Squirrel Lake Field Trip

When we went on our cultural field trip last Saturday, September 22, I took the campfire corn popper with us and tried to pop corn over the fire.  The first try went up in smoke.  Popcorn is sort of like marshmallows except you can't blow it out once it is ignited! I tried again and eventually got enough popped that everyone had a styrofoam cup full.  I got the burnt stuff on the bottom of the popper for myself. I guess that could be considered a successful wilderness endeavour.

Braving the smoke...the dogs are impressed!

Popcorn Flambe!

Eating up the burnt stuff...we had some kind of fake cheese and salt combo to sprinkle on.
     We forded the river in the back of Tony's truck...that was the whole school plus Muffy and Snoopy who are to little to ford on river on their own furry feet.  I was wondering what a public school board would say about insurance for such an endeavour.  The staff were ready for hip relacements by the end of the trip.  The road is decidedly bumpy!

Three Musketeers

Here are the three musketeers playing in the corral.  There is no off switch on any of them.  They are a formidable pack of hounds to have along when you meet a bear though.  Angus, the big black and white "border collie type," goes straight at a bear with no hesitation, so the others join in the foray and bear goes up the nearest tree.  It makes me feel a lot more confident about running in the bush.  As far as Angus being a border collie type...that must be the longest undefended border, "border collie type."  He weighs a hundred pounds.  He is the right colour for a border collie and has those perky ears so I have to give the vet marks for that! The other two are also "dog" types...mutts for sure, but a very merry band of pups all in all.

Tribute to Trixie

Blueboy is looking well fed standing in his pile of hay.  He is very frisky now that he is getting oats night and morning.  I wonder if Rene will be able to thin him down a bit . Blueboy, Aydin, and Nikki are staying with Karla and Rene for the month of September while I get things organized up here at Lhoosk'uz.  I hauled in fifty bales of good grass hay late Friday night.  It was quite an adventure.  I met the guy at Sylvia's Cafe and then we went out to the ranch which is about 5 kilometres toward Nazko.  I thought I would be able to take about thirty bales but he got fifty on and tied down.  I was worried about losing them and I did lose nine.  I was really grumbling and thought I would go out and look for them after the field trip on Saturday but as I was heading down to the school, there they were on the road in front of William's cabin.  I was tremendously relieved to say the least.  I ran up, grabbed the truck, threw them on, and packed them under the porch in my cunningly devised hay storage area.  Hope it keeps the wild horses out!
     Here is one of the last pictures of Trixie.
She died of a stroke this summer. I came back from town and she had fallen and couldn't get up at their drinking spot at the lake.  I couldn't get her up on my own, so I phoned Milt and Carole Law and they came over and had the wit to bring along Buda, who is the new "young" guy that is living in Puntziville.  We heaved her up but she was pretty wobbly so we propped her up all the way to the corral.  I had to keep her in from then on as I could tell that she wasn't going to be able to navigate down to the lake for drinks any longer.  She hung on for a couple more weeks and then I found her down in the corral. I thought I could just nurse her through to the end but when her lungs started to congest she started to panic so I drove down and got Milt and he came with the pistol and she was gone before she knew what was up.  Milt dragged her up to what is now named "Hoof Hill"  She was just a great old mare and she ruled the herd till her dieing day. She was a rescue horse from Alberta, who took a fancy to Aydin so I brought her back with us.  Her master had died and she wasn't being properly taken care of by the people who had her, so they gave her to the woman where I was boarding Aydin as a "trail horse".  One ride and Jardia knew she was never going to pack dides around. She was just too quick and lifey.  She was well trained and a great ride.  Larrisa and I had a great time riding around at Pyper on her and Aydin>  She must have been thiry something then and was still a going concern.  She was just a great horse and had a beautiful trot.  I think she must have been some sort of gaited breed.  I would have guessed just a standardbrd but her cantered seemed too  smooth. Well whatever the breed she was a great old girl.

Today, they finished up the gates for my big and little corrals.  I am getting pretty stoked to go get my horses  or maybe I should say horse and ponies.  There should be lots of great rides around here I'd like to do a couple of days out past Squirrel Lake but I don't imagine I will get it done this fall.  It will be pretty buzy between now and the Victoria and New York Marathons.  Yvette can't make it to Victoria so I will take the early start for the full and take my time...sort of the long training run for the New York ING.  I will train Veronica to do the horses next week and will take Muffy with me as far as Elvis and Izzy's place.  Shari emailed me that she will not be going to Victoria either so everybody seems to be crapping out on me.  It will be like the Vancouver Marathon, but I enjoyed running alone.  There is really no pressure to go above your own pace as Yvette isn't waiting at the finish line with here stop watch.

Kluskus...Up North of Chilanko

I've moved to the Lhoosk'uz Reserve, which is about three hours west of Quesnel on the Nazko Road and the up the 3900 and 4000 roads to the end.  I am the principal/teacher...chief cook, and bottle washer at this tiny isolated reserve. This is my second yeaar here and I am bringing up the horses next weekend.  The youth work program sprung for the money to build me a corral and it is a little beauty.  I had no idea they were planning on such an uptown effort when they began.




Looking into the small corral



Aydin and Blue in the large enclosure