The fire put me in a panic. Upon returning home, I knew we weren’t out of danger. The alert was still on. I was on a mission to reduce the fire risk. We had brush fuel everywhere and my water canons were not set up. The first thing on my mind was to clear the wood fuel on the ground and on the lower trunks of the trees over our structures. I was feeling the strain of all the worry as my head had been pounding for days. Now my gout was acting up. I took some medication and held my breath as I jammed my swollen foot into the tight chainsaw boots. I managed to soldier on. In 5 days limbed 5 trees up to 50 feet and fell one. All the brush on the ground was chipped into mulch. There are still 4-6 trees I want to fell. Taking them down was not urgent but taking out the dead branches hanging low is and if I were to climb them I may as well cut them while I am up there. They need to be removed in sections. At the end I felt my stupidity; I will not get it all done anytime soon. I was so tired and sore I was not much good for anything else after those 5 days. I needed to be realistic about my wants and ability to achieve. I was fortunate to have a Woofer give me a hand with some of the brush moving. When falling branches I have trapped my safety rope with the branches many time and I have done it again after relieving the Woofer for dinner. I was quit the struggle freeing my lines to give myself enough slack to rappel down.
As I was in a panic to work I also considered the need to mobilize all our animals when necessary. I had promised the girls adventure and learning with their horse. I committed to a more comfortable mobile living quarters. The thought was a 25 ft motorhome pulling a 4 horse trailer instead of our weekender goose neck, but affordable motorhomes have a 5000lb pull limit and we need the ability to pull 10000lbs. A motorhome would be ideal to accommodate overnight vaulting and 4H events that do not require horses. That motorhome would cost us over $200k. That’s out of the question.
We found an affordable 4 horse Bison living quarters in Leduc. This thing is a massive 40ft long gooseneck. It had bunk beds, a sizeable washroom and kitchen along with a spacious loft. Going to get it would require 3 days and 24 hrs of driving, so the adventure begins. In the mean time we were also looking for a dog for Seren who felt ready for the responsibilities. I had thought a Jack Russell but that would not be good with us living along the highway. Alli figures a Jack would certainly run at cars and kill itself. Alli found a corgi which she had growing up with horses. I picked up Izzy from Calgary on the way home.
The acquisition wasn’t complete as the Bison was too massive for trips into town and the want of accommodations for overnight trips in town without horse wasn’t satisfied. A 4 horse bumper pull in 100 mile popped into the radar and soon after that a suitable truck camper came on the market just before the September vaulting competition. The seller of the bumper pull accommodated our budget in the sale but required a quick transaction. It was difficult as I had intended to work on that Monday she wanted the deal complete. It was Wednesday at the time. By Saturday I was falling ill with a terrible cough so fait had decided for me to drive to 100mile for the trailer instead of Vancouver to work. It was Friday when we went to look at the camper hoping it would work out for the competition that same weekend. I scheduled us to see 6 campers. The very first one was perfect. Seeing the second one confirmed the perfection of the first so we made the move and saved ourselves some hotel cost. By this time I was about to fall apart. My headache was clouding my mind and my foot was making it hard to walk, I was beginning to loose my voice from coughing. My immune system felt like it was shutting down. But it was Seren who broke from the flu. She started throwing up and had to withdraw from the competition. I got a second wind to look after her. The camper became priceless at that moment. It gave Seren and I a comfortable place to rest and bond while Ama immersed herself in one of her favourite things in life.
Following the weekend my system gave in and I had to miss more work. I slept for 2 days.
Our acquisition was almost complete. We have the vehicles and trailers to evacuate all our animals and essential belongings. We have them for our adventures and explorations.
The last three things on mind was pallets to store hay, metal roofing to prepare for winter and future fires, seeding the bare soil before winter. I soon found a truck load of pallets for $100 and metal roofing material. The trouble is a lack of funds and bad timing for seeds. There was enough money to get the pallets and roofing for the hay shed. That would be enough for now. The plan is to save up for the remainder of the roofs by spring and be ready for the next fire season. As for the seeds, I had planned buy it in 100mile but got to the store the moment it closed. In the Fraser Valley the seeds are not available. The seeds I needed are for dry climate and it is not so dry in the valley. Their seeds are not ideal but it will have to do for now. I need to get something in the ground before the frost comes.
With all my supplies loaded the moment I was well enough to drive, the weather projection was for a week of good weather. While this is perfect to dry and prepare the hay shelter for a new roof it was not so good for seeding. I prepared the roof by brushing and blowing all the loose debris of. Then I allowed the roof to dry for a couple of days while I prepared our rental for new tenants. As I was about to start the new roof, it began to rain. The weather had changed. I guess life felt it was more important to seed!!! I covered up the hay shelter and started work on the field.
Rough Canyon Ranch 