Thank you rain for washing away so many worries.

Well we started the long weekend with so many plans of the fun things we wanted to do. But the need to continue watering and weeding some problem areas seemed to take over most of the weekend. It was hot and humid but with out this extra attention this year, lots would be dead.



We found ourselves working till dark each evening, expect for sunday night when a last minute bonfire with friends got planned, on a beautiful evening.



No matter how many hours we have to put in this year, we always find a way to laugh and enjoy our time in the pumpkin patch.


Meldoy, Autumn and I have been working on our mountain bike trail in the tree line, moving mud and trimming back lower branches. It is getting better everyday.



Our apple tree has a great fruit set this year, already planning the pie we will be able to bake with them.



We are finding some smaller pumpkins in the field, and many grounds and squash taking shape. Really gives hope, we just need the moisture on a regular basis to help set the fruit now. And so fair the forecast looks great.





Enjoyed monday morning with a little relaxing and baking some fresh muffins, before the day of work got started.




But with out a doubt, the high light of the weekend would have been the clouds that rolled in monday night and finally let some rain fall on us. We sat on the deck enjoying it as the kids played in it, and june ran around screaming, IT'S ACTUALLY RAINING!!!!!!!

Summer Fun......

Well we have moved past the heat wave, but we haven't seen much in the way of rain. We are dumping tank after tank of water on the field and keeping our fingers crossed.


It's amazing how much water can pour down the cracks in the ground before they are even able to fill up. We could handle so much rain right now.


So we have been busy making the most of the short summer time we get to enjoy when pumpkin plants aren't taking it up. We enjoyed friday evening going out for pizza and at a walk around assinibone park and hanging out around the new kids park.


Saturday had the looks that we may get some rain( but we ending up with nothing more then a mist) so we took JD for a run and swim around Oak Hammock Marsh.



Then headed up to gimli saturday evening to try to catch the movie on the beach at dark, but it was cancelled due to the wind begin to strong. We did get to enjoy a lovely walk along the beach at sunset watching the waves break on the shore.

All we can do now is enjoy the great weather and hope we get a day of rain soon.

George

Well pumpkins are starting to vine and set some fruits. Its always exciting this time of year the growing year to try to guess the type of each plant as things start to form. Another 2 weeks and everything should start vining together, so we are in a last minute weeding rush trying to catch up on the areas that got a little out of hand.




We are still crossing our fingers for some rain, it now seems to be falling all around us, but here, hopefully this weekend.


We were awoken tuesday morning to the sound of thunder. We ran to the window hoping to see a down pour but it was shortly lived. But we did find this guy as we headed out to the field. We was unable to fly and was hopping around in the trees. We called conservation to see if they should help him. By the time they got out here we was able to fly 50 feet or so. The guy from conservation figures the lighting and thunder probably caused it to hit a tree as he was hunting. We didn't see him at all wednesday but did see him fly up this morning as we drove out to the field.


And it looks like june may be joining the circus as she is spending hours training the cats with tricks.


Making plans for the weekend, hope your summer is going as good as ours.

George

Ow the difference a year makes.....

This time last year we were hoping for heat and a stop to the rain.. Now we are checking the weather forecast 8 times a day hoping for some rain in the near future. The ground has cracks that small animals could fall in. As we worked last night and the clouds rolled it was such a welcoming site, but they had nothing to share with us. The plants we have hauled water to look dark green and healthy, the others are starting to yellow, fingers crossed the heat this weekend brews up some storms.

George

HOT HOT HOT!!!!

We love the heat, but are really starting to need some water, and are coming up with some different ways to get it to the plants, fingers crossed for some rain soon.

Things feel good.....

Well it's the middle of July and things are coming together nicely. We are busy weeding but slowly getting through it all, and the pumpkins are looking great. Corn is starting to bloom and the tomatoes are loaded with buds- even one small roma tomato.

Been hot and dry, and we are in the processes of setting up a watering system with a large water tank I bought this spring. Thought I was crazy to buy it after how wet last year was but looks like it was a good idea.


Autumn's last race went really well, she took everyone from the start and finished in first place after some confusion on part of some other racers. She is riding my old bike now and seems to be getting quite comfy on it.



This is the newest event in our yard a sparrow nest we found in the raspberries, we are watching the hatch.


Would like to spend more time typing this up but i am off to weed......

George

Yikes.....

We have been going non-stop, between soccer, cycling and unusual amount of events with friends and company, we have been busy.

We have added two new kittens to the family, shadow and witch. There names really seem to fix them, shadow is a little shy and hangs back alittle more where as witch is always jumping 4 paws first into any kind of trouble.






Autumn on the other hand has just finished a great year of kids of mud, she has found so much new strength in herself, and it is really showing in everything else she does. I am so proud of how hard she has worked this year and how she starting to let her fear no longer get the best of her and just going for it.





What is going on farm wise??? Well everything is up really nice, and weeding of the pumpkins started today, with melody and my mom getting one area of gourds and mini pumpkins all cleaned up, looks like perfection.

I on the other hand have been in a week long fight with our tractor, One of the front hubs had started leaking, so when the last forecast of rain came, i tore into the hub assembly, it came out fast and easy, then that is where everything else went wrong. Lucky with the help of a really really nice friend, he was able to help me sort out the mess i made of it, and it's all back together today.

And by far the most exciting news to me is my farther s day gift, a new bike. I loved it when i first saw it, and after much humming and hawing melody got it for me. I am so happy with it, but the down side is, i feel a little old as autumn as now claimed my old bike - which to me means she is on a full size bike, next is a car. She does seem to be getting a little pleasure from watching me struggle sometimes still with the clip in pedals and shoes she demanded i had to have.

Hope you are having as fun as summer as us.

What do you do when you are a farmer and it is raining???

So Sunday morning we woke up to rain. Owwww what to do?????

So we headed out to breakfast at the eye opener diner and then off to kid nap my mom for a day with us. First stop was at bikes and beyond, to get some issues fixed up on autumns bike. As we walked in i was expecting to hear how busy they were this week and that it would be a couple days, but they grabbed it tossed it on the work stand and fixed every issue there was, they didn't even complain about the puddle of drool i left on the floor next to the new bike i am wanting. So once again to all the staff at bikes and beyond, Thank you.

We headed off for our spring trip to the garden centres on the west side of winnipeg, grabbed a few flowers and some herbs. Then headed continued on our adventure finally ending up at assinibone parks new play ground, the kids had a blast, it is time winnipeg had something like this, so good to see.
We enjoyed a walk around the duck pond and a stroll though the english garden.



So our lazy day saw use once again getting home just before dark, and just in time for we to make a quick walk out to the field. I was pleased to see rows of corn showing themselves and in the one pumpkin area dry enough to walk on, gourds and mini pumpkins are starting coming though the surface, looking so healthy and full of life, with one more day of sun before 30mm of rain on tuesday, things look really good.

Whew.... this week is over.....

This has been one busy week, wednesday night autumn raced at the second wednesday night race series at birdshill park and did amazing, just seconds from first place. Cutting almost 4 minutes off the time of the winner of the first race.
Then thursday we were off to pinawa to pre ride the course for the race on saturday. As i was packing the bikes, out of now where the skies opened up in a half hour downpour. There was water standing everywhere, it was amazing how much water feel that fast. But we rolled out to pinawa, all the time thinking this is crazy we are following the rain there, how will we be able to ride. But to my surprise it was sunny and nice. Autumn headed off on to the trail with her group, and i choose a fun ride with june and melody around town and some riverside trails.


Friday night we went to see a circus that was in winnipeg, it was good, but found ourselves leaving have way though, between autumns allergies to the horses and the family that showed up late and scattered all around us as they talked though the whole show, we made a break for it at intermission. ( we really are not city crowd people...LOL)


Saturday was a beautiful day for autumns race, sunny but not to hot, and she was surprised by her aunty and grandma making the drive to watch her race, and if you have ever been to a mountain bike it is not the most exciting spectator sport. We did some sightseeing around town, going to the suspension bridge and the old dam for a hike. The a ice cream stop on the way back to winnipeg.



We spent the evening with friends camping at birdshill park, enjoying the fire sharing some laughs as we put the end to an amazing day out in nature.

What an awesome day.....

Well i finally got around to planning a ride with some friends for sunday morning, and it was autumns first time to go on a GUY's Mountain bike ride. I had most of the route planned out in my head, some of our favourite trails, with some connecting trails in between. It was going to give use a full loop around birdshill park with very little exposure to pavement. But due to the cooler weather and sick family members everyone bailed on us at the last minute.

But the ride would go on, it started out great challenging and fun and was coming together so nicely. Then we came across a few water holes i suggested to autumn to come over to the side of the trail incase it was deep, but she went for the middle and made it though, so when i suggested it again for the second water hole there was no way she wasn't going to go for it, as i rode though the shallow water on the side i saw her feet going deeper with every crank of the pedals, then she lost motion as her back wheel just spin in place, then the slow motion fall as she struggled to unclip from her pedals but it was to late as she splashed her entire body into the water, I busted a gut instantly.

Any other day we could have kept riding but at only 8 above freezing we made our way back to the truck and will plan another day to make this loop work. But i think i may have my new favourite picture of autumn, I couldn't look at her with out smiling or laughing all day. Still am as i type this now.