Life on the ranch is good. Maureen got her hand stitches out yesterday and is raring to go. The Dr did put the brakes on though saying it will be about another month before she could start doing heavy work. It takes time for the ligaments to heal. I could vaguely see a half smile on Maureen with the news. Like all us (namely me) around here, its hard to keep away from what there is to do around the ranch.
After chores, our two WWOOFers, took to the stream to take water samples and test for basic stream quality. Maureen and I want to make sure that our ranching practices do not have an impact on the quality of our surroundings. Edward and Sarra enjoyed being able to help us with the monitoring. As expected, results were coming in good. Its also enjoyable for me to do activities I did when I was working as a research assistant back in my college days.
Our relentless attack on blackberries got some help from Edward. It was a chance to try out the DR mower and flex some muscle. Look out Quatre. There is another willing DR operator. Cool machine!
Life isn't all chores around here during the summer. We took advantage of the mild evening to get in more riding lessons. Lady is so good when it comes to helping someone learn to ride. Sarra, looking so small on top of Lady, is getting better with each session. Sarra's smile also seems to increase with each ride. This is basically her first time riding and on such a big horse. Long way down when trying to dismount. Edward is turning out to be an aspiring cowboy also. Problem is no cattle to round up. And... if I remember right, Charm is not the best cow horse to give it a try. I remember all to well winding up hugging Charm's neck when we attempted to cut some cows. He decided he was going to go the opposite direction we were aiming for faster than my reflexes. We haven't tried since then. He does make a good trail horse though.
Well as the clock ticks close to roundup time for us to hit the trail (driveway!) to get on with the morning chores, I will bid you all a farewell. Hopefully tomorrow Maureen will be back on the two finger keyboard. Maureen does a much better job at this then I do.
Take care and stay safe... The Old Cowboy...

Ah, here I am again. Cool, creative thinking Greg (aka, Cowboy). Well I try anyway. Not as good as Maureen. Her wit and prose are unmatched. Only three more days. Hang in there...
First on the list today for Edward after daily chores was sharpen his skills as a muck piler. Out came the old tractor and a big smile on Ed's face. Good thing I warned him before hand that I am prone to yelling commands over the noise of the tractor. Maureen says that I actually am yelling at the trainee! UP... UP... FORWARD... CLUTCH... STOP... CLUTCH... DUMP... Phew, that's hard work giving commands like that. Even more stressful watching. He did do a great job though. Lots of credit to him.
The boss was back for a short time today. Edward and I pulled up to the house with the heavy equipment to dispose of a pile of branch rubble that had been next to the driveway since last fall. Edward has been great learning how to use the old tractor. We got the chipper attached and proceeded to attack the pile of branches. The noise must have been too much for Maureen to ignore. Within a few minutes order was restored to our task (as if there was chaos anyway). In any event, Edward and I now had the proper guidance to ensure the task was completed to satisfaction. The boss was back. Edward was happily cutting away clearing the area. Within an hour we accomplished our goal and it was time for the evening chores and some riding.
At that point the call and smells of the barn were too irresistible for Maureen to stay up at the house and watch the activity from the deck. As we loaded the truck and drove the tractor away, Maureen was firmly planted on the tailgate saying she was ready! We all were. The animals were all glad to see her. Especially me. After chores were done, of course with Maureen only giving guidance and itching to pick up a brush, Edward and I saddled up to try going a bit further today down the road. This time though it wasn't to be. One of the neighbors was celebrating the 4th a little late with their gun. Every shot made Roman, the black Morgan, tremble even harder. Then there was the rapid fire burst. That was the last straw. Roman decided they were after him and feet firmly planted, started trembling so hard I felt like I was sitting is a vibrating lounge chair that also included the rhythm of his heart beat. So much for a pleasant ride. We were back at the barn in no time at all.  Luckily the gunfire had ceased and he went back at a walk.
Well, time to get on to the next item on the list. You only know how much of a team you are when part of the team is not there. I guess I have that to look forward to when Maureen is off to England in September. The best part of the trip is when I am there at the airport to pick her up!
Take care and stay safe.
Greg

Only three more days to go! Maureen will be seeing the Dr to get her stitches out. Hopefully that means her lovely presence down at the barn again. Its just not the same without the "Boss" running things.
Listening to the weather report this morning they were talking about this maritime air that was influencing our weather for the next few days. Well maybe the maritime is a bit to maritime. It feels like the air is a bit heavy. There are water droplets forming everywhere. Its supposed to be summer, sunshine... warm... uuhh, no complaints. I am sure our family and friends in the UK would like more of our weather.
Our new WWOOFers were getting a bit of a checkout on the "boy's toys" yesterday. Sarra and Edward got a chance to shift a gear or two on Maureen's favorite piece of equipment, Greg's tractor! For most WWOOFers this is one of the more fun moments in all the stuff to learn about.
Sarra has been trying her hand at horse manicure techniques for the first time. Charm, as usual, is a very good subject to use. He is always very good at giving up his feet for a massage and inspection. Made for a happy smile for Sarra.
Well, time to go. Sorry for the shortness, but with Maureen out of action, there is much to do keeping the minions happy and fed. I will try my best to keep up the photos and updates.
Take care, stay safe. Greg ....

One added. One leaves. Another added. How many volunteers were we at? Ed joined the team yesterday and just as evening chores seemed to be routine, ‘things are pretty low key and casual around here, Ed,” Greg gets an emergency call from Maureen who was up at the house and tears off up the hill on the quad. Bewildered volunteers continue with evening chores, fearing the worst. Greg finally returns with a story of the oven’s element catching itself on fire. Which, for those who know, is NOT an easy type of fire to put out. Baking soda? Nope. Water? In small doses, it finally cooled and smothered the fire enough and everything was fine. Maureen handled the whole situation quite calmly.  Ed was reassured this was not a typical night. 
 
Greg nearly got the tractor stuck in the mud. Made for some fun moments while he worked it out. Good job, Greg!
 
Misty, the newest calf, got to spend some time with the other cows for the evening. There was lots of sniffing with noses and even some romping around. Misty was mostly curious with what she could eat. Sampson especially took liking to Misty. She got to go out with the herd this morning. Looking out at the cows at lunchtime, she was well settled in with everyone. 
 
I continued to mortar and brick inside the whole I dug last summer. In the afternoon, the sun hits that side of the barn super good, so I moved the tractor to give me some shade. 
 
Ed fit right in, Greg taking him around in the morning for letting sheep and cows out, milking the goat and cleaning stalls. 
 
Lady’s old stall is now absent part of its wall and very clean inside. Ed got to use the pressure washer!
 
Rides were had. Greg walked down with Ed on Lady, fun! I took Charm on some trail blazing.
 
Another WWOOFer adds the ranks tonight! Welcome Sarra.

Good Morning everyone. Oh yes, its not our creative writer this morning. Its just plain old me, cowboy trying to equal Maureen's skills. Trust me. That won't happen. Maureen will not be at the keyboard for a few more days due to some recent work on her hands. Carpal tunnel op on both hands. And I thought her back operations were difficult to handle. At least this time its only 10 days until the stitches are out and Maureen can start using her hands again. I do miss her down at the barn and cooking. My cooking skills aren't the same. 
Work still goes on as usual on the ranch. We are worried about Molly moo though. She still appears to be coming into season which means no little moo moo due in September. Blood test is in order since I could not feel any calf last week when I did the indignant job searching for the fetus. I think she still looks at me in horror when I wander through the herd.
Painting the barn is progressing on an almost daily basis, just like the diary. On the next not so windy day I think we will be ready to spray the wall. Carla and Quatre have got all the trim parts painted (and a good job of keeping their hands, arms and other parts free of splash).
This has been the week of special visitors from the past. Holly paid us a visit to get some city relief and animal therapy. She had a chance to hone her tractor skilsl and get more time in behind the tractor bucket. We also have Jodi here, our first WWOOFer who started us down the WWOOFer  path with her friend, Matt. It is so nice to see her and talk about where life has gone since she has been here. We got a chance to do some new things that she hadn't done while she was here last year. Matt and Carla also got a chance too at the controls. Our log pile got a couple logs smaller due to some great help. Carla, Jodi and Matt have sparked some new ideas for projects we have coming up. Like trying to get the scum off the pond! Carla is enjoying the visit as well since Jodi and Matt have done animal hide tanning and Carla is in the process of working on some of her own animal hides she has acquired. Carla is excited to try some of the new information they shared.
Well time to go. I hear the tea bell dinging and I have to get ready for another fine day here in the Pacific Northwest. We are so thankful for what we have to share with our friends and family. As well strangers. Maureen always says "a stranger is only a friend you haven't met yet!
Take care, stay safe. G&M

The grass lay in pathetic limp lines across the pasture. Still visible the  blackened stump remains of the lightening tree, for the longest time my GPS signal that I had missed my turn, for the longest time a local landmark that marked a point on the compass close to the little town quaintly named Home. Swathes of cut grass bordered by dense blackberry bushes, deep green Bulrush, sapling Alders and huge mature Cedar trees, drying in the sunshine. In a perfect world the tractor would growl from the early morning light, the baler would chatter, the sun would shine and our big Cedar barn would groan with hay bales straining the support beams..the aromatic smell of cut grass would permeate the air …but it wasn’t a perfect world, the sun didn’t shine the old red tractor didn’t move and the baler remained silent. High above the ranch, grey clouds turned black, thunder claps broke the silence and lightening forks lit up the sky. MJ, resident meteorologist for Fox 13 had excitedly reported the growing threat of thunder storms and the “double Doppler” had lit up like a Christmas tree.. it was supposed to be way North of here and in the shadow of the mountains and passes, it wasn’t supposed to be where our hay was waiting for us. The rain started to fall, under the cover of darkness the clouds had rolled in. Early morning moods were as black as the stormy sky, this wasn’t meant to be…it wasn’t supposed to rain, our hay was on the ground. The troops had answered the call, returning WOOFER Holly and resident Carla were excited, good friends Patrick and Kelly resigned to the inevitable, indomitable Mary as always, there when we need her and Bran excited to the point of frenzy !!   By 3pm after a long hot day of hurry up and wait the call came, the flat bed trailer rolled, the big Chevy truck growled and Bessie the old Ford coughed and spluttered into life. The girls never stopped smiling, bales of hay were collected piled thrown and stacked, Kelly Patrick and Mary, older wiser and more experienced knew that by the end of the day, smiling would be in short supply and bale by heavy bale stoically cleared the pasture with the thunder and lightening still lighting up the sky.It was a good day, we have some amazing friends ( who are now possibly wondering just  and we have an awesome life.

A white Leghorn chicken captured Holly’s attention yesterday, strangely, Holly loves our noisy feathered friends and a white chicken with a dirty butt is a white chicken with a problem. I would have considered a white chicken with a dirty butt fairly normal but clearly said white chicken needed a bath...and a blow dry ( WHAT !!)… So there we were with a chicken in the sink, happily having a shampoo while our chicken whisperer used my hair dryer to fluff and puff her feathers. ( she is probably the egg eater I’ve been looking for !!).

The girls took a horse ride last night, Lady our big Shire mare instantly switched on the charm offensive when she spotted her handsome four legged companions and both Charm and Starbuck were more than happy to respond. Lady took the lead, tail swishing and teasing the boys. Starbuck’s lip curled and Charm danced. Both geldings wanted to be in closest proximity to the outrageously flirting mare, heads tossed, hooves danced and ears threatened. It was a fun ride…we all returned still attached to our four legged partners who were still fixated by Lady’s swinging rump but it was a close call !!!

I’ve got to go, it is way past barn time, take care, keep safe, M

These past nights have been hot, hot and humid. Alergies have run rampant. Carla has sneezed and snuffled, she has had so many “God Bless’s” her Heaven pass must be a sure thing!! Last night our intrepid WOOFER elected to camp out. Not quite under the stars…she intended to check out the “new to her” tent she recently purchased and not quite real hard core camping…the tent was to be positioned in front of the door for quick and easy access to you know where ! Well, I guess she will know this morning if her canvas is porous…It RAINED…it didn’t just rain, it thundered and it thundered over our freshly mown hay field. Disaster !! Hopefully the sun will shine today, dry the grass and we will be able to fill our barn tomorrow. The troops have been drafted and are lined up ready for action..all we need now is a little celestial help….this morning the sky is angry and grey but the forecast is hopeful.  I guess that’s farming !!!

Doris the Destroyer, the black tailed deer that has taken up residence on our ranch has apparently invited the neighbours to share her dining table,.everything in my orchard, vegetable garden and all my bedding plants ! A doe and two fawns were sighted sampling the delicacies which we have spent countless back breaking hours planting and weeding. Each bean sprout has been beheaded.(quality assurance, deer style I guess). The peas have been checked out and clearly were quite palatable because they have apparently revisited our smorgasbord, possibly as desert following the first course consisting of my pansies geraniums and fuscias and the family choice for entrée was my Rose of Sharon which was just coming into flower. It appears that a 10 foot fence is apparently the answer to my problems…what, on all 40 acres ??  There is (according to Google, after a frantic search on How to “persuade” Doris and co. to evict) an alternative (and no, the Dept.of Fish and Game did NOT advocate the use of a good, well aimed bullet)….TOLERANCE !!! You know what, tolerance has got old. Tolerance would be great if Doris and her dastardly deer friends restricted their munching to our forests and pastures, tolerance would be great if Doris and her associates didn’t break our fences and scare our livestock…but they don’t. I USED to love deer !!

Well, Holly one of our earlier and returning WOOFERS has just arrived, Carla has appeared ( it seems that there was no chance of rain so she didn’t use the rain sheet…DOH !!) Quatra had changed her schedule to be here for the hay which now isn’t going to be and Mom Sikora leaves today. I’d better sign off and get this Diary of despair posted. Take care, keep safe, M 

Our big boy Quest is coming home !!! Sadly for Jamie his adoptive mom, circumstances have changed and she is having to return our huge bay gelding to us. He has been away to school over the past months and has apparently been an honor student, excelling in work under saddle and a perfect gentleman in the stall. We are excited to have our boy back and interested to see how his return will affect the horse dynamics here in the horse barn. Lady, his mom, our big Shire mare has been happily befriending the little chestnut pony mare Zinny since her boy left home. Across the farm road, Charm the chestnut palomino, also known as “beauty with attitude” has had an attitude adjustment since the big black appaloosa gelding ( with no spots !) arrived. Charm has for the past 8 years controlled and organised the various and changing occupants of his kingdom. No democracy existed in Charm’s pasture, the handsome Arab/Quarter horse regulated where in the pasture other residents ate, directed when they ate and regulated what they ate. Charm not so diplomatically dominated his pasture…until Starbuck arrived. Starbuck had been a stallion until he was a 7 year old, now 12 years old. Quiet and mellow in his stall, Buck is indomitable in the pasture and has successfully “persuaded” bossy boy Charm to accept his status change with minimal damage except to the palomino’s ego. Quest, all 19+ hands of gangly Shire gelding will tower over Buck and we wonder what will transpire when the bay giant returns home to rejoin the horse family.

The war with the carnivorous occupants of the Shack ( our smaller hen house) continues, every 20 minutes we try to surreptitiously raid the roosts before the dastardly egg eater beats us to the nest. Every 20 minutes the White Leghorns ( suspected perpetrators) set up a deafening cacophony of screeches squalks and cackles to announce our arrival and return en mass from the chicken yard to defend the nest boxes. In each nest box infuriated chickens growl at our intrusion, some lift their feathered butts and resign themselves to our kidnapping of their egg, others resentfully just peck once or twice in protest and some peck, peck and hang on !! I did notice that nearly all of the eaten eggs were in particular boxes….those boxes are now gone, there is an empty space where the crimes occurred, egg numbers were well up yesterday….  we wait to see what today will bring.

Another hot sunny day ahead and no rain in the foreseeable future. I hear England is drowning and the one sunny day they had back in May was their Summer. My new granddaughter far away across the pond is in the process of entering the world, please join us hoping for a safe and healthy delivery.

Got to go, the cuckoo has spoken…7.30am, take care, keep safe, M     

And the sun is still shining !! Every now and then I get the “poke test”, I guess it’s the Anglo Saxon in me….the sun comes out and lobster red comes in !! Not deterred by cautions and “told you so” looks, this pseudo lobster, ex city slicker spots a stray sun beam and zones in regardless of the consequences. The cows loiter idly under the hanging boughs of the ancient cedar, the chickens huddle in the cool shade of the sapling alders and the sheep sensibly collapse in a weary heap as the heat of the day draws into the welcome coolness of the evening clouds. Chores completed, horse stalls swept, checked and re swept, water buckets filled and hay mangers replenished, the sun is shining and it’s time to find an outside project.

Armed with an empty feed sack and a set of pruners (closely resembling piranha jaws) I despatched myself off down Cow Lane. My mission was to capture and destroy without mercy the thistle that had managed to evade an earlier thistle patrol and had taunted me each time I led “Lady lump” the big Shire mare out to her pasture. Meandering down the lane, happily absorbing an overdose of vitamin D, dragging my sack and closing in on my intended prickly victims, I was met by a clearly uncertain and disoriented Lady. “Hi Lady” as I passed, preoccupied… then stopped dead. Lady…Cow Lane….something’s not quite as it should be.  Good job the no blame policy hasn’t expired, Zinny the little chestnut pony mare had gone out to play this morning and someone ( this time happily not me) had neglected to ensure the gate was safely fastened. Lady had clearly decided that the grass on the other side was more delectable and sensing the opportunity for adventure ( and /or fresh grass) had accepted the oversight  as an invitation to pasture unknown.  Poor Lady,it wasn’t long once her misdemeanour had been discovered before she was safely back behind a firmly locked gate and after a stern reprimand for our big girl, the renegade thistles were bagged, I had an overdose of said vitamin D, failed the “poke test” and was subsequently designated an “inside project”. ( Note for next sunny day..Greg failed his own poke test and something tells me we are going to have a man sized sun burn problem !!)

The barn swallow chicks are clearly overgrowing their mud daub nests, corpulent bodies overspill the open top cup and gaping beaks await over attentive parents. Junior Barn Swallow is apparently instructed at an early age to poop over the edge….sadly, over the edge is right over me busily and distractedly grooming an overheated Lady…. and junior scored a direct hit. DOH, I washed my hair this morning !!

Oh…just a little to the left…higher….oh, scratch a little to the right…under my chin..mmmm, so good !!! The day is drawing to a steamy close and at the end of a long hot day who doesn’t want a massage and a back scratch. Our bovine friends never decline an offer and a quick trip to collect empty feed buckets turned the cow barn into a virtual massage parlour. The cattle, taking advantage of the cool breeze wafting through the barn were relaxing as only cows can and a quick butt scratch in passing evolved into a full on therapy session. Young Hol-ley the polled Dexter with horns like a little devil took full advantage of our visit and from head to tail her body shuddered as Carla raked her back, her tail stiffened and extended into the air, her chin raised, her eyes rolled and wobbly legs rocked.  Young Goliath, the beef cow who wants to be someone’s cuddly toy raised his grass sleepy body and joined the session. Delilah our rescue Holstein heifer wasn’t going to be excluded and Daisy May, heavily pregnant hot and moody asserted seniority and barrelled her big black body into the scratch zone. I guess it’s not just Greg who melts at the prospect of a scratch.

We are back to a full house, Quatra is back from the city, Carla returned from her day of recuperation and Mom Sikora still reigns supreme in the ranch kitchen…and down at the barn. The sun is shining …and life is good.

Take care, keep safe, M          

One for the pot…4 for Quatre, one for the pot…5 for Quatre, clearly harvesting Strawberries and Raspberries with our long time volunteer is not a commercially viable occupation. She did have a valid (?) excuse, she didn’t have a bucket…mmmm.

The sun is shining and all around us, the sounds of long overgrown lawns being mowed. In the distance a tractor is growling and the chatter of the combine harvester warns us that it wont be long before we are busily working like an army of ants collecting the newly baled hay off the field. We usually gather about 1000 bales to store in our barn ready to feed our livestock through the Winter and sadly, the hay bale collecting fairy always appears to take that particular week off. With a little/ lot of luck “Muscles Quatre” will be at home, Carla will be fit  well  (and here)  and our team of weekend farmers will be robust and raring to go.

Mom Sikora, Greg’s mom still reports for duty down at the barn each morning, at 91 she busily sweeps, waters and generally keeps us all in order. It has been great having her here and hope that it won’t be too long before she returns to show us all that life really does begin at 90 !!! Thank you for all your help Mom and for reminding me exactly where Greg's stubborn streak originated ! I have tried ( and failed) to limit some of the barnyard activities that I foolishly considered to be unsuitable for someone of advancing years, Mom will do what Mom sets her mind to and I have learnt to accept  (and shut up !!)

Since we do have a “no blame policy” in effect here at the ranch, I am not accepting responsibility for the farm gate that may or may not have been left open by the person who took Roman out to the pasture this morning ( which purely incidentally happened to be me). It didn’t take our little goat family long to notice my tardiness and since the grass always being greener on the other side is clearly one adage they take great delight in observing it apparently took even less time for them to sample the smorgasbord that WAS my garden. Up to my eyes in poo in Lady’s stall ( I firmly believe that our Shire mare could compete with an elephant and win…I swear her poo piles are unequalled by any living 4 legged creature !! ..but I digress..) so, busily doing what I do best, I failed to notice the quartet of rumens silently munching their way through my rose bushes. Acorn, Alicia and goat kids Song and Cody were in browsing heaven, every leaf, every bud and every fragrant rose were inhaled at warp speed before their gross infraction was noticed…and I had no one to blame but myself. Doh !!!

Sadly, the goats are not the only offenders in the garden of late. The “Rose of Sharon” shrub that arrived from the nursery in a very insignificant and weary looking twig almost 3 years ago was becoming my gardening pride and joy. This year the plants have ( thanks to Lady’s aforesaid copious piles of poo) flourished and multiplied. The previously sad bare twigs have transformed into lustrous lush green leaves and I was eagerly awaiting the first of the flowers that would present a brightly coloured bank of blossoms in payback for the hours of labour and years of anticipation that I have invested in them. Doris the Destroyer ( aka Bambi) the black tailed Deer doe has made short work of my Rose of Sharon dreams, my geraniums, my pansies, my apple trees, my weeping cherry tree…in fact my entire garden has evidence of Doris the Destroyer, and seemingly overnight tolerance has become a word from a dim and distant past. “Deer Off” became the number 1 item on my shopping list and persuading our newest unwelcome resident to relinquish my garden and return whence she came became my mission. Unfortunately it appears that what repels deer also repels man ( and woman) and a concentrated and intense spraying campaign virtually forced us to abandon home and go and live in the non smelly forest. The good news is Doris the Destroyer appears to have moved on to a garden without the odour of rotting eggs and putrid flesh…the bad news is..a doe, two bucks and two fawns ( apparently with no sense of smell) have moved in. I think I may grow to be a red neck !!!!

Well, with that sobering thought I think I will have to refresh my G and T( without ice) and get this entry posted. Take care, keep safe, M