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 .

Thursday 17 October 2019

You don’t have to move mountains, but you can shape water


I do a lot of work with animals, and with people. I am often known for talking about energy, the use of it, the feeling, and the type of energy we put out and take in. With Horses, it means sometimes we add a little pressure then ease off but we never set back and pull or demand that we hold hard and fast. Sometimes its okay to let go of the rope.
With people it is similar, ask and show, offer knowledge and support, but when we insist , often we meet huge resistance.
One person alone cannot actually move a mountain, but a pebble in a stream can shape water in a way that over time and distance it can absolutely change a mountain.
Every thing we do in life takes effort, sometimes huge effort seems like the best way to achieve. “Go hard or go home” right?
Or not. I am not saying, take a slack approach, but what if we use our energy to direct results rather that to force them? Be the pebble in the stream and start to shape water.
Just my thoughts today.
Stay safe friends

Friday 11 October 2019

Photo dump, and what I have been playing at

Still struggling to get back to regular routine her, but I am not giving up!
Its been a while since I posted, and a lot has gone one, wettest summer in recent history, but we got our hay up, even had me on the tractor for a while! FV Practically magic is growing strong,and I finally have some decent weather to play with ponies! And of course  dogs, checking calves, the usual .












 Henry has become addicted to "Bears on TV"



 I have also been doing a little something different with my pictures, and my "Aunty Sherrisms"

















Also, a little tiny garden this year, netted me a little tiny harvest! 



Hope you are all well, I need to get around and catch up! 
Stay safe friends 

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Keeping the water cool


The boiling frog is a fable describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.
So this fable, while disturbing and likely a bit exaggerated is a metaphor for many things.
When we look at pain, physical or emotional, we can see similarities. In that in the event of a sudden trauma, we react quickly and at least attempt to escape, but when facing small insidious changes, like those that occur with aging , arthritis, wear and tear injuries, fatigue etc., we tend to “lean into the discomfort and try to “soldier through”
Being super reactive all the time like the frog in the boiling water will add to exhaustion, but ignoring pain, and indicators of illness can be just as harmful.
So to the point of this ramble, what can we do to essentially keep the water cool?
What I do, regular massage, follow up with my rheumatologist and GP.
But I also do a few  more things on the holistic side
I strive to drink more water, Adding Slique to this with its citrusy mint flavor makes this task a more pleasant one.
Daily I take , Ningxia, full of antioxidants and designed support healthy energy and vitality for body and mind, To this I add a drop each of, Ocotea, an essential oil related to  the cinnamon family with high levels of alpha humulene, cleansing and purifying properties. Frankinsence, to support wellbeing and immune support, Copiaba ,  supports the body's natural response to irritation and support healthy digestion.
  And supplements that include ,
Agile Ease-Supports Healthy joints and resilience/recovery 
 Sulphurzyme-“A combination of wolfberry and (MSM), a naturally occurring organic form of Helps to relieve discomfort in joints
 Super B-comprehensive multi-vitamin/multi-mineral complex containing all eight essential, energy-boosting B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12). Combined with Nutmeg essential oil and bioavailable chelated minerals such as magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc
Multi Greens- “spirulina, alfalfa sprouts, barley grass, bee pollen, eleuthero, Pacific kelp, and essential oils. Provides a daily source of greens, for those of us(pretty much everyone) who needs more greens in their diet.
Omegagize- omega-3, DHA-rich fish oil supplement , support brain, heart, skeletal, dental, and overall good health.
Topically I apply the oils that support my needs that day, but will save that for another post.
So what do you do to keep the water cool?
Stay safe and well friends !

Thursday 18 July 2019

Possibilities, supplements- Agilease




"AgilEase; Supports Healthy joints and resilience/recovery after exercise. Normal healthy joints can become uncomfortable and reactive after activity, and those who live with inflammatory conditions can experience discomfort far more easily. AgilEase harnesses the benefits of Turmeric, frankincense powder, hyaluronic acid, along with copaiba, wintergreen and clove essential oils along with other key ingredients for use to support joint health or as a preventative measure to protect joint and cartilage health."

I mentioned in a previous post that I have been very busy. Road trips, teaching, lots of time on my feet and not a lot of rest in between. It was worth it, don't get me wrong but I takes a toll. This time last year I spent an entire weekend in bed, basically unable to do much more than hobble out to the kitchen for meals or to the restroom. I live with Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and while my work is very rewarding I do have to be mindful of stress and fatigue. That was how the teaching rounds affected me lat year.

This year I have made some changes . and this series of posts will share what those changes have been and how I feel I have benefited.
I am not , nor does Young Living claim this to be a magic bullet or wonder cure but I certainly have noticed a considerable difference

 I have been taking this for a couple of months now and while I still experience pain and swelling after standing teaching all day ,I have not experienced any serious flare ups of Lupus or RA and my recovery and resilience are wonderful. Literally overnight I am much improved. Which then enhances to increase my ability to keep moving and exercise, a winning combination!

I am linking this review in Joint Health Magazine  for your consideration 

Wednesday 17 July 2019

What was that line about busy?

Oh right , so busy I don't know if I found a rope or lost my horse!

well I don't know if I have been quite that busy but I sure have had a lot going on.
The last time I posted I shared a picture or two of FV Practically Magic (Its what we settled on for his name) not sure what his barn name will be , currently he is still "baby"
You would have thought, that I would have been deluging  the blog and internet with pictures.
But what in fact is been happening is we have been deluged with rain.
I will share the pictures I have taken in the brief moments that it hasn't been pouring rain but we have had record rainfalls for the last month and a half. Frustrating because we cannot get the hay cut, but we are far further ahead than those that are still struggling with the forest fires in Northern Alberta.
So if I'm not out taking pictures, what am I doing that I am so busy?
I shared before that I had taken on the task of mental health first-aid facilitator for the MHFA Basic program, in doing that I wound up adding to my workload at work in a very positive way and I have taught approximately 10 classes is January, in the basic program in addition to that, I took the training last summer for MHFA for seniors. This class is a entry-level mental health first-aid program specifically geared to mental health for seniors. It is not a cookie-cutter program just copying the basic program, it is very much geared to seniors and seniors issues. It also adds two new sections one on delirium and one on dementia. I was required to co-facilitate three sessions in order to get my certificate as a certified facilitator. So again this year I spent an awful lot of time on the road, I was in Bonnyville , Grand Prairie, and my final co-facilitation was held in Swan Hills. The upside is that I got to work with wonderful trainers and mentors, in my travels I got to see to black bear cub's plus beautiful countryside, and I earned my certification. The downside, is oh good grief have I been tired!
Any and all of my social interaction as far as social media has gone has been on Facebook because I can do that from my phone. To actually sit at my desk at my computer and load pictures and write has been simply beyond me. But having completed all of my training's for the year I now have the month of July and August to recoup and recover before I begin teaching again in September. If only the sun would come out and I could start taking pictures of horses or maybe even, gasp ride one!


In another previous post I talked about Young living essential oils, and my use of those over the past few years, in my efforts to return to blogging I will be adding posts specific to the essential oils I use, their benefits, and also the supplement same using because as tired as I have been I have been blessed to not have a huge flareup of pain resulting from lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. I will take tired overtired and painful any day. I found a huge increase in my resilience and recovery. I am not touting this as a magic bullet or a cure-all but I have certainly reaped a great deal of benefit. I don't plan to post exclusively about essential oils and I will tag them separately. More for my use and records they will be under the tab of Possibilities, as well as in the regular blog thread. My first series will be in fact on the supplements that I am using.
But moving forward, I am hoping for sunny days and more photo opportunities of my handsome colt, and I will leave you with some photos that I have been able to take between showers and road trips!













Stay safe and well my friends