My two-year-old granddaughter, Adelyn, was outside with me one evening while I was working around the yard. The day before, we had been rock-picking and building a pile to throw into newly dug post holes. We had been gathering the rocks …( read more )

It was Canada Day once again, and my gelding, Frank, was pulling our cart in the annual parade. I was riding in the cart with my sixteen-month-old granddaughter, while three of my large dogs ran behind. All was going the way it should …( read more )

A lady here in town had just come back from having cataract surgery. While out and about, she met a friend and excitedly exclaimed that she could actually see her friend's eyelashes! She was quite thrilled with this new clarity of sight …( read more )

While I was using a bar of my homemade goat soap, I was once again amazed at how such a lovely, gentle cleansing agent comes forth from using the caustic substance, lye, to produce it. To make the soap, I add a considerable amount of lye …( read more )

The other day, I was sitting reading, when the sun burst forth, streaming through my window. The window held a recent stained glass piece that I had hung to allow it to dry fully. As the sunbeams hit the already beautiful glass, every …( read more )

My year-old Labradoodle, Denver, gave me quite a scare not long ago when we were all out for our daily walk. As we were approaching the final phase of the path and drawing closer to the roadway, all the dogs fell into line behind me as …( read more )

Travelling is not my thing. I find it extremely stressful and rather scary, yet every once in a while, I am enticed into a little jaunt here or there. During one such short foray this past summer, God continued to teach me to trust in …( read more )

This past summer, my brother, Jim, built us a large greenhouse. When he was finished, we all followed him inside the new structure to admire it. On either side of the doorway, he had fitted large plate glass windows which we had picked up …( read more )

Recently, I began renovating a small cabin on our property. Everything needed doing from top to bottom. Sanding, filling, scrubbing, painting, and trim work were part of the redo. Everything had to be done in a certain order, and …( read more )

Every day, my seven canines get a treat to help them maintain strong and healthy teeth. They never receive the treat at the same time on any given day. I hand them out when I fill up their food bowls for the evening meal. Sometimes, I do …( read more )

I hate cleaning up after the horses in the winter. Everything sticks solid to the icy ground and is a real chore to pick up day after day. It is an even greater chore when my desire to do it in my own strength gets the better of me. I …( read more )

During the winter months in the north, it gets very dark. In the mornings, it stays dark until 9:30, sometimes 9:45, depending upon the weather. I hate the dark, so I have lots of large windows, as well as lights. I also work best in the …( read more )

Sophie is one of my mature dogs. She is a great help to me, especially on winter's icy paths in the corral, when I steady myself by holding on to her collar. There are times, however, when I don't want her in the corral with me and I …( read more )

My friend and I had the opportunity to house-sit for her sister this past summer. Her sister lives on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, so we figured that this would be a great opportunity to enjoy a little get-away. …( read more )

The friend and customer for whom I had finished a stained glass commission was extremely happy. He had brought me a small oil painting of the Holy Family and asked me to recreate it in glass for him to hang in his window for Christmas. …( read more )

Once a year before Christmas, I write a family newsletter, which I then send to friends and relatives. It depicts the major as well as some of the minor happenings of our life throughout the year. I always begin the letter with a …( read more )

Early this year, my daughter, her husband, and baby granddaughter came to live with me. A business opportunity in town had presented itself, and they decided to buy it and move home. How wonderful is this! was my first thought. My …( read more )

The first time I saw the mother grizzly and her three cubs, I remember thinking what a privilege it was to see such a wonder of nature. The next time I heard about them, I had very different thoughts. This time, they were not out in the …( read more )

When I took Denver, our youngest puppy, up to the veterinarian for his final vaccinations, it was an extremely cold and bitter day. As I had several hours of errands to complete while I was in the city, I decided to board Denver at the …( read more )

While out walking with the dogs the other day, I experienced a moment of great concern. Some of the dogs were running along the trail ahead of me, while some were walking with me. My collie, Bonnie, was one of the ones out front. I could …( read more )

I was having a difficult day. Living in a small, remote town has both its joys and its challenges. For me, one of the challenges is a lack of opportunities to experience new and different things. As in any tiny community, there is a lot …( read more )

As my granddaughter and I sat in our seat awaiting lift-off as the plane roared down the runway, I was once again amazed that planes can fly. As we soared into the clouds, I thought of all those, so many years ago, who believed in their …( read more )

I opened the door and let the dogs out at 6:30 a.m., the same as any other morning. As I was coming back into the house, however, I noticed through the living room window that the livestock were going berserk in the corral. At the same …( read more )

As I approached the Yukon border, I noticed a bear hunkered down beside a highway sign. Slowing down in case he decided to run onto the road, I was amazed when he stood up on his hind legs and began waving at me with his left arm and paw. …( read more )

Every year, I find new stuff when I am out doing my cleanup around the property. The previous owners of our acreage buried their garbage. Over the past twelve years, I have discovered the tin can location, the glass pit, and the …( read more )

This year, we had a large load of gardening soil delivered to our house. Then, my brother and I got busy shovelling it into pails and carrying it to the various garden beds to top them up. We did this, as many gardeners already know, …( read more )

A number of years ago, I decided to keep a weather book. Each day, I record the day of the week, the date, and the outside temperature when I arise. Then the next morning, I add what the weather conditions had been for that day. My …( read more )

During the winter, Agnes, our goat, suffered a ligament injury to one of her hind legs, which resulted in her being fitted with a solid brace. The brace was meant to hold the damaged area in place, allowing it to heal and to give Agnes …( read more )

Now that the really warm weather has arrived, the horses get down to business shedding the last of their winter coats. They groom one another with their noses. They sidle up against the fence and then drag themselves along it to loosen …( read more )

Last year on Canada Day, I decided that the pony and cart would have to stay home, but the dogs could go. So I decorated my three-wheeled trike, put the dogs' Canada Day scarves on them, hitched four of them to the trike, while the other …( read more )

As my little spring seedlings began to grow bigger and stronger, preparing for life outside, I began turning them on a regular basis. As they were situated in front of large windows and received full sun much of the day, having these …( read more )

The other night as I lay in bed contemplating the day's finished work and what needed to be done on the morrow, once again, I felt somewhat overwhelmed: so much to do, so little time to do it in. It was then that the story of God feeding …( read more )

My brother, who lives in our cabin, is the gardener in our family. So, when he went to Mexico in the fall, he asked me to start the spring seedlings so that they would be ready for him to plant when he got back in May. *Oh my, what a …( read more )