Rankin Family BBQ

Last weekend the Rankin clan and relatives all got together to visit with Uncle Darrell and Nicholas, back in Illinois for the weekend from Minnesota.

Emma and Anna really enjoy taking pictures; so, the last few pictures are from their photographic experiments!












Pictures by Emma and Anna:

More pix from Father's Day

Walkin Partners

Hello! It's been my first week of a "grown-up" with an actual job and it hasn't been so bad. I really think I am going to enjoy the clinic and the people who work there. It actually makes me think of my Old Thompson days and talking with all the farmers. The clinic pretty much has that kind of an atmosphere, which I love! Their busy season is more in the Fall so it has been kind of slow right now, but I figure I have a lot of learning to do with all the large animal stuff so it should give me some time to learn more of the large animal stuff. Other than that, everything is great!

Since I moved up here I have been walking almost everyday with Kim and Scott's dog, Ellie. She loves the walks and pretty much pulls me and keeps me going when we do our little jog. Sometimes I don't think I can make it to the point I have set in my mind, but I will feel her just pulling away at the leash so I keep going and about die once I get there! It has been raining and cold almost all this past week so I haven't been doing as much of my walking that I would like, however, Ellie and I went on a walk on Saturday. While we were getting ready to go, Kim was outside with Jacob heading down to the garden. From the looks of the pictures the poor little guy would have MUCH rather gone on the walk with Ellie and me then stay with Mom in the garden! We couldn't resist taking pictures of it!

Yes we are still alive!!

Well I just wanted to let everyone know that we are still alive!!! Ben is taking his sweet time choosing an internet company so I finally got a library card and brought my laptop in to do some homework, check the blog, and my hotmail. I have taken several pictures of the dogs( just to let you know Fred is blind in the left eye and is going blind in the right), also pictures of the house and garden, we started consruction in the living room!!!!! the wanscoting is gone and also the wallpaper!!! These people put the wallpaper up before the trim, there are also some holes in the wall so we have our work cut out for us!!! Hopefully handyman Ben(ha ha)will will keep his word and finish this project!!! I brought my memory disk in with me to post the pictures but I guess I need something else because there does not seem to be a hole to stick it in!!!! So I will have to try again later!!
As for Leah and Moose they are doing great. Moose has finally figured out how to get in the house through the cat door but cannot figure out how to get outside from inside. Kendall, he must get his brains from you!!! He also is a pig!! He eats his food and the dog food!!! Leah and Moose get along great. Leah has become the expert fetcher!!! She carries the ball everywhere. She has gotten in trouble twice now. Once for eating my ballet slippers(Ben was thrilled!) and for digging holes in the kennel, this is still continuing!!! So I am afraid she will be gettinga shock collar till she stops. She digs a hole then puts stuff in it. It is kinda funny and Moose loves to lay in the holes!
I would also like to say that Ben is an idiot for wanting 5 acres. Mowing would be fine in the neighbors didn't mow every other freakin day!!! I promise they are out there 2 times a week mowing or trimming their yard so in the end ours always look like crap!!! It does not help that my husband could care less about how high the grass gets!!!! So in the end I am trying to keep up with the Jones' and he is not!!! Well there ya go!! Next time I will post the 20 pictures that go with all of this!!!! BUBYE!

I GOT A JOB!! YAY!!

Hey everybody! Just thought I'd write a quick blog (actually, it was Kim's idea...I sometimes forget about the blog thing) to say that I accepted a job offer. Both places that I interviewed at offered me jobs, so for the past few days I have been going over budgets, pros, and cons of each place! I finally decided on Clearwater Veterinary Clinic in Gonvick, Minnesota. Gonvick is only a few miles outside of Clearbrook so I won't be too far away from Kim and Scott. Actually, until I find an apartment, which is my next step, I will be staying at their house, hopefully!

This clinic is both large animal and small animal so it should be a bit of a challenge! Actually, the owner said it was about 90% large to 10% small. I will be learning a TON I'm sure and I'm sure I will be telling you all stories which you will gladly sit and nod your head as if you are actually listening! Talk to you later!

Oh..my pictures....we had to serve coffee and cupcakes last Sunday at church, well, I messed up on a couple of the cupcakes and made them too small. Our friend Jen was up this past weekend (along with her sister Jes and our friend Gretchen) to celebrate three of us graduating. Anyway (just pulled a Mom there..sorry), Jen and I decided to take two of the cupcakes to make a cake out of them! Cute isn't it?? I forgot to take a picture of it before I started eating it which is the reason why there is a picture of it half eaten!

Kendall :)

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck?

Who needs to tree a squirrel or a raccoon when you can tree a woodchuck. That's what we found in our tree yesterday morning with Ellie standing at the roots barking up a storm! She was so extremely proud of her accomplishment and she was letting us hear it all morning. Kendall and I didn't know for sure what it was as it was hidden by leaves from our view out the living room window. However, when we finally went outside and got a better view we decided it had to be a woodchuck and Scott confirmed our conclusion! I had to take some pictures and show everybody. It spent most of the morning in the tree and finally disappeared after we let Ellie inside for the afternoon.

Bears, Interviews, Cows, and a Brother-In-Law

Hey everybody! Hope all is going well! I figured since I've been here a week I should write a little something telling everybody what I've been up to. Now I know Kim posted something about me taking long naps, however, that is not true. I will admit that on Thursday I did take an extremely long nap, but that has been the only one!

This week I've been driving around nonstop it seems. Monday night I headed towards Thief River Falls to eat dinner with my cousin Stephanie, Teresa, Aunt Karen, Savanna and Daniel, and some of Stephanie's friends (including my friend Gretchen). It was pretty dark when I started heading back to the Anderson's and on one of the roads I had something run out in front of me. Now, I am not 100% sure, but I am almost positive that it was a bear and a cub! I could see it's eyes and they were close to the ground and completely black behind them and it was a little lighter in the face in front of the eyes. It could have been a dog I suppose, but, with the way it was running I just don't think that is what it wasy. And, it makes for a better story to say it was a bear for sure! Anyway, Tuesday afternoon I had an interivew in East Grand Forks with the veterinary clinic I did an internship with last summer. Kim, Jacob, and I ventured that way and I went to my interview and then we all went shopping afterwards. Wednesday morning I had another interview with the veterinary clinic around Kim's area. Then, that night I drove to Grygla, which is about 45 minutes away, to my friend Gretchen's house to visit and see their new house. I wasn't planning on staying the night there, but they had a cow down and were having the vet. come out so I was all game to watch what was going on. The vet. gave the cow IV fluids, a shot, and then stomach tubed her and gave her about 7 gallons of water (which isn't a lot for a cow). We all helped out and struggled keeping her quiet through it all and then at the end, the cow didn't make it. So we were out there for a couple hours I suppose and didn't get back in till around midnight. All of that brings me to my LONG nap on Thursday!

Anyway, here's a couple pictures of Kim's calander. I had written the things I had going on during the week and then Scott decided to add one of his own! Hope you can read our writing, if not, just ask!