making rivers of rainy days

Rain rain.
I don't mind you
at first I was enjoying my rainey day, inside projects,
then the kid and dogs were visibly bored of inside projects.
so we all got our outside gear on and went a walkin'


I sure like breaking leaf dams and making rivers with my boot...



It was a good day to have rubber boots on.

this little lake was in big need of a dam break. so I helped.





can't wait till Addie is into making rivers, all she does on walks now is sleep...




if only she knew the rivers we rode thru today!!

doggies havin a sip of mud creek.




As I walked home, noticing all the windows had tv's on in them, I was almost kind of wishing I had TV to watch after I got back home from my walk.

I could watch jepordy or something.

But then I realized that if I had a TV, we may not have even gone walking at all
and we wouldn't have rosey cheeks to show for it!






However, I sure DO wish I had rototilled and planted some of the
garden before all this nice moisture...

spring into prarie

oh hi.
its been a while!
we were on a bit of a spring tour...
Visiting family,friends and the farm (the one i grew up on)

It was a fantastic trip.
Driving around Saskatchewan during spring melt allowed us the observation of plenty of goosey gander pairs, water flowing - and NOT flowing, snow melting and falling.

Meanwhile, back in our own town- a "state of emergency" for the flooding!
People were evacuated from their homes. basements full of water.
We are grateful for the dry basement.
If water came anywhere near our cracked foundation - we'd be in trouble.

aanyhoo, here was a nice prairie walk one day. Attie in the Jack Wolfskin.


Here is a field planted to winter wheat.
They plant it in the falltime so it comes up first thing in the spring.



And what a surprise I find in a ditch puddle pond,
a whole community of slugs in their shells!

and one floating on the top with his mouth wide open!


















little A had both her naps in the wolfskin this day.


and off they went



I was really thinking on a century ago when this land was filled with farms - a family on every quarter section. When you had to walk to school, or to visit friends and family.
When you would meet someone on this road ON FOOT,or on a horse!!
The youngins runnin all around in the fields chasing gophers


What a whimsical vision that is. I'd give anything to behold it.

the rural saskatchewan advantage

When driving places in the prairie with time on my hands,
we often go off the main road. There is just SO much land to explore.

Out here, there is an actual grid of roads to criss cross through it all.

There is an intersection every 1 mile North/South,
and every 2 miles east/west. It is a grid.



I'm always asking myself :
if there's so much land,
how hard can it be to get myself just a couple acres of it?!

I just want to build an earthship in case the shit hits the fan.
AND have chickens and such. All I need is two acres.

but for now, i am perfectly content in this small town,
with my town lot, surrounded by elm trees.


making small talk with passers by,
getting to know them by name and parka,
the ability to walk to any in-town destination in under 45 minutes,
thus not needing to use a vehicle most days,
not worrying too much if my doggies get out,
and not needing to have them constantly leashed on walks
( I hate leashes, but fully understand their reasons for existence)

our pups: Rio and Freedom











little A, all bundled and ready for some exploring (perhaps a nap as well, usually).

We hugely heart the Chariot BTW...



















This is what it the ground looks like
after us 4 have been there...

We like to leave this mark all over town!

How cute is this splash of art for on lookers and birds??
Thanks, Hofarts!!


There is a crib board on main street carved into a
tree stump. You can go sit on the old tractor seats
which protrude from either side, and have a good game of Cribbage with someone.
That is on the list of things to do this summer.


yep, Radville is cute.

saska plants

Atlin and I just got back from a great road trip this weekend. Driving around Saskatchewan is lovely.


what a beautiful province it is.


I especially love the native prairie lands, of which there is not really a huge amount, sadly.
I am very interested in the plants of saskatchewan and they are very hard to study because of all the farming, most of it is taken over by crops. i kind of just recently realized this!

here's some plants i saw a while ago at Batoche, in the river valley.





not sure who this beauty is yet...
but i will find out.












this is how juniper grows in saskatchewan, flat!
some things about juniper from "Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies":

"... juniper branches were often burned in smudges to repel insects. Smoke from the berries or branches was used in religious ceremonies or to bring good luck (especially for hunters)...

...if a horse was sick, it was made to inhale smoke from the needles 3 times for a cure...
...oil of juniper berries was mixed with fat to make salves for protecting wounds from black flies (wish i had known this in the yukon)...
...berries stimulate urination by irritating the kidneys and give urine a violet like fragrance (your pee could smell like flowers!)...
...strong juniper tea was used to sterilize needles and bandages during the black death in the 14th century Europe...
... tea was given to women in labour to speed delivery and after the birth it was used as a cleansing, healing agent...
and the neatest thing, in my opinion:
... some tribes scattered berries (to be used as beads in necklaces)on anthills. the ants would eat out the sweet center, leaving a convenient hole for stringing.

it is also a key ingredient in gin! yumm. gin and tonic on a hot day...

more plants later...