Summer is speeding by

Its official, I'm a blog reader and not a blog writer.

A quick re-cap for those who I have not talked to in awhile:

- My last post is about fencing. We got the fence finished and the grass and wheat we seeded came up...along with a LOT of volunteer canola. The birdsfoot tresfoil we seeded with our grass prevented us from spraying. So, we put up a cross fence and are now keeping the horses on about 5 acres of the 22 we fenced. The rest has now bloomed and we are actually going to harvest the wheat/canola mess this fall!

- We found the 10 acre slew at the back of our quarter makes perfect hay. So we cut it and now have 40 bales for the winter. :) There are a lot of weeds so next spring we plan to spray and possibly put a bit of extra grass seed back there so that we will have a nice hayfield that will easily feed all of our horses.

- We attended a couple trail rides and had a blast on each of them. Met some really great people and had a lot of fun. Quinn's new horse, Rino is doing wonderful and they are getting along really well. We've done a lot of riding this summer and its been so great to be able to walk out our door and have the horses right there.

- Wedding season has started. So far we've only been to two weddings (both beautiful!) but our August and September are full. If you want to visit on the weekend you had better call first...chances are we are at a wedding.

- We actually skipped a wedding (congrats Erin & Scott) to spend August long weekend camping with some friends along the Esker Trail. It was a great trip! We all had a blast. A couple photos for your all:

-Thoroughout the past few months we've also been doing a lot of yard work. Its all coming...slowly...and we keep getting more and more plans on the list. I'm sure one day our list will be empty and we'll have a beautiful yard! For now, I'm just happy to have a bit of the junk that was laying around gone and some flowers growing in my flower beds! We still haven't pruned our orchard yet but that is just another thing on our list.

- And lastly, all of our puppies are now gone. They all went to wonderful homes and I hear from a few of them that they are doing well. Seems they got thier mother's brains as everyone has commented on how smart thier puppies are and how quickly they catch on to things. Always nice to hear comments like that. I miss the little guys but 8 puppies is a lot of work.....its nice to sleep in a bit in the mornings now! :)

I'm sure I've missed a lot, but that gives you all a quick idea of what has been happening over the past few months. Things to look forward to this fall: Golburn Fair and more weddings!

Busy Busy Busy

Well it has been a very busy few weeks! We've been taking advantage of the short periods of warm weather we have been having in between the rain/snow and got started on some much needed yard projects. Perhaps the biggest project that we have tackled was building our fence over the long weekend! :) A big thank you to those who helped us out, it turned out great! Now we just need a nice warm rain and some hot sun so that our grass can begin to grow.

Before we started the fencing project, Quinn and I made a quick trip down to Kipling to look at a new horse. We came home with Rino (pronounced Rhino) who is a grade 7 year old QH/Clyde cross. Still green but has a great heart and just needs some miles. He will be a great mount of Quinn and I'm sure they are going to learn a lot together!

We had just finished with our fencing and making plans for our next big project when Chevy decided it was time for puppies! They were right on schedule and now we have 8 healthy lab puppies! Chevy is a wonderful mother and is taking very good care of them. There are 4 girls and 4 boys....and they are all very cute!

There is still so much work to do around here I don't think it will ever get finished. Seems as if we finish one project just in time to find 10 more that need to be started. Someday this place is going to be beautiful!!!!

Well I THOUGHT spring was here. The snow melted, it got warm, then it snowed. Snow melted, got warm, and then it snowed. The snow melted and I thought surely it was finely spring. I was excited to get outside and started cleaning things up right away. I got my flower beds dug up and cleaned up some fallen trees around the yard. Yesterday it was a beautiful 22C outside! The sun was shining after work so I got on the lawn mower and got most of the lawn done with plans to pick it all up the following evening. The next morning I wake up....cloudy. Uh oh, better check the forecast....rain. Ugh. And then, when I thought spring had finally arrived, IT SNOWED TODAY!

The nerve of Mother Nature. getting me excited for spring and then throwing this out there. I HOPE this is the last snowfall of the year because I don't know how much more I can take.

On another note: I think I may have found a new home for Sami. We have been looking for some time for the right place for her and there is the possibility I have found it. I won't say anything more for now but watch for updates.

And, for those that know how much I was dreaming of spots.....I think I found a few spots on Luna's butt!!! All you none-horse people (or non-appy lovers) feel free to laugh now, but I was estatic! Knowing my luck they are likely just the last bit of winter hair or something goofy like that...but I have my fingers crossed!

For all you folks who woke up to nice sunny weather this morning, this is what the North East part of the province woke up to:

Sinfest

Some of my favourite comics:

Elk Flats Update

Someone asked me the other day why I called my blog Elk Flats. I thought I had mentioned it when I started this thing but I guess not. Elk Flats was the name that came with the place. It was the name that was listed on the realty website and is simply what this particular quarter section was called. My reasoning to the name...its flat...and there is a herd of elk who live in the area. Pretty straight forward :) This winter we have seen more mule deer and moose in our yard but there has been a herd of elk around here since I was a kid.

Not a whole lot new in the homestead of Elk Flats these days. Family Day long weekend brought me the flu and I spent most of Sunday & Monday laying around the house. Slowly starting to feel better but definately not 100% yet. Wasn't feeling that great but I forced myself to go to a horseback riding lesson on Sunday. Even though my stomach was doing flip flops, it was well worth it. I'm really loving my lessons, Renee is a great coach!

This weekend we are planning a trip to the cabin with a few friends. I haven't been up there yet this year so I'm looking forward to it. It will also be Virgo's first trip up there and I have my fringers crossed it will go well. No easy why it wouldn't, but you never know I suppose.

Seems like everytime I blink someone else is getting engaged! Congrats on the latest ones to join the club, Todd & Brea! I won't lie, I'm VERY excited for your wedding....you finally gave me a reason to get Quinn on a plane and down to Mexico. And thank you also for having a winter wedding...I don't think our summer could handle any more this year!

Warm Weather + Horseback ride = Perfection

Well yesterday I was determined to enjoy the wonderful break from the deep freeze we have been stuck in and left work a little early to enjoy it. Zipped home to find 2 happy dogs running around the yard. Even Virgo was having fun today! After some quick hellos and a few throws of the ball, it was out to the barn to saddle up and head out for a horseback ride It was beyond wonderful! It is days like yesterday that really make me love being back on the farm. Bunny was happy to be out and pranced around like a youngster. Everything about the ride was just what I had been craving. Today its colder and cloudy out but I'm really hoping for more winter days like yesterday!

This is another reason I love the country. These were taken back in January over several days and are unedited. Enjoy.