July 1st was Canada Day.
It also would have been the 14th wedding anniversary of Ron and me. It was good to remember our beautiful years we had together before his passing in 2013.
I went to Carol for a visit and it was so much fun to catch up. Spend a lovely time with the horses and enjoyed a wonderful home made meal with fresh lemonade and coffee. Thanks Carol! It made my Canada Day. :)
Only my way home, I was surprised by an amazing sunset and saw big hawks soaring and hunting and then noticed two mule deer in a blooming canola field. Just those big ears sticking out. So cute!
I was busy with building the past week. I made a small cat shelter to give them a spot to be out of the rain and wind or hot sun. It's next to the arena where they like to hang out since Sammy is here.
I think the cats love their new place. They were there during building and would lay in front of it and , of course, be totally in the way. Hahaha.
For Sammy I made a play pen for the morning hours or for when I work with the horses and don't want her loose, chasing cats and spook the horses.
The first time I put her in there she tried to find a way to get out and ran to the dark end. She didn't notice that the chicken wire was all around and bumped into it , bouncing back when hit it. She sat down and I'm sure she was thinking: What the heck?? After that she stayed calm and layer down , waiting for me to let her out again. She can overlook the yard and has nice shady spots and her tiny pool and lots of toys. There is lots of room and when she's in there it gives the cats a break too from her chasing.
Sammy and I go for long walks through the fields and on the grid road. She's loose most of the time. Only when we walk towards the yard I keep her on leash so she won't get tempted to chase the cats. She only does that when loose. Like she chases everything that moves. Hahaha. But if she gets too close to the cats , they will defend themselves and I hope that Sammy will learn it is not so smart to chase cats. Overall it's going pretty good.
During our walks it's such a joy to see all the wild flowers blooming. There are so many! I also noticed very beautiful coloured beetles, the Nuttall blister beetle. Nature is amazing in her many forms.
My friend and neighbor Sheri discovered a hazelnut bush in her yard. Isn't that awesome? Once the seeds are ready I can pick some to plant in my yard. That would be so great to have fresh picked hazelnuts!
She also has lots of raspberry plants and I can get shoots to plant in my yard. I did plant raspberry plants a few years ago but this year nothing came up. So time for new ones. :)
Peas are almost ready to pick. I can't wait to use them in a nice salad with the lettuce and spinach from the garden. I'm glad I use string to keep them up. They are my height already! It was a tip of my dear penfriend Sheila. Works like a charm and picking will be so much easier.
I discovered the first flower on the tomato plants! It won't take long before they will be all in bloom. I'm very proud of my tomato plants, all grown from tiny seeds.
My chamomile flowers were ready to be picked and I made a nice cup of tea from them. Unfortunately I had not enough so the taste was a bit blah. Next year I really need to grow more then a tiny pot.
Yesterday morning I was having my coffee when Sammy started to growl. I had let her out before and now she was laying on the deck. She loves that.
I thought she was growling at the cats some I went to the deck. She was staring at the flower garden and I looked to see which cat was walking there.
Well , no cat. But a big black bear was standing near the bird bath I have put there on top of 4 car tires. The bear just stood there , and I grabbed Sammy and took her in the cabin because I don't know if she had plans to go after it or not. She is certainly no match to that!
Then I took a quick picture from my window and then went out to chase it away. He or she wasn't impressed with me yelling Go away bear!
So I got my two huge cow bells and banged them together, causing lots of noise. That worked and he ran back into the woods.
Whew! My first bear in the yard since I live here. Had one bear many years ago but never seen one after that. Only on the grid roads or in the fields I've seen them.
I kept Sammy inside for a while and then let her out again. Within ten minutes she was barking at the edge of the flower garden. Sammy hardly barks so I called her back. So happy I taught her a good recall , she came running to the deck right away. The bear stayed around in the woods, even the horses spooked and ran off into the big pasture. It took another half hour before everything was back to normal. Horses came back and Sammy stayed quiet.
What a good guard dog Sammy is! :)
It also would have been the 14th wedding anniversary of Ron and me. It was good to remember our beautiful years we had together before his passing in 2013.
I went to Carol for a visit and it was so much fun to catch up. Spend a lovely time with the horses and enjoyed a wonderful home made meal with fresh lemonade and coffee. Thanks Carol! It made my Canada Day. :)
Only my way home, I was surprised by an amazing sunset and saw big hawks soaring and hunting and then noticed two mule deer in a blooming canola field. Just those big ears sticking out. So cute!
I was busy with building the past week. I made a small cat shelter to give them a spot to be out of the rain and wind or hot sun. It's next to the arena where they like to hang out since Sammy is here.
I think the cats love their new place. They were there during building and would lay in front of it and , of course, be totally in the way. Hahaha.
For Sammy I made a play pen for the morning hours or for when I work with the horses and don't want her loose, chasing cats and spook the horses.
The first time I put her in there she tried to find a way to get out and ran to the dark end. She didn't notice that the chicken wire was all around and bumped into it , bouncing back when hit it. She sat down and I'm sure she was thinking: What the heck?? After that she stayed calm and layer down , waiting for me to let her out again. She can overlook the yard and has nice shady spots and her tiny pool and lots of toys. There is lots of room and when she's in there it gives the cats a break too from her chasing.
Sammy and I go for long walks through the fields and on the grid road. She's loose most of the time. Only when we walk towards the yard I keep her on leash so she won't get tempted to chase the cats. She only does that when loose. Like she chases everything that moves. Hahaha. But if she gets too close to the cats , they will defend themselves and I hope that Sammy will learn it is not so smart to chase cats. Overall it's going pretty good.
During our walks it's such a joy to see all the wild flowers blooming. There are so many! I also noticed very beautiful coloured beetles, the Nuttall blister beetle. Nature is amazing in her many forms.
My friend and neighbor Sheri discovered a hazelnut bush in her yard. Isn't that awesome? Once the seeds are ready I can pick some to plant in my yard. That would be so great to have fresh picked hazelnuts!
She also has lots of raspberry plants and I can get shoots to plant in my yard. I did plant raspberry plants a few years ago but this year nothing came up. So time for new ones. :)
Peas are almost ready to pick. I can't wait to use them in a nice salad with the lettuce and spinach from the garden. I'm glad I use string to keep them up. They are my height already! It was a tip of my dear penfriend Sheila. Works like a charm and picking will be so much easier.
I discovered the first flower on the tomato plants! It won't take long before they will be all in bloom. I'm very proud of my tomato plants, all grown from tiny seeds.
My chamomile flowers were ready to be picked and I made a nice cup of tea from them. Unfortunately I had not enough so the taste was a bit blah. Next year I really need to grow more then a tiny pot.
Yesterday morning I was having my coffee when Sammy started to growl. I had let her out before and now she was laying on the deck. She loves that.
I thought she was growling at the cats some I went to the deck. She was staring at the flower garden and I looked to see which cat was walking there.
Well , no cat. But a big black bear was standing near the bird bath I have put there on top of 4 car tires. The bear just stood there , and I grabbed Sammy and took her in the cabin because I don't know if she had plans to go after it or not. She is certainly no match to that!
Then I took a quick picture from my window and then went out to chase it away. He or she wasn't impressed with me yelling Go away bear!
So I got my two huge cow bells and banged them together, causing lots of noise. That worked and he ran back into the woods.
Whew! My first bear in the yard since I live here. Had one bear many years ago but never seen one after that. Only on the grid roads or in the fields I've seen them.
I kept Sammy inside for a while and then let her out again. Within ten minutes she was barking at the edge of the flower garden. Sammy hardly barks so I called her back. So happy I taught her a good recall , she came running to the deck right away. The bear stayed around in the woods, even the horses spooked and ran off into the big pasture. It took another half hour before everything was back to normal. Horses came back and Sammy stayed quiet.
What a good guard dog Sammy is! :)