Welcome to Fern Valley

Here in central Alberta prime farm country,my husband Martin and I work together raising beef cattle and Appaloosa horses. Fern valley appaloosas have long been known for their quality of temperament conformation and color.I have recently rediscovered a love of writing and have published 2 collections of poetry. "Telling Tails" and Tails Trails and Campfire stories" . I look forward to a future spreading my wings as an author and as a horse woman .

Sunday 7 August 2011

A whatever weekend

So, the weekend has come and gone.One of those weekends that nothing really got done .
Heavy rains Friday night put an end to the haying for a few days , so yesterday Martin,BIL Marc and I headed out on a tour.
Went to Barrhead and Westlock (2 slightly larger communities than Bugtussle) and stopped at first the John Deere Dealership, then the New Holland  Dealership. Seeking parts ,but we did take a moment or two at each place to ogle the shiny new tractors and implements.
Stopped for a quick lunch then on to Peavy Mart (for those who aren't from around here ,Peavy mart is the ultimate old style  farm store/hardware) You can get everything from clothes, dishes ,garden supplies , animal health , hydraulic hoses , oil and lube,Barbeque's, you name it ! We love to go once in a while and take a good long look around, never know what you might find that is just perfect for???
On to UFA (United Farmers of Alberta ) another farm supply with smaller variety still lots to choose from. Did after all get what we needed and headed home in time for ...more rain

The up side of all the rain is ,when we do get the hay up,it is a really good  crop!The guys have done well getting most of what was already cut ,baled dry before Friday , and only a small amount will need to be turned and baled when it dries .They work hard at not getting too far ahead of themselves sand leaving a lot of hay down and rotting in the fields.

Another upside is my flowers , my roses are just outdoing themselves this year!So are the weeds but  that is another story

















This beauty is so rich and dark! I don't recall the name ,but it was one of the rose bushes I received for my birthday this year form my folks .The above stem had broken so I have one inside and the rest out




















Another thing , growing  well is our pasture and in turn , helping to see the babies growing like weeds as well.I will have to get some photos of the calves in the next while, I am sure everyone must be getting tired of the foals (I am not but...)






















































































As you can see Quinn is a super friendly guy and starting to convince Comet that people are just the greatest things!


Quinn has  even got Martin wrapped around his hoof and very often Martin can be found giving him a scratch when he claims he is in a hurry somewhere else!

One final photo, Skeeter hanging out on the ramp waiting for Grandma to visit (Yes mom I will use the dogs to manipulate you into coming out for coffee!LOL)
Stay Safe everyone!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I dunno about anyone else, but I am not anywhere *near* tired of Comet and Quinn pictures.

MORE! MORE!! MORE!!!

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Yea...keep those baby pics a coming.

Do you know, my mare s.t.i.l.l....has not foaled?

The other mare had a filly and I hear she is a doll. My mare bagged up, got wax and nothing yet. Every time my mom calls, I think she is going to tell me my baby is here. It's driving me crazy!

And your roses are beautiful! Find the joy where you can dear fern. ;-)

phaedra96 said...

Never tired of babies. I will not have anymore, so looking at OP's is as close as I will be. (My lovely mare is 18, and no stallion in a hundred mile radius.)

Crystal said...

how could we tire of those foals??? so not possible!

I like weekends like that where you can go and have nothing better to do than look around. I am getting tired of rain, but is sure makes beautiful roses!

Cut-N-Jump said...

We used to have a place here called CO-OP that was like Peavy's. A little bit of everything under the sun... Fence panels, dinnerware, tractor parts, feed & tack, just about anything and everything you may need. Loved that place and hated to see it close down years ago.

Love the flowers and the foal pic's. Skeeter just had to get in on the action too huh? Sometimes the weekends where you don't get much done are the best. Gotta relax now and then...

aurora said...

I never tire of baby pics, or horse pics, or flowers pics, or...it's fair to say I never tire of photos! They all take on a special look/feel of their own, and speak volumes.

How fun that Martin really likes Quinn, I love watching those types of interactions.

C-ingspots said...

I never tire of baby pictures, and those two are a couple of beauties for sure!! Your roses are gorgeous!!! My roses aren't worth a plug nickel this year...must plant more!!

Nicole said...

I want a Peavy Mart! Sounds so cool!!!

and the beautiful flowers and the colts and the pup. ok I'll come visit :)

Shirley said...

***Ahem*** There is no such thing s getting tired of foal pictures ***Ahem***
And Skeeter's looking awful cute too.

Cheyenne said...

Ah, I love hearing about your trip to town, sounds similar to ours. I've discovered Peavy Mart is the BEST place to buy Christmas presents for kids...better toy selection than anywhere else! :)

Your roses are phenomenal!

Reddunappy said...

I never get tired of the babies!!!! Or the big one either!!! LOL LOL

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Wow! Quinn has really grown. Seeing him beside you and Martin really shows his size now. He's a biggun'!
Love seeing the foals always. Never tire of 'em. And I like the photo of Comet and Quinn together. So cool that they're growing up together. All foals should be so lucky.

That rose is beautiful. I can almost smell it's silky rich aroma!
The names of those towns cracked me up: Barrhead, Westlock and Bugtussle.
What a hoot! I'd love to hear the stories on how they were named. lol!

~Lisa

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Well Bugtussle is the "Alias" I give my own area , but Barrhead and Westlock are real names .I will have to find the history for you . One I do know is Stony Plain (a bit south of here) was originally known as Dog Rump Creek!