Checkin' Pastures

For those of you who do not know me that well, this one is for you!

For those of you who DO know me well...this is also for you!

I am a farm girl.
It is in my blood.
I feel it is a strong part of what made me who I am today.

I love how smart my dad has always been about the business of farming.

I love seeing my "little" brother work alongside dad as they now collaborate and make farm decisions together.

I feel so lucky that I can still visit the farm and feel like I never left...
Almost.

I had the opportunity to jump in the truck with Dad & my brother for a little pasture checking/crop touring while I was home (aka "at the farm").
I'm not sure I can adequately put to words the feelings that this experience gave me.
It brought back soooo many treasured & very, very fond childhood memories.  It was quite a nostalgic experience to say the least.
I also had the chance to do some serious bonding with the male side of my nuclear family...and while I totally love doing this, it is just not something that happens very often.
To sum up the whole evening...upon arriving back at the farmyard, I just felt like I had this "glow" going on.  I felt so primally happy. Content. Me.
Thanks for the conversation, company, giggles, stories, patience & back road tours.  If you are reading this...I love you both :)

The patience part of the evening came about as we were driving around the pasture looking for the cattle.  It is a big pasture, with lots of bush...but lots of wide open spaces, too.  The grass is doing very well this year - there is little evidence that cattle are even present. We were all staring out the windows looking for tracks or trampled grass as we drove around - basically any evidence to tell us if we were even in the same vicinity as the cattle.  It was such a beautiful evening. 
I just happened to take my camera. (I know you're shocked!)
While staring out the window I yelled (quite loudly I must admit)..."Stop!".  My poor brother.  He slammed on the brakes and looked at me like he was just about to run over my first born.  "I gotta jump out & take some pics of those funky flower-thingies" (I do NOT have a green thumb...I am so "plant stupid").  I'm sure that both of those men wanted to roll their eyes at me.  But they didn't....and they indulged my whim & allowed me to jump out and take those pics.  Only one comment about my big butt sticking up was mentioned after I jumped back in the truck. Love these plants.  They are intriguing!

We did eventually manage to find the cattle...but it was more of a fluke than anything (and I would like to claim responsibility for finding our herd, by the way).

I love cattle.  Always my favourite part of farming (except the horses that is). It was so fun to call them and have them all come up over the hill to investigate (sorry girls...we forgot the chop this time around).

The picture above is one of my favourites from the evening.  Not because it is a stunningly great picture.  It definitely isn't.  But - it really captures the essence of the night...the warm summer evening sun, the bugs (notice my dad swatting at those pesky skeeters), the curious heifers coming to check their masters out (and seriously hoping for chop), the beautiful MB landscape (more about this later)...and of course the way the two men quietly discuss business.  But the absolute BEST part about this pic? My camera battery had died...but I loved watching Dad & little bro stand & look out over the pasture...so in a desperate attempt, I took my battery out, shook it a bit, popped it back in...and my camera allowed me this one picture!! I'm so happy to have caught this moment.

Crop checking...

A crazy year for crops! It is such a stressful thing to have no control over something that has so much control over the success of your business.  Darn weather! No wonder we love to hate it.

So many memories to cherish!

Thanks Dad, for giving up the front seat to your daughter (so I don't get car-sick).  Sorry, Pepe...for making you sit in the back seat with Dad (but you were stinkier than stinky), that contributed (no doubt) to you christening the new truck with dog puke...but I'm sure you got the last laugh as you watched your humans jump out of the truck like a chinese fire drill to get the puke cleaned up! 

This little trip out and about really allowed me to see with new eyes how beautiful MB is...and how many TREES there are, lol! Wish my camera battery had not kicked the bucket on me...there were soooo many photo ops!

Now, I'd better be getting on to greener pastures...I have this thing called a website that really needs my attention if it is to ever get finished.