The Country Girl

Kathleen would readily have added this little fellow to the menagerie of animals at our house. 

I have two entirely different children, gender aside. My son Malcolm was born and raised to the age of six on the East coast - he was and is a "Bluenoser" at heart. To give you an example of how hardcore an easterner Malcolm was - he refused to forgive me for bringing "him" out "here" for the first four years that we lived in the province. Kathleen, on the other hand, was an infant when we first moved West and while she has an emotional link with the East in her affection for loved ones back home she is the Albertan in the household. Nothing drove this home more than one day when she was about four years old and she and I were on a drive when she announced in a very matter-of-fact way that she wanted to be a cowgirl/princess when she grew up.

When it comes to going to farms Malcolm and Kathleen are diametrically opposed as well. Malcolm cares little for the way that farms smell; and now that he is old enough to look after himself he usually opts out of any family trip to anything remotely associated with livestock or farming. Kathleen will, on the other hand, will be the first one in the vehicle.

This particular photo is taken at the farm of Don (seen in background) and Brenda Ebbett; who live 20 minutes outside of town. It was a beautiful Saturday in March and in the company of a fellow teacher, Mike Marzotko and his daughter, we ventured out to Sunset House to pay a visit to Don's goat farm. We timed our arrival to coincide with feeding time. Kathleen is seen here displaying her true farm girl tendencies as she hugs this little fellow who she had already named "Yutie".