Just another Day on the Farm

“If the definition of shortage is that you can’t find it on the shelves, then no, the concern is not valid. If the concern is higher cost for it, then yes.”

I read this quote yesterday on the news feed and I clipped it out and knew that I would want to write a post about it.. What a interesting point, I swear someone needs a bit more media training..

This lovely qoute was in regards to news and blogs posts in regards to the pig and pork issues that have been talked about over the past while due to the insane rising feed costs, here is the first post I did in this regards..

So is that going to be the future in the big food policy.. shortage, well if you can’t afford it, sure, there will be a shortage of it, but if you got the money honey, don’t worry the store itself will be full, the food is there, but only for those that can afford to take hike after hike after hike in price..

Don’t like it, well that’s ok, we are meeting the market need, the product is available, can’t afford it, O we are so sorry, maybe you should just make a little more, spend a little more on food or  just buy a premade product in the freezer section that is cheaper but don’t look at what else we put in that food.

I am really starting to wonder if in the future, we will see the same issues I often saw in the north, that the crap food was cheaper to buy then the whole food is, that buying a instant meal is cheaper then buying the parts that make the meal..

Cuz if that is the future for many, let me tell you having lived in the artic and having seen if first hand, the health of everyone suffers in a big way!

What do you think, do you think that we are going to see more and more of the idea that the single or family portion sizes are going to be cheaper then buying the whole items and creating your own meals at home?

Today they are heading up to this amazing area, I understand that its shrunk a great deal since the last time we have been there.

Ok, so I spoke to my momma this morning and asked her to pick a number between a set of numbers I gave her so congrats to Doomer on winning..

My mom still does not yet know why she was picking a number but I figured that was about as random of a pick as I could get.. As DH’s ma was to be coming out and Dh and her going on a holiday but he changed it all about three weeks before the trip and decided on a mountain holiday instead so she was not hear to do the paper live picking, I needed to find a way to get a picker and that is what I went with.

Thank you to those that entered!

Some interesting facts from this overview site..

http://www.hotsprings.ca/

Pre 1840s Although there is no record of it, the Aboriginal Canadians bathed in the hot springs water and believed they were a source of rejuvenation and healing.

1841 Sir George Simpson, the governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, made the first recorded visit to the springs. He bathed in a gravel pool just big enough for one person.

Late 1800s The first permanent settlers came to the area and the springs became more popular.

1890 Roland Stuart, an Englishman, purchased the springs for $160.

1914 Construction of a concrete bathing pool, log bathhouse, small store and a home for the caretaker.

1922 Stuart’s property was expropiated and the springs were included in a new national park ,called Kootenay National Park.

1927 Construction of a new bathhouse and expansion of the pool. The building is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of the shift away from the rustic aesthetic that had characterized National Park architecture in the first half of the 20^th century.

1948 The bathhouse was burnt down by a fire. And constuction of a new bathhouse was completed by 1951.

1949 Construction of the Aquacourt begins. Completed in 1951, the new facility cost $958,653.

1968 A new hot pool replaced the original 1914 pool and a collection system for all the hot springs sources was installed.

1997 Major renovations begin with new reception area, gift shop, upgraded change rooms, and hot/cold plunge pool.

2001 Radium Hot Springs celebrated the 50th anniversary of the building of the Aquacourt with special events all summer long!

Morning Folks,

Boy does it need to be a nice heavy duty working monday, I am planning on having a “kicked” week around here and getting lots done.

So this morning, I had a pd of meat that I had taken out yesterday and put in the cold room to thaw, and then with everything else that was going on I forgot about it till I saw it this morning, while I went to get Purrpot food to fill the morning bowls and darn, I needed to cook it up right away, it was still cool to the touch and so I cooked it up, as I was doing other things I looked the bowl of really ready tomato’s and washed, trimmed and cut them up and threw then in after the meat had been well cooked and put it all to a simmer, figured it was the start of any good soup/stew base.. In and out of the house, this chore and that chore and boy did the house smell good, looked at it and hmmm, grabbed a jar of baked beans, and dumped some chili powder in and let it simmer for another 20 and voila, the most tasty healthy hot breakfast you can get..

Yesterday we had a total of about 24 hours of light and med rain, and they say we have lots more coming later this week, we can use it all! Its not great for the fall havesting but I still need the rain and will not complain about it in any way.

Yesterday they had a short notice sale that was going to have lots of horse stuff including wagons and single horse drawn horse equipment, a friend was willing to come and off we headed, thinking very wrongly that given the rain, given the short notice and given that there lots! of other sales locally that we would have the ability to get a few new good deals.

Well, the good news is that I was able to get a good deal on two heavy duty tree branch trimmers for less then the cost of the new one we got on sale eariler this year and broke last week.. so that was excellent.

The rest of the sale, not so much, first a ton of folks showed up, much more then I expected, second they had no canteen, so despite the cold, damp and the rain, there was no chance for a hot anything to warm you up, and despite a number of layers ,that damp just seeped into us as we were standing around..

Then my friend got a call to come home as she was needed, and so I quickly paid and we booted it home, so I don’t know what the different things went for but as they say, life happens and we roll with it.

Had a lovely early supper with friends and then got a helping hand fixing my big round bale feeder, I could not figure out how to do it myself but with a extra pair of hands, we were able to get it done within a short time.. many hands make light work as they say.

Did the rest of the required evening chores, heard from DH for less then a min and will catch up with him today as they were very busy, which is fair enough and feel asleep within a matter of moments after my head hit the pillow but alas it did not last, purrpots woke me up needing loving, and cool hound noses snuggled into me, I have a king size bed, and I swear that I woke up at least three times not just hugging the edge of my bed but not able to move as the critters where all crowded round needing to touch me while we slept..

Then at three, I heard a beep sound, woke me straight up, and I got up and checked the house, nothing.. went back, finally drifted off and it went again, still don’t know what it was but finally dropped off hard at about four am but the critters got me up like clockwork at 5, so its already been a long morning, and I am hoping for a either a nap this afternoon or a early evening 🙂

How is your monday going..

Have you ever been Wateron National Park? It sits in the far corner of albeta/BC border and shares the rest of the park with the USA..

How odd, lost the rest of the post and photo’s don’t know why.. Lets try that again? Dh worked in this area as a young 20 something and this is his first time back in these old stomping grounds, I am looking forward to photos and will share with you when they arrive.

Last Chance to enter is coming soon.. So far I have two ladies entered, but figured while they must be loving their 50/50 odds at the moment that I would give a gentle reminder in case anyone else wants to enter 🙂

Well a offer came in my mail box today, Small Farm Canada is having a 2 for 1, I renew my membership (which I had already planned on doing) and I get one free year of this great magazine arriving in someones in their mail box for a year..

So I am giving it away to my readers.. rules are simple

1) open to canadian readers only, sorry folks, its a canadian magazine for small farms

2) Leave your name in the comments and share a funny farm story, it can be short, it can be long, it can be a farm joke, it can be when  you went to a petting zoo.. but try and make it true!

3) I will put each name on a peice of paper and have DH’s ma make the draw at the end of Sept when she visits..

4) you will need to be willing to send your real name, mailing address privately to me, so that I can give it to the correct person to be able to get your gift..

That’s it folks.. Good Luck!

Wow, I can’t believe it, the blog is just coming two and I have just cracked a thousand posts today.. when I started the blog so that my family and friends could see what was happening on the farm, I had no idea it would grow to be what it is today!