November 2008

Gas pipeline running through Hardisty, past Amisk.

Few people outside this area know that pretty much every major oil and gas pipeline in North America passes through Hardisty just down the road from here in Amisk. Only a stone’s throw away a new pipeline is going in — miles and miles of it — and we have been watching its progress. Here they are on the surface now, but once they are all welded together, they will be lowered into a trench and buried.

Baloo tube; or rather 110 loveable pounds of Baloo sitting in a cut-off from the gas pipeline.

These pipes are big; 3 feet across. We were able to get some cut-offs from a previous pipeline. One we use as a firepit, another is an incinerator and others are waiting to be used. I suppose if you’ve not met Baloo, you won’t know just how big he is, but if you have, then you’ll have a better idea of just how much gas these pipes can move.

Gas pipeline in the evening when it's easier to see just how far into the distance it runs.

The very fact that this is a farm means there are mice living everywhere. Because of all the diverse creatures that eat mice, we don’t like to poison them. In fact, we pretty much let them live as part of our ecosystem. But we do draw the line within the house. We have a regular trap-line that is active or dormant depending on the time of year.

We have also instated the rule that a mouse can’t be charged for the same crime twice. Just what does that mean? Well, sometimes a mouse will get caught in a trap, but lives to tell the tale. If they do, they get transported outside away from the house and released.

Sleeping mouse gathering strength for his release. He was so zonked from his ordeal that he didn't care if I took pictures.

We had just such a thing happen, but instead of the mouse getting caught by a foot, this mouse was caught by the neck and yet somehow survived. It was very cold outside though and he was still having trouble breathing. Tim felt sorry for the little guy and so he got to live in a coffee can until he was well enough to face the great outdoors. We released him on a warm day, in a sheltered place and left him a small grain supply to tie him over until he got settled.