February – a short month, even with the extra day since it’s a leap year –  has felt like an eternity.

The second day we had a visit with some homeschooling friends. That was immensely enjoyable. Then in the afternoon, our dog Dorthy escaped. She ran off to the barn and decided to go after our little alpaca, Sloane. I don’t know what got into her. I managed to get a hold of Dorthy and get her back inside.

February 6, Dorthy escaped once more. Before Raine could even get outside, Dorthy and Finn were gone. Lynne, the kids’ grandma, drove around for a while looking for them without success. Raine and her cousin, Dylan, went to youth group. Long after they got home, we got a message from someone saying he’d spotted the dogs on his property. Raine and I set off in search of them. By the time we got to the nearby farm, the dogs were gone. We looked around for quite a while as did our neighbour who also attends our church. There was no sign of them. We gave up and went home, hoping the dogs would do the same.

They did not. The next morning someone posted on Facebook that the dogs were at their farm. The kids and I jumped into the car and set off. Thankfully, Dorthy and Finn were still there. After a night out in the elements, they were very happy to see us.

Dorthy’s training has begun again with fresh vigor. She really needs to learn to stay inside unless instructed to go out. In the meantime, we’ve all been working diligently to stop her from escaping.

Just after Valentine’s Day, we all came down with bad colds. It meant most of us had to miss church on Sunday. Raine, however, was well enough to go. Thank goodness. I’d completely forgot she was the helper in children’s church that week.

For Family Day, we went to the skating rink in town for a lunch of hotdogs and hot chocolate

Athena returned to a rather unbelievable situation. On February 22, my mom, my brother and his family transported her to Swift Current. I came to get Athena, having Cora and Branch with me. We got all the necessary groceries for Raine’s birthday party. While loading up the car, I leaned across the front of the van and dropped the key in between the seats. I asked Athena to pick it up while I continued loading up the groceries. She started tossing things around in search of it. But the key could not be found. I had a look. All the kids got out of the car and we started reorganizing things in search of it. But the key wasn’t there. Not sure what else to do, I called my brother who was staying at a hotel close by. He came to help us look. The key couldn’t be found. Eventually my brother had to drive us home. We gathered the perishable groceries and, for some unknown reason, I grabbed the bag that had medication for the pigs.

At home, after putting groceries away and getting the younger children to bed, I pulled out the pig medication. And there was the key!

“Oh yeah, that bag was in between the seats,” Athena commented. “I thought I had checked it.” Clearly not well.

The key was found. Now we had to figure out getting to Swift Current to get the car.

Friday, I had so much to do to get ready for Raine’s 16^th birthday party on Saturday. Originally, the kids’ grandma was going to clean the house for us (she enjoys cleaning much more than I do) but she cut her foot rather badly a few days before. So she called around to see if someone could take her to the city to get the van. It’s these moments that I’m overcome with gratitude that we have community to turn to for help. Lynne found someone who was heading to the city anyways and able to take her. Athena went along for the ride. Prior to leaving, Athena decided to visit one of the roosters. Unfortunately, he wasn’t interested. He bit her face leaving a long scratch along her cheek down to her lip.

Raine and I cleaned the house and got things ready for her party. She’s wanted a birthday party for a very long time. Unfortunately, birthdays can be a little stressful at our place. In fact the entire month of February is usually a challenge for Raine. This year she remained relatively stable. The move to Saskatchewan has brought out the best in her. Though there are still moments of strife, overall she’s doing really well. So I agreed to a party.

We invited a few families – the entire family not just the teens Raine is friends with. Turns out the party was the same weekend as the provincial homeschooling conference. Two of the moms had already made plans to be there. That altered the guest list – one family just dropped off their two teens, the other one the dad came with two of this children. My brother, his family, and my mom were there as well. Cora was immensely excited to have both of her grandmas together. We did a bit of a pot luck. I made cupcakes that were in cute little boxes. And I managed to get the main floor of the house painted before the party. It was on my winter to do list and the party offered a great deadline. The celebration went well. Raine was very happy to show her friends her horse and let them see our little farm.

With the party over, we are getting ready for piglets. They should come at the beginning of March. I’ve been frantically searching for iron. It seems the piglets need an injection the day after arriving. The local farm stores used to carry this but don’t any more. I finally found a place to order some on line but don’t know if it will arrive in time. I’m rather nervous. This birth we’re actually planning for, unlike the surprise arrival of our baby alpaca. I don’t want to mess things up. But will the iron arrive in time?