Grandma Joy's Stick Horse Rodeo

Grandma Joy (aka my Mom) decided that she wanted to have a Stick Horse Rodeo for her primary kids. (She is the primary president in the Leavitt Ward). Mom has more energy than most and she loves the kids. She really is amazing at the things she can get done and the love that she has for the little ones!! Just for the record, the primary president is 68 yrs old. (Didn't want to say that too loud)
Notice the header, see who is leading all those cute munchkins!!

Look up Grandma Joy!

Tommy Jr, Mom's great grandson all the way down from Lacombe to join in on the party. "Grandma can't have a rodeo without me!"

Zak Bevans. One of my favorite pictures of the whole rodeo!

Before we got wet!

A little Mutton Bustin'!

I love this picture for so many reasons: Carly is adorable, Kaylynn is involved, it's raining and Mom is there coaching as only she can. She stood there (3 hrs) and worked with every contestant, cheered each one and offered aid when needed. This was Mom's rodeo and the kids LOVED EVERY MINUTE!!

A little Pole Bendin'

My little friend Lucy, hanging out in the rain, knowing I'm taking a picture and giving me the "look".

More of the "Look".

" Ok, I'll smile!" How cute is that?

Brad Sommerfeldt, the Judge of the "Rodeo"!

My Dad, so good to support Mom in all her "little" projects!

Can I say I love this picture too! Yup I love this picture!!

A little Bronc Ridin'

What a cheerleader that lady is!

The clown worked hard, I'm guessing he's wonderin' if real bulls aren't easier than the Stick Horses? :)

Some more Pole Bendin'

Go Annie, Go!!

Some Goat Tyin'

More Goat Tyin'.

"Dad, isn't it 2 back feet & 1 front foot?"

The Help!

Such good people to support the kids inspite of the rain!

 "You know I'm Cute!" "Adorable in fact!"

Some Wheel Barrel Racin'!

And that would be some Mutton BUSTIN'!

Mom worked hard on putting this event together and it paid off. The kids had a riot, everyone was so good to help and memories were made and that is what bein' a kid is all about!!

Really, what would it be like to have an event like this in the sunshine and no wind?? I wonder if we'll ever know???

Rebecca Proffit did a great video for YouTube entitled "Children's Rodeo" by coolhomeschoolmom. Great music and great shots of the kids in action.

Branding 2012

Calving season is coming to a close, now it's time to brand and get the cows out on grass.

All the calves are sorted, the momma's are lined up looking for their babies.

Can you see the red cow calling for her baby? "Now Jr, come on let's get out of here. I don't like crowds! Jr! Jr! Come on!" That is the translation of "Moooo, Moooooo, Moooooo!"

Jr is in there chillin', for the moment.

Oh man, am I ever glad these guys showed up. I was having to wrestle a few calves and I have to admit that I was feeling my age.

Just a shot of what was going on. Everyone has a job and everyone is needed. I'm grateful for family, friends and neighbors. And I'm so glad that we had a pleasant evening, not too hot, not too cold, just right!!

Thus ends another branding session.We branded 30 calves for me, and another 55 for Dad and Rod. Yup you got it 85 calves branded tonight in about 2 hours. The rest of the herd (200+) will be branded later this week.

Done!

The lost has been found! Cow #18 has a healthy, good looking calf so that means Dixie Dee is done calving for the 2012 season. Last calf was born 06 May.  I'm am lucky enough to have 30 out of 31 cows have calves survive! (I'm over being 50, so it's time to blog again!)

The Good Old Days

I thought I would go back to the good old days, when all you had to worry about is: "What's in my lunch today?" So I'm starting with my education, Grade 1 with Mrs Pitts,1968-1969. Can you find me? I'm the cute one, distracted for some reason!!

Grade 2 with Mrs Lucher, 1969-1970. Westside Elementary. That school does not exist anymore. Hummmm. I remembering telling Mrs Lucher the truth and she wouldn't believe me, so I lied to her, told her what she wanted, and she said "Now doesn't that feel better to tell the truth?" I remember thinking, "Hmmm, odd, nope it doesn't feel better, but you are off my back, what else can I do?" Funny the things we remember, I have no clue what the lie was about, a book or something.

Now this is my class at Robert Rundle Elementary School in St. Albert, AB. 1996-1997. Its Grade 4 and I'm the teacher!  This was the last year I taught school.  I only taught elementary one year out of the 12 yrs I did teach. Really I'm a High School French Teacher.
(I wonder what those kids are doing now?)

Dixie Dee at 9 yrs of age 1971

Dixie Dee at 10 yrs of age 1972

13 years later and a graduate of the University of Lethbridge

Bachelor of Education with a Major in French, 1985

I'm turning very old in the next few days so I'm trying to remember the good old days before I can't. I haven't been blogging and I'm trying to put things together so that I have a bit of history/journaling to go along with my blogs.

"40 is the old age of youth, and 50 is the youth of old age."

Odds & Ends

Time for a bit of an update on the farm. I call this the Kitty Choir.
It's fun to open the barn door and see these guys all snuggled up.

Lily on guard. It is fun to watch her stalk the cats. She knows better than to do anything more than stalk them.

It's calving time and this cute little calf has imprinted on me for the moment. I'm trying to bring the cow and calf into the barn for some TLC, it's a bit chilly yet. It was fun having the calf follow me, and then of course the cow had to follow the calf. (That didn't make momma so happy, she wanted to go somewhere else.) Of my new herd of 20 cows I have 15 good healthy calves. Only 5 left to go. Oh I like these cows. I'm lucky Dad takes such good care of me.

I was lucky enough to sell my nice 3 yr old Wrangler mare to my Aunt Shirley. I'm so happy to have her at a nice home and Shirley is going to have lots of fun with "Willow!"

A random photo from my little trip to Babb, Mt today for the mail.

March is working out to be a good month so far: healthy calves, great cows, a sale of a horse to help pay the bills, and warmer, longer days on the horizon! Oh and the gophers are waking up, so some fun days with the rifle coming up!

Hey, just "shooting gophers", another sign that spring is on it's way. (Really, I can't wait to see green, feel warm, and wear T'shirts!)

Five Decades of Family

This time I'm focusing on the "Family". I thought I would go back in time. This was taken in January 2012 the day of Grandpa Vadnais funeral. (in my 40's)

 The family,including spouses, as of about 1996.(in my 30's)

This was taken in 1980, the year I graduated from High School. (close to my 20's)

Christmas 1971 at the Leavitt house. Oh we are stylin'!

And my favorite picture of all! The Denver and Joy Bevans family taken around 1966.

Once April comes around I'll hopefully be over the Memory Lane thing and blog about "Adventures", but I'm working on getting some of these fun pictures digital and blogging is my motivator at the moment. Thanks for coming on the ride!

Dixie, Rod, Kelly

I guess I'm still in the Memory Lane mode. I was lucky enough to have siblings growing up and here are a few pictures of "US".

This is Dixie communicating something or another to Rodney Kent Bevans born 17 May 1963. I'm guessing this was taken in '64 or '65.

"When is it my turn?"

You know, Rod still pulls faces like that when he rides Broncs.

Kelly Marie Bevans (on the right) born 21 April 1963.

Here we are to the west of our house in Leavitt, 1965ish??

A school picture taken when I was in Grade 1(1968). Oh you know we were cute! (Too bad we had to grow up!) Which one is me? Dixie that is? So we were 6,5 and 4. (So did you pick the cutie on the right?) (Rod and Kelly are cute too, but it is my blog and I can say I'm cute if I want to!! :)

The three rag-a-muffins. I think we are in the back of the pick-up going to or from feeding cattle. Guessing again, sometime late 60's early 70's.

Another school picture when we were in elementary school. Early 1970's (grade 5 or 6 for me). Notice the use of color pictures, coming into the modern age some.

Summer of 1972, our first vacation as kids. We are at a campsite in Great Falls Montana! We were lucky enough to have a mother who thought her kids were the best thing going. So thankful for a mother who loved us and sacrificed so much for us!

Christmas 1972 or 1973, at the pink house in Cardston. Mom made our stockings and they are the only ones I remember and still have to this day. I love my christmas stocking!!!

Kelly, Rod, and Dixie as adults. (I know, I know, not quite as sweet as when we were in grade school, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.) This picture was taken 1998 or so. I guess that means I'm 36 yrs old there. Man that seems like yesterday.