That "no blame policy" is getting quite the work out of late......and not by the girl team  (which really doesn't leave anyone else but Greg here to get the implied blame). Mr. Cooper the big bay gelding was quietly enjoying having his ears rubbed,  (having not quite as quietly tolerated having three inches of wet mud scraped off his neck and more than half the pasture dug out of his hooves) when the silhouette of bovine ears caught my eye.  Standing in Coopers stall and looking at two cows who should have been safely tucked up in the cow barn was clearly not the norm and watching two cows munching away on what they really shouldn't have been munching was most certainly operator error. It wasn't me and it wasn't  Tomoko.  Who neglected to fasten the cow gate....mmmmm ?

What is BIG and grey, metal and parked in my pasture.....we have a new fixture, we have a shipping container. ( can't you just tell that I'm ecstatic...NOT !!!)  Greg insists said shipping container is going to be invaluable....I think he has possibly lay awake at night thinking of all the wonderful uses a big grey metal container  could/ will be. The container arrived yesterday on a trailer 30 inches off the ground...it got on the trailer with the help of a forklift.  Sadly, we don't have a forklift and a big grey metal container (that I didn't want) was sitting resolutely on the back of the trailer while two engineers and three onlookers considered the problem and the hopeful resolution. Tomoko and I decided that discretion was possibly the best course of action and, after reminding Greg just how long it was going to take him to compensate me for the new barn fixture.....we decided to take some retail therapy. Several hours later we ventured back to the scene of the container dilemma just moments too late to see it and the trailer part company with a hefty bump into the soft ground and just in time to see the new problem arise. Now it was down.....how do we put  it where we want it ?  When in doubt and when nothing else has worked...plan B....call in the big guns. Greg's rusting old backhoe rumbled into the pasture, in reverse. Sadly, apparently "peripheral vision" is limited from the front of the backhoe when it's going in reverse, clearly that accounts for the bucket firmly ramming the container door. oops...."no blame", right?  In all honesty, the container isn't the eyesore I anticipated and it really is not in view ....BUT... !

Tomoko has almost been here a week now and has become quite the farm girl. Always smiling and unfailingly polite and respectful to man and beast, Tomo confidently works with stubborn cows, pushy sheep and horses with an inordinate amount of attitude. We have baked cookies together and created  my first ever made from scratch...one million calorie cheesecake, we've shopped and chatted.....and then chatted some more. Two weeks is going way too quickly! 

Our young lady from far away Japan accepted our challenge to ride Lady the big Shire mare. Her first challenge was to get up into the saddle...a long way up for a not too tall person. Greg valiantly offered to give her a "leg up" and my immediate thought and the vision that to my horror flashed across my mind was poor Tomoko sailing over the saddle and over the other side. I hastily and without explaining my concerns found and placed the mounting block by lady's enormous hooves. Tomoko didn't look too impressed with the little extra elevation the two steps afforded her but she managed to scramble into the saddle and with a big smile took the reins.  After Greg's very brief "how to" lecture whereby Tomo learnt everything she needed to know about brake accelerator and steering and with Lady firmly attached to a strong lead rope we set off up the farm road for a short ride through the forest.  As the sun set over the tree tops, Lady and Tomo  returned to the barn....it was thankfully an uneventful ride, Lady was compliant ( always good !) and Tomo was still smiling. Well done Tomoka ! 

December 26, 2013. In England we call it Boxing Day which is a National holiday and gives us a chance to continue the seasonal over indulgence....or helps us to recover from the over indulgences we indulged in yesterday !

Down on the ranch, no one had informed the livestock that it was Christmas and life continued as normal...or almost normal. It isn't customary for us to be wearing a red velvet hat with a white faux fur trim and pom pom  or felt  Rudolph antlers but Christmas Eve saw us, accompanied by a suitably seasonally adorned   Tomoko completing our evening barn chores. Lady the big Shire mare was NOT impressed ! Clearly the growth of antlers from the head of her ranch people was a little more than lumpy Lady could understand and, usually waiting anxiously at the pasture gate to return to her stall for the night, Lady was ready to run in whichever direction she couldn't see red hats or antlers.

Tomoko accompanied Greg and I on a Christmas visit to a senior couple here on the Peninsula. The Peninsula Children's  home Society  had donated a very generous Christmas basket to  a wonderful couple who have been struggling with serious health issues. It was a pleasure to spend some time and share memories of Christmas's long gone by with our elderly neighbors and a good reminder that Christmas is not an easy time for those citizens who have challenges beyond their control. Thank you Judd Morris for making it all possible.

Tomoko also came with me on a long overdue visit to Mum J, my feisty Texan "mum". Mum J has also had health issues over the past few years but, with Tamoko sitting at her feet and her little Yorkshire Terrier on her lap Mum  held court with us for a very happy and lively couple of hours.  Thank you Mum for choosing to "adopt" me. We love you.

While Tomo and I were visiting, Greg set off to deliver Christmas cards to friends living in the neighborhood. Riding  Lady who is clearly unimpressed by all the seasonal frivolity was not a safe option and Greg improvised  with a redneck "horse" equipped with plastic bull horns, western saddle, four wheels and  noisy motor. I have a very nasty feeling that the saddle may be a permanent feature !    

 Skype managed to bring together England, Japan and America yesterday as Christmas was celebrated around the world. We talked with Tomoko's delightful mom and dad and my boys in the United Kingdom, we saw our lovely grandchildren and had a great extended family Christmas as cell phones house phone and the lap tops all competed for our attention. We have wonderful family and friends and would like to thank all for enriching our lives.

Time to go, Take care, keep safe M

East meets West for Christmas here on the ranch. Tomoko eventually arrived in Seatac  airport at 10pm after her anticipated early morning flight from LAX very inconveniently took to the air without her. oops. looks like the ranch "no blame policy" was called in even before our newest house guest arrived ! Tomoko is a young Japanese exchange student studying in California and far away from home and family for Christmas.....so she has come to join our extended ranch family for the holiday. Welcome to the Pacific North West Tomoko, we hope you leave here with happy memories. Sadly, Tomoko's arrival was also the signal for Greg (2) to travel on with his adventure. Greg (2) is an amazing young man and left Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch after starting and completing many of Greg's major wish list projects. We really enjoyed sharing our home our ranch and our family with you Greg, come back and see us some time....and good luck.     

Clearly Tomoko's first impression of the northwest was wet.....very wet as MJ (Fox 13 meteorologist) has enthusiastically forecast rain wind and yet more rain. Happily Tomoko doesn't appear to be concerned and  yesterday tripped through the puddles and poop wearing a big smile,  oh....and lots of warm clothes, it may be warmer than it was but it's NOT California ! One of yesterdays notable adventures for our new house guest was returning Mulder the black Dexter bull to his home farm. Mulder has been here at the ranch for 6 weeks "taking care of business" with Daisy May our rampant family cow. Sadly, Wayne the Man ( the AI guy) tried to work his magic 3 times but clearly when Daisy May bawls for a man on her three weekly cycle...a man was what she wanted and the test tube in Wayne's nitrogen tub didn't  fit the bill. Fortunately, a quick visit to Craigslist found Farmer Bill who had a bull....but no longer needed his " bull assets" and Mulder is for sale. A resident bull ...even a lovely kind mellow bull is overkill for one hormonal cow but Farmer Bill was prepared to let us "borrow" his bits and Mr. Mulder came to stay for 6 weeks ( or two of Daisy's heart wrenching (and deafening) " needing NOW"  moments. The good news ( understatement.....GREAT news) is that it would appear that Mulder's visit was successful. Daisy's moments came and went, the valley was silent, Daisy was calm and serene, the bull was bored and all was well in the cow barn. We THINK that a little black "mini me" will be born to Daisy in September....a test will confirm and I'll keep you all updated. If Mulder's visit was um....unproductive, the whole valley and possibly the whole county will know in just over two weeks ! 

Tomoko's first day....apart from assisting the passage of Mr. Mulder the bull ( Tomoko held the camera...well out of the way of trouble Mom and dad Yamauchi, promise !) found her assisting Greg with his early morning ranch chores.  I think we may have discovered a latent speed queen if we can go by the expression on her face when she got behind the wheel of the quad. With Bran's tail waving in her face, eyes wide, wearing a huge smile and with me as a passenger,  Tomo took to the farm road ! A little fine tuning of accelerator and brake application may be required.....Bran the border collie had quite the ride!

Time to get this posted, hopefully the photos Greg is going to post fills in the missing moments of a very busy day. Take care, keep safe, M 

Friends of the farm are usually confident that, as the sun rises over the cedar trees in the lower pastures, the big grey Chevi farm truck will be parked in the barnyard. Our egg and meat customers expect to find us hard at work during the day and at sunset our neighbors know that the evening routine of returning the livestock to their warm dry stalls and pens will begin.  It MUST be Christmas !!! .....because yesterday I got paroled for the day. In truth, I guess, not actually for the WHOLE day....but for just a few hours we were just like everyone else, we went Christmas shopping ! Greg (2) had generously donated his day to the Peninsula Children's Home Christmas celebration and we were home alone. I was like a whirlwind....poo flew into the tractor bucket, filling water buckets and hay mangers were an exercise in extreme multifunctioning and chores were done and dusted by 11am. Not really my smartest move.....why can't I do that every day will surely be the next question....but the twinkling Christmas lights and festive atmosphere were my incentive and where there is a will there is a way.  By 11.30,with a tail wagging border collie riding shotgun in the crew cab and looking a little less like farmers we were heading off to the big city. Thank you Greg for not looking at your watch once...for not asking WHAT I was going to buy and for not asking for whom I was buying. Gifting is a last minute decision and is an art that I one day hope to perfect ( once a year at Christmas doesn't give me much practice so I require time). I had fun....I think.  It has to be said that Greg sheepishly had to turn off his cell phone when it rang as we were speeding back down the freeway on the way home for evening chores.....it seems that was my "Honey.....you are OUT of time" call ! You were NEARLY perfect, thank you . xx

Back to the ranch, Mulder the black Dexter bull is still "in waiting". Daisy Mae the reluctant mom is due to come back into season on Wednesday. We hope and Trust that Mulder was diligent in performing his paternal duty three weeks ago and Mulder will be able to return home having fulfilled his obligations. We have been advised that her failure to "achieve" may well be due to our happy cow's obesity. Clearly, if Mulder is unsuccessful, Daisy the cow will be on a diet !

Sorry, I'm out of time again. The Christmas icicle lights are twinkling on the deck and it's still as dark as pitch outside. ....but it's time to prepare for another day. Before I go....please keep someone close to our family in your prayers, she is very sick and causing deep concern to the family. Take care, keep safe, M

It took me eight years to get the tiles in the barn kitchen....each morning I silently thanked brother in law Malc. for the shiny rows of unmatched beige tiles under the window, each morning I remembered how my barn kitchen used to look and those odd, mis- matched tiles looked wonderful to me. It  took  eight years for those tiles to go up on the wall.....it took Greg ten minutes to demolish and destroy them.  It started off as a normal day. Old T Bone the big bay gelding anxiously whinnied for his breakfast, Tux the black rooster welcomed in the dawn and the ranch team, Greg (1) Greg (2) Border Collie Bran and I arrived in the frozen barnyard wondering what surprises the new day would bring. It didn't take us long to discover the dripping faucet, the leaky pipe and the impending  bucket flood.... it  took Greg even less time to establish the cause and the cure for our current crisis and it took no time at all for me to recognize that the cure was going to be mayhem and chaos in my kitchen (and it is !!)  a shattered pile of broken beige tiles and, behind the dismantled stainless steel sink, enough spider nests harboring enough  spider eggs to make an arachnophobic rancher hyperventilate ! Last week I had a backed up septic tank in my barnyard, I had a bathroom with a nasty  unhealthy sewage pond on the floor  and we had yet another big hole requiring filling in. ( where are you Malc ?) This week my kitchen is transformed into a building site and Greg looks like Bob the Builder on a mission with his hammer crowbar and wrench. [i]I'm booking a mental breakdown for next week !

Afore mentioned black rooster Tux  is a very distinguished bird, surrounded by his harem of nondescript barn yard chickens of blended breeds he struts his stuff and maintains law and order which is clearly good.....sadly, strutting his stuff and maintaining order SHOULD be restricted to females with beaks feathers and wings.  Even more sadly for the handsome Black Weindot rooster, "his" harem has recently come to include one five foot nine female without a beak, feathers or wings and Tux is REALLY testing my "three hits and you're OUT" rule. After two blatant attacks, the wily rooster has taken to "innocently" pecking the ground at my feet, wait until I am distracted ( he thinks !!!)  and then  try a vertical assault.....mmmm   Tux, I did promise Holly to take care of you....SOUP comes to mind !

Greg (2) is coming into his last week here at the ranch. Quiet and stoic, it is almost impossible to persuade WWOOFER Greg to take a break. Much has been achieved during his stay and thanks to his hard work, the hydrants have been insulated ready for the next Wintry weather to arrive, our wood pile has grown considerably and my old green tractor has had a long awaited tune up.  Greg is willing and (amazingly for his young age) able to take on any challenge and has been a great help in the barn yard, workshop and livestock stalls. Tiger the ginger  cat is going to miss Greg too, the tabby purrrrrr machine has taken to either hitching a ride wrapped around Greg (2) 's neck or serving as a very efficient neck warmer. Thank you Greg, we are all going to miss you when you leave to pastures new.

Well, on that melancholy note, It's time to get this entry posted, get another cup of tea and check out the weather reports for today. Take care, keep safe, M



[i]

I have always said, "without actively farming you will never know if you could be a farmer". In the heat of the Summer when the thermometer in the barnyard boiled, when the fields burnt and we fried, I prayed for rain, I pleaded for cooler temperatures and I promised not to complain ever again when the fields were white with frost, the icy wind burnt and the water troughs froze into solid blocks of ice. I LIED !!! I'm complaining. In fact...I'm complaining bitterly. For over a week now I have watched the meteorologists enthusing over almost record lows.....I've listened to MJ ( Fox 13) warning her viewers to "dress in layers" and remember their sunglasses....SUNGLASSES ???? I have anxiously waited for dawn to break over the ranch, praying that somehow, just somehow, someone had got it all wrong. I waited in vain,  MJ and Komo.... and NW News.... and KIng  with their "double doppler"  their eye in the sky and their crystal balls all had it very right. It has been cold.....very very cold and I will never complain about it being too hot....ever again. (until the next time, smile). It takes me forever to get dressed....it takes me even longer to peel  it all off. All notions of fashion, color (colour) co ordination and style (did I ever have any ?)  left with the arrival of frigid weather. Even I have lost touch with where I start and finish...I think my size 4 is now an understated size 24 and if it's cold tomorrow there will be yet another layer added...to every digit and every limb ! I'm SO ready for Summer !!

Just when we really didn't need any extra pressure......the septic tank down at the barn backed up and a "out of use" sign appeared on the bathroom door. So, is it only me that suddenly requires the facilities MUCH  more when I can't use it ? Once again a hole had to be dug and once again it had to be filled in but not before the wonderful man from Hemleys (the honey bucket people) came and did his thing....and not a moment too soon ! Digging a hole sort of simplifies what was actually quite the challenge due to the frozen ground...Greg (1) and Greg (2) set to work with the spade and barely scratched the surface.....the tractor was called in to break ground and the rusting old backhoe was resurrected from the bone yard to finish the excavation of the septic tank.  Measurements were taken....photographs recorded the exact ( maybe) position of the offending and apparently over used facility and both Gregs broke a sweat despite the Arctic (ish) temperatures.

Tomorrow is another day....maybe MJ will be wrong....but I'm going to find an extra set of thermals, just in case ! Take care, keep safe and warm. M