Veggie Garden - it's thriving!

I have memories of my mom cheerfully going to the garden and picking all sorts of very green edibles for us to eat in stir-fry's and soups or with a meat and potato meal.  I never really got why it gave her so much joy to come back with a handful or two (or more) of greens.
I do get it now - and I don't know what changed.
Maybe the responsibility of feeding children healthy wholesome meals.
The urge to teach my family what is good for them and how God made it.
To see the beauty in growing plants, excitement over how fast it happens.
To teach the necessity of working for ones daily bread.
Hopefully my kids enjoy tipping beans and shelling peas for a very long time to come. :)

Field Irrigation

Hello!
It's been a bit, not for lack of pictures and things {normal, interesting, hilariously fun to downright mundane} happening in our lives, it's just that I've come to the conclusion that once I take pictures and put them on the computer I always think, nah - they aren't that great, and then I want to try again...for better shots, or cuter kids ;). But last night Andy was cleaning in barn 1 till close to 11 pm so I sorted my month of July and when Andy came in we browsed them together.  And so, for my own cataloging and journaling, I want to add a few posts to the months of July.

First of all, the irrigation in the field has been turned on as well, another machine for us to learn to master.  The first week was frustrating... we couldn't keep it running for longer then a few hours at a time, a couple tires were flat (on a Saturday night) etc. etc. but Andy's figuring it out, we are collecting more tools and handy gadgets to fix these little problems, and we watch in awe as it makes its way 'round and 'round the field... without stopping.

Daddy's little helpers, or tag alongs, farmers in the making;)

Irrigation

Andy's always had the idea that nothing would be more useful to a crop farmer then being able to control the rain. And here, he can do just that. 
Pro's: you can control exactly how much it "rains" and when.  As well as where you want it to rain and where you'd like it dry.
Con's: Rain that comes via man made inventions, means that there can also be down to earth breakdowns which need fixing and monitoring.

I don't have a picture of the pivot in the field running but it's been fun for the kids when the lawn irrigation is going! It's a great way to cool down quickly.

Changing Seasons

Western King Bird

This being our first summer in Purple Springs we were a bit reserved in what our expectations should be regarding spring and summer.  In Ontario the rhyme holds true that April showers bring May flowers, but here, May had arrived and I still hadn't seen the rain or the flowers!  We weren't sure how to react or what to say when people asked us about what we thought...

But June was rainy, and there are flowers are here, just not on our property.  I guess it wasn't a priority.  I don't actually remember having a spring in my life where I did not watch daffodils and tulips peek their beautiful heads out of the ground, giving the brown earth some much needed colour after a cold winter!
That's all behind us now, July has come with it's heat, and we are loving it.  It's such a different heat then Ontario has, and unless you've experienced both you can't even understand that there could be such a difference! It's dry here - no humidex to watch for on The Weather Network!  When the thermometer says it's 33 degrees, it actually is! I know, takes a bit of getting used to;)
Some things we do miss are the blooming trees and many shades of green that cover the ground this time of year in Ontario. It's all green here too. don't get me wrong, it's just not as wide on the colour wheel.  And as much as we are enjoying farm life and new friends sometimes a coffee on a front porch with my friendly neighbours would be a beautiful respite.  Another thing that hit me the other day was how out of shape I am must be.  Our family walks on paved roads the evenings Andy was home early are a faint memory.  Good thing there's still ice cream and cones all across the country. :)

Still... the days of shorts and t-shirts, bubble blowing, bike riding, freezies and just plain old baskin'-in-the-rays are upon us!  And we couldn't be more ready!  

Love and laughter

I had a couple pictures from June that I wanted to post yet before I head onto the next month.  

The first one is that I got to celebrate my birthday with very loving family. I was spoiled! I've been blessed with 29 years of health and happiness! Having little people (and the best ever hubby) in my life to share in these things make it all the more fun.  God is good in every way.

Rowan also had an announcement to make, and we are thrilled.  It looks like he is too:) 

Praying for continued care and good health as we wait for the new addition! (December 29th d.v.).

Dinosaur Provincial Park - Brooks

One of the things we've had to get used to quickly here is the copius amount of kilometers you can put on a vehicle if you want to do and see {big and wonderful} things.  The driving is easy since it's usually on straight, empty highways so the time spent driving is not really that bad.  Even the boys don't complain, but rather jump in and enjoy the ride.
The week Andy's mom was here was our special little holiday week since the birds were shipped, the barns were clean and there was a bit of time to relax before filling with chicks again. 
We made the best of it and decided to make the drive to Books yet to see the Dinosaur Park. Seth and Tristan love Paleontology, Rowan loves going out, Beppe loves hiking, Andy loves exploring and I love packing lunches... so all in all it made for a happy group.
The weather was not so promising when we left in the morning but it turned out to be perfect. Not to cold, not too hot, and just windy enough to remind us that we were in Southern Alberta.  ;)

This picture makes me laugh every time... gotta love being a mom of boys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There was a little museum by the entrance to the Park which was interesting and fun.  It had bones set up as well as a little camp mimicking the early paleontologists camps.  600-700 dinosaur skeletons have been recovered from this part of Alberta!  It also dove into the early settlers of the area as well as the Blackfoot Indians who originally lived there.  All of it right up the little boys alley. I had purchased them cowboy hats (I know I know, I still can't believe I did that, but it's allowed now right? We've lived here for 7 months??!! - oh and they were super cheap... directly from China...)