It's Here!

Yippee, my seed order arrived yesterday!

In an enormous box, since I also bought a growlight  garden in order to start seeds and keep a supply of fresh stuff around in winter. 

Growlight Garden
 

Although Chuckles was a little condescending about it, he helped me assemble it and seems interested in the possibilities.  But he claims he could build a better grow light garden!  I don't dispute that, it's just the amount of free time he has in a day (none) and the number of projects on his to-do list (about 800 and counting).  Which is why I didn't tell him ahead of time I was making this particular purchase.

The seeds themselves inspire all kinds of daydreams on my part, which is why I told Chuck he could use the bobcat to strip off the grass layer on the garden area so I could start tilling  and amending it this coming weekend.  Any job he can do that doesn't involve the renovation of the shop is a welcome change, so he is thrilled at the prospect.

We could also start fencing the garden area, which didn't get done last season.  We have the fence posts, just need a post pounder and some wire mesh. 

Dad examining some Iris
 

Meawhile, last weekend on our Saturday outing I took Mom and Dad to Tanglebanks Nursery and we had lunch at their Bistro.  A friend of mine came along for the adventure.


The food was very good, some interesting choices on their menu, and the place quickly filled up!  I will definitely make it back that way once spring arrives and they have more stock in their yard.

Mom was very smitten with these Primulas
 

They did have some lovely primulas on display, with enormous petals and even some with frilly petals which I have never seen.

 



Meanwhile, back at the country estate there was some trenching, pipe laying and trench filling happening.  These pics were first thing in the morning, when the morning mist was still swirling about.

 

Mini-Hoop Houses

The urge to garden got to me!  After weeks of reading through my seed catalogue until it was dog eared, and checking out Pinterest and Facebook for fresh ideas, I needed to get some dirt under my nails! 

After the torrential rains of Friday and Saturday, Sunday was a perfect day, balmy and bright, warm enough to work outside with just a light sweatshirt on.

Chuck and I got busy and made some mini hoop houses for our raised beds.

 Hoop houses are now trendy, as full sized greenhouses and as what we used to call cold frames back in the olden days, when I was a kid.



The Materials Assembled
 

 

Taking shape

 Using some PVC tubing, poly and scrap wood from the ongoing workshop project, we made covers for three of the beds.  In a couple of hours we turned the raised beds into little greenhouses, into which I have now planted Endive, Grand Rapids leaf lettuce, Kale and Peas. 

Adding the Poly
 

 

It's a bit early, I admit it.  However, there's a 50 50 chance by my estimation that we could get through the rest of winter without another freeze, so I think these little crops might work out, and soon we could be munching on some fresh greens.

And if not, well I had a marvellous time with my sleeves rolled up, in my gum boots, digging in the dirt with the sun on my back and Bogey chasing the odd stick I stopped to throw!

Garlic sprouting
 

A quick trip to the back garden yielded this great news - the garlic planted in October is all up now.  We can look forward to another (bigger) crop of garlic this year.  I am going to put more in this spring to see how it performs alongside the fall planted crop.

Soups On

I have been working on a meditation practice.  Just to sit quietly for 15 minutes is hard work, never mind the part about keeping your mind focused inward and pushing away unwanted thoughts.  Most days it feels like the longest 15 minutes of my life, but recently I think I might have felt a glimmer of something.  I think,  I hope?  Who knows, but I'm persisting.

Leo-the-duck-tolling-retriever is still with us, and he has completely embraced the morning meditation practice.  We have established a routine so he now knows that once our walk at the park is over, we go upstairs and meditate.   He charges up the stairs and claims his spot on the floor!  His meditation ends in a long nap. He is deeply stretching and opening one eye to look at me with a “what?  It’s already over?”  look on his face right now. 

The past week has been busy here at work.  It makes the week go by quickly when that's the case, but it's nice to have a quiet day like today has shaped up to be, to catch up on things.   With the filing done and all the books up to date again,  I have started a big pot of red lentil and barley soup in the slow cooker with a huge dollop of Tom Yum soup paste in it for heat and flavor.  It's smelling so good that even though I just finished a tuna wrap, I feel like having a bowl. 

Chuckles has just returned from delivering 10 boxes we are sending to a customer in Norway then picking up more lumber for the storage shed project.  He is going to pre-paint it here at the shop so it's ready to go up on the weekend.

As well as catching my blog up, I have been reading up on a couple that I follow and one of those led me to a new one...you know how it goes in computer-land, each click takes you deeper until hours have passed by.  I am amazed and inspired how many people write daily and make the most mundane of experiences a good read.  It's a combination of their perception and observation skills with a way with words.  Anyway, something to strive for.

 

 

 

 

First Post of 2014

Here we are half way through January and now I get around to saying Happy New Year to you!  Did you make any resolutions for 2014?

I gave up on resolutions several years ago, and surprisingly that is when meaningful changes began happening in my life.  Somehow those resolutions I used to make seemed to set me up for failure - an all or nothing scenario, whereas thoughtful small changes worked at over time have added up to some big differences. 

So, rather than quitting or starting something at the stroke of midnight on Dec 31st, I have been ruminating on some new things for myself for the future and have begun the small shifts.  We shall see in time where they lead!

Progress, albeit slow, has begun on the storage shed at the country estate.  Chuckles suffered with a hand injury through November than prevented him from doing very much, then it was Christmas with all the busyness that brings.  During the last several days of the Christmas break he was able to make a big push on the shed.  Last weekend's stormy weather precluded any more progress except tarping the structure so it didn't become waterlogged.  Fingers crossed that this coming weekend brings better weather.  If only he could go out and work on it mid week, but he has too much work to do in town to take the time for that.

This shed will accommodate all the stuff currently stored in the barn, which then will undergo a transformation from barn to workshop. 

Early in December I made a bit of headway with the built in cabinets in the room that will be our office.  I have removed all the glass, drawers and shelves, removed the tracks that the glass ran on, and sanded everything down.  Now I need to get a piece of wood to fill the groove the track was laid in, and do some filling and more sanding before they are ready for paint. 

 

The lower pic is the full size hutch which we will finish to model after the pic below:

 

 

The corner cabinets will be painted to match, although somewhere down the road I hope to do something like this:

Before

 



 

 After

 

All in good time!

 

 

Meanwhile we are dog sitting for the next two weeks for my cousins who have gone to Mexico.

 

Leo is a Duck Toller, and is very attached to his family.  Here he is just an hour after they left looking out the window for them to return!

 

 

He has settled in now and we are having fun together.  I know the two weeks are going to fly by!