Day 47-48 All Creatures Great and Small - the Lord God Made Them All

On a Ranch in the Heart of Alberta

What a glorious way to wake! The early morning sun shone brightly over the horizon on the ranch, and a welcoming text chirped, "Coffees on, come on in. :) "  

After a few lazy moments enjoying the silence, I crept out of bed ensuring I did not awaken Israel, who as usual, was spread across my bunk like an octopus. Tiptoeing down onto the step of the caravan, the little house rocked, and I hoped it wouldn't waken the children. Not that I should worry; they'd love the invitation to stay snuggled in their beds!  

Outside, I found a little visitor ready to begin her day with my still slumbering children. She'd have to wait for her playmates, as I was determined to have a slow and quiet start to my morning. It felt like a breath of fresh air knowing I wasn't going anywhere today. No plans. No driving. No rushing. Last night the decision had been made to stay longer. The Framer had received a message from his upcoming contract that there was a small delay. It meant a little more milk-maiding for him and a delightful reprieve for me. He was agreeable, and I was pleased!

Any home with many children is a busy one, as I well know! What I love about a kindred spirit like Erin, mama to five, is that she knows that in the midst of the chaos, there is still a need to chat, so through breakfast, and diapers, and dishes, and guidance, and chores, and laundry, and, and, and.. we kept on talking. And talking. And talking. The last five years have seen our family through the building of a house, moving, the creation and running of a small ranch, and the adoption of two children. Not to mention the myriad of other experiences that life has thrown at us, and for Erin, a couple moves and the addition of three new children kept her life exciting. Career changes, miracles, crisis', ever-growing faith, and simply the two of us growing up added to the conversations. Yes, as old as we all are, we can still grow up. And change and mature and blossom. And in some ways - wilt. 

For the next three days the ranch rang with squeals of laughter, whoops and hollers and the chatter of children’s animated voices. I was reminded of colourful picture books illustrating life on a farm. There were cuddly bundles of fur tumbling down off the porch stairs, and bunnies hopping rapidly across the stubby fall grass. But of course, as picturesque as it all was, it wasn’t really that tranquil with ten children keeping themselves occupied.

The kittens were a source of delight. It wasn’t long before the little orange and white one was dubbed Creamsicle, after my childhood memories of my grade one classroom ‘Treat Day’. My little friend who sat beside me gave me a quarter, and I was able to buy a Creamsicle - ice-cream on the inside and orange ice on the outside. That is the only creamsicle I ever remember having.

Is That a Boy Coveting a Kitten?

During dinner preparations the second day, the door burst open, and seven year old Hayley with her long blonde curls flying behind her, bounced in exclaiming that the boys had caught a rabbit. Standing behind her in the edge of the living-room door was Isaiah - one hand grasping a brown rabbit by its ears, the other hand cradling its bottom. Courage, greatly excited and bringing up the rear, announced that Mr. R. had told him that if he caught a bunny he could keep it. That boy is a born farmer / rancher. He took the man at his word and caught his first victim. His brother, Isaiah, not able to contain his excitement at Courage’s catch, quickly got caught up in the drama and began assisting.

The next two days would see enthusiastic children with fishing nets dashing after rabbits as the potential dinners raced under and around anything they could just to keep their skins on.  They would eventually catch two fine specimens: a lion head buck and a pretty black doe, but ultimately the little critters would escape a haphazardly closed cage. No matter. The seed had been planted. Courage would be back for his rabbits come spring, with plans to breed them, and supply his large family with home-grown meat. 

With winter approaching and spring a long way off, he knew he had time to build the necessary hutches to get his operation running, and with a mother such as myself, wanting to help my kids run with their interests, he knew he had a good chance of seeing it to completion. The only issue would be how to get back to Alberta to catch and claim his bunnies. 

I’ve had a love of horses for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, I had a couple ponies, took lessons, and was involved in the Grove Pony Club. However, today having a horse requires more commitment than I have been able to afford as a wife and mother, given we are a house-building family, and this takes up more time than you can imagine. It is also a very expensive hobby, so sadly, my children have not had the exposure I would have liked. 

On our road-trip there have been opportunities for them to spend time with real horses, not just the tired ponies one finds at the local fair, where five dollars scores a child a few turns around the corral.  Meeting the thoroughbreds and warm-bloods that were boarding at my friend’s daughter’s barn in Ontario, and riding the pony, Pumpkin, was something they are not likely to forget. 

Here at the ranch in Alberta, their hearts were definitely ministered to when Les spent a few hours with the ones that wanted to learn, teaching riding skills and allowing them to trot and even canter the horses. The corral they used was adequate to keep the situation under control, and while the girls were happy to walk or gently trot, the ambitious boys were anxious to take off cantering and go trail riding. That wasn’t the plan that day, as the horses were wound up, and full of boundless energy, and Courage and Isaiah really didn’t have the ability to head for the hills just yet. Maybe with a few more lessons. 

Watching the boys, I could see the potential for young ranch hands, as they eagerly unsaddled and unbridled the horses they were riding with little to no guidance. 

A mishap was narrowly averted, though, when Courage removed the bridle before the saddle, and the horse, recognizing it was free, began moseying off. However, Courage, quick to move, caught the horse with his brother’s help. It would have been fun to see him chasing down a horse with a saddle but no bridle, but the entertainment for the day was cancelled.  

Halter Safely Back on and Saddle Being Removed

I am sure Erin noticed the boys’ genuine helpfulness and zest for life as it wasn’t long before they were receiving an offer to come spend a couple weeks this winter learning all about ranch-life. As much as Courage would love to go, I am not quite ready for my main man to leave the nest. He is such a enormous help to me, and truly, even though he’s edging into being a young man, he is still my little boy, and he has many more years ahead of him to make such ventures. Isaiah, on the other hand, is jumping at the chance to go. I think it could be a real life-changing opportunity, especially, as there could be a possibility of him spending time at a local mission where they work with horses and underprivileged youth. 

Kids living on a farm experience life like no other. Sure, I saw the incredible advantages of city life when we traveled and took in theatre shows, baseball games, and went to the local attractions, but the simplicity of country-life has a certain serenity attached to it that no urban area can match. I was reminded of my first four boys when we first moved to the country, upon arriving at my friend’s home. My boys had been eight, six, two, and eight weeks when we moved into our little single-wide mobile home, whilst building our little house in the country. Hers were 10, 7, 5, 3 and a baby.

My First Four Sons

Number 3 and 4 a Couple Years Later - Scruffy Country Boys

I did ask Courage when we were at the Toronto Blue Jays game if it made him want to live in Kelowna so that he had the advantages of what the city had to offer. His response?  "No, I still want to live on a farm."

An all-time favourite activity for our children is the clambering they do all over the hay bales that are trucked into our ranch for the winter feeding of the cattle. We have about twenty a year delivered and that lends gallons of enjoyment, but Erin’s ranch has so many more. So much more pleasure!

Each night after dinner was cleared, and the children had pitched in and cleared the table, put away the left-overs and loaded the dishwasher, it was out into the darkness they headed.  While we curled up on the couches, drinks in hand, and continued sharing our life sagas, we could hear the great screams of fright and delight coming from the hay lot. 

Quite surely Isaiah was jumping out from behind the bales to keep the children entertained. He is a loving big brother and a kind and compassionate helper. Hayley, especially took a shine to him, following him around like a little lamb. I am thinking he will do wonderfully if he goes back to the ranch to help out this fall.

Morning on the Bales

Bigs Always Find Littles to Cuddle Even When They Aren't Their Own

Our Courage is Always a Child Magnet 

Meals Times Were Lots of Fun!

We had many delectable meals while at Erin's home. She is certainly gifted when it comes to cooking! Me, my skill is feeding the masses, not creativity in the kitchen! 

Country Girls Feeding the Chickens

All too soon our time of gathering together came to an end. The children were quickly reassured that we mums had plans for a spring get-together at our home, and our family would definitely be sojourning back to the ranch in the summer. I already have visions of the boys, and likely girls, setting up their tents for some camping on hot August nights under a star-studded sky.

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