Not ready for Christmas yet

Monday marked one month until Santa arrives!
I wish I could say I was all ready for his arrival. I did start my outdoor lights but like many others, you put the lights away working and they magically don’t work as I pull them out of my numerous Rubbermaid containers.
It will take me most of the week to get them all up, but it would be less if you didn’t have to spend the time trying to get them all working again.
I always try to incorporate something new every year but my biggest challenge is keeping the lights out of the reach of “Alex,” my horse (he has ruined many sets of lights himself).
And as for shopping, this isn’t something I enjoy too much—I haven’t even started a list yet!
• • •
I finally finished the task of hauling the cows all home and getting them de-wormed. I’m now feeding my cows—and will be doing this in the dark for the next few weeks until I am finished up at the Emo Agricultural Research Station.
Sadly, one of my cows aborted over the weekend. But there’s not too much you can do about that.
• • •
Philip Krahn has decided to step down as manager of the sales barn in Stratton. We (the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association) certainly appreciate the time and effort he has given us these last couple of years.
We will be advertising this position over the next couple of weeks.
If you have any interest, get in touch with either me or Murray McDonald.
• • •
The Rainy River Hereford Association, meanwhile, held its annual meeting and potluck dinner Friday night. If you didn’t attend, you missed out on a great meal and some super door prizes.
Marlee attended with my mom and me since Maddie had a birthday party.
As you may recall, Dudley was an orphan calf that we fed all summer. When it came time to selling calves this fall, I had asked Maddie and Marlee, “What are we going to do with Dudley? Sell him or keep him?
“And if we keep him that will likely mean that we will eat him,” I warned.
They both thought about it and decided they would rather keep him and eat him than sell him.
Dudley was not a good candidate to sell, anyway, since he does not know how to be chased, he moves at his own speed, and likely would have been beat up badly. So, actually, keeping him at home was a much more humane thing to do.
Anyway, at the Hereford supper Friday night, Marlee’s name was drawn for a door prize (she was quite pleased with her “adult door prize,” as she called it).
But the Cornells had brought some very large, nice Hereford-designed meat boxes for a door prize. And Marlee asked my mom, “Grandma, do you think I could change my door prize?”
My mom explained that it wasn’t possible, then asked, “What did you want to change for?” (thinking it might be the extra large chocolate bar that Aaron Bujold had won!)
She replied, “I’d like to change for the meat boxes.”
When my mom asked why, Marlee’s response was priceless: “I’d like to use them for Dudley!”