Back at It!

Well, the tire is fixed on the combine and the trucks were unloaded tonight ... so if the weather cooperates (the forecast is calling for some rain tomorrow), we will officially finish our wheat and start on our barley tomorrow!  Keep your fingers crossed!  It would be nice to harvest wrapped up before Thanksgiving!

And There It Sits ...

Not exactly what my husband wanted sitting still tonight ... the combine!  However, it has just been one of those days ... which includes a flat tire on the combine and a broken cable on the straight cut header!  UGH!!  Tomorrow will be another harvest day but first thing on the list will be the 'fixing!'  I dread 'fixing!'  

Along the Prairie Road

For some reason or another ... there have been many trips up and down our roads this week!  This has caused us to play 'eye spy with my little eye' many, many times!!  How often do you think the telephone poles come into effect?  With little people ... MANY, MANY times!  Haha!

My Little Blue Sea ... Is No Longer ...

A Little Blue Sea!

Yes, what was once a crop in full blue flower (August 1st post) ... is now a ripened field of "little flax bobble-heads" that dance in the wind! 

Another Day Harvesting ...

... The Wheat!

Just another day out in the wheat field and certainly an abusive day on my camera!  I don't know how much dust and chaff other cameras are exposed to ... but mine definitely gets put through the ringer!!  We are hoping to wrap up the wheat in a day or so ... then off to the barley!  Let's hope this beautiful fall weather continues to hold!  

Our Little Farmers!

As the combine continues to roll on this September evening, these two young farmers stood on the hill, watching their Dad continue to work.  Our boys are definitely lil' farmers at heart and they love nothing more than to help their Dad when they can!  They helped harvest many acres of wheat today!  

Autumn Aspens!

A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.  

~Hal Borland

It's true ... the countryside is ablaze with fall colors and the vibrancy of some of those colors are certainly found in the Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) groves!  I love walking through the trees this time of year ... there is a sweet ripeness in the air!

Autumn is Here ...

... And So Are the Geese!

I am truly a lucky gal ... living where I do!!  It would appear that we are smack dab in the middle of a very strong migration pattern or zone for many of our feathered friends and I love it!  Seeing thousands of geese, swans, etc. make their annual treks north and south is something I don't take for granted!  I will forever be in awe of the magnitude of these bird's migration patterns!  Well, the Greater White-Fronted Geese, a large handful of Snow Geese and of course, some of our Canada Geese are taking full advantage of our pea stubble and the large slough east of our house!!!  I'm enjoying the daily 'honking!'  Welcome to Autumn!  :)

Summer's Final Sunrise for 2011!

To see the Summer sky is poetry, 

though never in a book it lie - true poems flee.

~ Emily Dickinson

How is it possible that another season has come and gone in a blink of an eye?  Well, although we are enjoying our final day of summer ... the day could not have started any better!  Look at this amazing sky!  I am truly blessed to be able to see the eastern horizon and all of the beauty that it holds!  I hope each and everyone of you had a fantastic summer and here is to a wonderful Autumn!  Cheers Everyone!

'OLIVE' is HOME!

With only a few days of our summer season remaining ... Carol Kelly from the Medicine River Wildlife Centre (MRWC) http://www.medicineriverwildlifecentre.ca made my day when she phoned us back on Monday and asked if we could meet the MRWC to pick up 'Olive' our Great Horned Owl!  For those of you who follow along, you will remember 'Olive' but for those of you who have not heard of her before, she is a young Great Horned Owl that we found injured back in early July (see July 3rd and 19th).  Well ... today was the day ... and it was pretty awesome bringing this wonderful creature back home to be released back into her 'home wilderness!'

This is my Hubby just cutting the tape on the box and then getting ready to step back and let her out!

It took 'Olive' a few moments to find her way out of the box ... oh, but what an incredible sight when she finally came out!  She really is a beautiful bird!

Once she was out, she was just content to take it all in ... I think she must have sat in the native grass, swivelling her incredible head and looking with those magnificent eyes for 15 minutes or so!

And then finally (of course when I relaxed and put my camera half down ..."Murphy!) ... she just flew off into the trees!  Nope ... her flight shots are not great ... she definitely caught me off guard but it was incredible to see her fly once again!  It made us 'feel pretty darn good' seeing her back home in one of our native pastures and flying!  And that would not have been possible without the care she received at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre!  Thank you Carol and Staff ... we greatly appreciate what you did for her and the other creatures/animals you look after as well!

Well, here's hoping 'Olive' reconnects with her family ... they are still here ... and she goes on to become a mature adult that remains in our area for her lifetime!  I know we will be keeping our eyes out for her!  Good Luck Olive ... Happy Flying!!  

Fall Blossom!

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. 

~ Gerard de Nerval

Only a few days of summer remain ... and when so many of my perennials are finished for the season, I absolutely love the resilience of my Fall Asters!  Despite the 'frosty' mornings each plant is loaded with buds and blossoms! And for a few more weeks, I will be able to enjoy 'color' in my garden!

A Late Summer Walk ...

Falling leaves hide the path so quietly.
~ John Bailey

From the time my boys were each a week old, we've been enjoying daily walks or 'adventures!'  Over the course of their little lives these adventures have included 'bone hikes,' 'moose hikes,' or just good ole' 'explorer hikes!'  Well, today was no different, and on our way to meet our big brother at the school bus ... why walk down the lane way when there is a perfectly good path through the trees that one can explore ... especially when those trees are showing the signs of a changing season!

The HUNT!

I will apologize right now ... I know ... raptors ... but this is COOL!!  We moved our combine into one of our canola fields today ... and so did the 'hunters!'

Yes, this is a Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)... and he or she hovered her way down to the ground and snatched a rather large, juicy mouse!  I repeat ... raptors are so cool!  

Testing the Wheatfield

After finishing our pea field ... it was time to decide which field was going to be harvested next.  Well, since the wheat is on our home half ... we decided to take a test!  Hmm ... the results sent us to the barley field ... hmm ... and those results have us switching to the pickup header and moving to the canola tomorrow!!!  Ah ... the joys of harvest!  At least the weather is cooperating ... and there is something to said about that!!

A Field of Gold

... Golden, ripe 'harvest wheat' that is!  Well, the peas are off and in the bin so now we have to decide which field is next.  Perhaps the wheat ... it looks ready but so is the barley!  I guess the decision will be made in the morning!

Insects ...

There are many signs that Autum is on its way yet there is still a bundle of summer activity being carried out by Mother Nature's insects of the world!  I rather enjoy the dragonflies, damselflies, bees, and ladybugs of the world ...

... its those darn black flies and mosquitoes that I am ready to do without!