The Red Snowshoe

2011-04-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

April 2011

Failing Animal Husbandry 101

Dino working on kid's pen

April started off full of prenatal preparations for Cinnamon's up-coming change to 'Cinnamommy'. Dino has been busy at the barn building the kidding pen and milking stand, and I've been researching goat birthing in preparation for the big day.

Feta + Cinnamon doing some quality control

midwifery station

milking stand

There are different schools of thought regarding rearing kids, much the same for humans... We're going for bottle rearing rather than letting the kids suckle. Let me be clear that the kids still receive their own mother's milk - you milk the doe and then feed the kids from a bottle. Clearly this represents WAY more work as you're feeding those kids 3-4 per day, but it should make the weaning process much easier as the purpose of dairy goats on our farm, apart from how cute they are, is to have milk. If you are planning on keeping dairy goats I highly recommend the book 'Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats' by Jerry Belanger as well as http://fiascofarm.com/ which is a fabulous on line resource for all things goaty. Cinnamon's due date was April 17th, so in preparation for my trial by fire midwifery I'd cut my nails and shaved her butt - ya well that's life on the farm. The 17th came and went, and no babies. Another week, then another, and well I guess she really was just FAT and not pregnant!!! I've heard down the valley grape vine that there are several other 'hysterical pregnancies' around for goats and cows so not feeling too bad about it. I just reckon we're extra prepared for next year's breeding season!

The Boys Arrive

As we didn't end up with kids, we offered to 'kid sit' a few of our friend's male kids. The reality of the dairy industry is you generally don't keep the boys - well you keep them, but in the freezer. Regardless of where they will end up it's our job to give them a good life whatever the length.

the boys arrive

the kids settling in

That Potato Wants Out

Time to plant those potatoes - the first veggie we get in the ground. I wasn't going to plant Russian Blues this year as I seem to be their only fan, but some of last years were so keen to grow they were sprouting right out of the potato sack they were stored in.

2011-03-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

March 2011

Signs of Spring
Although Spring seems to be taking its' time, there are a few signs that it will eventually show up! Always exciting to see that first Robin!

Shit Kicking
Now that the melt is on and the horses are locked out of the front field it’s time to spread the manure that was hidden under the snow around. Quite literally give it a good shit kickin!!! Just watch the fecal balls fly...

Bare Bum Bruces
Our 2nd lot of layers, aka 'The Bruces' are Red Rock Crosses and they are a more agressive chicken than the 'Maggies' which, if memory serves, are Red Sussex Crosses. Even though they have a nice big run, everyone tends to get a little grumpy and bored when the winter drags on. I tend to alliviate this boredom by knitting, but apparently 'The Bruces' think pecking the crap out of each other is a much more interesting activity. Quite frankly it's a little cold to be walking around outside with a bare bum so I've picked up some 'stop peck' which is supposed to help stop this cannabalistic behaviour. It's red, slimy and smells like cheap wieners - I kid you not! You grab a chicken and get smearing...

Fashion Footwear for Spring
There is a reason one trades one's Sorels in for Hunters this time of year. Oh ya MUD!!!

Grass!!!
I spy with my little eye something that is green... Oh please let it be!

2011-02-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

February 2011

Sock it to Me!!!
I never really appreciated the time and effort that went into those hand knit socks my Nana made for me when I was young. If you want to REALLY appreciate something, then try doing it yourself! I chose a fairly basic sock pattern, bought some nice 'manly' wool and got to work on my first pair of socks, which would be a gift for Dino. There was unpicking, bad language, tennis elbow and advise from my Thread Guild gals, but finally the socks were done. Dino, having witnessed my struggles and confused mutterings (what exactly is turning a heel)for quite some time was very appreciative to receive his very comfortable, well fitting pair of socks.

I wrestled the aforementioned manly socks off Dino to wash them. They went into the washing machine but I wasn't going to have them ruined in the dryer so choose to let them air dry. The next morning I got up and noticed the socks weren't quite dry so thought 'hey I'll just put them near the furnace to finish them off'.

Well finish them off the furnace did! As I sat upstairs with Rooster, Trout and Missy enjoying my morning ritual (a pot of tea and knitting for an hour before heading out to the barn)I could smell something - some smell that I did not recognize. I went downstairs to check on the furnace... In horror I saw my 50 hours of hard labour blackened and smoking.

I grabbed the socks and threw them out into the snow as if the pristine whiteness would restore them. I then promptly burst into tears and used every expletive known to humankind. Note to self - there is a reason you don't put ANYTHING near a wood burning furnace!

ps The socks have been re-knit...

Rooster the Kleptomaniac
Turns out Rooster has a penchant for unique acquisitions. Our neighbour's house is quite near our front field and Rooster likes to slip under the fence when I'm doing chores and help himself to goodies from their porch.

Goodies... (Not the wine).

After collecting the stolen goods, and removing the paw prints all items have been returned with a token of apprecition from Rooster for the 'loan'.

Token

2010-11-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

November 2010

The Girls Have Their 'date'...

Everet takes a sniff of Cinnamon

Well 'date' is probably not really the correct term - I was thinking dirty weekend, but from what I hear a dirty second is more the correct time frame for the lovemaking of our goat friends! Cinnamon and Feta have been hollaring their fool heads off - that and a few other signs indicate they are ready for a little of Everet's sweet loving - again 'sweet loving' is probably not overly accurate. Everet is Gabby and Dave's new buck and he has a job to do... Off we went, lit the candles, opened some wine (ok that was for us)and let goats do what goats do.

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The 'romantic interlude' was so
fast I didn't have time to focus!!!

Rooster on the loose

Rooster Update

Nothing like having the Rail Trail on your doorstep when you have an exhuberant and energetic puppy like Rooster. He just loves the freedom to do his doggy thing.

Rooster, like most puppies, has a penchant for tasting all manner of poop. Horse, goat, chicken, elk, deer, goose, bear are all on his 'sampler menu' (thankfully he draws the line at dog. That being said he also eats his fair share of charcoal so I guess he knows what's best. Note to all - DON'T LET DOGS LICK YOUR FACE!!!

Tough Lesson for this City Girl

I'll admit it - sometimes I live in a world of my own where everyone gets along and there are no problems la la la... Ok - reality check here at the farm - goats with horns know how to use them! As Winston and Blunt have gotten older, stronger, and more obnoxious they have also got several new nicknames, 'freezer boys' and 'meat bags' to name a few. Being that I got them (perhaps somewhat naively...) for cashmere and that I've been a vegetarian since 1988 the decision to put them in the freezer has been a tough one. We've built them a seperate pen in 'goat grotto' and tried many things to stop them from goring me and the girls at every opportunity. My reason for being a vegetarian has always been how animals are treated up until the moment they are quickly and humanely dispatched. Well I tell you what, these boys have had a wonderful life - walks to the beach, eating ALL my flowers... Our neighbour, Luc, who has experience with livestock came over to help Dino with the dispatching. It was quick, painless and on our property - no stress no drama. That being said I still left the property in tears beforehand, but if you are working your way to self-sufficicney this is the reality. I appreciate both those goats for the experience they gave us and the lessons on my journey from vegetarian to ethicatarian. Plus, quite frankly they are very tasty.

Not sure who this is, Winston or Blunt

Kippen Plucker

You even get a Diploma

Our backroad friends Luc and Linda are from Belgiam. Since Luc helped disatched the goats, we're returning the favour and helping them with their chickens. They were impressed that I came to help but now that I'm an 'ethicatarian' thought in for a penny in for a pound. I stuck to plucking and Kippen Plucker is Dutch for Chicken Plucker.

2010-10-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

October 2010

Happy Halloween!!!

Even though we don't get trick or treaters, although I have seen some impressive elk costumes meander through the property, it is always good to have a few pumpkins on hand. These are destined for the soup pot.

Heat Seeking Rooster

You can always count on a puppy to find the warmest patch in the house.

Such a tiny guy

Rooster's First Burn

Hanging out with Rooster by the burn pile makes you understand how mankind and our canine friends got together in the first place. I don't think the novelty of sitting around the fire on our own property will ever wear off - apparently it's still frowned upon in the city.

Seems to get the idea

Hoarder in the House

I keep finding 'stashes' around the house. There were split peas in my winter boots, lentils under the mattress and now corn in my steamer! Some little creature is going to be dissapointed when it comes back for its' treasure to find it has been robbed!

What do you mean 'egg shaped'?
The 'Bruces' have started laying and their first eggs are surprisingly small - so cute but make for a rather tiny omlette! Another thing about eggs is that they are not all 'egg shaped'. They have to fit in a carton at the supermarket but here, they just have to fit into the frying pan.

2010-09-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

September 2010

Rooster arrives…

Rooster

We've been sans pooch for a few years now, and living on an acreage in the country it seems like something is missing without a dog... especially when we go to the barn in the dark! I have been spending some time surfing on various animal adoption agency's websites looking for a suitable candidate. I leave the profiles of dogs that I think might be a good match for us open on the computer for Dino to 'notice'. Well that computer must just turn itself off as there was never any mention of any of the furry faces staring out of the screen, until one day Dino said to me,(after viewing one of my lobbying efforts)'why don't you give them a call'. I called KAAP http://www.homes4animals.com/ and made an appointment to see two, 9 week old Rottweiler/German Shepherd crosses. Just knowing we were going to meet some puppies had me running to the book shop to buy Cesar Milan's http://www.cesarsway.com/ 'How to Raise the Perfect Puppy. We went and met the two wee lads, did a little temperament testing and chose the more laid back fellow. When you have goats, chickens, horses and cats a gentle nature is a good start. Nuff said - we'd like to introduce you to our new puppy, Rooster.

Cutest puppy ever!

Goat Grotto

Lumber for the future barn extensions

We've been planning on building an extension to the barn since we moved here and now we finally have the time to do it. After weeks of building the Wash House and tent platform Dino was certainly ready for a bigger project. Using milled lumber from the tree felled in '09 from exactly the site the extension was to go up we began the work in the dry but it soon started to rain. You get use to that in Spring...and Fall, sigh! The left hand extension is to house the Goats and milking area. The right, happening next spring, will be for equipment storage, the bike and basic woodworking tools.

Left, marking out the piers. Right, putting them in. So far so good. Goats helped a bit.It is their future home after all. Apart from a few roots from the fallen tree digging was relatively easy. Using the milled wood, 6" x 6" we erected the framing that would support the roof.

The trusses are supported at the old barn side by a 4" x 6" piece of lumber that is bolted to the main vertical barn supports. Purlins next then the sheet metal can go up. Of course it started to rain.

The horses never seem to be bothered by the building going on around them. I'm getting used to roofing in the snow and rain.

Green Maggie after treatment

The Red Green Show

Treatment begins

Out at the chicken coop one day I noticed a lump on Green Maggie's foot. After doing a little research I came to the conclusion she had 'Bumble Foot'. The treatment is an iodine and sugar poltice - what the heck, I've polticed my horse's feet many a time - I think together Dino and I can handle a chicken!

The Harvest

Blueberries

Although the garden didn't get as much attention as it should have this year, and there was a distinct lack of sun and an overabundance of rain, we were still able to put some food on the table! I think you learn more from your mistakes. The blueberries are great.

Our first Carrots

To the left our first onions
and the right our first carrots....So next year's gonna rock!

Onions

2010-06-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

June 2010
It was always our intent to build something using glass bottles and the wash house presented itself as a perfect place to start. The south facing wall was framed using 6" x 6" cedar timbers. This wall is part of the shower area and gets a great deal of light hitting it all year round. Perfect for a glass bottle feature.

Normally if you saw this many empties
at a job site "Work Safe BC" would
have an issue. In our case they were
building materials.

Being avid beer drinkers we'd been collecting, and dutifully emptying the bottles for quite a while.
Alexander Keith's constituted the lion's share of the bottles we collected, but as we didn't want the wall to be totally built of brown glass we sampled other fine ales and ciders to collect some green and clear bottles. These would be strategically placed during the build to break up the sea of amber.

Knocking together a small frame we tested some concrete mixes to find the right consistency of the mortar mix. We knew from research that you can't build too many rows at a time as the weight begins to squeeze the mortar from the lower rows so we aimed at three rows at a time each day until we reached the top.

Built three rows at a time,
allowing the mortar to set up
between each three rows

You lay the bottles much the same way as bricks but you have to push the mortar between each bottle to make sure there are no gaps, this takes a lot of time but is worth it for a cleaner and tighter look over all.

She's a corker!

We built the wall with the bottle bases facing into the building and the necks facing to the out side. Renata corked every bottle before they were added to the wall. We're hoping that the trapped air will heat up during the day making the bottles warm to the touch on the inside of the shower area.

Once the mortar sets, cleaning up the residue from the glass is fairly easy, plenty of water a wire brush and elbow grease. The inside looks amazing when the light is filtering through the wall and feels great to the touch.

View from the inside shower area.

The final bottle count is 797 - do you feel a song coming on? We used about 10 30kg bags of ready mix mortar. Building the wall was definatley a two person job and took quite a bit of time, but with all things in life you get what you pay for, even if payment is with your newly aquired beer belly!

2010-05-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

May 2010

Feta and Cinnamon Arrive!

We finally committed to welcoming two very sweet Nubian dairy goats, Feta and Cinnamon,

The Jajas, Feta and Cinnamon

into our lives. There were several factors to consider, one being how will Winston and Blunt(boisterous boys armed with horns)treat the new hornless arrivals. Second and heavy on the soul searching was the reality that if you want to have a few dairy goats for milk and cheese you have to breed them, and you simply can't keep all the kids, especially the boys. I've been a vegetarian for 22 years, but I do eat cheese so somewhere some youngster is going to turn into BBQ in order for me to enjoy fondue...I'm not fundamentally opposed to eating meat, but I do have issues with how our furry friends are treated on the way to the plate. Dino remains a confirmed carnivoure and is not opposed to a little goati roti...

Morrels in the Orchard

I was delighted to discover a few morrels in the orchard - with my mushroom book in hand I was confident that these would not poison us. I was right and they were delicious - hope some more will pop up after the next rain!

Fresh Morrels from our Orchard

The Bear
Annie alerted me to the presence of something in the back field. When that mare is distracted from her dinner you can be sure something is up. On further investigation there was a black bear sitting in the field - although exciting to see one it is also good to let him/her know that he best be moving on. We're really careful with our compost, animal feed and garbage as we all know what happens to 'problem bears', although in truth it's usually problem people.

The Bear ambles off to find a new toilet, hopefully.

I grabbed the camera and Dino grabbed the shotgun - a few shots over the bow and off he went. And yes, they do shit in the woods, also on the field, roads and pretty much anywhere they choose.

More Construction
May was shaping up as the get construction finished month. The wash house needed completing and the deck for the tent had to be built so we could put the tent up. Taking a break from the wash house we decided to get the tent deck done. A lot simpler project than the wash house. We knew our size, the tent is 14' x 16' and we wanted an 8' porch area out front for a total size of 14' wide by 24' deep. Bill scraped and graded the plot and laid down the road crush that the 6" x 6" skids would rest on.

Renata dreams of the tent's future king size bed.

Goats are ardent deck builders, always willing to give advice.

Squaring off the deck framing was made a lot easier with the help of the goats. They just love construction work and take every opportunity to lend a hand. We have no idea how we got anything done without them. Around this time I'm seriously thinking a nail gun is in my future.

Deck in place Renata cleans the newly cut tent poles.

Once the decking was down we trimmed our tent poles to size and started to lay them out in preparation for raising the canvas. Renata cleaned all the metal poles so they wouldn't stain the fabric. We laid out all the poles and connectors before raising the tent.

Mmm, a bit short me thinks?

The tent came in two parts, the main section, 14' x 16' has a roof, sides, back, windows and doorway, the second part is the porch area which is just the roof and two walls. We later added mosquito netting to the front of the porch for obvious reasons. We don't get much wind here in the valley but the day we put up the canvas it was pretty damn windy. Lots of fun.

So this is the first time we managed to get the entire tent up. There's still alot of work to be done, but we're very happy with the results as you can see from our main web site.

long way to go, but getting there.

The canvas had to be shrunk, tied down to an exterior wood beam frame and a large fly sheet protects it all from the sun and rain. Once erected the tent was much bigger than we'd imagined.

2010-04-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

April 2010

The Wash House Continues
The skid deck, framing and roof went up without incident - all limbs still intact! Dino did have a little hammering competition with a Pileated Woodpecker that was doing a little de-construction of his own. Dino's building knowlege is vertually zero but fortunately he can read, and The Ultimate Guide To Barns, Sheds and Outbuildings got him through the basics of framing, electrical and plumbing; a great asset for anyone starting out in basic construction as a DIYer.

Under the deck is the drainage for grey water, a drain pipe takes it underground to a safe soak pit.

The first tin sheet gets installed for the roof

This Pileated Woodpecker went about it's business just feet from the work zone.

Worked continued throughout April on the wash house and progress was steady. Apart from the wall studs the construction is nearly all cedar, supplied from a local mill in South Slocan, Gold Island Forest Products. The windows are from a local salvage company repaired and repainted in red. We opted for a non flushing composting toilet to reduce water usage and the need to install black water disposal.

Dairy Goats - do we or don't we...
We had always thought there would be a few dairy goats in our menagerie, so the first step is to go and meet some. We hooked up with Gabby and Dave who have a small herd (it was supposed to be 2 goats, but 2 goats often lead to a small herd...)of Nubian Dairy Goats, easily recognized by their rather generously proportioned, pendulous ears. There were new kids about - so if you want your heart strings tugged - this is the place!!!

Gabby and Dave with some of their herd.

Dino and the Kid

Mobbed by the Kids.

The Bruces

We've really enjoyed having the 'Maggies' clucking about, so we thought we would add another dozen chicks to the mix. We got them as one day olds, and they have been named the 'Bruces' but don't be fooled they are in fact layers (girls) and don't bear any resemblance to our good friend Bruce. They seem to be growing hourly and have been moved to bigger and bigger digs - pretty soon they'll be able to join the Maggies out in the coop.

Our friend Bruce with a Bruce.

The Bruces at one day old.

The Bruces getting a bit crowded.

Bigger accommodation for the fast growing Bruces.

An Early Start in the Garden

We're pretty new to gardening, especially in a self-sufficiency kinda way. Our roof top garden in Vancouver's crop yield was generally about 3 anemic looking tomatoes per season so with all this land and manure we're hoping for better results. The organic seed potatoes I ordered have come in, so with our neighbours rototiller in hand off we go! My mom, Vera, has also got inspired with cleaning up around the property

Dino Rototilling.

Getting ready to plant that Potato

Renata planting the first potato.

Vera doing a happy gardening dance...

Cat Update

With all the news about the barnyard critters I thought I should give the cats a little 'air' time. Trout continues life as the Country Cabin Squire looking resplendent on my granny square throw. Missy Phat Phat being a rescue kitty has made up for lost time in the eating department - she enjoys herself and despite her girth has turned out to be a pretty good mouser!

Trout relaxing in his pod.

Missy being, well Missy.

2010-03-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

March 2010

So It Begins!

We didn't move out of the city just for the excitement of that first egg and being able to snowshoe in your pjs. The masterplan of moving to the country was to have a 'farm based' business, a 'cabin industry' so to speak. We are creating a little slice of Kootenay life out on the back 40. A Bed 'N' Breakfast in a Pamper Camping Canadiana kinda way. March's weather, being incredibly Spring like, allowed us to get an early start on building the guest wash house.

The Wash House.

We choose the perfect spot for the wash house a 10' x 8' building that will house a hot shower, sink and composting toilet. Our friend and neighbour Luc(and his family) moved just down the road from us from Belgium last year and just so happens Luc is a very talented chainsaw carver and tree surgeon and has a rather large collection of chainsaws. To ensure that the wash house and it's users are safe from falling trees etc. a certin amount of clearing had to be done before work could start on the foundation.

Luc gives Dino some pointers

Dino's first solo Paul Bunyan experience - not bad for a guy from South London.

Bears may make potty in the woods, but I am not a bear. If one wants a civilized place to do one's ablutions one needs a wash house with power and water. One of our other backroad cohorts, Bill, has a landscaping and irrigation business so helped with the running of power and a water line from the house to the site. We also installed a grey water drainage system to manage the shower and sink water properly.

Clearing and levelling the wash house site

Bill cutting in the water and power line

Bill Makes Water!(way more exciting than it sounds)

Water, power and drainage installed so now the building commences!

Kids + Bad Hair Cuts

There are no free rides here at The Red Snowshoe. If you are a cashmere goat, it is your job to grow hair. To say the least it has been busy since our big move so the fact that we didn't get around to building a stanchion to hold the goats for combing didn't stand in my way. Armed with my goat safety goggles, leash and comb I got to work...

Combing Blunt

There is no after shot, so use your imagination and picture me lying on the goat floor pen with ripped jeans and an annoyed goat! Never mind, like most kids after a bad haircut a trip to the beach and all is forgiven.

Good Old Boy

Strut turned 26 this month! Although he is retired I thought I'd see how sound he was looking after spending a few months slipping around on the ice. I laughed when I saw this picture with carrots aka 'bribery sticks' sticking out of my back pockets. It is not uncommon to get undressed at the end of the day and discover there is still a carrot in your pocket.

2010-02-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

February 2010

My favorite thing about February is that it is short! The Olympics came and went, as did all the snow both here and in Vancouver. Even if we still lived in Vancouver, we probably would have high tailed it outta there during the 5 ring circus and found a swim up bar somewhere warm. That being said we did watch a lot of winter sports on TV this month...

Making Stuff
Taking care of the animals is a good reason to get out there in the fresh air and rain. Other than that there is not much to do outside, which is fine by me as it's a good time to stay indoors and make stuff! I've always been a maker of stuff. Even though I've been in glass and metal jewellery mode for a few years now, I still enjoy working with fabric and felt from my millinery days. Last year I hooked up with the Slocan Valley Thread's Guild; this is a group of women (I've not seen a guy at the meetings yet...)who work with fibre. Spinning, felting, knitting, basket making, dying, weaving, you name it, they do it. I had taken a spinning and felting workshop while still living in Vancouver, and was keen to continue. Over the winter (when no one can garden) there are lots of classes available and I took most of them!

The snow is off the ground, early this year by all accounts, and I'm taking my new wheel out for a spin so to speak.

Well we did move to the Kootenays so I believe learning how to tie-dye was in order.

Rug-hooking, more spinning, knitting and cedar bark basket weaving were added to the new winter interests. I'm looking at cedar trees with new respect!

2010-01-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

January 2010

New Year's Day
After bundling up in a warm mohair blanket I chose to spend part of the day on the porch enjoying some 'leftover' champagne! We had been told it is always snowy on New Year's Day and were not disappointed.

Loafing Shed Addition

We have a great barn with a loafing shed at the back which provides shelter for Strut and Annie. Thing is, we have 2 horses, and the loafing shed is really only big enough for one. We've run the numbers and clearly we need to build an addition...

First you need a post.

Then some helpful assistants to demonstrate how lumber gets bowed.

In progress.

We're in the home stretch now!

The only picture we don't have is the one of the horses totally ignoring their new digs - give em time...

Big Momma Moose

First of all Winston doesn't have the world's longest goat legs, he is standing on the manure ramp (favorite place for running and head butting). Annie's maternal instincts have come out, and she has taken quite a shine to the wee boys. Due to this and her pronounced profile her newest nickname is 'Big Momma Moose'.

The Birthday Boys!!!

Now, what are the odds that Dino and the goats share the same birthday? They all came into the world on January 23rd, although not in the same year! We took a birthday stroll down the back road followed up with some bubbly - is it wrong to drink with your kids???

The Red Snowshoes

We wanted a pair of red snowshoes that will eventually be on our sign at the bottom of the driveway. As these aren't readily available it was time to add another skill to the repertoire.

2009-12-31T11:43:00.000-08:00

December 2009

The New Snowblower

Dino has been chomping at the bit to get out there and blow some snow - boys and their toys.

Bedrock City

I was delighted to receive a box of 'bedrock city' in the post from our friends Bruce and Shelley. For obvious reasons this is a treat that can only be enjoyed once a year lest we all lapse into diabetic comas. The ingredients are peanut butter, butterscotch chips and mini-mallows...

A Room with a View
I continue to be enamoured with the view from our bedroom. These pictures were taken in the early morning from the bedroom window, and yes it really is that colour!

Christmas Day

It was a lovely sunny day here for Christmas. A bit quieter than usual with just Dino, myself and Vera, but a good time was had by all. I am now the proud owner of my own pair of high tech snowshoes.

One of the Maggies gave us a special Christmas Egg - hope the poor dear is ok after laying that one!

New Year's Eve

While we were still in Vancouver we generally spent New Year's Eve enjoying a pajama party at our good friends Shelley and Bruce's with 'the usual suspects'. Not wanting to let our side down we donned our PJs and rang in the New Years on the porch. We did hear some weapons discharging at midnight - I guess that's how ya do it in the country - we'll know for next year!

2009-11-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

November 2009

Catch and Release

I can't speak for the cats, but the humans at The Red Snowshoe have a 'catch and release' policy. Now, out ya go.

2009-10-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

October 2009

Our First Egg!
Oct 22 was a most exciting evening here at The Red Snowshoe. One of our ‘Maggies’ had made the age old transition - girl to woman, pullet to hen. Yes folks we had our first egg!!! The gals were hatched May 25 and according to ‘Barnyard in Your Backyard’ you should start seeing eggs between week 20-24. Well, right on schedule folks at week 21+. I went out at 8pm to tuck all the critters in and low and behold there it was a perfectly formed brown egg. I was so excited you would have thought I’d laid that egg myself!

- R -

Our first egg in situ.

Dino hopefull for another egg!

That Beaver is Not so Dim

On one of my morning gasp and wheezes (aka the run) I stopped to have another look at the stump that the beaver had used for the waffle interruptus. I initially thought that the beaver was a bit dim, as why spend all that time cutting down a tree that was too big to manage. Turns out not so dim after all. As Henry Ford once said ‘nothing is too complicated if you just break it down into parts’. After doing a bit of research on beavers, they do in fact eat wood, not use it strictly for home furnishings.Also a single beaver can take down 1,700 trees per year, so we are expecting more power outages in the future!

Our next power outage...

A Beautiful Autumn Day

The First Burn

Ok - I realize every entry is named The First this, or The First that, but that is because that is what it is. Now, like our primative ancestors, we too enjoy sitting around a campfire, or in this case a burn pile, but to be able to do it on your own property, while drinking wine out of a jam jar, well that just suits us fine. Clothing optional...

Winston and Blunt hang back in case this is some kind of goat BBQ. Also note large burn pile in background - details to follow...

The right outfit for every job!

Well, it was bound to happen.

First Snowfall

We had our first snowfall today! We've heard MANY, MANY different takes on the winter weather in our little bubble. As we are in a valley, nestled up against a mountain the conditions can vary greatly so we're prepared for 'weather' come what may. This snowfall will probably only be on the ground a few days but it gives us a taste of things to come...

2009-09-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

September 2009

Chainsaw Basics and Edible Mushroom Walk
Being new to country living, we thought signing up for a few classes might be prudent. I was determined to avoid cutting off our legs or poisoning ourselves, so we signed up for Chainsaw Basics and An Edible Mushroom Walk. I’m pleased to report that legs and GI Tracts all still in perfect working order.

- R -

Wild Turkey

Get your mind out of the liquor cabinet! We saw this fine specimen on our back road on the way to avoid cutting off our legs. We had been hearing them gobbling about the neighbourhood, but this was my first encounter. I wonder if they get nervous closer to Thanksgiving?

- R -

Patti, Jim and the Beaver

My cousin Patti and her husband Jim spent a few days visiting us during their whirlwind road trip of BC and Alberta. A good time was had by all and I was about to make the traditional farewell waffles when the power went out. What could have caused that on such a lovely sunny day we wondered. Turns out that our national symbol, the noble Beaver, was the culprit. The power was later restored and the waffles were enjoyed. - R -

Dino's Prize Pickle

More new skills! We've had our first crack at pickling and all went well - very tasty!

Last Swim of the Year

It has been a glorious summer which continued right through September. We have a lovely secluded swimming hole just a 5 minute walk down the back road, which we managed to take advantage of one last time in September!

2009-08-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

August 2009

The Hay Arrives

Another first – ordering hay for the winter. Henk from Meadowcreek delivered 6 tons of hay. Annie looks rather keen on the idea!

Future Manure.

Winston and Blunt on Hay Mountain. Although it is not encouraged the kids like to climb to the top of hay mountain whenever the opportunity presents itself. On occassion they have been spotted walking across the rafters of the barn - must put a lock on that barn door!

Vera and Bart

Ever since my mom saw a young donkey 'hopping and skipping' she has had a soft spot for them. Luckily for her our neighbours have a 30 year old donkey named Bart who is quite happy to have quality carrot time.

The New Manure Pile

There is definately more involved in composting manure than just piling up equine fecal balls. While we were having some fencing done we had a few extra posts driven so we (I should say Dino) could build a 3 compartment manure composter. By the time the third bin is ready to fill up, the first bin's contents should be ready to go on the garden.

old manure pile

Dino working on new manure pile

Renata takes the

inaugural dump

Motorcycling Nirvana

One of the reasons I especially like where The Red Snowshoe (TRS) is situated is the incredible scenery linked together by probably BC’s best motorcycling roads. I got my first real taste of these marvellous motorcycling roads during a Buell (as of Fall 2009 Buell is no longer in operation) organised road trip from Whistler to Calgary. Although a supposed group ride the more adventurous of us peeled off to discover some incredible twisties that snake down and around the Arrow lakes criss crossing by ferry where necessary. Renata picked me up a copy of Destination Highways British Columbia, www.destinationhighways.com a wonderful guide to aid motorcyclist find some of the best roads in Southern BC for sport bike and touring alike. TRS really is nestled close to so many of the top rides mentioned in this book; DH1 is only a couple of DH routs away from our front door.

Dino and Mike before the

first day's riding

Back in Vancouver I often rode with a group of friends at the weekends and occasionally for longer trips into BC and the US. Our longest motorcycling trip was to LasVegas and back. I love long distance riding but dislike spending time getting to places that allow for true mileage and scenery, negotiating city and suburban roads is just boring, tiring and unsafe. Now really good riding starts at my property line and no matter which direction I choose to go I’m in motorcycling nirvana.

One of those riding buddies back in Vancouver came for a visit and in true Mikey tradition he decided to trailer his bike up from Vancouver in what really amounts to a mobile bike garage. With his most recent acquisition, a black Suzuki B-King, tucked safely in the trailer he made great time and arrived amazingly fresh and ready for a weekend of riding.

We set off reasonably early Saturday and headed north up the Hwy 6 our first stop breakfast at a great little restaurant called ‘Sleep is for sissies’ www.sleepisforsissies.com these guys serve up great food and offer an interesting array of entertainment and events. Continuing north we head up the Slocan Valley through Winlaw and Slocan and winding up along the Cape Horn, a particularly great stretch of road carved into the side of a mountain to a look out point that offers breath taking views of the Valhalla Range and way down below the Southern part of the Slocan Lake. From here you head down into Silverton and onto New Denver. Even though I had done this rout before I could tell Mike was enjoying this road tremendously. Although the roads are fairly technical the B-King is made for this with the twists and turns peppered with short straights to use all that incredible power.

View of Slocan Lake
and Valhalla range

At this point we pretty much had run the DH25 from the Destination Highways book and would now head toward Kaslow along Hwy 31A another DH route DH5. This is a pretty technical piece of road and requires mucho concentration. The vistas are incredible and we had to keep an eye out for wild life. In fact anywhere in the Kootenays you’d better be on your guard for deer and bear, no shortage of these critters crossing the roads. In fact Renata and I had seen a bear right by Fish Lake crossing over the road the year before during one of our area forays.

Mike and I continued along this beautiful road which follows the Kaslo River and stopped at Kaslo for a bite to eat at the The Kaslo Bay Resort, The Fisherman’s Pub & Grill www.kaslobay.com . We considered taking Hwy 31, DH 33, another incredible ride that takes you to Meadow Creek, Meadow Creek is where we picked up hay for the horses, but we decided to ride on down to Nelson instead DH 60. I know I keep referencing the Destination Highways book but it really is a great resource if you’re serious about finding some of the best motorcycling roads in BC. Hwy 31 is quite a busy road and hugs the Kootaney Lake until you reach Nelson. Arriving in Nelson we stopped for some refreshment at the Hume Hotel www.humehotel.com a great place with loads of character, history and good beer. Picking up a couple of bottles of wine we headed back to TRS along Hwy 3A. We basically rode a loop that day taking time to stop and admire the views and take in nourishment when the need arose. There are many great things to do and see along this route which is peppered with historical sites and stunning scenery but we were really here to ride and catch up. Sunday would be a longer ride with less stopping but again, mainly due to how much we liked it, it started by having breakfast at ‘Sleep Is For Sissies’.

End of day one's motorcycling

Doubling back from SIFS we headed down Hwy 6 to the Cresent Valley Junction and headed into Nelson at Nelson we dipped down toward Salmo, Hyw 6, DH83, this stretch of road is fast and twisty with great peg scraping opportunities and some interlinking straights to clear the pipes out. Heading East at Salmo you connect to DH 52, Hyw3, this takes you on the 2nd highest road in Canada so hope ya have FI or know how to quickly adjust all your carbs. As usual the scenery is amazing (when you get a chance to glimpse some, try keeping up to a B-King cooking). Hitting Creston we stopped for some light refreshment, cool our jets and prepared to take on DH1, Hwy 3A. This glorious road is narrow and amazingly curvaceous hugging Duck Lake and the Eastern side of Kootenay Lake. I’d already ridden this route and knew just how technical it is. Also the locals are canny to the fact it’s heavily used by motorcyclists, not all like that fact and you should be aware of this. If you get stuck behind a land yacht, be prepared to pick you moment very carefully when passing. Lots of blind curves to contend with and driveways hidden behind large trees, nasty things can be lurking. But this road is all about rhythm, not speed. A squared off tyre will quickly regain its intended shape and if you relax the Zen will come. Mike and I had a blast down this road and the Balfour Kootenay Bay ferry will get you over to the West side of the lake at the end of it. Oh! No motorcyclist to the front rule on this Ferry, you cue up like all he other cubes on this one, although they try and squeeze bikes on if there’s room. Once across we carried on the 3A back into Nelson and then back to TRS. Great ride that took most of the day, weather perfect and roads pretty clear of traffic, Mike likes to push the pace and I think Nelson back to TRS was the shortest time I’ve ever done this particular stretch. Mike was heading back to Vancouver Monday so the B-King went right back into the trailer when we got back.

Mikes Mobile garage, putting the B-King away.

Rock Hunters

Dino's motorcycle buddy, Mike, plus our friends from Dot and Greg, from Vancouver, were all with us for an afternoon of rock hunting down at our swimming hole. Why is it that all the nice flat rocks I was collecting for tiling the bathroom floor were the same ones that had the best rock skipping qualities... Hey dudes leave my floor alone!

2009-07-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

July 2009

Strut and Annie enjoying the front field.

Chores are done, it's hammock time!

Back from a ride...

Firewood 101

Having a wood burning furnace is new to us, but as we didn't want to be caught with our pants in the down position we thought we'd better order some firewood. After some consultation we thought 5 cords would be a safe bet for our first winter. Wood was ordered and stacked - tada! Next step was to get the furnace serviced; the first thing the furnace guy does is get out his 'moisture meter' and start poking at our lovely stacked firewood and say, 'that's great, what are you going to burn this year?'. The morale of the story is that your wood should be dry... Ya, ya, I grew up in the city. A moisture meter was purchased and another 5 cords of wood was ordered!

Winston and Blunt are not fussy about the moisture content.

This funky guy is a Banded Alder Borer, hanging out at the wood shed.

Chicken Run...

Part of our homestead would include chickens, an important and as we had read, probably, the easiest livestock to start with on a small farm. But where and how to get them?

Vera gets the coop ready

A friend had moved to Oliver about six months before we embarked on our new life and had immediately got a coop up and running. Lionel, a very accomplished photographer www.trudelphoto.com is also a very accomplished researcher and had done much research on the subject of chickens. He would be our source of foul to get us going. Lionel graciously offered to procure some wee beasties for us and Renata and I determined that 6 hens a laying would be a good start. The existing coop at The Red Snowshoe is basically a shed and could easily accommodate three to four times more birds but we had plans to demolish this shed and move the coop to a new location up at the barn. So six birds would be just fine and when they started laying, as we had read, would supply us with more than enough eggs.

As I hadn’t visited Lionel’s place before and hadn’t seen Lionel for quite a while I was going to make this an over night trip even though Oliver is only three and a half hours a way. But in usual fashion I had Lionel’s location but for some reason not the house number, I didn’t realise this until much later.

I originally wanted to take my motorcycle, some how jerry rigging some kind of bird transportation device, probably similar to the millions of such devices seen on the dusty tracks in the far East attached to rickety mopeds and small cc motorcycles carrying the whole family, livestock and who knows what else… Renata gently persuaded me that moving live stock on the back of two wheeled motor vehicles was best left to those skilled in those maters and not middle aged westerners on BMWs… sigh!

So the truck it would be, seemed a bit over kill taking a half ton to pick up six pullets but air conditioning and tunes do make things comfortable and not just for me, after all there are the six pullets to consider as well, really.

Lionel’s place is smack in the middle of BC’s wine country http://www.winecountryretreat.ca/, a beautiful property where he and his wife and two boys enjoy the country life, a far cry from the Vancouver East End where Lionel still has his photography studio. As mentioned it’s not that far from us and a beautiful drive no matter what mode of transport you take. I made good time and of course had a handy Google map print out of what I thought would get me there without problems and so it did to a point. Picking up a bottle of the local hooch in down-town Oliver I drove on and found my way onto Green lake Road Lionel’s spread is on this road. Oh! No house number and Green Lake Road isn’t that short, damn no cell connection either. So I drove up one way looking up all the drive ways of those properties I could see. I did have a good idea of what the house looked like but most places are well set back from the road. I turned round and drove back. Ah a local coming down his drive, stop and ask him if he knows Lionel. Sure did. I’d found Lionel and the house and the birds.

Releasing the poullets

Lionel is a hunt to feed guy and that evening we dined on bar-B-Q game, delicious and all washed down with cold beer. I slept well in their guest suit that is available for rent anytime; see the link www.winecountryretreat.ca for more info. Next morning we rounded up 6 pullets from a neighbours coop, guess they were part of a larger buy. Knowing nothing about chickens it was basically a first come first caught that determined who’d be coming back to The Red Snowshoe and they really all looked alike to me. Scruffy, scrawny looking things with high pitched chirps and very jerky movements. Just a week or so up from the fluffy chick stage they just managed to have what could be called feathers…cute none the less. Secured in a cardboard box with some water and a little feed I set of to the sounds of muted chirping and a big thank you to Lionel and his family for the chicks and a great visit.

Orchard Guests

A big part of being drawn to a more rural lifestyle is the abundance of wildlife. The veggie garden is deer proofed 'actung Bambi' but the rest of the property is fair game. Sitting on the porch watching the deer enjoy some early apples is really a nice way to spend some time.

Orchard Guests

I am a white tailed deer.

2009-06-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

May + June 2009

Finally!

After several years of lobbying, we actually did it! On May 29, 2009 we left city life and moved to the country. Dino, myself, our two cats, Missy Phat Phat (aka Phatzo) and Trout all piled into ‘The Guzzler’ (our new-to-us F150) and our big adventure began.

Dino double checking truck

Missy Phat Phat + Trout on their big road trip.

The Pink Carpet

We love our log home, with one small exception… First thing was to remove the pink wall to wall carpet in the living room. This is the third pink wall to wall carpet I’ve removed; I mean what are the odds of that. Obviously in the 80s carpet manufacturers collectively took leave of their senses and thought producing copious amounts of pink carpet was a good idea. Well it’s the 21st century so out it goes!

Our First Harvest

Ok, we can’t take any credit for this, but on arrival we were delighted to have asparagus and fresh spring onions ready to go.

The Horses Arrive

Many moons ago, I was one of the numerous little girls pestering her parents for a pony, with no success. My stubborn streak never let go of that dream and several decades later I started taking riding lessons and finally got my first ‘pony’. Strut became my equine buddy and confidant 14 years ago, he is now 25. We spent many happy years at Blenheim Stables http://www.blenheimstables.com/Home.html with Georgann and Mike Gregory learning how to ride, well me learning how to ride, and Strut putting up with me learning how to ride. He’s done it all, raced at Hastings Park, done the hunter/jumper circuit, a little dressage, lots of trail riding with me up in Vancouver’s Pacific Spirit Park – I even rode him side saddle to our wedding. In 2008 I felt it was time for him to retire, (yes you really can put them out to pasture) and sent him up to Horsefly BC to live with Stevie and Jack of Meadowbrook Equine Retirement http://www.meadowbrook-equine.com/. He was in excellent hands and I got a steady supply of fantastic pictures of him living the life of Riley. Now a horse is a herd animal, so we set out to find Strut an equine friend. I contacted the fantastic folks at Circle F Horse Rescue http://www.circlef.ca/ and Dino and I went to meet Annie, a very friendly and gentle 5 year old Thoroughbred mare. Kevan of H4 Horse Services http://www.h-4.ca/spca.htmlorganized transporting both Strut and Annie out to us in the Kootenays and I was a very excited middle aged ‘pony girl’ on the day they arrived!!!

Renata and Strut reunited.

Strut and Annie walking to their new home.

The Kids + Nanny Jan

We don’t have children, but now we have a couple of kids! It was my first foray into on-line relationships, the purpose was to hook myself up with a couple of goats, cashmere goats that is. I drove up to Prince George to have a visit with my Aunty Bon Bon and my cousin Janice. Janice who will from this time forth be referred to as Nanny Jan and myself had a rendezvous with Diane from Riversong Farms ( http://www3.telus.net/riversong/ )at the Tim Hortons parking lot in Quesnel to pick up our charges, Winston and Blunt. We loaded them in the dog kennel in the back of the truck, tucked them in, and headed back to The Red Snowshoe.

Goats can in fact read!

Nanny Jan + the kids take a break.

Nanny Jan + Blunt out for a walk.

Back from a Bank Job!

Someone has to pay for all that hay. Actually the masked bandits are sporting the newest fashions in pest control. It doesn't look like it, but the horses can see perfectly fine through the fly masks.

About the Red Snowshoe

2009-03-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is the tale of The Red Snowshoe, and how we went from...

that

to this!!!

Ok, let's be clear, we are from the city. Dino hails from London, England, and I (Renata) grew up in Vancouver BC. We had been tossing around the idea of moving to the country for several years and like I always say, ‘the best way of getting something done, is to start…’ so start we did. In the midst of all our planning we heard a tale, a whisper in the woods about an elusive Red Snowshoe, a beacon of sorts for city weary folk. The Red Snowshoe manifested itself for us on a quiet back road in Slocan Park on the Slocan River in the Kootenay’s beautiful Slocan Valley. We traded in our Commercial Drive abode, packed up and moved to 12 acres in Slocan Park. While we were at it we asked my mom, Vera,(another Brit) if she would like to move with us. In for a penny, in for a pound so that is how our adventure began.