Our New Postal Code Is...

...not to be revealed quite yet - I don't want to jinx it. Chris and I went down to Maple Creek yesterday to meet with the sellers and the realtor. A deal has been made, so it is just contingent on a few things (anybody have pasture for 250 cows available??) It was a good afternoon, and we ended the day at a restaurant to celebrate the days' events. This is where we got to have the delicacy "Horse's Nuts" for dessert. Now, this must be just a Maple Creek thing, definitely not a Saskatchewan thing. I would have remembered this growing up. The nuts were just fine, creamy and tasty. Now I will have to find a watermelon to fit on top of Chris's big German head so that we can be true Saskatchewanites to show Roughrider pride - which is a requirement for the land deal.
I was going to stay up for the Royal Wedding this morning - but after arriving back at 12:30 am, I thought I better have a lie in. I lied in until 6 am and then saw the highlights - the wedding dress (no where near what William's mom had worn), the marriage vows (William Arthur Philip Louis -dear Katey didn't muck up this long handle) and the balcony kiss(es). Yes, I am a monarchist - might be because my great-great aunt was a lace maker for a royal wedding wedding dress back in the day (the lace bun is sitting in the Broadview Museum), and a great aunt served tea to the queen. When Prince Charles was in Calgary - I saw him up close when he walked through the barns during 4-H on parade. Maybe I will pay them a visit when I go to England this year. Wonder if I can have tea - I like mine with a little milk.

Dare I Say?

Spring has sprung!! I have been working up in Wetaskiwin for the last week, and finally there seems to be an end to all of this snow. Also, with the coming of spring, is also the coming of many babies. The calves are coming along nicely, the lambs are bounding behind them, and then there are the countless number of pups I have been delivering at the clinic. It started with the delivery of 2 bouncing baby Bull Mastiffs (they weighed about 1 pound each), and about 12 hours later, the squeals of 4 Chihuahuas were born (weighing about 5 oz each). Five Labrador Retrievers came into the world the other day as well - they were all black. Heaven knows how one can tell them apart. The bulldog puppies - I have lost count on these guys. I do remember the one born on April 19th - they called it Wendy after me. Wendy the bulldog, a grand bitch I imagine it will be. I think it would be easier on these guys if I could put a zipper in so that it is easier for all involved - especially the mothers involved. I am awaiting a call from an English Sheepdog breeder - who knows, maybe it will be an unassisted birth. I do believe that is how mother nature intended it to be in any case.
The progesterone is flowing around here - pinpointing the exact moment when either AI or surgical implants are to be done. I might miss these ones being born, they will be likely in early July - and I hope I am on some good trial field with my dogs. In two weeks will be the trip down to the Bluegrass - so far, not much training has been done on my part. Louanne is going to pop down on the 30th to do a little practice - with the dogs as well as with some cider due to an upcoming 29th birthday of Louanne's. Darn this training stuff is hard on a person's liver.

The Secret To Good Gravy

So last weekend, when I arrived, supper was cooking. Sharon (my sister) cooked up a turkey that could be in the front of any recipe magazine.

The pope's nose was cooked just right. Not sure which pope had the nose that looked like a turkey's tail, but nonetheless, that is what it is called.

The gravy is a work of art - never does it taste the same twice in a row. However, in this trip, I found out the secret to my sister's gravy. Yes, OXO it is. There was also a pail for beef flavoring as well in her pantry.

Sorry Sharon, the gig is up. Now if we can only figure out the Caramilk secret.

We Passed....

...gas...stations this week, and I can't believe the jump in price. Will possibly have to rob banks to pay for fuel fill ups for the dog trial season. I was totally ill this morning when I saw, yet again, a covering of white stuff on the ground, most of it flying sideways. Spring will be a very short season this year, or summer will be, depending if it ever gets above 20 C. Found out I passed the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association exam this week. The passing grade was 70, and I got 92 (whew, guess I spelled my name right this time). So now, it is just nailing our family name on a new place - in which we still don't have. Right now, the cows are calving, and also the ewes are popping lambs, so it is hard to get away and look anywhere. Lisa Wright showed me a great place next to her place near Athabasca, who knows, maybe the test in Saskatchewan will all be for nothing. The only question is - could I stand Lisa as a neighbor? Or better yet said, could she stand us as neighbors? In any road, our spirits are still fairly good relating to the purchasing/moving aspect- it is probably due to the spirits we drink that keep our spirits high.