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.

Sunroom

I finally found the perfect furniture for the sunroom!


I have done very little buying and selling on Craigslist, but I am an avid "looker" at the listings.  One of the things I have been searching for is wicker furniture, and while many listings have come and gone, nothing really caught my eye until this one:

"Pier 1 Azteca wicker furniture, lightly used, settee, chair, ottoman, coffee table, and  side table $500."

Wow!  I love Pier 1 stuff, and since this Azteca furniture is still part of their line, I went to the local store to have a look at it and test it for comfort.  Price new, including cushions and tax for all the pieces in the ad was almost $2200.

 

The new furniture in the sunroom

I emailed the seller, Val, and we had a few chatty emails back and forth.  She was selling because she needed a hide a bed in her living room as she is waiting for a hip replacement and won't be able to get upstairs in her condo for 6 weeks  after the surgery. She bought the Azteca furniture as a treat to herself when she first bought her condo a couple of years ago. 

I told her I really didn't want the large coffee table, but I would take it to get it off her hands.  She said if I took everything she'd drop the price to $400.  I LOVE CRAIGSLIST!!

So I rallied my son to give me a hand and we went and picked it up. It is in perfect condition.  The cushions are slightly worn, so I may replace them in the future.  But I am happy, happy, happy with the way the sunroom looks now, including a newly framed painting done by my Dad and a little area for my guitar practice.

 

Dad's painting

 

Guitar Practice Area

 



 

The coffee table I didn't want is a great home for Mom's Christmas Cacti that are blooming like mad!

 

 

The Shell Cracks

It's no joke, this life transformation is hard slogging sometimes.

Even with the addition of Bogey into our life (love, love!) it is not always easy to stay positive when our life seems like a bit of a train wreck. We are virtually camping in our little factory during the week, and working our asses off each and every weekend at the country estate.  And progress is slow. 

Most days, I am weathering the storm.  I don't have to look very far to find folks in far worse circumstances than ours.  And ours is of our own making, so boo hoo to us.  And eventually it will all be done, and we will be moved in full time. 

I know I have neglected the blog. I guess I feel like my blog should be upbeat and full of positivity all the blooming time, when lately, I gotta say, I have been feeling anything but upbeat and positive.  But today, I can see some humour and a few things you might find interesting.  So here we go:

At the shop we sleep on a futon which is the size of a double bed.  It's extremely small for two people who exceed 6 feet in height with corresponding widths!  At first, it was one of my biggest beefs - `the bed in the shop is too small``  I would lament to anyone who would listen.  I now realize that when we get home to the big king sized bed that is soooo comfy-- it seems huge!   I am always freezing in it since my Chuckles is miles away on his side and I don`t benefit from the lovely heat he radiates that I have become very accustomed to during the week sleeping on the futon!  In order to cosy up to him, I squirm my way over towards the center of the bed - and encounter the hump created by the two box springs underneath the mattress!  Hmmm maybe we need to downsize back to queen size when we move in full time.

It`s astonishing how simply one can live.  During the week we have a microwave, an electric skillet, a toaster oven,  a slow cooker and a single burner propane stove (rarely used.)

 

Pictures of delicious meals prepared in our minimalistic weekday kitchen!

We have 3 full size plates, several small ones, a few mugs, a minimal amount of cutlery, and a three glass baking dishes of varying sizes, of which we use two often and one rarely.  We eat amazingly well, and I use the slow cooker most of all.  I make soups, pasta sauce, chili, and various other concoctions such as the one today which is cut up chicken breast, with rice, mushrooms, onions, red pepper, peas and carrots and a can of cream of celery soup and some broth thrown in along with two whole dried chili peppers.  Add a side salad, and there is enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.  We cook rice and pasta in the microwave.  Being campers no doubt helps, this is like deluxe camping I suppose!

Our clothing choices for the week are made in about 3 minutes flat at home once all the laundry is done.  Two pairs of jeans, three shirts, and a couple of sweaters or sweatshirts does it for me.  They all go in a plastic bin at work so I just pull off the top.  I`ve never been a fashion maven, but this is simplicity itself.  It`s brilliant really. 

It has also been great getting Bogey before we moved to the country full-time.  In the city it has been imperative to expose him to traffic, and teach him rules of engagement with people and other dogs.  At the country estate, he runs amok on the property and if we took him only there, he would never have learned to walk nicely on a leash, come when called, the various hand signals he now knows or manners around other people.  Not saying he`s perfect, by the way, but he is learning!

Since I blogged last, we have poured the concrete aprons on either side of the barn and last weekend we pulled the roof off, as we are changing out the roof for a trussed style with a steeper peak to accommodate a room upstairs.  (The man cave, as I understand it!)

When I arrived with Bogey at the country estate, there were two ducks absolutely sound asleep beside the pond.  I drove up, crunching across the gravel driveway, and they still had their heads tucked firmly under their wings.  I do mean SOUND ASLEEP.  They likely had been using our pond all week long with no interruptions, so they were not guarded at all.  When they finally woke up, shook their heads, and stared at me, it was with a `who the hell are you`expression on their faces.  All weekend long they managed to co-habitate with Bogey and the other dogs.  A couple of times a day we would hear them honking and see them fly off, then we`d know that Bogey had decided he felt like a swim.  But they would return when he was finished! 

 

The ducks at home on the pond, between Bogey`s swims

 

Easter weekend is traditionally our first camping trip of the season, and I was bummed out that we were home working (again) with no other plans for the weekend.  So it was a fantastic surprise when young son and his girlfriend showed up from the island.  Together with Chuckles and older son, and some friends who showed up to help we got that whole roof taken off and the mess cleaned up.  That was a big job and very satisfying to see it behind us!

 

 

 

 

Above and below, the roof comes off!

 

Roofing material off, lots of mess to cleanup!

 

Above the roofless barn viewed from inside

 and below, our friends daughter pitched in and worked hard at the cleanup

 

 

My son`s girlfriend mowed the lawn with the ride-on lawnmower, supervised by Bogey

We also had an impromptu bonfire and barbeque with the kids and their partners and dogs,  which was a lot of fun and stress free.  Another example of how simple life can be.  No planning, no stress, they just showed up, we pooled our food resources, lit the barbeque and had an amazing family Easter. 

 

Bogey couldn`t keep his eyes open any longer by Monday afternoon!

 

A friend posted on Facebook the other day a verse that seems appropriate to both the barn project as well as life in general:

 

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone.  The shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes.  To someone who doesn`t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.  Cynthia Ocelli.

 

My garden is taking shape!  I now have lettuce, peas, onions, garlic, parsnips, beets and carrots on the go.  I have dug up two small beds so far, side by side, each one has been a lot of work.  Stripping off the grass and roots, then digging out 6-8 inches of clay below, adding in 6`8 inches of composted manure, all by hand, me and my wheelbarrow, with a little unwelcome help from Bogey.  He sees me digging and thinks it`s a fun game!

Although friends have a bobcat they offered to bring over so I could prep the whole garden area at once, I have decided keeping it small for this summer makes sense.  With only being there on weekends, and the water shut off to the barn until the reno is complete, it would be hard to weed and water a large garden this season, so small is manageable. 

That`s it for now, I am making a renewed commitment to the blogging, be it happy news or simple desperation, you are getting it all from this point forward!

 

 

 

Recovery Weekend

Hi there!  How was your weekend? 

We had a different kind of weekend at the country estate this past weekend.  I was there completely unexpectedly.  I was supposed to be at my choir retreat, but then my back was suffering all week long and I knew that it would only worsen unless I took the time to treat it right AND Chuckles hand got all infected and he ended up requiring daily hospital visits for intravenous antibiotics AND my sister and her husband were still at the country estate, days past when they had expected to have gone home, because my brother-in-law had some setbacks following a surgery and wasn't up to the 10 hour drive home to Prince George.  SO... there we all were, each dealing with our own stuff, but being together in support of one another. 


Day 15 of the Blog Challenge - The Challenge Today is Relax!

First thing in the morning, before the rest of the household was awake I went out for a long walk and enjoyed an hour of early morning solitude.  It was chilly and threatening to rain, but I bundled up and walked to the end of our country road.  When I got back to our driveway, I wasn't quite ready to go back indoors, so I headed off in the other direction.  My walk took me up a side road, where I watched some ducks float lazily on their pond, and goats in a field, each one hiding in it's little shelter, watching me as I passed by.  I spoke to the two horses I found in the pasture at the end of the road as they eyed me with interest, their ears twitching as they processed my voice.

 

 

Two scenes from my morning walk

 

 

Later I raked leaves with my sister's help.  The pond area was inches deep in leaves that had come off the walnut, alder and red maple trees in that section of the yard.  She raked and I gathered the piles into a wheeled bin, and pulled them into the pasture where the big compost pile is and dumped them. Happily, my back was improved a lot just from sleeping in my own bed!   We worked for some time despite the drizzle as it was pleasant to visit and work together and we only stopped when the rain became heavy.

 

 

A sea of leaves

 

 

In the afternoon, I had the house to myself for several hours, so I played my guitar and prepped the dinner.  Relaxing to me is engaging in activities you enjoy, without feeling pressure to be doing something else.  By that definition, I had a very relaxing day!

 

Day 16 Blog Challenge is What are Three Things You Do Well?

 

This challenge was particularly interesting to me, as I like many people, have that inner voice that constantly tells me where I have failed, or come up short, or neglected to do something. 

 

While that inner voice doesn't get my attention as much as it used to, this challenge is a good reminder to me that it is important to tell myself what I am doing well.  Why is it we feel okay about beating ourselves up, but feel a bit silly giving ourselves praise and compassion? 

 

I was drinking my morning coffee with my sister as I opened my emails to see what the challenge for today was, and as soon as I read it out to her, she said "Three things you do well? Oh that's easy!" 

 

Here is my list for today:

 

Prepare healthy meals

Exercise regularly

Maintain a positive outlook 

 

From doing this challenge, I realize that this list could change daily, or even hourly.  The important thing is that when the little voice comes calling with it's laundry list of negatives, there will always be positive things I am doing in my life that I can remind myself about.

 

In the afternoon Jennifer and I went out to the Co-op.  This used to be nothing but a feed mill with a small store attached, but it has morphed into a bustling and trendy grocery store with a general store component boasting clothing, footwear, hardware, tack and just about anything else you might need.  Except fine-tipped Sharpies which we looked for but couldn't find.  They do have this funky horse outside, however.

 

 

My sister has begun a new hobby, based on her abiding enjoyment of doodling.  When watching TV to keep her hands busy, she creates these most intricate and beautiful doodles with nothing but a fist full of fine tipped Sharpies.  She gave me two pieces she did this weekend and every time I look at one of them I see new things that I didn't notice before.
 

 

 

 

Day 17 Blog Challenge is What Robs You of Your Joy?

 

The pressures of life - needing to be someplace else or doing something else, and feeling that there is more to be done than there is time to do it - are the things that rob me of my joy.  Wanting to savour a moment or an event, but feeling the need to rush headlong into the next activity. 

 

Also, getting negative energy from other people can really affect my mood.  This was pretty apparent this weekend, between all the good stuff.  Chuckles isn't good at sitting around doing nothing, which was all he was able to do, sit and keep that hand elevated.  That put him in a bad mood, and it was challenging for me to be empathetic without being dragged down into his misery.  However, employing some of the mindful living tools I have been learning about, and getting him out for a walk in the fresh air on Saturday morning definitely helped both of our spirits! 

 

This really speaks to the crux of mindful living.  Appreciating what is happening right now, without letting what just happened or what's about to happen get in the way of that.

Despite that the weekend was not the one I had scheduled or planned, it turned out to be a lovely weekend spending time with my sister.    As my only sibling she is a very important person in my life, and with the distance between us, we don't always get to spend a lot of time together.  So this weekend was a very special one.   Even though she beat me at Scrabble several times....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving, Frogs, Apples and Dogs - It's All Here.

Moving day - that is, the official one where the movers came with their big truck - is 6 days behind us now. 

It was a smooth operation, 3 guys who knew their stuff, aided by the fact that we have taken a lot of the boxed items to the country estate already. 

When they arrived, I was a bit shocked to find that two of the men were skinny, little old men that I had to resist the urge to offer to help - they just didn't look strong enough to move our lamps, never mind the big old piano with the wobbly leg!  But their looks belied their strength and experience, and when I stepped back and let them go to it, it was clear that they had done this once or twice before! 

 

 

 

Here's the moving truck, arriving at the country estate to unload

 

At the country estate, it took them a couple of hours to unload it all and deliver it to the correct room (mostly), and then they were gone.  Within a few hours we had much of it in order.  A great lesson I learned years ago from my children's grandmother is that, when moving, set up the bedroom(s) first.  There is nothing worse than working yourself until you are ready to drop, then realizing there is no place to drop!  Where are the sheets?  Where are the blankets?  So we put the master bedroom together, then the living room, so we had two comfortable spaces to relax in when we were ready. 

 

Master Bedroom After Movers Left

 

Office area after movers left

 

 

 

On Sunday morning I went out first thing with my nemesis the extension ladder and several large containers, and picked the apples off the tree that had ripe fruit.  The other tree is a week or two behind.   

Apple Tree Set Up

 

Me, Up the Ladder

 

One of Three Buckets of Apples

 

The first thing I had to do was pick up the week's windfalls apples, which I put into a container and moved them away from the tree, as the wasps were swarming around them and weren't happy to see me at all!  Because this tree is badly in need of pruning it is very bushy, with the fruit mostly on the high branches on the south side of the tree.  Of course, there are spiders everywhere at this time of year and the trees are full of them, so I frightened quite a few of them as I suddenly ascended into their space!  As I picked, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye.  Expecting another spider, I turned to come face to face with a little tree frog!  They are also plentiful right now.  Although I didn't get a picture of the one in the tree, I snapped this one on my car when I was leaving to go to the farmers market.

Tree Frog

 

While I was busy with the apples, Chuckles made a bird house disguise for a light to illuminate our address sign at the road

 

Birdhouse in progress

 

Finished Birdhouse Light

 

 

 

I got a little lesson from Chuckles on the ride on lawnmower and spent an enjoyable hour mowing the lawn - a job I have now happily inherited.  It's like a little ATV with a purpose!!  I also took my hoe and a wheelbarrow and made the rounds of the gardens to get rid of some weeds that had cropped up.  On my rounds I discovered that the one pear on the little pear tree has disappeared!  Deer?  Birds?  Not sure who the culprit was but it was a bit of a disappointment!

 

Pear tree missing it's pear

 

I was also really happy to see that the raspberry canes which had looked very sickly when we first took over the country estate are now much happier after some TLC and a heavy feed of compost.  There are lots of new shoots and plenty of ripening berries.

 

 

 Raspberries looking healthier

 

Living room set up

 

The rest of the weekend was devoted to unpacking and putting the house in order and the garage, garden shed and barn.  One of our challenges right now is that, although we have 5 acres - huge compared to our city lot, there isn't as much outbuilding storage space as we had in the city, when you take the barn out of the equation.  Since the barn is going to house our business, we need to build a storage shed for all the toys, which include motorbikes, ATV's, kayaks, ( notice all the plurals!!) as well as all Chuck's tools, project car, gardening implements, push mowe, ride on mower...the list is long.  We need that shed pronto!

 

The apples I picked are sweet/tart and very tasty, so we have eaten a lot of them, given some away and the rest I processed on Monday night and they are now in my deep freeze ready to be made into apple chips, crisps, muffins, cakes and pies.  There will be more in the coming weeks from the second tree. 

 

This coming weekend is our last weekend in possession of the city house.  We still have some garage stuff to move out, and then the usual cleaning up.  We are also looking after granddog Nicky this weekend - another doggie fix to top up our tanks!

 

Nicky smiling on the back deck

 

 

Next week we continue our nomadic lifestyle in reverse - living in the city in our trailer and going home to the country estate on weekends.  The big life change continues....

 

 

Another Birthday Looms

Well, it's almost here.  Birthday #55. 

Aside from wondering where all the time has gone, it's a good time for some reflection too.

The "Up Series" - British documentary films of a group of children starting at age 7 and filmed every 7 years, embraced the premise taken from the Jesuit motto "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man".  

 

Me, about age 7, landing a jump off the stairs.

Looking back to me at age 7, I remember a girl who was chubby and self conscious of the fact.  A girl who loved music, be it singing or playing an instrument.  A girl who loved animals, dogs especially.  Who loved her family.  Who "played school" for fun!  Who hated sports, because of the competition.  Who wanted to be "the best", but hated competition - figure that one out!  Who, if she couldn't be the best, didn't want to participate.  And sulked.  Who felt socially awkward and needed to be coaxed and coaxed to join groups.  Who, once part of a group, felt very connected and loyal to the group and didn't want to leave it.  Who liked loved the comfort zone.

Essentially I am exactly the same person!

Here's me, now.
I struggle with my weight.  Luckily the last couple of years I have discovered the secret of a diet with few processed foods and the discipline of swimming regularly.  These have trimmed and toned.  However, the last three months of crazy hard work with getting the city house ready for selling and getting the country estate ready to move into have set me back.  There has been less time for food preparation so more of the nasties have crept back into my diet, and swimming has fallen by the wayside from a lack of time.  Once a week (or less) has been the recent regime.

I love music.  Singing in my choir, Burstin' with Broadway, has been one of the most wonderful experiences in my whole life!  Although I really had to step out of my comfort zone to join in the first place.  That was eight years ago and I have got myself dug in so deep that I am going to commute weekly into the city for rehearsals.  I have tried to use the choir as a vehicle to get out of my comfort zone, auditioning for solo parts and doing introductions during the concerts.  And trying not to sulk when I realize that others are wayyyy better than I am!

 

My costume for "Hair", one of last years choir numbers.

Once we are settled at the country estate I am also going to find a guitar teacher or group to join to improve my guitar skills, and spend more time on the piano, too.

I can't wait to get another dog!  Aside from a few years when my children were young that I went off dogs for a bit, I have always loved them.  Looking back at those few years I think it was more a case of being overwhelmed by parenthood at a young age and not wanting anything else to be responsible for at that phase of my life!  But now I am so looking forward to having a new doggy companion in our family. 

 

Jacob, who we looked after in May when his family were in Hawaii

 

Meanwhile I enjoy looking after other people's dogs and have jokingly suggested to Chuckle's that we start a doggy daycare called "One-At-A-Time Dog Sitting Service" since we only ever commit to one.

My original family of four is still as close as ever.  In fact, the phone lines have been buzzing this week with plans for our upcoming trip together to Mexico in early October which has become an annual tradition. 

 

Here we are last October in Puerto Vallarta

 

It is so special for us to spend a week together in a relaxed environment, being waited on hand and foot and enjoying each others company, whether we are chatting or enjoying companionable silence.  None of us has to rush off anyplace, cook a meal, or deal with work or outside concerns.  It is a very special treasure that we have maintained our close relationships, and that we have been blessed with our parents in our life for so long, this year they are going to be 88 (Dad) and 86 (Mum) and they are still both going concerns.  My sister, Jennifer, is the most selfless person that I have ever met.  She spends her whole life caring for others, her family, her pets, complete strangers and strays as well.  Only half-jokingly we often say that if you are down and out, go to Prince George and find Jennifer and she will take care of you.  It's the absolute truth, and so it is very good to see her being looked after by others at the resort. 

While I no longer "play school", my favorite pastimes are music, reading, writing, crosswords, Sudoku's and things of  that nature.  When we moved from Ontario to BC when I was eight, I was behind in arithmetic, so my Dad took every opportunity to drill my on times tables, and mathematical problem solving.  Sitting in the King Neptune restaurant in New Westminster, between trips to the trough (it was a seafood buffet, our favorite in those days), dad was making drawings on a paper napkin and I was to choose which drawing was different from the others.  After answering several of the problems successfully, he drew a picture of two candlesticks and asked which one was different?  Hmmm... that puzzled me. 

Chuckles cracks up when I draw a star on the top of finished crosswords and write "good job!"  Is that wrong, I ask you?

So looking back I see that indeed I really am the same person I was at age 7.  It's liberating to know yourself so well.  To know ahead of time what will be hard, what will be easy.  What will feel like a challenge and to weigh whether it's worth pushing forward with.  Moving from the city to the country is definitely a move out of my comfort zone, and I have doubts about it every day.  But, it's also something I really want, and have thought about and planned for over 5 years. 

So I am pushing through the self-doubt, and getting on with it, dreaming about my big garden, my new dog, the new friends and experiences that await.