I have not updated since the Alberta Farm Writers Tour last weekend. On day 2, we went to the University of Calgary veterinary school. I proceeded to get lost on the way there, but still managed to find it, which was pretty damn amazing. I am getting better at driving in Calgary. I've also come to the conclusion that I like Edmonton way better than ( Read more... )

I've been really busy, but with good stuff. On Thursday, I drove out to a myotonic goat farm. It took me a long time to find it, as I got lost on the way there. However, I finally got there and got to play with the goats. The owner had about 100 goats on site. She normally has about 70 goats but she was boarding some for her uncle. She had pygmy ( Read more... )

Mari and I went down to check out the sixth annual Amaze-ing Agriculture event, held at Northlands in Edmonton. The event is a weeklong agricultural fair, bringing many producer groups together. During the week, the fair brings in about 1,100 school kids a day. It was free to the public on Saturday ( Read more... )

Yesterday I drove out to Red Deer for a Bison Producers meeting. I admit to being completely fascinated with the bison industry. It's such a niche market,and such an interesting heritage animal. One of the women involved with the administrative centre said, "If you're a rancher, you want to be different. If you're a bison rancher, you want to be ( Read more... )

I bought THE WORLD's BEST COAT yesterday. I was wearing it around the store before I purchased it, pretending I was in Dr. Zhivago. It is a long parka that comes down to my knees and it has a huge hood with fake fur on it. I am 100% in love with it.

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On Dec. 20, I'm going to a party that I am already anticipating with great joy. My friend Mari and her partner Paul are celebrating the second birthday of their Boston terrier, Henry James. He was named Henry James after the author, who wrote a book called "The Bostonians ( Read more... )

If you are in a bad mood (or even if you aren't), I highly recommend watching this video of a baby pygmy hippo

I watched a really great documentary this weekend called Sharkwater . It was made by a Toronto born man, and it explores the world of sharks and illegal shark hunting. Due to fears about sharks, there are no campaigns to save sharks the way there are campaigns to save whales ( Read more... )

Yesterday I had a really fun day. I got up early in the morning to get on a bus with about 20 Edmonton area chefs. The initiative was part of a tour developed by Dine Alberta and Alberta Agriculture, as part of an ongoing campaign to get chefs to source their local farmers. The first stop on our trip was "Four whistle Farm", a mixed farm owned by a ( Read more... )

Saturday I drove out Smoky Lake to attend a clinic on training stock dogs. I was sort of excited for this event, because I am a major dog fanatic, and had never seen anything like it. The drive there was beautiful; the road was good and the autumn colours were magnificent ( Read more... )