Another Beautiful Alberta Sunset

The Sky doesn't stay clear blue very long this summer, before it builds up again, and gives us a whole new batch of new rain. It's result? A beautiful breath taking "Northern Alberta" Area. We can get so tired of the rain, but where would we be without it? It is so beautiful, the green this summer is just so rich looking. It is so fresh smelling, of course with the rain, comes the relief from forest fires, which can be so devastating to our land, crops, wildlife, cattle, etc. When I was growing up in Michigan, I enjoyed the clear blue rain free skys. Our lives consisted of swimming, boating, fishing, bikeing, walking, etc.

When I married Ed, I moved into a completely different life set. I have always called it, "culture shock". I grew up with fishing, hunting, boating stories, but moved into the "tractor, crop, cattle, dairy, canola fields stories. I quickly learned many new and exciting things. One of the most important things I learned was to be thankful for the rain. I learned a whole new concept of how important it was. There was a whole new world out there that counted on rain, for their farms and animals survival! I even learned how to tell whether certain clouds would hit our farm area outside of Ponoka. Which ones I would need to grab the clothes off the line for.

One thing I did learn was that "snow" was not supposed to be an "exciting" thing to hit too early. Of course this city girl was so excited, she had her Christmas records on, and went running into the farm house so excited, just to be stopped dead in her tracks, inside the kitchen. The looks on their faces clearly told me how they felt about my excitment. That was the last time I was excited about the snow coming early. (I tried to look very somberly from then on, as I learned I should).

Another thing I learned was that it wasn't supposed to be so "cute" and exciting to watch all the new young calves, all out romping in the back yard, and having a ball cause they were" free"!! I'm glad it didn't happen again, cause I'm sure I couldn't have acted "somber" the next time it happened. It was the most fun thing watching, but a real trick to getting them back in again.

And I "did" learn how to be glad to go for the rides out to the field to see how the crops were coming along. Hummmmmmm??? I will never forget the first few times they thought I would like to go along. I wasn't too sure what I was supposed to be looking for, but I figured I would find out. (I never did really find out, but they didn't know that). I don't think they realised that they should explain that to a city chick.

I also learned that it wasn't always the "smartest" thing to carry an egg from one house to the other, in your pocket. I was so happy I made it to the other yard, that I just took my arms and happily came down on my pockets, in amazement!!

And I did learn the right term for "mixing the dirt and the grass", so that my letters sounded alittle more real for farm life.I will never hear the end of it from Dad. As well, I learned the names for the different cattle. Now a days there are so many combinations, with breeding, sometimes I still don't know.

I learned how to help with the milking, as well as getting the milking parlor ready for milking, to save the men the extra half hour when coming in from the field to milk the cows. I enjoyed being around the cattle, especially the young ones. One of the first things I did was to watch a holsteen calf being born, then watching it grow.

The one thing I will always remember is when the men gave me one of the horses, and had me help them move the cattle from one field to the next, on horse back. I am definately thankful that the Turner clan had some faith in me. They most have had their share of "laughs" when I wasn't aware of it.

One of the other "most important" things I have learned, in marrying a "farmer boy" is just to enjoy standing out in a field, asking Ed to explain the differences in the grain to me. There is so much to learn! (The wheat beard tickles your face, I think??). The most beautiful fields are the canola fields, I believe. But you put all the fields together into a "tapestry" of color, and it is the most beautiful thing there is in the summer. (Outside of the mountains!)

I Am Thankful For The Rain!!!