundred or so head of cattle that had come in off the range. Some came down with the smoke licking at their heels. Some more came in after the fire was mostly over. We were allowed to go out if we so wished but once out we would not be allowed back in so we did not go out. They did lift the road ban for a few hours one day thinking it was safe to do so. We went out to get hog grower for the ten piggies who needed grub very soon. We got back (good thing we didn't stay for supper with our daughter in law and the family) and they had it back up.They were gracious enough to let us back in. The fire really got going. I can tell you all about summer if you like thick amber coloured smoke or grey smoke or fresh rich smelling smoke or that is green smoke(meaning burning very green trees) or its raining pine needles on us. Convoys of forestry workers going up our poor old dirt road. A road that has not seen that many vehicles in its whole existence all put together. Heavy equipment. Big shots riding around being important in the bush country that they don't even know where they are! But they are important people so it doesn't matter. Local folks sneaking through on back roads some of which are more like trails,to get to their ranch that they have been denied access to by said important peoples. I guess I could tell alot of stories but really it was a very strange summer. Now it has been raining and raining. Cows are everywhere. Fording the river, walking on the trails, coming up to the house, anywhere they please to go. Back on one very hot and tiring afternoon I gave up for a few moments on all this noise and action and sat shoes, clothes and all in the river and started singing praises to God and what did I get for an audience??~~CROWS!! a whole flock of crows squawking at me and bouncing their way up and down the other side of the river shore. (I was in a back eddy) so they were very close to me. Any ways I guess all one can say about my singing abilities is it is fit for the crows . Now I am recovering from walking pneumonia probably from all the smoke I breathed for a month. I can not sing at all not even for the crows as my voice is shot but I am happy and health is back on its way to me.

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray,
and cry aloud,
and He shall hear my voice.
Psalm 55:17
God Bless your week-end,
Roxanne

May and June

I can hardly believe that over a month has gone past since the last time I wrote anything on here. I am not sure I could actually tell all that is happening here or has happened but just to get things back on a roll I will try to summarize the last month.
May eventually brought us around to the sorting, branding, ringing(of little and not so little bull calves) that was an all day till midnight event that brought us to the next day of the shipping them down to our place which was another all day event that ended around midnight. The next day was putting them out on range and believe it or not that went fairly smoothly and did not take up the whole day. Whew!!
We have been busy with fencing and trying to get our garden in. Which is almost finished and really starting to come up. Now to keep the bears and the deer out of it and never forget the cows that come down off range and break in to destroy all your hard work in one night!! I was thinking an electrified fence set on the barbeque setting. There is that setting on those things is there not??The fencing ~~well the fencing is never done ~~ever! Just when you think it is all done a moose runs through it or a bear crashes it or just so you don't get bored the LORD has a few trees dropped on it. so yeah there is always fencing.
The bugs are a happy lot these days. There are pesky mosquitoes, blackflies, horseflies, deerflies, blowflies, bees, baldface bees, hornets, wasps, little tiny bees, big fuzzy bees, flying ants, beetles and spiders, no-see-ems, the list goes on. The butterlies and the lady bugs being my very favourites.
Sandhill cranes fill the air with their not so melodic song. Pileated woodpeckers sit in a tree by the garden banging away on deadwood and giving us a badtime for being there.
The wild raspberries are starting to get flowers. The wild strawberries are starting to bear fruit.
Today the wandering bull is going back on the range where he is suppose to be. Our agenda for the day will start with putting him out there after we have breakfast and do chores here. We have high hopes of finishing with the garden if we can get on it in this wetness. And getting the fence done around the meadow so we can open the pasture gate to the pasture by the garden for horses and our cow and calf.
I have some sourdough batter mixed up to make bread so somehow somewhere in all this I do have to get that done and there is always meals to attend to and seeing as the housecleaning fairy hasn't stopped by for awhile I will just have to tend to that myself.
The afghan I am working on is coming along. It is so fun. Sometimes I wish I could just sit and do that. But alas and alack that is not going to happen anytime soon. Birthdays are numerous for the next couple months so I will have to squeeze making gifts for those into my days. Boredom is not on the agenda!!
Tomorrow we are off for the day to a neighbouring ranch(about 45 minutes away) to kill and butcher a very mean heifer. Our big outing!!


The LORD God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Habakkuk 3:19

Have a wonderful Friday and week-end
Roxanne

Purple Runs the River

Purple runs the river outside our kitchen window. Reflecting the early morning sky's different hues of sunrise colours. Frost lies on the ground. Ice is formed on the water troughs. Bunnies that got loose are enjoying their freedom running about nibbling from the bottom of the huge round bales. The dogs always, always trying to stalk them but never quick enough to actually catch them. Canada geese swim in the purple river water. Crows caw to each other landing and hopping around in the pig pen loving to get leftover grains from the troughs. Red-winged blackbirds search the empty bird feeders for black sunflower seeds. Little chickadees bounce light- footed over the frosty ground picking at little bits of hay seed. The horses are no where to be seen this morning so far. A few Canada Geese graze in the upper part of the meadow. Soon now I will be venturing out into the chill morning opening the chickens' door and checking for eggs. The pig food will be soaking and I can "slop" the hogs soon too. I like for them to stay in their warm bed for awhile longer before pouring the five gallon bucket of soaked grains to them. They are getting braver now these little piggies with the curly ears. Coming out and eating on one side of the trough whilst I am still pouring the grain from the bucket. They are settling in. Love the little piggies at this stage in their lives they are soooo very cute. After the piggies are fed I have to refill the bucket with the evening's feed. I have to check on the bunnie's waterers too then I will come in and do some housework. Their is some bear meat to cook up for supper tonight. I will make a stew of sorts even though not much to go into it as need to go to town, buy some kind of groceries. Tomorrow will be the big town day as I take my husband in to get the stitches out of his poor, poor chainsaw chewed foot. That by the way is healing even though the big toe is looking pretty swollen and red. The rest has gone down and the other toes are looking friendly and alive again. In the meantime here back at the ranch you will find me cooking, vacuuming out my flour drawer, baking something or other. I have floors to sweep and wash. There is some sewing to do. Some hand-embroidery to do. Mail to get together for the mail tomorrow. Then back outside to work in the little greenhouse. Pull out more of the rye grass in the second small bed so I can plant radishes and more spinach in it. I have wood to chop and pack into the porch and dogs to take with me to walk the meadow along the river. So far I have seen no bears here at the ranch although they are everywhere else around here. I keep myself alert to watching for them. I want to go down to the eagle's nest and poke around down there. The bears like that path too. Golden rays of sunshine are now streaming in the windows. The purple river is turning an odd greyish purple colour as the sky changes its hues to bright! The horses can be seen now coming up from the far reaches of the meadow in a hurry to get into the rays of sunshine.
The day has begun here at Blackwater River Ranch.
This morning as I read The Daily Bread devotional a line at the bottom of the page catches my eye and my heart: Duty alone is drudery; duty with love is delight.

Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3:17
(a good thing to remind myself)

May your duties be your delight
Roxanne

April Winds

Here it is April the 12th already~~We are so excited to have a new grandbaby in the family as of yesterday morning. This little bundle of sweetness made her appearance early in the morning around 7:30. From what I have heard all is well at this point. We will be able to make a visit to see mom baby and the rest of the family in a day or two.
The winds have been blowing blowing blowing here for what seems like an eternity. Bringing with them the snow, the hail, and coldness. Even with sunshine the wind bites through one. I wonder many times whatever happened to April showers bring May flowers seems more like March went out like a lion and April has not figured out that it IS April ~~in the meantime we keep the fire stoked and really enjoy the cozy comforts of the inside of our home.
I did manage to get my first batch of diapers and diaper covers sewn and shipped only to find out I was suppose to do them a little differently than I did but I am thinking that all though that is a bummer the good thing is they are all done the same in that batch so the next batch will be done the way they should be done.
A week-end long birthday party for our youngest daughter was fun. Friday was her actual birthday but she had to work. We did have some streamers up and balloons and made a nice supper and spice iced and sprinkled cupcakes for her. Saturday some long time friends came out for supper and birthday celebrations with her and a friend of hers stayed the night. Sunday her oldest brother and family came out for the afternoon and early evening. That was fun unless you were one of the cats. Haha All of us had fun watching the otters in the river. And the merganzers swimming around in amongst them. Busy river. And one mustn't forget that we had a nice visit from a magpie yesterday too. We do not get to see magpies often here so it is great fun to have one come and spend the day even if the dogs do not approve!
This morning the ranch lies in cold greyness. The crows flapping by landing on the hard ground strutting about looking for what ever they think they can find to eat. They are quite busy building a nest in on of the big spruce trees on the river bank.
Our golden eagle has not been seen the last couple of days but the bald headed eagles are back taking up residence in their huge nest down where the two rivers meet. They like to sit in an old tree at one end of the little islands here out the kitchen window. We get the privilege of watching them as they watch the river for fish.
Our son and his wife said they saw a bear on their way out here yesterday so the bears are up and about now. That means they will be hungry as this part of the country does not exactly have any berries growing as yet. Last spring at this time our friends down the road a piece lost a ram to a hungry bear. A hungry angry bear at that. That was a scary scene.
We do not have sheep or really anything that a bear would be interested in for to eat so that way we will be safe from angry hungry bears. It just kind of makes one walking in the bush a wee bit more cautious.
The house is starting to come to life so I think I should probably get some breakfast rustled up here and get my day on the go.

How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
Isaiah 52:7

May the Peace of the LORD be with You
Roxanne

Blackwater River Ranch Easter

Easter bunnies hop here and there wherever they please here on the ranch. It seems lately that they do not have to follow the rules of staying in their shed shelter. No matter how you fix it up they can find a new way out. I have managed to catch a few and have them in little cages. There they stay put unable to dig their way out of those so far. Meanwhile we (that is the royal we meaning mostly the man of the house or ranch) is building a new shelter for bunny rabbits. It will have a nice run and three pens so to speak. one for the young bucks, when they are old enough to separate from the mama bunny, one for the young does, and the middle run for the mamas and babies and the daddy. I hope I can find the daddy that is. He left one day and is a gentle old soul and one of the dogs chased him. I have not seen him since but he may be living with the bunnies that are under a shed and coming out and have a great time in the round bales. Like I said they have little shelters for themselves any old place they feel like taking up lodgings. Some are big enough now to put in the stew pot so they may not have to worry about lodgings much longer. And seeing as they did not lay any coloured eggs the stew pot is a very good place for them!!
Then there is the cow! The cow that goes on a rampage ever so often. She charges her big round bale and stomps it to make sure it is good and dead and butts it and continues to terrorize it just daring it to fight back. Puts the chase on the so called "cow-dogs" scaring the tar out of them. Even to the point of jumping in the truck one day! Has become very demanding of her feed of grain. That is alright Jezebel you too are going to end up in the stew pot.
The wind blew over our hard frozen land all this last week. For the Easter week-end the wind stayed with us keeping us nice and cold to the bones. Temperatures dropping way below the freezing point and only rising somewhat above the freezing point during the day. Sometimes there was sun rays shining down upon us. Teasing us. We have had snow and hail too. Believe it or not the river has opened right up. You can tell it is a river now. There is still lots of ice on the banks. Huge huge blocks of ice but the water is making itself heard now. The Canada Geese, the swans and all kinds of ducks are in their glory. Through the night you can hear them chattering away to each other as they drift the river.
Our Easter has been a quiet but busy one here at the ranch. We have seen the odd vehicle going up or coming down the dirt road.
We were invited to supper last night at a neighbour's house. That was a fun time. And a very delicious meal. And a pleasant way to spend Resurrection Sunday to be sure.
Today it is back to sewing, sewing, sewing. I will make our Easter supper to share with our youngest daughter who will be back from house-sitting one of her older brother's and family's place later today.
I will watch the sun rise from its cold bed and the bunnies happily hopping about. Their will be grazing Canada Geese and gracefully swimming swans. Crazed cow. Cautious dogs and yeowling cats. We have a Golden Eagle back and even a few robins. Spring has sprung and the big garden is out from under its covering of snow. The flower gardens still hidden under their blanket of mulch (which I lifted up in spots to peak under)lie frozen but there is hope. Seems every year the grass gets green and the buds begin to appear. We do have lots of pussy willows. That in itself proves that spring is here in the Cariboo country too.

The LORD is my portion,
saith the soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
Lamentations 3:24

Praying God's Blessings be Upon You this day
Roxanne

Sewing Machines

I seriously wonder about the newer sewing machines we have been "blessed" with nowadays. I have this old hand cranked Singer sewing machine and an old Singer treadle. The treadle I could still use if the belt hadn't wore out. If I replaced that I would be off and ~~well off and treadling! The crank Singer still works all you have to do is turn the crank. There isn't much to either machine. You put your fabric under the needle and start sewing. Neither of the machines has a reverse but both machines have attachments to gather and do ruffles and so on. Button holes are done by hand as in Hand Embroidery.
Now I have my new Janome New as in it is over ten years old and a Jonome that is from 1986 or there abouts. Yesterday when I was suppose to be sewing up a storm instead I was storming over sewing machines! The one goes clank and that is it. It needs to go to a hospital no doubt about it. My daughter was running it trying to sew her table runner for a sewing class. But it won't budge at all. It has had this kind of attack some years ago. I had a sewing machine fixer upper friend fix it. It is no big deal but it is a problem and I do not remember what the problem was. The one I was using is from a friend whose husband bought it for her as an appeasement offering after he went out and bought a fancy motorcycle. She has rarely ever used it so she lent it to me for however long I want to use it. The silly thing has a real thing for gathering all the thread on the bottom in a big lump. It will get sorted out but it has to make sure you burst into tears first and cry out to the LORD for help and threaten to throw it out a window. After you take it apart and clean the lint out and try different needles and so on and so forth suddenly it gets all happy and runs like a charm. By that time you are drinking a couple cups of some kind of nerve calming tea and thinking you will never ever sew another seam again!!
Okay so now the rant is over. I want a sewing machine that runs when I turn it on and doesn't have issues! Sort of like a vehicle ~~you know I love the ones that you turn the key and vrrroom it starts. No banging on the solinoid, no climbing under the hood to pour gas in the carborator, no rolling it down a hill to jump start it. Tires that stay round~~oh and candy apple red would be nice to boot instead of rust and mixed colours. Oh and while I am at it here how about a computer that just plain works without me trying to figure out why it doesn't
I am sure the machines of this world are trying to drive us crazy then they have a plot to take it over.
Maybe I will go back to the treadle and a horse drawn buggy and pen and ink!! Maybe tomorrow ~~I don't have time today

Ponder the ways of your feet,
And let your ways be established.
Proverbs 4:26

May Your Day be Filled
with Peace and Love
Roxanne

Cottage Industries

For some time now I have been doing baking for a few friends. Baked goods such as homemade bread:white or brown or varieties. Big iced or uniced cinnamon buns, buns as in rolls, baking powder biscuits and have added Angel Biscuits to the list. Cornmeal muffins is another big hit. I can honestly say that it pays for the ingredients and maybe the gas to town(for those who don't know town is an hour and a half away) and if I am really "rich" from all the baking I may be able to even buy a few carrots for us or butter or a bag of wheat or layer pellets for the chickens. Maybe the dogs will get a bag of dog food or treat the cats to a bag of cat food but not really putting money in the bank.
Now that I am no longer working a few hours here and there at the local little tiny store/cafe I have been graciously invited by a close friend to help with sewing. Her sewing business is called babycanucks and will soon have its own web page. In the meantime whilst the web page is being made up I am sewing up diaper covers that are "sew" cute. and one size fits all diapers. The covers are one size fits all also.
Now another friend sent me a message last night after I had told her what we were doing. She thought it was a wonderful cottage industry. Now isn't that fun? Here all this time I thought it was a survival technique!
Well that goes to show one how perspectives come into play.
To give you an idea of how one day is for me here at the ranch I will walk you through one day~~
it usually starts with pulling my legs out from under about three cats and putting my tootsies onto a very cold floor as the window is usually slightly open. Morning ablutions tended to I stoke the fire and start the tea water. Heading for the computer after letting dogs in and dogs out and cats in and cats out.
There is breakfast to tend to. And if it is a baking day as was Wednesday the bread is started. The bread is made by hand ~you know in a bowl mix it up punch it and cover it and let it rise. It makes eight loaves at a time or five and a half or so buns. Wednesday I did not make cinnamon buns so there was five and a half buns that sell at $3.50/doz. seven dozen baking powder biscuits at $3.00/doz, seven dozen Angel Biscuits at $3.50/doz.
I made Mince Pumpkin Loaves two of them for ourselves. Thawed out a gallon of fish soup our youngest daughter and I had made up from the salmons we had last summer. Made moose meat stew for supper. In amongst all that I fed and watered bunnies , walked the dogs. Actually they took me for a walk to get outside.We tried to locate the missing cow. Never did figure out where her hiding place is. There is lots of room to hide in out there but she did come back PTL!! Cleaned house, did four big loads of laundry, cut out eight dozen diapers and a smaller amount of reusable baby wipes. Talked on the phone a couple of times. Watched a movie and went to bed with a novel.
And sometimes someone will say to me ~~the famous line~~"What do you do all day way out here?"
I think I am an occupier or something because I do not find time to be bored that is for sure waaay out here! And so far there is no fear of me becoming rich and famous either. LOL

Honour the LORD with thy substance,
and with the first-fruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
and thy presses shall bust out with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9 & 10

Happy Day to you and God Bless
Roxanne

Sewing Diapers and Their Covers

Thursday night a quick decision was made to take our one grandson down to visit his daddy. It was such a quick decision in fact that it may have happened Friday morning I honestly do not remember. I do remember Friday morning though!! Quickly throwing together some clothing to take along with us. So quickly in fact that I actually forgot my toothbrush. LOL Our small animals we given water and feed and given instructions to live and make do until we come back. The bigger animals had a round bale to chomp on. They are good at fending for themselves. Electric heaters plugged in. The fire stoked one more time in hopes that the place would not freeze up before we got back. Stopped in on our way out to tell our daughter and son in law that we were on our way to Kamloops. Big surprise to them as they were at our place Thursday night and we weren't at that point going anywhere. How things can change in a night!
Picked up young grandson and off we were. Travelling was good. the deer around the Williams Lake area were well behaved for a change and in hayfields instead of on the road trying their very best to jump onto your vehicle.
Our visit after dropping of our grandson was to Kamloops where my friend has started a diaper business. She designed cloth diapers and their diaper covers which I had to quickly learn how to sew and put together in a few short hours. Not too hard to make and everyone who has seen them seems to love them but a couple of nurses want us to make adult diapers in the same style. They are having a very wretched time of it with the now present diapers available for adults. That is the cloth ones which they are in desperate need of a better design. Well we may look into that but right now my friend (and I second it) wants to concentrate on the baby diapers. Her diapers are called "baby canuks". She thinks her web site will be up and running in a month. You might be able to view some of them on my facebook page for those of you who are on it at least.
After the sewing "lessons" it was off to see my mother in law and meet our son Harely's new girlfriend. She is a sweetheart to be sure. Gramma or great Gramma depending on who you are was doing not too badly. She is having issues with her one kidney and may have to go on dialysis. We are praying not so. She is hoping to soon go into assisted care.
From there out to the Skeetchetsn Reserve where we ate a delicious homemade supper and stayed the night. Of course there was the usual hints to us of coming back home to live. Maybe someday but not right now.
a quiet trip back home and here we are.
Canada Geese flying overhead. Snow melting. Visitors coming for coffee. Talk of baby calves, sewing, knife making, guns.Later our son in law and daughter came over. He played crib with the papa. We said good bye to him as he is leaving on the jet plane for Ontario tomorrow. Sob sob~~ And now I am cutting out flannel for diaper making. Have cut out 46 diaper cover liners which need to be sewn. Praying I can remember what I am to do to put it all together. LOL
There is so much to get done today that it is hard to not have my head spinning. When I figure out how to do it and it is up and running I will add the diaper website link to this blog of mine.
In the meantime back at the ranch~~the dogs have checked out the world. The cats, at least a couple of them are curled up cozy as can be. The day is moving onwards and getting close to 7:30 so my morning is really starting to get away on me. I have to say though the air outside smells of spring. Even the damp grey rather grim looking morning cannot take away the excitement that spring in the air brings. Robins were even sighted not too far away although I have not seen any here as yet.

For the LORD shall be thy confidence,
and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3:26

God Bless
Roxanne