I hope this never gets old … seeing the trees fill out with leaves is one of my VERY FAVOURITE THINGS IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD! These past two weeks have been amazing. Every day we’ve found new trees flapping in the wind – new wildflowers bursting at the roadsides …
We’ve invested in an e-bike (electric bicycle) for Edie. It is quite something! I’ve heard about them but never ridden one before. She made the mistake of sending ME into Canadian Tire on my own and when she pulled up curbside to pick me up I had a bike in tow! The girls and I had been enjoying exploring the ‘Canadian Trail’ throughout our area. With the extra power of the e-bike Ede became part of our bicycle gang! 😉
She has the option of five different levels of motor support for her pedals. It made me laugh right out loud when I tried it. It has an amazing kick! You can pedal with little to no effort and yet speed UPHILL. She loves to leave us in the dirt as we struggle and sometime walk our bikes up steep stretches. Ha! We’re really enjoying the trails. It is so much nicer to bike where there is no car traffic. The trails weave between lakes and ridges, farm fields, forests, beaver ponds and creeks. They are quite beautiful. We’re hooked!
Both Ede’s and my bike are ‘step-through’ bikes. In the old days we would have called them ‘girls’ bikes. For the first couple of weeks I was hanging them on really odd angles … they didn’t have a crossbar like the ‘boys’ bikes. Finally I figured out that you could buy a crossbar that you hook onto your bike. Oh my goodness! Did that ever make a BIG difference when it came time to lift those suckers up there! Ha!
The girls and I also found time to head over to a friend’s farm to help out with grooming their horses and training their pony. Kyla and Lexi sure are comfortable and friendly with horses. They love to spend time there.
The last few days it has just been we two and the critters holding down the fort. When there is a good breeze we’re up and out for most of the day. When it rains or the breezes stop (and the black flies swarm) ALL of us – two and four legged alike hide in our shelters.
MayMay and Dottie continue to make a lot of progress in their relationships with the jennies. They search each other out – jennies and goats – and will stand at the fence lines (each on their own side) to hang out. Then when I’m out working at pulling darn mustard-garlic weeds out of the woods they all float around my perch. Even the chickens get in on the action. I pull and toss the plants into a feeder tub. The donkeys and goats browse through it all – goats eating the fresh leaves – jennies liking the roots. The chickens search the turned up soil for bugs. We’re our own ecosystem.
All is well until I deliver the goats their evening bowl of timothy pellets. The jennies’ diet does not include pellets…
Rosie will stand right there – nose to the screen fencing to make sure none go to waste. She is also standing there making her opinion clear. She knows I am standing behind her … and is putting in her order for her OWN bowl. Sorry Rosie … not happening.
Although spring is making life seem ‘normal’ here at home … all we have to do is go out to the grocery store to be reminded that all is not copacetic with the rest of the world. All of the flour shelves were bare … again … except for a display of this …. 20 KG / 50 POUND bags! I texted Edie with a picture to let her know what I found. “Go for it!” was the response.
Funnily enough … when I came through the door with this … she seemed surprised! I think we’ll be busy baking (and EATING BAKING … ANOTHER OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS!) for the foreseeable future. 😉
The Meadow View 