In Training

It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and another perfect day for the boys to halter and tie up their 4-H calves.  They took great enjoyment in brushing 'James' & 'Molly' and were brave enough to start leading them around.  I am not sure who is 'training' who, but the boys are loving 4-H and love their calves!  

Goodbye ...

It's been a bit hectic around home lately but today we bid farewell to a load of calves... :(

James & Molly

The dawn of this new day brought a few inches of fresh, COLD snow!!!  However, that did not deter our new little 4-H members from taking their steer and heifer to the 4-H beef club's weigh in!  Meet 'James' the steer and 'Molly' the heifer!  The boys are really excited about being in 4-H this year and are very eager to raise their calves!

Moooooooving Out And Moving Home

A calm, crisp Fall morning with the temperatures hovering around +5C!  A perfect day for moving the bovine crew home!    

The girls seemed excited to go!  Perhaps they have an inkling about the weather!

It was a great day for their journey back home!  Winter is on it's way!  

Mooooooooving!

Well, we rounded up the girls and their babes and moooooooved them home today!  They are off to their summer pasture tomorrow!  

Incognito

I was hoping for a Friday the 13th Full Moon but the clouds had their way!  Hence a snapshot from my morning *cow check!*  Calves are cute and comical at the best of times but these 3 managed to find the smallest plot of buck brush out in the open grass, and wedged themselves into hiding!  Gosh ... they are so well hid, especially the bigger bull calf off to the right!  I just don't know how we will EVER find them???!!!  Hahaha!

June Meanderings

Miss Me?  I kind of disappeared without notice!  Well ... I can't really claim disappearing, as I was still here and taking pictures BUT my computer and I separated!  Yup ... after a long, cold winter it has been rather difficult to keep the love affair alive when the sun is shining, the days are so much longer and there are a zillion things to do!  SO, having already taken and posted pictures everyday for approximately 1200 days in a row ... I was a REBEL and took pictures but didn't post them!  That being said ... Here is what has been happening on 'My Lil' Piece of the Prairies ...'

June 1, 2014:

A 5:00am a road trip to Southern Alberta!!!  The most painful part of that equation is watching a GORGEOUS sunrise out of the dirty truck windows and not being able to talk the *pilot* into 'QUICKLY' stopping for a photo (hmm ... I sense the pilot knows better than that!  LOL!).  Needless to say, travelling at that hour is always glorious, especially in the spring time AND the *pilot* does stop long enough for a fresh cup of coffee (He has different priorities I guess!)!

Two hours later, we arrived at the Brooks Motocross Park with two excited boys ready for race day!  Yes, the boys have started their motocross racing season once again!

June 2, 2014:

Our local Great Horned Owl family is growing!  There are actually 3 owlets but on this day, only this feathery *fluff* was inquisitive enough to peer over the side of their nest!

June 3, 2014:

The prairie is BURSTING with colour these days!  Certainly a welcome sight after such a long winter!  These magnificent Dark Throat Shooting Stars or Saline Shooting Stars (Primula pauciflora var. pauciflora) always add a delicate beauty to a saline flat or wet meadow!

June 4, 2014:

The innocence of a wild babe that will soon have to fight to survive in this human tainted landscape and world!  Often viewed as a pest, I am a firm believer that coyotes play an integral role in the prairie ecosystem and love 'em or hate 'em, I don't think we would ever want to see the outcome if they were completely removed.

Our youngest attended our school division's Track n Field day for the smaller grades!  Everyone there was blessed with a beautiful, sunny day!  All you could see was smiles gleaming from the kids!

The heat of the day (which was marvellous!!!) always seems to cook up some interesting storm clouds!  Racing to get the final few acres of barley seeded, my husband managed to finish our spring seeding just as the wind, lightning and rain hit!!!  Yeah!  It's nice to be done!

June 5, 2014:

Brrr... those storm clouds the night before carried in single temperature digits and a very brisk, cold wind the next day!!!  Not exactly the warmest day for our oldest to compete in his Track n Field day!  However, he had a blast!!! I on the other hand FROZE!!!

June 6, 2014:

Much of our birds have finally returned and it wouldn't quite be the same without our Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica)!  Always cheerful and on the fly, like the other swallows that visit us, they EAT FLYING INSECTS!!!!  Any bird that does its part to reduce the flying insect population is golden in my books!!!

June 7, 2014:

Out on a late Saturday morning adventure to check cows and scour the pasture for old relics from the past, the boys and I found ourselves taking cover in one of the old buildings and patiently waiting for some storm clouds to move off!

Apparently the rain and rather large but soft (thank goodness) hail didn't really bother some of the gals but the boys and I thought otherwise!  So we took turns gazing out of the old doorway!

June 8, 2014:

The 'hay and crop' tours are in full swing!  It happens when you are married to a farmer and it happens OFTEN!!!

June 9, 2014:

... The moment you get over to the pasture and start checking cows ... the cold wind picks up and the clouds roll in!!!

June 10, 2014:

Happy BUZZING honey bees!!!!  Mmmm ... HONEY!

June 11, 2014:

Another new BABE!  But a few more to come!

June 12, 2014:

Yes, this beautiful, old prairie continues to blossom but not every lil' native, perennial forb is as delicate as it looks!  Meet Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus)!  This meadow beauty can certainly wreak havoc especially to livestock (its a favourite among sheep)!  Its toxic alkaloid 'zygadenine' is present throughout the entire plant!  Some believe its more potent than strychnine!  Sometimes referred to as a 'wild onion,' this plant should be considered poisonous to all livestock and humans.

And with that ... I think I'm officially caught up!  

Spring Babes

With the exception of some bred heifers that we purchased back in February, our main cow crew is set to start calving May 1st.  Well ... this lil' hereford heifer thought she would kick things off with a set of twins!  Bring on the sunshine, the warm temps and more calves!  

Pink ...

Pink noses and hungry hawks!

I know its April, and this is the weather we can expect (cold, pink nose weather) in April BUT ... I really want to put our winter garments away for a few months!  LOL!

Joe's Getting ...

... BIG!

While out checking on the 'Moo Cows' tonight ... JB decided to come over to say 'hello!'  He's getting so big.  *Sigh* ... the spring babes are no longer babes.  

Growing ...

Our youngest and I enjoyed a somewhat cool and brisk trip to the pasture while checking on cows this morning.  However, it's always heart warming to see the calves growing, especially the 'special ones!'  After being moved down the road with the main herd two weeks ago, 'JB' now has several moms that seem to be looking after him, so the humans are not required to supplement him very often anymore!  It's nice to see him growing but at the same time it makes the boys a bit sad that they don't have to feed him as often, if at all anymore.

Miss Lily is definitely growing!  Lucky has been an excellent new Mom!  Miss Lily's coat is a bit lighter in colour now and she always stops and looks at us when we call her name!  She is really starting to look like her 'grandma' (Lucky's Mom)!  It's funny how you remember certain cows!

Home Again, Home Again ... Jiggity-jig, Jig!

Last Thursday night/Friday morning, 'JB' the holstein calf, 4 other calves and 3 'mama's decided to go on an excursion without permission!  Well, their little 'walk-about' lasted 4 days and they managed to stay under the radar avoiding us and neighbours.  We even flew twice with a neighbour searching from the sky in hopes of spotting them.  Well, we're not sure where there hooves took them but they certainly managed to hide for a few days!  However, they got 'caught' this afternoon and the boys and I sent them home with a scolding!  Haha!  I think they were happy to get back to familiar territory!

Feeding That Growing Babe

Well, the boys are still faithfully out feeding their 'JB' every day!  However, since arriving, 'JB' has also been 'adopted' by one of the other cows, so life is pretty sweet ... especially when you get fed by a 'Mama' and topped up from the humans!  LOL!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  Enjoy what remains!  

Meet JB!

AKA ... 'Joe Boulevard!' ???  Our youngest wanted to name him 'Joe' and our oldest wanted to name him 'Boulevard!'  We settled on 'JB.'  'JB' is a one week old holstein bull calf that we acquired from a dairy last Thursday.  The boys are going to be feeding him all summer.  First chore after school ... feed JB!  I took the next photo last night but I had to share ... he's too cute!

Soaking It Up!

It's hard work being almost 1 week old!  Yes, our Miss Lily will be one week old tomorrow and she's already survived a spring snow storm!  So when the sun comes out (finally), there is only one thing to do ... soak it up with a nap!  Even if you eventually have to rest your chin on the grass to do so!  Awwwwe ... she's so darn cute!

Miss Lily's mom has been the best mom!  She is never too far away and always has a keen, watchful eye over her wee one.  However, 'Lucky' doesn't seem to fret too much when us humans are about ... especially when she can be entertained with my old camera!   My old D70 certainly doesn't owe me a thing!!!