I know…I’m sorry, the Almost Daily Diary really has taken a beating lately. I don’t know why the hours don’t seem as long as they used to be. Maybe it takes wrinkle control a little longer in the bathroom each morning !! Anyway, here I am….cup of tea at my side and brain on sensory overload and just fit to burst. Fortunately I am a “two finger typer” ( maybe that explains why things take so long !?) because that’s all I have left to type with. Christmas has not been kind to my poor hands and after trying unsuccessfully to amputate the tip of my left index finger on Christmas Eve, I made another attempt at rearranging the digits on my right hand yesterday. I guess super glue has got a new status in the Sikora house but clearly as English blood flowed it was going to need more than “future glue” adhesive to stem the blood letting. Scanning the tiny tube as it stuck my good finger to the bad one and the band aid ( plaster) to the kitchen towel I notice it said “bonds instantly” and it did….but it was all the wrong things that got bonded and my finger was still bleeding !

So…why the cranial burst and sensory overload ? We had both sets of grandkids at once yesterday… and respective parents for a big family Christmas celebration and Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch was rocking !! Forget the speed limit on the farm road when Jaden broke the current land speed record on the four wheeler, one or other of his cousins balanced apparently precariously on the back. Bran, always intolerant of children and an expert on looking persecuted managed to appear even more miserable than usual as the decibel level rose. Tail tightly between his legs he apparently considered safer curled up in a tight ball between Quest the Shire horse’s legs than anywhere within twenty feet of the children. Bran doesn’t “do” noise……and noise was inescapable on the farm yesterday.
  Out came the bow and arrows and the hay bales in the barn became a target. Arrows flew…and, unsurprisingly, arrows got lost. The cats disappeared, the afternoon siesta broken they headed off to a more peaceful location…Highway 16 ???? smile.  Some day far into the Spring we will find arrows with brightly coloured tips and flights and we will smile as we remember our day with the family.

Mojo the chunky little Dexter calf played football ( soccer) with the children, playmates little bigger than herself, the big red ball pushed around the pasture. There were huge smiles as, her bottle tightly grasped in tiny fingers she inhaled the milk from her bottle. Mojo made some little friends today.

  A full clutch of grandchildren excitedly gathered to go and bring an unsuspecting draught horses,  Lady and Quest in from the pasture. Little Jordin, already a horse lover and totally without fear grasped my hand “I walk with you Granny”  she stated as we headed down the gravel farm road. Jaden who had spent a happy week here at the ranch in the Summer confidently took gentle Lady’s lead rope and with tiny Jordin trailing at the end of the rope we headed back to the barn. The boys collectively helped feed our equally noisy little flock of sheep and after bringing the Molly Daisy Mae and Misty, the  cows in for the night, supervised an amazingly calm ( under the circumstances !) Daisy Mae as Greg completed the evening milking. Little Jordin, pretty in pink took control of Charm, the golden palomino ( beauty with attitude) and my heart stayed permanently in my mouth as the little tot with the grooming rush zipped under Charms tummy “to do the other side” …gulp !!

It was a day we wont ever forget and hopefully it will be a memory treasured by the children forever. Thanks Matt Amanda Jason and Jodi……It may take a little while to recover sanity….BUT IT WAS AMAZING !!    Thanks also to Andrew and Michael our fantastic WWOOFER team, you just kept it all going and never lost your smiles....thank you boys !!
Got to go...today will be back to normal. Take care, keep safe, M     

It started with a breathless cell phone call to me…..Greg’s cell phone started to cackle ( his ring tone was recorded in the hen house on a bad chicken day !!!) …then the barn phone started to ring out through the darkness. All the calls were the same, short, precise, panicked…”ALL your cows are out.” It was cold, it was wet, it was nasty, in fact exactly the kind of night, if cows are going to choose to leave home, they will. From all over the barn we abandoned what we were doing, Mr. Cooper was just enjoying a tummy rub, Mojo the chunky red Dexter calf ( who we at least did know was warm and dry in her little stall) was just in the process of inhaling a gallon on creamy frothy momma’s milk and Starbuck was as usual, falling asleep on his feet during his evening ablutions. Everyone gravitated to the cow pen to access the damage, “no blame policy” excuses started to form in my brain. If our cows were out…..how and when ? A fresh call…more excited, followed by more, frenzied…the cows….OUR cows were taking a leisurely stroll up Lackey Road, in the dark…in the rain.

 We stood lining the rails of the cow pen, the warm wet smell of cow met us, placidly chomping on the sweet dry hay in the feeder were our cows, deep drown eyes turned to us expectantly as we counted the occupants of the pen. Clearly our cows weren’t out taking a meandering amble through the neighborhood……but some farmer wasn’t having a good day. So, there we were, Christmas Eve standing in ever growing puddles, rain dripping off the end of my nose wearing a horse blanket ( please DON'T ask !!), blocking this drive way or that, opening gates and closing them for a bunch of wayward cows that were dumb enough to choose a stormy Christmas Eve to make their SEVENTH breakout of the week and that I could hear crashing around in the forest but never caught sight of. To cut a long and painful story short, the escapees were chased up hill and down dale, through forests creeks and back yards……but the spent the remainder of Christmas eve on the run…in the rain. Now, those are DUMB cows !!! and very happily, NOT ours. Apparently their escape hole in the fence keeps being “fixed” but a momma bear and her cub keep unfixing it and in the process, releases the cows. mmmmmm ?

Christmas day snowed !! It was wet and cold and beautiful. Greg and I are so happy to be spending another Christmas in our own little Heaven surrounded by peace and love ( dumb cows) great friends and neighbours. Merry Christmas to all and thank you for making us part of a wonderful community. Got to go, take care, keep safe and dry, M         

It is Christmas eve and all through the kitchen Maureen is heard to exclaim "Oh this is heaven. I don't have to run up and down the stairs!". The old oven / range blew up a few months ago and the replacement was not in the books. So since there is a kitchen in the basement, we had a backup plan. Well, Maureen was burning too many cookies and my pizzas were not the same. So just in time for the Christmas holiday baking spree. A new oven was on order and delivered. Maureen is a happy bunny!
As I started out. It is Christmas eve and all through the house, nothing is stirring, not even a mouse. Santa's sleigh is in Florida (according to NASA tracking) and our eyes are ready to close. Greg was not meant to write prose....
So just want to say Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays. We wish you all the best and thanks for your support and love throughout the year.
Take care and Keep safe G&M

Well, Christmas is moving closer on the weather mans gloomy board, there among the rain clouds and snow icons, shiny tinsel and bright baubles remind us ( should we dare to forget !!) that the big day is almost upon us.

Greg and I had ventured out on yet another unsuccessful gift shopping venture. The horse stalls were all cleaned, Michael and Andrew had cleaned the cow and sheep pen clean enough for me to relocate to should I ever feel the need ( thank you guys !!) and feeds were piled up ready and waiting in the feed room for the next barn shift. I had been given my 10 minute “spiff up time”…..how many other women can make it from eau de manure to Midnight musk and meadow muffin into store smart in 10 minutes ?  I have earned my place in Heaven !!! Clasping shoes in one hand, coat between my teeth and shuffling my handbag (purse) between my feet I headed for the door. Light heartedly I called out to the guys to let them know we were leaving. Michael cared little, he was deep into the preparation of an epic sandwich, never have such sandwiches been known to man…..works of art, culinary masterpieces. They should be framed not eaten. Move over Andrew Zimmerman, Michael has arrived….and Andrew had to wait until perfection had been achieved. None of us knew that a defining moment in their young lives was about to happen….move over John Wayne, our wonderful WWOOFERS were about turn into cowboys !

The first indication that all was not well was a phone call from a much loved neighbour (neighbor)…”your cows are ALL out” Not exactly what you want to hear chugging down highway 16…the wrong way. Moments later, thankfully the same wonderful neighbour called again “sorry, false alarm, they aren’t yours but they are cows and they are out”. Relief, I could stop waving the phone around wondering who I could call to corral 5 errant cows until we had managed to suspend our Christmas shopping and get home. Back to worrying about Christmas for us. Not so back at Gentle giant meadows Ranch.  Ever vigilant Michael had finished creating his masterpiece sandwich and he and Andrew were taking a well earned lunch break when peace was shattered ! Cows were spotted on the farm road.  Cows shouldn’t be on the road, they had all been tucked up in their pasture, gates checked and rechecked…but there they were, meandering and pooping down the road ….worryingly heading for Lackey road and a potential close encounter with a logging truck ! The guys sprung into action, the cows had to be caught but with what ? Michael has clearly been around Greg too long and BALING TWINE ( the farmers duct tape) came to mind. The cows would be caught with baling twine, not perfect and clearly not quite a John Wayne tool... but showing initiative. Fortunately before the baling twine was located, Greg’s lasso came into view…( Michael’s always wanted the chance  to throw the lasso !!!) fortunately in the garage, just where it shouldn’t be ! The intrepid two set off down the road after the unconcerned cows, lasso at the ready when in the other direction came an unknown figure with a bucket. “They are MY cows” came a voice from the figure with the bucket. The guys glanced over and there, peacefully munching at their hay feeder were Daisy Mae, Molly Moo and the three musketeers, thankfully nothing further from their minds than a breakout.

We returned home to find Andrew and Michael back at the kitchen table, internet café open and a good story to tell. Thanks guys….we know if it was our cows you would have taken care of it ..somehow !!!

Got to go, take care, keep warm, M

Before dawn even showed over the treetops we knew it was going to be just “one of those days” !!  Michael and Andrew were going to experience the less appealing side of farming but if there was any trepidation, it wasn’t showing as we all piled into the farm truck.  We went down to the barn in the dark and when we returned wet and muddy from the barn tonight, it was still darker !! The rain has been torrential all day, fresh creeks cascade down the slopes of Home pasture running into the swollen farm pond. The overspill from the culvert emerges like white water from under the farm road and the newly constructed ditches are struggling to cope. Old Glory, flying at half mast in honour of the recent tragedy in Connecticut hung from the flagpole, too saturated to even flutter in the cold East wind and out in the pastures the horses turned their butts into the wind, hung their heads and waited dejectedly to return to the barn. Shy, smarter than the average cat found a warm spot in the barn kitchen out of the rain. Tiger the tabby tom nested in the hay bales and intermittently supervised the food bowls whilst Lucky the feral black cat was seen earnestly hunting deep into the wood stack. With the rain falling outside, unfamiliar music emanated from dusty speakers high on the barn walls, Jim Reeves made way for Otis Reading and noisy classic rock as democracy dictated that Country music isn’t the universal genre. Now…where did I put my ear plugs ? (smile)

Misty, our aristocratic golden Jersey Heifer lay contentedly, warm and dry in her field shelter with MJ the red Dexter calf nestled at her side. Out in the pasture the remainder of the cow family led by grumpy matriarch Molly Moo spent much of the day lurking in Cow Lane, rain drops bouncing off their backs and little river lets swirling around their feet as they waited impatiently to escape from the inclement weather. In the goat pen Alissia, Acorn and Macho eyed the open gate with disdain, considered the options and made it quite clear that goats don’t do rain ! “You want us to go WHERE????”

Michael looking like Bob the Builder with his leather Carpenters belt ignored the wind whistling through the barn and continued under Greg’s supervision to install the new light system to our milking parlour. Greg and Andrew also avoiding the weather elected to do some tool sharpening in the back barn. Tinny Rock music blasting from an ancient, well used boom box the two set to work. Sadly to get to the tool that needed sharpening Greg had to clear the tools that needed fixing……lots of tools. Hope that rain lasts all month…everything will be good as new again !!  Did I just say that ??? 

Tonight the rain is still falling, the wind is still blowing and the weather forecast for tomorrow…..and the rest of the week is calling for much of the same. GREAT !!!

PS. Photographs are from a selection on the reserve camera…none were taken of the great flood of yesterday…it was too wet !! DOH

Take care, keep safe and dry, M            

Good morning, here I am, back at my desk it’s 6.11am. I’m sorry that the diary has been a little neglected of late, I have been made very aware that it is more of a “weekly” than “almost daily diary”…I will try to be more timely!!  Apparently there has been a little dusting of snow overnight and it would seem the entire Pacific North West is considering grinding to an icy sliding stop ! All local channels were unavailable and embarrassingly, I have to confess the thought crossed my mind that “maybe the Mayan calendar had got a point”,  Armageddon was coming several days early…. and beginning in Seattle or Mount Rainier had done it’s thing and erupted. Thankfully, normal service has been resumed, all is well here at Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch, Fox 13 news and weather channel is back, MJ the meteorologist can tell us just how bad it all is and apparently Mount Rainier is still the sleeping giant.

We would like to welcome Andrew to our Ranch family, he arrived yesterday and will hopefully be with us for a month during which time he will undoubtedly experience poo of all different genres as well as the day to day running of a livestock farm. Sadly yesterday also saw the departure of Carla who is leaving to live in Oregon. Whilst we are sorry to see her go, we are excited for her future and wish her success and happiness in her new adventures. Thank you for everything Carla, we will miss you…a lot.

Poor Bran, the Border Collie  has over the years perfected the art of looking miserable. Yesterday Bran very nearly had a reason to be VERY miserable. Each evening, Bran travels from stall to stall as the horses get their daily wash and brush up. Generally lying close by the horse’s hooves with his head on his paws he is constantly in danger but never quite so closely as last night. Michael had just completed grooming old man Cooper. The big bay gelding had found (or made) the muddiest patch of ground in his pasture and had clearly worked very hard to ensure that not one square inch of body not covered by his horse blanket was well coated in mud ( and, amazingly body also covered by his blanket !!). Dutifully, Michael worked  to  meticulously  eradicate every speck of mud and dust, gave Mr. Cooper the final flick of the brush and turned just in time to see the old horse swooping on the sleeping dog, teeth bared.  I understand Cooper moved fast…but Bran the Border Collie moved faster !

The chicken population in both the Shack and the Roost have begun their annual “work to rule”. Stern words and strong threats of chicken soup and pot pie have failed to inspire the ladies to return to their nest boxes and the egg count is decreasing on a day to day basis. Hopefully, normal service will be resumed in the not too distant future as it is difficult not to feel sorry for the egg customers who arrive at the egg stand to find the “sorry, sold out” sign. On more than one occasion a disappointed customer has managed to catch my eye before leaving “eggless” and I have gone wishfully into the chicken houses to try to fill at least one egg carton. Raiding the nests whilst the ladies are in production mode generally results in a very strong reprimand from the incensed birds and more than one enraged peck. I have been made very aware that an early assault on the hen houses will not be tolerated ! Please ladies…start laying again soon.

Well, It’s 7.20am and time I started to layer up for the snow ! Take care, keep safe, M

Saturday morning and I have my steaming cup of hot tea, heavily laced with rich fresh Daisy Mae milk (‘cause I can !) and in the kitchen Greg is having a light breakfast ( NOT) of two loaded English muffins, eggs straight out of the henhouse, ham and cheese. When breakfast is over, crumbs have been mopped up and plate is clean as the proverbial whistle…Greg will decide that he “really shouldn’t have really eaten all that”…’cause he shouldn’t ! smile.

Well, Christmas preparations are well underway here at Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch, the trees are up and baubles bells and bows, twinkling lights and Santas of every size adorn the front room. In the kitchen, just to dispel (or create) any potential or lingering Ba Humbugers I have my ultra annoying Christmas Carol clock. On the hour, every hour my clock emits a noise the box calls a carol. Every hour Bran the Border Collie opens a sleepy eye, cocks an ear and tries to work out the source of the ultra annoying noise by which time the “carol” is over and the Christmas Carol clock has returned to quietly ticking away the seconds until the next rendition of Silent Night. Christmas the tom turkey that got more than a little overweight was proudly taken out of the deep freeze. Christmas the tom turkey had reached his extreme weight because we were hoping that he and Thanksgiving the hen would work out which end was which and eventually lots of little Christmas and Thanksgiving turkey chicks would repay us for all the food momma and poppa turkeys ate. Christmas the turkey tom never did get “it” quite right, Thanksgiving the turkey hen didn’t either and despite all the amour in the turkey pen those eggs remained empty and chickless. Christmas weighed in at 40 lbs and much consideration has been given to how we get him in the oven. We don’t !!! at least, not in one piece.  The turkey was placed on the band saw and clearly band saws weren’t made to cater for 40lb turkeys. We turned him upside down and sideways but the frozen carcase wasn’t going to co operate. So, out came the meat saw (Greg always knows how to resolve a problem) simple, Christmas the turkey will make two meals, we saw him right down the breast bone. Ooops…not so simple, Greg got frostbite and meat saw got frozen into the very frozen Christmas the turkey. Michael, quietly imbibing a cup of spiced mulled wine watched in awe ( or  more likely amusement) as the mallet came out of the bag of tricks. The mallet didn’t work, it just embedded the saw in deeper. I, by this time also reinforced with a mug of  hot spiced wine held on to one leg as Greg determinedly refused to surrender to Christmas the oversize frozen turkey. Now we had a frozen turkey with a frozen meat saw sticking out of both ends, a very frazzled Greg and two “helpers” on their second mug of reinforcement. Out came the meat cleaver…why didn’t we think of that before? So, the mallet bashed the meat cleaver that released the meat saw that eventually cut the turkey in two. Greg (arguably) 1….turkey 0. Michael and I were good…the hot spiced wine is great.

Got to go, it’s almost 7.30. Take care, keep safe, M

Good morning America…England….Holland, another day, more rain, more poo...but no more Quatre. Our long time WWOOFER/family member has returned to the real world and we are going to miss her.

My first memory of Quatre was as she drove into the barnyard and I caught sight of her bumper stickers. I distinctly remember thinking “oops, the neighbours are REALLY going to love that” but my second thought was “what a lovely smile” and throughout her time here at the ranch we grew to love that smile and the person behind the smile. We even still loved her when she threw a log through the old Ford’s rear window. The howl from the other end of the barn when Jim Reeves began to croon on the barn speakers …..oh yes and our lunchtime viewing, Sponge Bob and his associates under the sea. We think so much of her that we can’t even recall any other events which may bring the “no blame policy” out……but we are SURE there are more. Good luck Quatre, don’t forget us here in the rain when you are in sunny California, you can be sure we will be thinking about you. Missing you already !!

Miss Hol-ley has been hormonal, very hormonal and a hormonal cow without a bull can be a little (lot) troublesome. Every three weeks, like clockwork young Hol-ley begins to look for a man, any man will do….in fact, I think anything will do !! Chaos and anarchy takes over the normally peaceful cow empire. Holley, our “polled” (no horns) Dexter heifer with horns lurks with intent. Placid Goliath, our rescue steer and the equally imperturbable Holstein twins, too often the victim of Hol-leys hormonal tirades retreated to the south forty of the cow pen, rumps firmly jammed to the fence eyes fixed on the rampant Hol-ley creating chaos. Molly, matriarch cow in our little herd, intolerant of the teenage tantrum attempted to chastise her errant “wanting” offspring and at least for a short while, Hol-ley had more to concern herself with than rampant hormones. Three days is the usual duration of this tri- weekly event, we look forward to the day when Miss Hol-ley is of age and “Wayne The Man” can visit ! (artificial insemination) will cure this particular condition.

Oh yes, forgot.  We currently don’t have any Gertie and Quest books…..all sold out which is fabulous…amazing….awesome, BUT we do have some on order so if you would like a copy, it has been very well loved by all who have seen it and we will have more at the beginning of the year. Orders can be taken now and we will make sure a book is reserved for you

Well, time to go, take care, keep safe. M            

The little ginger cat had swelled to the size of a bob cat, his tail was straight up in the air, the little fluffy white tip twitching from side to side. Tiger walked carefully across the pasture, his hard won prize held in a vice like grip between his teeth, thankfully it wasn’t moving. Carla watched as the barn cat proudly presented her with his offering. Two sharp green eyes looked up at her as he half tossed the inanimate grey body with four legs and a long sinewy tail at her feet. Clearly satisfied that his achievement had been recognized Tiger proceeded to reclaim ownership of his gift and ensure that not so much as a toenail was uneaten. The three barn cats, Tiger the not too creatively named tabby, Shy his ginger and white sibling and Lucky have over the years very effectively controlled the rodent population that inevitably live wherever there is livestock and grain. Pessimistic neighbours ( neighbors), advising of the presence of eagles coyotes and owls in the locality predicted an early demise for the three intrepid felines but barring the occasional scratches on noses or fluffy cat fur flying in the wind, Tiger Shy and Lucky are noticeably present in the barn each night for feeding time.

The chickens in the hen house have had a stern talking to! At the first indication of Winter, shorter days and cold damp winds our feathered ladies go on strike. Whilst checking nest boxes for eggs….that noticeably AREN’T there it has been my duty to inform them of their right and obligations. (1) it is their right to have a warm dry roost, light and plentiful good healthy food. (2) It is my right in exchange for their adequate accommodation and food that they supply eggs. Clearly mediation has failed, threats of chicken pot pie has fallen on deaf ears and the girls have taken industrial action. My customers anxious for eggs are despairing. I’m sorry, normal services will be resumed as soon as possible but we have no way of increasing production without co operation from the chicken house.

My book signing at the Blend was AMAZING. Sadly but happily (?) The hard cover book is currently sold out… but more are on order. If you would like a book, please contact us and we will be sure to reserve you a copy. My thanks to Holly Hendrick, Jeff at the Blend, Will at the Gateway, Lauren, the TWAA and everyone here on the Peninsula who have given us so much support. Oops….now I sound like an Oscar winner. Smile. It has been an amazing experience and one I will treasure forever.

Got to go, Take care, keep safe, M        

Is it really 6.15am already, it only feels like 5 minutes since I turned out the lights and pulled closed the big cedar barn doors last night. The evening “shift” down at the barn is always more fun than the organized chaos of the early morning. Roman the black Morgan, always demanding to be the first…first to eat, first to rug up…first to turn out and yes…always first to want to come back to his stall in the evening. Starbuck has firmly established his position as top of the totem pole horse and Charm, formerly beauty with a lot of attitude has had to settle for the beauty and defer to the black appaloosa. Starbuck ambles to the pasture gate, one ear turned to listen for any movement from the golden palomino. Charm, anxious for his apple treat but not anxious enough to incur the wrath of Buck stands, motionless, his beautiful golden head slightly turned so he won’t get eye contact with the black gelding. Only when Starbuck the pasture bully leaves the field, with a toss of the head and a flick of a blonde tail Charm’s courage is restored. Equine politics aren’t too remote from our own after all. In the big pasture, the two imposing Shires watch the social pantomime from a distance waiting for the whistle they know will come. As we walk down the stony farm road, they watch and wait for the call that will bring them thundering across the still green pasture to the gate. The Gentle Giants will drop their heads for the head collars and quietly make their way back to the barn, the steady clip clop of eight giant hooves resounding across the quiet valley. In the back field, the old guys wait. Cooper anxious just because he doesn’t know what not to be anxious about and 30 year old T Bone…just wanting his dinner. The two big old bays come in together, they go out together and they hang around together. The walk back to the barn is slow, Cooper wants to visit, am I REALLY sure there isn’t another tiny bit of apple somewhere ? T Bone turns his gnarled old head to challenge the rooster, the goats or Bran the Border Collie. Rocking on his unstable legs he can still show the feisty two year old that lives within and he may not have all his teeth but the dog has had a few close encounters with T Bone who isn’t prepared to be old yet !!

In the cow barn, Greg prepares Daisy Mae for milking whilst Goliath the steer who wants to be a house pet and the two gentle Holsteins come to visit. Mojo the little Dexter calf bounces in from the pasture on the end of a lead rope and Misty Moo the Jersey heifer out in her pen quietly calls for attention.

In the sheep pen, Rodney the ram accounts for his harem and, with the hay mangers full and a warm dry bed, life is good.

In the chicken houses, Adolf the hen pecked Rhode Island Red rooster collects his ladies and the roosts are lined with puffed up feathers watching with sharp beady eyes as the lights go out for another day.

 Time for me to go, the cuckoo clock has spoken but before I do I want to thank everyone for their support. My first book signing was AMAZING and I had so much fun visiting. Three hours just TALKING….Maureen Heaven. It’s the Blend in Key Center tonight and even more visiting !!!Smile.

Take care, keep safe, M