...from sleepy hollow road

Sean Penn, Ted Turner & Jack Marshall

2012-02-05T14:42:00.001-06:00

Everyone knows the last two years have been difficult for us. There are no secrets there. When Phibro closed in Canada and I found myself unemployed for the first time since I was 14 years old, we were in a great position. The kids were grown and gone. Our savings was huge and there was a lot of equity in our property. Initially, I thought I was good. It took almost a year for me to discover that I wasn't. I now think that Phibro killed the working me. It was the kind of place where you endlessly talk about solving problems and never actually solve any. The goal was always to appear to be solving problems. People who solved any were gone quickly. For a problem solver, like me, the only way to survive was to tow the line. I think now, it effected me more than I knew. Slowly, I came to realize that working in a corporate setting was not what I wanted to go back to.

The plan then became that we were going to move to Nova Scotia where there is a much longer gardening season and our best friends live. Cost of living there is much less, especially when you consider winter heat and I could work in gardens almost year round while Miles continued with the dogs. We were not planning on having a dog shelter there. That part of what we do is done. We have saved all the dogs we can in groups. We will always have pets and remain committed to the dogs we have left here but our doors have been closed to new dogs for two years now. I threw myself into that plan. Sean was getting married here and then we were going to sell the property and move. As you know, my Dad collapsed in the parking lot at Sean's wedding and was rushed to the emergency. My sister and I watched my youngest son get married in a lovely, small ceremony while our father was in the emergency room for completely unexpected and unknown reasons. He is alright now, his medical problems are being managed with medication and last month, he returned to work. This is a great step. Although he should have retired long ago, my Dad needs work. He has always had 2 or 3 jobs and even when in the service his list of volunteer work was impressive. He is a classic workaholic and will have real trouble being happy if not working. The fact he is back at work means he is happier.

Just as we were ready to put the property on the market, the call from Ontario Child Protection came. Nicholas had been taken from his mother and placed in foster care. This began the odyssey of court dates, lawyers, travel and endless paperwork. It took everything we all had for Sean to mount the battle to get Nicholas out of foster care and home with him and his family. The worst part ended in December when Sean flew out to court in Ontario and flew home with Nicholas. Although there will be more court dates, more lawyers and more expense, it will all happen with Nicholas here so we don't have the added worry of how he is doing during it all. There is a slim chance Nicholas could be returned to his mother at the end of it but I am preferring to think that even our fucked up court system isn't going to do that to him. Keep your fingers crossed.

By the end of last year, our savings was gone and only the equity is left. Legal fees, travel costs, living expenses while we prepared to move ate it more quickly than I could have imagined but it was all worth it to be here now with a healthy father and a safe and happy grandson. I do not begrudge a penny and would not do it any differently if I had to repeat it. However, I did not realize how it had effected me. I think I was slipping into depression and the last two months, it had become impossible for me to accomplish important things. When we decided to leave our extended family here, they were all healthy, happy and independent. My Dad's health and Nicholas' close call made us feel like we need to stay here a few more years. So Miles went back to work and we decided I would stay home and take over the animal care. Because I can work from home on my own schedule, it seemed best to do it that way and this year, I started working again. We are climbing out of it and that is all positive. My problem solving skills to the rescue again. So why did I feel like I was in such a funk? Why was it getting harder and harder to keep myself motivated?

Two weeks ago, I was editing an article for a client when I read her statement, "anxiety leads to procrastination". This prompted me to write the last post and more importantly, really started me thinking. Of course, you don't get a Psychology degree without knowing that so the information was not at all new to me. But it felt new. It was the first time I thought of that concept in terms of myself. The reason I never worked in Psychology after I graduated was because I did not have the patience required to work with people who were seemingly unable to help themselves. I completely got the intellectual concepts but it was difficult for me to understand why these people could not just pick themselves up and move forward once they were out of whatever trauma they experienced. What they can't teach you, it turns out, is how your brain completely disconnects from your actions. It is the most bizarre circumstance I have ever encountered. It was like I got lost in my head. I knew everything I needed to know, I had proven historically many times that I could rise above my circumstances, I made lists and action plans for everything I needed to do.... yet I could not make myself physically move to act on any of them. I spent my time cleaning, looking after dogs, anything that did not require me to think beyond the moment. Although I heartily believe in living in the moment if you want any quality of life, I do not believe that living in the moment to avoid the future is healthy and that is what I was doing. That article edit was the start of waking me up but I don't know how long it would have taken had it not been for Sean Penn, Ted Turner and Jack Marshall.

Last week, we disconnected our cable. For us in the Valley, that means no more TV because we do not get reception of the three local channels down here. We had decided that TV has become a mind-numbing brain-suck. I will fondly miss The Amazing Race and will watch Survivor online. Other than that, there is nothing I will miss. Miles, being the movie buff he is, has hundreds of movies and I have all my favourite shows on DVD since none of them are running anymore anyway. We then discovered that OWN is running a full free preview until February 29 so with that single channel, I have been watching shows I normally would not. So enters Sean Penn and Ted Turner.

Sean Penn is in Haiti. If you want to know why, check out J/P HRO. I watched an interview with him in which he said many things that I related to. Most particularly, when discussing his demon doors, he said, "When I have free time is when I get in trouble. There is no benefit to spending too much time alone with my thoughts." That is not an exact quote but it is the gist of what he said. For Sean, the problem is that when he thinks too long about what is wrong with the world, it pisses him off that we can't all get along. I do the same thing. When I have too much time alone to think, I think about all the things I cannot fix. It leads me to a place of hopelessness, a non-productive place where I convince myself there is nothing I can do to make anything better. (Hmmm, maybe taking a year off wasn't such a good idea after all!) Of course, this is a completely false position and I know that but it does not change what happens in my head. It started me thinking about what I can accomplish and brought me back to my hopes and dreams of working locally to promote a connection to nature, food security, healthy, organic and sustainable methods.... all the good stuff. Step one complete, thanks to Sean. I was officially sitting up and rubbing my eyes open by this point.

Enter Ted Turner. A man I thought I would agree on nothing with, but as it turns out, Ted appears to be very charming, very likeable and sharp as a tac. What a wonderful surprise. I love it when someone blasts open a preconceived notion I have about them. It makes me realize that we are all closer to the same than one would think. Something I tend to forget in my activist thoughts where issues can easily come to an us-against-them standpoint. Ted's life story is an interesting one. He spoke of his father's influence and suicide with candor. When telling the story of his bad decision with the CNN/AOL deal, he spoke about the difficulties when things go wrong. He said, "When things go bad, you can't let it destroy you. You need to grit your teeth and keep moving forward." Ted is a work hard, nose to the grindstone kind of guy. I am normally the same. Although I do not think the current situation had come anywhere close to destroying me, Ted's words have been ringing in my brain several times a day since I watched. Step two complete, thanks to Ted. I am actually having productive thoughts again all of a sudden. It would seem that every time my mind turns to non-productive thought, Ted is there telling me to grit my teeth and I am able to move quickly back to a better place. Optimism is creeping in.

For the completion of my transformation, I had help from Jack Marshall. Jack's is not likely a name as familiar to any of you as Sean or Ted but his push was just as instrumental to me. Jack writes an ethics blog I read, I am sure among many other things he does but the blog is where I find him. The other day, he wrote a piece about suicide. In it, he put forward this thought, "Changing conditions and new realities can, in rare circumstances, cause societies to conclude that what was once considered right is really wrong, and what was once condemned as wrong is in society’s best interests. I think we may reach that point with suicide." Since this is a story about me, I am taking this statement completely out of context and if you want to understand Jack's point-of-view, I encourage you to read the entirety of what he wrote as opposed to assuming based on that single snippet. It was this snippet that prompted the change in me though. I don't know what Jack was actually saying. I had a physical reaction to the thought that suicide of the aged and ill would be considered good for society. I read, re-read, did laundry, read again, did dishes, read again, slept, read again and quickly realized that due to my state of mind at the time and the possibly irrational physical reaction on first read, I was never going to get what Jack was saying in that post. It was already too full of what I was thinking for me to read it with any clarity. It doesn't matter that I may never be able to read that post with enough detachment to understand Jack's thoughts on suicide and society. It is enough that I understand my own. I absolutely do not want to live in a society that thinks it is in their best interests for elderly, sick people to kill themselves rather than put an unnecessary financial burden on the health care system, their families or society. I want to live in a society that treasures the old, even if sick. I believe in the right to die with dignity and choice but never, in my wildest thoughts, did I think an individual should base that decision on society at all. It is a personal choice that should be made for personal reasons. I think a society that accepts a "suicide for the good of society" option puts added and undue pressure on the already vulnerable. Go ahead and kill yourself, your useless and expensive and you are just flat out getting in our way! Yuck! The only way you can change society is to work within it. The final Ah Ha moment. Thank you, Jack. Step 3 is complete. The final step I think. It had me taking action. Eye rubbing is done.

I had started the Natural Connection website set-up only because I needed to test the website builder program in weebly and in order to test, you need to build. This week, I have actually taken steps to get it off the ground. I have several appointments lined up for the next two weeks to do just that. With luck, the young people around here will get involved and take it over when we ultimately do retire to a better gardening climate.

I am back, folks. And for those of you that didn't know I was so conflicted, don't worry, it wasn't that you weren't paying attention. I wasn't talking about it. It is easier to talk about coming out of it than it was going in.

To all our friends and family, thank you for all of your help and support during the last two years. It has been very much appreciated. We would not have made it to here without you and here is a pretty awesome place to be. Time to go out and change the world, one garden at a time.

Anxiety

2012-02-02T18:06:00.000-06:00

It's funny how you can think about something for almost ever and when you finally get it, it all seems so simple. You knew it before but somehow, it wasn't connecting. A light went on a few days ago for me. Anxiety leads to procrastination. Of course! I knew that. Why did that little slip of information go MIA in my brain to leave me wondering for hours.... why is it that I never get anything done? Of course, that is the exaggeration in my head as well. I do get things done. More accurately, I never get everything done. There are days I get lots and lots done. It still seems like nothing though. It was also starting to seem like I didn't have the energy for the same length of list I used to. Now I know why. Maybe I can fix it.

Solomon in a Box

2012-01-31T18:54:00.000-06:00

All of our cats like empty boxes but Solomon is usually the first one to find them. Today I was cleaning out my kitchen cupboards and sorting through Christmas dishes. The Christmas dish box was empty on the counter and the next thing I know, Solomon had taken up residence inside. Some days our animals are ultra entertaining.

The Charitable Side

2012-01-30T01:49:00.000-06:00

Natural Connection is the charitable side of Little Shop of Hoarders. It will locally promote our connection to nature through garden programs. I expect that most of the funding will go towards the pet medical fund but most of the programs will be garden related. The pet programs will assist in keeping pets healthy and in loving homes. We will not be taking animals but rather, will be helping others keep their animals. It will be a much better solution than us taking every stray that shows up broken in the valley! We can't keep up with that.

Little Shop of Hoarders

2012-01-21T10:28:00.002-06:00

For 3 years now, I have been thinking of Little Shop of Hoarders. Two years ago, Linda bought the domain name for me of littleshopofhoarders.com. I haven't yet figured out how to forward that to where the site is built at littleshopofhoarders.weebly.com but I will figure it out and get it running. I am determined to open Little Shop this year. I don't expect it to be huge. The main goal is to reduce the amount of stuff going to the local landfill and rescue some things along the way. I don't plan on it ever being a main income source because I want it to stay as local as possible and we do not have a huge population base. We will not have a location but rather, partner with local stores. I do expect it will bring in a little extra money, provide me with an outlet for my creative side and allow me to keep the freedom from 9 - 5 that I enjoy now. What I can do locally for the environment has been on my mind for a very, very long time. It is time to do something about it. I have no idea if it will be April, July or December but Little Shop of Hoarders is opening online in 2012!

Greenpeace

2012-01-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

Miles and activism.

My Mom's Buttons

2012-01-02T23:38:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day of my new schedule that has me accomplishing a multitude of things each week. Today was the first day I went off schedule. Between Destini calling at 7:00 am because Sean's car wouldn't start and my scheduled task of unpacking the boxes that were packed for Nova Scotia, some things did not get done. They have already been scheduled for later in the week. I can see this is going to go well. The problem with unpacking is that I come upon so many of my favourite things and so many more things I had almost forgotten. It is a task that cannot be accomplished quickly so it doesn't fit well into half hour blocks... unless I use a whole bunch of those blocks up all at once! Today I unpacked my mom's buttons. I knew what was in the tin as soon as I saw it. I can't remember a time when she didn't have this tin full of buttons. I can't remember a time when they didn't come in handy and I do remember that when I was young, she would let me play with them. I would spill the tin out onto the table and sort them by colour, then polish the shiny ones. There are still some very cool buttons left in that tin. I was just feeling happy to have found the tin so the buttons were a huge bonus.

Happy New Year !

2011-12-31T16:03:00.000-06:00

It is almost all melted now but this was our belated white Christmas. The bird sanctuary was absolutely beautiful when we woke up yesterday morning. Even the piles of kindling for the firepit look pretty :) We had a great Christmas and Nicholas is here for a Harry Potter festival and is staying overnight. He is having dinner at his other Grandma's tomorrow so we will be on our own for New Years Day. It should be very relaxing and I am planning on doing some garden planning for the new kitchen garden. Miles has extra chain link from the dog runs and he is going to put it up around my vegetable patch. I am so looking forward to having a large kitchen garden. I have been reading about companion planting and have started my seed list. I have a lot of seeds here already and doubt very much that I will need to order any this year. There is so much to look forward to in my garden this year!

Happy New Year!

The Weekend

2011-12-21T00:28:00.001-06:00

Lily

On Friday evening, Sean and Destini went to do their Christmas shopping and I watched Lily and Nicholas for them. It was the first time I have looked after a baby in I don't know how many years but she was wonderful. She didn't cry once. I was under strict instructions to keep her awake and that was no problem. Since Nicholas was staying with us Saturday overnight so Sean and Destini could go to the Bigway Christmas Party, he stayed Friday night as well. Then, on Saturday, John, Reena and the boys came out to visit. They brought Nicholas a sled and John took them out in the yard to try it out. Nicholas and Alexander had a great time...

Nicholas and Alexander

...and made plans for a sleepover. They stayed through dinner...

Tyler

...which Tyler really enjoyed. It was really great to have them all around the house. It was a fantastic weekend which we will repeat very soon!

A Time to Celebrate

2011-12-09T09:47:00.001-06:00

On August 17, 2011, our grandson was taken from his mother by the Children's Aide Society and placed in foster care in Ontario. Since that day, my son has been in court in Ontario trying to bring Nicholas home. It has been a long, overly drawn out process made more difficult by his mother, unfortunately. But on Wednesday I was able to snap this blurry image at the airport gate as our boys arrived home. I would like to say it is over but it is not. There will be more court dates, more money, more work. But today is a day to celebrate and not worry about any of that. I was finally able to sleep the last two nights and I can't remember the last night I was able to just fall asleep when I hit the pillow without spending time tossing and turning and worrying. That part is over, thank goodness. Today is Nicholas' first day at school and Sean's first day back at work. They are settling into a routine already and Nicholas is very happy to be home. He has been smiling ever since he arrived and I have seen him two days in a row. It has been more than a year since I have seen him right in front of me. Let me tell you, over a computer or phone screen is nice but it is just not the same thing as having him standing right here! All I have to say today is whoo hooo! Welcome home Nicholas!! We missed you.

Homecoming...

2011-12-05T15:42:00.001-06:00

Sean is bringing Nicholas home with him from Ontario! We can't wait for them to arrive and Nicholas will be so happy to see that his Ohio Buckeye that he planted with his Mushum is three times the size it was when he left. From the looks of him on Sean's iphone, it looks like his tree is not the only one that has grown... Nicholas comes up to Sean's chin already! Whooo Hooo! We are all smiles today :)

Window Watching

2011-11-29T17:49:00.001-06:00

Hmmmmmmmm, I wonder if anything is ever going to walk by that window!

Solitary Man

2011-11-27T18:34:00.001-06:00

Benedict always looks so solitary sitting outside in the cold all winter. In the summer he has lots of friends. Birds, squirrels and cats all stop to visit him and Wile E. often stops to chat with him - confused why he does not chat back! In addition to all of that, spiders love to live on Benedict. He has all kinds of nooks and crannies that are perfect for spiders to tuck themselves away into quickly. But in winter he is almost always alone, standing vigil. Except for today! I was out digging. Absolutely outrageous, I know. It is November 27 and I planted lily-of-the-valley underneath the weeping caragana in the sideyard today. This goes down as the latest date I have ever planted but the ground is not yet frozen and as long as that is the case, the littlest lily have a better chance being dropped in than sitting in a plastic bag in the basement. I hope they make it.

Mending Season

2011-11-23T22:54:00.001-06:00

Sewing is another activity restricted to winter. I love to sew and always have. What I don't love to do is mend. Mending and sewing are just not the same thing. I have everything I need to make a Stanley Cup Champions quilt for Gordon and his Bruins and have been thinking about exactly what that will look like for months now. As excited as I am to finally get started on it, I have a hard and fast rule about the start of my winter sewing. Mending all gets done first. It is easy to find my motivation when creating something new but mending is a real chore. It takes everything I have to stay motivated to finish. One thing I learned from all my corporate years is that you do the things you hate to do first or they will forever be bumped off the list of things to do. Time for me to get patching.

Spring Cleaning

2011-11-22T23:16:00.001-06:00

When I was young, the first nice days of spring were spent cleaning the house from top to bottom. My mother would throw open the windows and the cleaning would start. I actually enjoy cleaning and didn't complain because Mom would let me daydream all I wanted during the process. You could more often find me leaning out a window than dusting something. When I got older and didn't have my mother for motivation, spring cleaning was never something I could manage. I prefer to spend my first nice days of spring in the garden, even if it means poking around in muddy, half-frozen ground. So I do my spring cleaning in the dead of winter when my garden is sleeping. I started it today eventhough it was +4 and melting outside. There is snow so I can't dig and figured I might as well clean. So I did the shelves and thought of my mother and how I think she had the right idea... all this dusting would be more pleasant with the windows open!

It Must Have Been Love

2011-11-10T00:28:00.000-06:00

I haven't been watching but this would have made it worth it...

Drew Ryniewicz performs It Must Have Been Love

Winter Passtimes

2011-11-09T17:50:00.000-06:00

The forecasted snow did arrive on Saturday night. It started really late and ran all through Sunday. There was a lot of it. It took me all day Monday to get the decks, boardwalk and a path to the main pen gate shovelled. Tuesday was shovelling the path from the main pen gate to Mikaela's gate and another to the winter pit. I was going to shovel a path to the shop door too but the daytime temperatures have been beautiful the last two days and the snow is melting some. It is unlikely it will all melt before more arrives but it is already much less deep to walk through. If we get another warm day tomorrow, I am dropping the bulbs in. Meanwhile, I have been digging out all my winter passtimes. This year I added a new one... or Sean did. All the boys play Smurf's Village and Sean downloaded it to my phone, got the game started and connected it to Facebook. Now I can plant, grow and pick flowers all winter in my Smurf's Village. I can even take a photo of my gardens in the game and use it for wallpaper on my phone. I am actually really enjoying the game. It is the first game in years that I have enjoyed. Good, mindless fun. I think it is just what I needed to perk me up under the threat of -20 for the next several months.

Garden Note

2011-11-05T18:10:00.000-06:00

Fall has set in and despite my relaxed timetable for gardening, I am actually closer to ready than I am most years. Must be the extended fall. There are very few plants left in pots and even less bulbs not yet in the ground. Today I planted hens & chicks with blue sedum (from the green pot) next to 'Big Daddy'. Unkown tulips are planted between the speedwell and liatris in the front garden. The sun stone, green pot and blue butterfly metal stake were brought into the house with the sand sun dish. The little girls metal summer pens are packed up and stored in the shop. The red sun pot and all of the plastic pots are in the shop as well. Snow was forecast for today but never arrived. I am really hopeful it will stay away another couple of days.

A Rare Sight

2011-11-03T00:09:00.001-06:00

It is a rare sight to see Samantha relaxing on the dog crates during the day. She tends to roam the main floor at night when the dogs are sleeping, rather than when they are running around. She is afraid of dogs, strangers, loud noises, the TV, crumpling paper, the vaccuum, the toilet flushing, anything crunchie, dry leaves blowing in the wind and probably a huge list of other things I have yet to witness. She has dopey eyes, a monkey face and a tiny little meep she tries to pass off as a meow... she is the cutest thing! Perhaps age has mellowed her and we will see this new daytime Samantha more often.

Worth the Watch

2011-10-29T01:18:00.003-06:00

This is very cool. Click to watch. Link goes to Youtube. One of my favourite new advertisements.

Shorter Days

2011-10-27T20:05:00.005-06:00

The days are getting shorter but that just seems to have launched me into action. I have finally been getting the last of the bulbs and shrubs in. About half of the things going in for the winter are in and leaves are covering everything. One more day and Judy's garden should be finished and put to bed for the winter as well. Maggie is still suffering from her allergies and I am at a loss as to how to help her. Test after test and we still don't know what she is allergic to! Poor baby is what she is these days. She looks all beat up from scratching. Fall has definitely arrived and every day we go without snow now is bonus.

for Andrea...

2011-10-24T22:40:00.001-06:00

Oh, you are so lucky, Andrea but first... where are you going to store 700 of them for the winter? What a nice problem to have. Remember not to store them in a refridgerator with fruits and vegetables. It will ruin the glads by spring. I am new to glads myself but I really like them. I plant mine like tulips; 3, 5 or 7 all in one hole. That way they grow like tulips - in a patch, although, they look more like iris coming up. I find patches makes it easier to stake them too. I can just use a peony ring or tomatoe cage. I am not that fond of staking. Since glads bloom later in the season and last to frost, you can put them all through the garden just like spring bulbs. It makes it easier to lift them if they are planted together in big patches or in rows but I don't have enough to worry about that yet. I put them throughout my garden and have no trouble rounding them all up when it is time to lift in fall. If I had 700 though, I might consider using them for a border or even in a wavy line through the middle of the bed or border. Enjoy your glads and post photographs next season, I'd love to see them.

Coral Bells

2011-10-23T08:05:00.000-06:00

For years, I have been back and forth on coral bells. Mostly because they look like this in my garden and they look stunning in Linda's garden. If I could grow coral bells that looked like Linda's, it would seem well worth the effort. Plus, they often winter-kill in my garden. I am sure they are one of those plants labelled for my zone - just barely. The kind of plant that makes you wonder if someone is snickering into their sleeve when they label them! Of course, everytime I think of giving up on them, I catch a scene like this. With the light coming through the leaf, this little thing is a fall stunner! Now if I could only get it to grow taller than 3 inches and have more than 3 leaves.

Maggie

2011-10-20T16:22:00.000-06:00

The last few days have been a whirlwind of animal care. Tuk has developed a rash on his inner thigh, Didi hurt her foot on something outside and Maggie's allergies are flaring up really bad. She has to get cream twice a day and wear a t-shirt. Although she prefers the t-shirt to a cone, all her confidence disappears when she wears it. The back actually says "Porchlight" but on her, no matter what angle you look, all you can read is "orchlight". I feel bad for her because she is really suffering with the itch of allergies but darn it... she is just too cute in her little t!

Time for Bed

2011-10-14T17:28:00.001-06:00

It is time to drop the last of the tulip in, get the few shrubs still sitting in pots into the ground and get the garden ready for its' winter sleep. All putting the garden to bed really invovles is watering everything really well and tossing all the leaves from the drive and lawn onto the beds. We had three days of rain though and eventhough it did not rain today, it was grey and overcast so everything is wet. Before the rain came, I got this catmint bed and one other by the drive completed. I need the rain to stop long enough to get the rest done. It should take about 2 days total so I should be able to squeeze that in somewhere between now and snow. The upside is that at least I can skip the watering part.

The Grackles Stop

2011-10-09T01:42:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, Miles stepped out onto the back deck and discovered hundreds of Grackles in our yard. They filled the chokecherry tree and the drive and the campground and the shop yard. We haven't seen any since then so they must have been on their way somewhere.

John & Reena Host Thanksgiving

2011-10-08T22:15:00.000-06:00

John & Reena hosted Thanksgiving dinner tonight and the food was excellent. Reena and her sister Sherry did all the work and all we had to do was play with the kids and keep them smiling until it was time to eat. Gordon and I caught a ride with Sean, Destini and Lily because Miles had to work and couldn't make it. We had a great time and brought a plate home for Miles that is in the oven now waiting for him to get home from work. It was good to see Reena's family and Jack and Myra again. That usually only happens at Christmas.

Baby Shower

2011-10-02T23:45:00.000-06:00

Lily's baby shower was today at her house. I finally got to see both of her eyes open at the same time. There are two of them and right now, they are both blue. She got way too much stuff, the food was great and a good time was had by all. As usual, in those situations, I got home much later than planned so no gardening today. It was worth giving up for our baby girl though. She already seemed to be enjoying her new playpad.

Fall Colours in the Yard

2011-10-01T00:16:00.001-06:00

The yard is showing signs of fall everywhere. I came around the corner to find the sun hitting these willows seemingly to remind me that winter is coming. The boardwalk Dogwood is also turning and everywhere you look in the Valley there are reds, golds and oranges.

Lily

2011-09-25T21:59:00.001-06:00

Our first grandbaby girl, Lily. Mom and baby are both home and doing great. She is beautiful and surrounded by boys! Of course, Sean is already wrapped around her really long finger. After three visits, she finally showed me her eyes today. She is a sleepy one with lots and lots of jet black hair.

Fuzzy Friend

2011-09-18T21:01:00.001-06:00

He had a little bug friend with him and they hung around for a little bit. Then the bug went one way and he went the other.

Shade Bridge Garden

2011-09-18T02:00:00.000-06:00

This was my shade bridge garden. Aptly named because it was shady with a bridge separating it from the front lawn. The largest tree that provided the shade had three main trunks and last year, one broke off at ground level so we had to cut it up. The rest of the tree seemed stable but we did wonder if it was going to get weak from the loss. Then earlier this year, half of the tree beside it came down in a thunder storm. Last week, the rest of the largest tree came down and yesterday, the rest of the second tree came down as well. So, shade bridge garden no more and we will have to see what the sun brings here. I am thinking there are at least one or two plants that will have to move but spring will tell. Gordon brought a chain-saw home for the weekend and tomorrow we will be cutting, stacking and burning to create our new sun bridge garden.

Hot Afternoons

2011-09-09T00:26:00.003-06:00

Hot afternoons are hard on plants and all things furry. The dogs are living in front of the fans!

Fade to White

2011-09-09T00:09:00.000-06:00

My 'J.P. Connell' fades to white. It started out as a yellow bud and then turned into a beautiful yellow rose that I did not get a photograph of. This season has been a bit strange for bloom time and length and this is his first year in my garden. I think the two factors combined made him fade to white much quicker than he would in a 'normal' season. Turns out I love this white flower with the yellow center quite a bit so it all worked out. I can just see him climbing the trellis with 'John Davis' next season. Although it will take them a couple of years to fill the trellis, in my mind they are already there.

Bonus

2011-09-06T00:58:00.000-06:00

Look what my viola are doing!

The Little Engine that Could

2011-09-02T00:13:00.003-06:00

I am really impressed by this little spiderwort. It has been dug up and moved 5 times in 2 years yet here it is getting ready to bloom for the second time this season. Apparently, it has forgiven me for my fickle planting habits.

Quick Note....

2011-08-31T20:31:00.001-06:00

The Phlox is 'David' and is blooming now. The lily from Linda are all planted and mapped. Orange are in the nursery. Prairie Coneflower seeds are harvested and half are delivered, just have to mail to Linda. Watered today because I stopped believing the forecast since this is the fourth day of forecasted thundershowers and not a drop of rain. Decided the sprinkler would be more reliable in the heat we have been having in the afternoons. Everything is wilting out there and the river is overflowing so we can probably swing a little guilt free irrigation.

Frogs!

2011-08-29T21:32:00.000-06:00

With all the flood waters this year, I have had an unusual number of frogs in my gardens. I have always had the odd frog show up in the sun gardens which are the closest gardens to the river. This is the first year that I have had frogs in the bird sanctuary garden and at the little house. The little house is normally a good distance from the river. Far enough that frogs don't venture there. This year though, they are everywhere and I come upon them often in the garden. When I get close, they get perfectly still. It makes taking photos of them easy and they love it when I am watering. Sometimes I talk to them quietly. I don't want Summer to notice them because it usually shortens their life expectancy pretty severely.

Jake on the Glass Truck

2011-08-28T00:56:00.000-06:00

His favourite thing to do is climb in or on vehicles and he especially likes it when a new vehicle stops by that he can explore so I am not sure why he is looking so angry. Unless it is because I was trying to get him down just before I grabbed the camera. The glass truck didn't seem the safest place for him to explore but once I discovered he was too high for me to reach up there, taking photos seemed to be the next best option.

King of the Castle

2011-08-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it is important to be king... even if you are the only one in the castle!

What's Missing?

2011-08-26T10:03:00.000-06:00

The big space in the middle at the back will be an Ostrich Fern patch next year. I just planted all the root last week. It should fill that space nicely and make it so the Solomon Seal is not the only tall plant back there. So I have named this previously unnamed path... path to the fern. Seems odd this year when you can't actually see the fern but it works for me and it will remind me next year not to step on them before they are up.

The path to the fern is made of Bill's painted stepping stones. The sun is the first stone and is my favourite of the painted stones. Although the columbine stone runs a very close second.

A Permanent Home

2011-08-23T20:50:00.000-06:00

The 'Loraine Sunshine' baby that came from Judy's garden this year has finally found a permanent home. I dug her up when she was quite small and I have been nurturing her along in a pothead all summer. Now she has her roots in the ground and a permanent spot. It is up by St. Francis in the bird sanctuary. In this spot, I can see her up close out the dining room window and she has lots of room she can grow into. I do hope she makes it through this winter!

Opus One

2011-08-22T09:14:00.000-06:00

My 'Opus One' had three blooms this year and they are just finishing up, as are the 'Stargazer' which are the last of the blooming lily in my garden. Both are oriental lily which are not really hardy here. They grow and once established they will bloom well but they never get as tall as oriental lily are famous for. In fact, the only time I have seen an oriental lily blooming over my head was in Linda's garden in Nova Scotia. Oriental stay short in my garden. Funny thing is... I prefer them short. Not sure if it is a 'what I am used to' thing or not but I find lily blooming over my head is a little intimidating. Not sure why because I am certain they are not going to attack! Maybe it has to do with my aversion to spiders dropping down from above and how lily are great spider hiders. Regardless, I do love the orientals as long as there are not too many planted together. If they are all together, I find their smell cloying and cannot remain standing near them in the garden without feeling slightly sick. They also take some time to be established in Zone 3. This particular lily was brought from Linda's garden in 2009. Last year it had one bud that dried up and fell off without blooming. This year, it has three blooms and they all opened wide.

Hosta for Kelly

2011-08-14T20:04:00.002-06:00

Shipping tomorrow (regular mail); ‘Carol’, ‘June’, bonus dark, ‘Dream Weaver’, ‘Christmas Candy’, ‘Wolverine’, aberdeen solid and aberdeen variegated. Total 8 hosta.

Shipping next season because they are too small to divide; ‘Thunderbolt’ and ‘Guacamole’.

Never shipping because they are lost; ‘Fire & Ice’, 'Kabitan' and ‘Stained Glass’.

Note: I discovered aberdeen solid and danielle’s tall were the same hosta so danielle’s tall does not exist anymore. My flickr is updated for all of the above.

'Golden Wave'

2011-08-12T21:29:00.000-06:00

My begonia 'Golden Wave' are blooming in the love bus now. I got them in really late this year and was worried they would wither before they bloomed so I was happy to find them today. I did not notice them right away because the flowers open small and hang under big, umbrella leaves. These beauties are my favourite begonia. The flowers are pale pink on the outside but open to reveal an all yellow inside. They hang in little bunches of three or four and they look so delicate eventhough the stalks tell a different story, standing thick and strong. They are well worth the over-wintering effort!

Front Garden

2011-08-10T17:07:00.001-06:00

Being an avid gardener, I hate to admit that my front garden is a mess... and I really mean a mess! I have done nothing with it since we moved in except for going on a rampage last fall and chopping down all of the bush that was off the front deck along the path. We never spend time in the front yard so the back was always my first priority. Turns out, after 8 summers, it has been my only priority. Since I had dug up so many plants for our planned move, that now have to go back in, I decided that this year I will get some control over the front gardens. I have put in three new plantings in the last few days and I have the rest roughly planned out. I am hopeful that next year there will be beautiful garden photographs to post that are all taken in the front yard. Wish me luck because I have decided that next year is going to be the season that I don't move anything. So much has been moved over the last 2 years that nothing has had a chance to reach its' mature size. Next year, nothing moves unless it is way overgrown or dying. With luck, that will mean nothing moves once I am done this fall.

Animals, wild and otherwise...

2011-08-07T22:07:00.001-06:00

I came upon Hannah sleeping in the bird sanctuary the other day and as I snapped a picture, she got up for this halloween stretch. The top of the ladder has always been her afternoon napping spot. In fact, that is why the ladder is still in the garden. It was right in this spot when we moved in and she used it every day so we have never moved it. Hannah can always be found napping in the garden. I had a more unusual occurance the other night when Gordon and I went into the city mid-evening. The road was full of frogs! It was awful. Impossible to miss them and they were even jumping up and making "thud" sounds as they hit the car when we went by. They were all over the valley bottom on the roads. The grids and the highway. They were gone by the time we came back from the city and I hope it doesn't happen again. It was no fun at all. On a better note, the 'Alexander McKenzie' rose I transplanted last week is doing great and the colour looks awesome with the speedwell purple that it is planted next to. Now I am just waiting to find out what colour the liatris planted with them is. Any day now it should open.

Embracing Change

2011-08-01T23:27:00.000-06:00

Heliopsis 'Loraine Sunshine', monkshood and Linda's red daylily are just a few of the new plants in my garden this season. I also reduced the size of the sun gardens by more than half and surprisingly, I am really enjoying that because it has meant that it is almost always completely weed free! Taking the rock edge away where that garden meets the lawn has also made it easier to keep a clean edge. Overall, I am happy with all of the changes in the garden this year and am planning even more. Today I have been clearing out at the front of the house for my new rose garden. The excitement of the day, despite the blooming flowers, was the little female finch I had to save from Penny and Hannah on the front deck. She hit the window and by the time I got there, Penny had her in her mouth with just a wing sticking out and a high pitched tweet coming from inside. Fortunately, Penny dropped her as soon as I told her to but by then, Hannah was running towards us. It was a bit of a panic but I managed to get the bird into a tree and after awhile, she flew off. We spent the afternoon cutting up the latest tree brought down by the prairie winds. That makes 3 this year. Another change I made today was the blog background. I did that in honour of the awesome skies we have been enjoying here. We are in the land of the living sky here but the last few days it has been more incredible than usual. A very pure, bright, clear blue that I have been unable to capture in photograph and do it any justice at all. We see a lot of sky here. It goes out for miles and miles. So it takes something special to get me snapping the camera upward. The colour has been so crystal clear, I find it impossible to even describe.

More Roses

2011-07-31T20:31:00.002-06:00

It is definitely the season for roses and both Judy and I have many blooming in our gardens now. I have 5 rose shrubs that need to be replanted so I have decided to start a new rose garden in the unplanted circle at the end of the house at the front. Right now the circle contains two peony; one light pink and one dark, both double. Since all the roses I have to plant are pink or yellow, I am going to add them to that spot and have a new rose garden. It should solve the yearly weed problems there too. Today I finished the fence side of the path in the bird sanctuary and I also did about half the weeding in the Combine Garden before it was too sunny to keep working and I abandoned it until tomorrow morning. While I was weeding there, I came upon an empty hummingbird nest. It was just like the one from last year... full of Suzy and Sandy's molt hair forming a fuzzy, downy bed inside. Too cool. I found a mutant hollyhock in that garden too but did not get a picture before I lost the light. I will try to remember that for tomorrow when I am over that way.

Roses & Coyotes

2011-07-26T22:40:00.001-06:00

We finally finished uncovering all of Judy's roses and found this little beauty today, rose 'Remember Me'. It is my favourite orange rose to date and if it ever sends out a sucker, there will be one in my yard. I am willing to wait. It was also a day of Coyotes. I came around the corner after the metal shop to see 5 Coyotes with breakfast. One of them grabbed the breakfast and ran North while the other 4 took off South. I am sure they got back together after I drove by or one of them had a really big breakfast! It was very cool though. I often see them in pairs but never before in a pack.

Dragonfly

2011-07-14T23:04:00.003-06:00

I love dragonflies! I think it is unfortunate that in most cultures where they appear, they are associated with evil and the devil, often seen as sinister. I prefer to agree with the Japanese culture where they are held in better regard, being seen as symbols of courage, strength and happiness. The shape of the archipelago of Japan, as seen on a map, is said to be that of a dragonfly. One of my favourite songs is Ziggy Marley's Dragonfly, which is worth a listen for the lyric alone but the music will have you bopping. Of course, the benefit of the dragonfly in a garden is obvious. Anything that feeds primarily on mosquitos is always welcome in my garden. That is why I was so happy this morning to find dragonflies swarming in our yard. It started yesterday when was walking Mikaela and it seemed like there were a bunch of dragonflies following us all along the summer road. Then, this morning on our walk, I realized that it was not that they were following us but rather, that they were everywhere. Not just along the summer road but all over the acreage. I am sure they would have been counted in the thousands. Brown-gold with translucent wings shimmering in the sunlight. Although there were several powder blue damselflies among them, the dragonflies definitely stole the show.

A job complete!

2011-07-04T10:54:00.001-06:00

Since we decided to move, my "to do" list has grown to 8 pages. 6 of those pages are big jobs that require a lot of time. Many of those jobs are the kind that need to be done in a specific order. A few of them also involve waiting on tradesmen and ordered materials. So it is rare these days that I can say I have completely finished a job. The excitement of that has me madly typing a post on my coffee break before I go dig up more tulip. I am happy to say that the sun gardens are completely finished. Nothing left to do but stay on top of any new weeds and since that can't be done before new weeds grow, I think I can officially say we have one job complete.

Changes

2011-07-02T00:33:00.001-06:00

It has been a week of change here. Last week this view was all iris. This week, the iris are just about done but the roses, poppy and daisy have started. The buds make me think that by next week there will be daylily and spiderwort added to these blooms. My garden has never looked better. All the early flood water and later sunshine have really made a huge difference.

Lone Agastache

2011-07-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

When we moved here, there were several Golden Agastache planted in the lower level boardwalk. This spot was mostly shade with very little sun shining through to it. After the first season, all that came back was this lone plant growing out from the crack between two rocks. I have tried to move it to a happier place several times but it never comes back where I move it to and it always comes back in this spot. Again this year, he has appeared here. Apparently this is his favorite spot in the garden and if he is going to stay, this is where he wants to stay. So now I have resigned myself to accepting that and all I do is wish him luck each spring when he starts to poke through. At least his flowers fit in here.

Sea of Pink

2011-06-26T20:18:00.001-06:00

There are days that I wonder if we are ever going to be ready to list the house. Today was one of them. Intermittent sunshine with rainy periods, or rain with sunny periods.... all day. In and out of the garden. Wait for the rain to stop. Out again. Wait. In again. Wait. Ugh! Then, of course, there is this sweet scented sea of pink that I have to walk by everytime I go out into the garden to work. It is hard to walk by quickly so there was once or twice today that I was caught standing beside it in appreciation when the downpour started. Between stopping to smell the roses and stopping to wait for sunshine, not much got done outside today. Good thing there was a lot to do inside. Maybe I should go do some of it...

Firepit Garden

2011-06-25T23:32:00.001-06:00

One of the biggest jobs in getting ready to sell our property has been making the firepit garden smaller. This is what I have reduced it to and I am very happy with the results. The Iris entry to the 'Therese Bugnet' roses is the entire garden with the exception of two small circular beds marking the yard entry on that side. Each circle has a 'John Cabot' climbing rose, Iris patch and short lily.

On the far side I have planted the Weigela 'Rumba', white Lamium, Cerastium in the concrete block, Forget-me-Not under the slide, red and white Pinks beside the rock and two Clematis to grow up the slide ladder, one on either side. The hot pink rose with Baby's Breath growing behind it marks the yard entry to the inside of the yellow iris and there is a 'Hope for Humanity' red rose just behind the Siberian Iris from this angle. Between the two roses are 2 Peony, Carnation, Daylily, Viola, Poppy and I left two of the tulip patches behind, one patch of 'Zurel' and one patch of 'Gavota'. All done... next job is to finish the little house yard where I have pulled up all of the grass and am replacing it with groundcover. Not quite all done there!

Field Fish

2011-05-14T23:45:00.001-06:00

This is our back field right now. The bushline on the left follows the river and is just on the other side of the river from where I am standing to take this photograph. The tank on stilts in the back centre is on the same side of the river as I am standing so the river winds back from the bushline. Typically, you cannot see the river from where I am standing because the bank is deep along here and you would have to be at the edge, looking down, to see the water. Recently, I mentioned that the flood waters have brought water wildlife into the yard. I never expected that it would fill our back field with fish!

They gather in groups of more than 4 and then create quite a spectacle with their splashes. They are beautiful and not shy about getting up close and personal either.

We spent the afternoon wading in the water and taking photographs and video. It is incredible and I have never seen anything like it. They are very distracting because even when you decide to stop watching them, everywhere you go in the yard you hear their splashes calling you to come watch some more. Seems were are destined for all kinds of new memories before we leave.

All Grown Up !

2011-05-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

Baby Hammy is all grown up. We are going to have to come up with a new name for him, I think. He still visits everyday and now that the weather is finally nice, he practically lives in the bird sanctuary out the dining room window. He likes to chase Magpie and scream at cats. His personality has not mellowed with his age. We enjoy him anyway.

Dog Fight

2011-05-10T12:42:00.000-06:00

I have no clue what happened or how but last night Summer and Maggie broke into a dog fight, right at my feet, that brought Didi and Moxie running to help. It was definitely mayhem. Fortunately, none of the other dogs felt the urge to jump in but still, Miles and I both hurt our backs in the fight break up process and both Maggie and Didi were injured. Didi ended up getting the worst of it but I think she will be alright. She has a puncture wound on her neck that I am cleaning, disinfecting and checking twice a day. Any sign of infection and she will be off to the vet. Maggie seems to be doing better than her but also has two small puncture wounds. They already look like they are healing up though. The terriers are relentless, even when it is so clear to us that they are the most likely to get hurt in these situations. Summer seems to have suffered less damage than even I did. Moxie is unhurt but did manage to bite my finger. There was blood everywhere in the kitchen/dining/living rooms and most of it was mine! We are spending the day recovering. I hope a day will be enough for that.

In the Garden Today

2011-05-07T20:40:00.001-06:00

Miles found this little guy resting in the garden and had to save him from Summer. Spring is everywhere with all kinds of returning friends who were gone all winter. There are crocus opening in my garden today and the daffodils and tulips are starting to bud up. Still no tarda buds but I am watching. Today I started to dig up the plants for the sale. I immediately discovered I need a ton more pots! Guess a trip to Judy's shed is in on my list for tomorrow. There is a lot to dig and the weather is more than cooperating... sunny and warm all day today.

Muskrat Sam

2011-05-02T21:52:00.000-06:00

The lake that used to be our back field has shrunk to become a very large pond and Sam has moved in. I have no idea how Sam pulled this move off with Tuk in our yard and his famous hatred of anything Muskrat. Yet, here is Sam, happily munching away and no Tuk to be seen. I have noticed that Sam does not tend to show himself in the early morning or mid-afternoon which is when Tuk is typically doing yard patrol rounds. However, once Tuk goes inside to nap, Sam can be seen swimming all over the pond. Still no ducks nesting and we have been actively discouraging that. We have been chasing the ducks away and as much as I hate doing that it is better than the alternative which would be baby ducks in the yard when the water does go down. The last time we had baby ducks in the yard, Summer brought me one a day until they were all gone. It took seven days. My heart broke for the Momma duck but there was really no stopping Summer despite our best efforts. That, along with the barn swallow couple that lost their nest (including babies) to Jake the same year, convinced us to chase away birds trying to nest right in the yard... before the babies arrived. So far, so good this year.

Aberdeen Tarda

2011-04-29T09:24:00.001-06:00

My Tarda Tulip are the furthest along in my garden today. They are always the first of the bulbs to bloom and they go for a good long time for a bulb, producing flowers that bud up green, blending in with the foliage so that you almost miss them until they open up wide... bright, sunny yellow, with a pure white edge. The foliage itself is also special. A bright green with a thin red edge that let's me know the patch is Tarda long before the buds arrive. The red can be seen on the tips of the leaf even when barely peeking out of the soil. My Tarda were in the garden at Aberdeen Street when we moved in. A small patch off the back step. From that original patch, I have given them to Judy, Linda, my Aunt Marilyn and then moved some here. Although I left the original little patch on Aberdeen, it has spread from there into my garden in the valley and all the way to Nova Scotia. I have decided not to take most of my garden with me since the timing of the move would have me doing nothing but planting this year once I arrive. I think I will be busy enough without an acre of plants to get into gardens I am not familiar with. Even so, there are a few exceptions that are coming with me. The Tarda are among them. Bulbs will be quick to plant... or so I keep telling myself!

Tulips Missed

2011-04-28T20:18:00.003-06:00

Well, it has been a long winter but my garden is coming up for another season now. This season, we hope to move and in preparation for that, I dug up all the tulips last fall and shipped them off to Linda. I knew there were many that I did not get because I decided on the plan too late in the season. I only stopped digging them because the ground froze. I guess it was a faulty plan! The tulips I missed are all starting to come up now. It would seem that I missed most, if not all, of the Zurel so there are huge patches of them poking through. I did surprisingly well on the others though. Not too many coming up that I have to deal with this year. I am not sure which varieties they are so I will have to pull out my map. Regardless, I am taking all the tulips. They are easy to move.

Sleeping Dogs

2010-12-06T22:02:00.000-06:00

Some days you just know it's better to let sleeping dogs lay. The dogs were all worked up today and had several little skirmishes over nothing. Cabin fever was setting in. Then, this afternoon, the sun came out, the temperature went up and the dogs all headed outside. Energy drained and back in by dark. The warm afternoon made a huge difference. With luck, we will have a few more of those throughout the real cold snaps that January usually brings.

Sorting

2010-11-25T21:39:00.000-06:00

Sorting beanies and buddies today. We have 11 rubbermaid bins of them and want to get it down to 1 or 2 to take. Hopefully we will be successful but now that we have dug them out, there seem to be a lot that we want to keep.

Dog Watching

2010-11-24T21:50:00.001-06:00

Solomon, as usual, with his shadow MoeMoe. They were bird watching on the window sill until Maggie and Didi started a commotion inside that caused them to switch to dog watching. All of the cats are just waiting for spring. They are constantly at the windows and poking their heads out the door but not wanting to actually step into the snow. It is OK now but by spring they will be wailing up and down the halls with impatience for the grass.

Bows, Ribbons, Paper & Bags!

2010-11-22T23:18:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that once it was all pulled out, sorted and added up... I had almost $400.00 worth of wrapping stuff?!? Spent the day sorting and getting things ready to sell. The more I go through it, the less I want to haul out to Nova Scotia. Really thinking of selling everything except the couch, ottoman and table. It would be nice if all we had to move was that, us and the dogs.

Peace

2010-11-21T00:15:00.000-06:00

One of the fun side effects of packing... I am finding all kinds of things I like :)

Dr. Seuss

2010-11-19T17:27:00.000-06:00

For some reason, he always makes me think of a Dr. Suess illustration when he sleeps like this.

Bluejay Stops

2010-11-19T02:12:00.000-06:00

The Bluejay arrived the day before yesterday. He usually only stays 3 or 4 days before he is on his way. Miles was able to catch him through the window this morning.

Winter Rays

2010-11-13T18:03:00.000-06:00

The little girls already do not like the winter weather. They stay inside a lot more than even a week ago. The only sunray they could find to share was on the dining room floor.

Amazed

2010-11-10T19:32:00.000-06:00

I am stunned and amazed at how little I want to take and how easy it is to let go of everything. I am so looking forward to so much less clutter! I only have one bookshelf left to go through and all the books are packed in less than 3 full boxes... I should get away with only 4 total. Considering how many books I had, that is real accomplishment!

Sunset

2010-11-10T00:30:00.001-06:00

The time change must have confused me and midnight came and went! This was today's photograph though not quite what I had hoped. By the time I noticed, the light was really changing so I had to take it from the deck with the branches in the way. Sunset out the kitchen window... bright pink sky and the fields were all orange-gold. It was prettier than this but you get the idea.

You might ask...

2010-11-07T20:14:00.000-06:00

...what ever happened to step 1b but we are all over the place! Jumped forward all the way to step 5 and went to Sean's today. This gate and yard clean up are on the list for tomorrow. Feels like we are getting tons done... I hope the weather doesn't break for awhile.

Tools!

2010-11-06T23:25:00.002-06:00

Skipped to step 2 and all the photographs today were of tools. Ticking off the "to do" list we got most of the tools sorted. Feeling progress all around me. Miles' dead car was picked up today. After two years on the drive, it looks empty out there now but since that was step 3, we are flying through the tasks ;)

We will definitely be ready for spring with yard clean up.

For Sale

2010-11-05T18:38:00.000-06:00

Moving along with the "to do" list, I got the car washed and photographs taken today. Put plates on it for another month. Tomorrow we will clean the inside and post it for sale. Step 1a complete ;)

Another Garden To Go

2010-11-04T18:14:00.001-06:00

We are listing our property this spring and as can be expected, my garden is too big! Anyone who is not a gardener would have a hard time keeping up to the size so everything in this photograph that is garden, has got to go. In this view, that includes the fence. Looks like I have busy days already lined up for spring!

Cool Story, Short Article

2010-11-04T14:48:00.002-06:00

This seemed like the kind of thing I'd want to share on a blog :) Enjoy!

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/101104/national/lotto_millions_gone

Books!

2010-11-03T23:45:00.001-06:00

...and magazines. That and cleaning up in the yard were on my agenda for today. The littlest stack is coming to you, everything in front of it is sell/donate and everything beyond is coming with us. It was two boxes of books so far and I think maybe one more to go. If we have under 4 boxes of books to go, I will be happy with that. Kind of fun going through my books, and that the snow has melted :)

Coffee Anyone?

2010-11-02T22:17:00.000-06:00

Ran out of K-cups today and we are two days from a trip to town so I hauled out the coffee pot. This is the first pot of coffee I have made in a couple of years... nice to know I remembered how though :)

Out of Control

2010-11-01T19:16:00.000-06:00

My "to do" list has gotten totally out of control! Do you know how much there is to do? Yikes!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T03:34:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh, his face has caved in!! We had some fun with the 'tickle trunk' this evening ;)

Happy Halloween!

Beautiful Day with Frost.

2010-10-30T16:20:00.001-06:00

+16 with frost today. It is a beautiful day although the birds are snowed in. They are saying now that by end of the week this snow will be gone and November is going to be warm. Here's to hoping they are right!

My New Best Friend

2010-10-29T22:33:00.001-06:00

A skunk has moved into the yard somewhere. Penny was sprayed yesterday and today it was Wile E and Tuk. It's awful!!

Oddity of Instant Winter

2010-10-28T12:21:00.000-06:00

Normally, all these leaves would be long gone before we had this much snow. Instant winter has made the yard edges quite pretty for winter.

Amaryllis

2010-10-27T22:25:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it but it's true. Both my Amaryllis are coming back! Now to see if they bloom...

...and just in time!

2010-10-26T12:07:00.000-06:00

Winter arrives in my garden.

Closing Up for the Season

2010-10-25T19:16:00.000-06:00

Got the roof put on the Love Bus today and most of the black plastic pots organized. Aside from a few final fading blooms, Fall foliage is all that is left to look at. We have snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow. I hope not too much because I still have things to get into the shop for the winter like chairs and a wheelbarrow.

Found My Frog!

2010-10-24T20:49:00.000-06:00

He is gettiing really beat up after all these years but every time I misplace him, he always finds his way back :)

Days are getting shorter....

2010-10-23T19:21:00.000-06:00

This is 6:30 p.m. today.

Judy's Rose Garden

2010-10-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

We have finished moving Judy's roses and there is nothing left to do in her Rose Garden this season except to cover a couple of the more tender roses but that has to wait because it is still too warm to cover roses. There are also things to do that are best left until Spring so for now, they are moved and composted. Everything else will wait until next season.

Getting Ready for Winter

2010-10-21T20:20:00.000-06:00

The box under Sol is full of books as well. Starting to haul in winter supplies and one of Judy's contributions to fight the boredom was books! Between you and her, I should be set for reading which is awesome :)

Statistic

2010-10-20T20:50:00.002-06:00

Not the greatest photograph for the day but I have been reading this over and over. The article does not say where the statistic comes from but it is Canadian. Hmmmm.

Three More Glads for Judy

2010-10-19T20:25:00.000-06:00

Her's really did last so much longer than mine. She had three more blooming stalks today :)

Lift in Fall is Lifted!

2010-10-18T23:44:00.000-06:00

Easy record notes today... it's done! Whoo Hoo!! Everything lift in fall is inside. All that is left is a few Iris and Lily to get in and a couple things to move if I don't run out of time. Then, of course, general clean up and the garden is put to bed for the Winter.

More Fall Garden Record Notes

2010-10-17T23:01:00.000-06:00

Another busy day in my garden. Fall chores seem endless but it was a beautiful day for gardening again and forecast is for a few more of those yet. Good thing too because despite getting a ton of work done today out there, I probably have twice as much to go before I can say the garden is put to bed for the winter.

Lifted Dahlia 'Parkland Glory', 'Ferncliff Cameo', 'Hy Cutter', 'Taratahi Ruby', 'Yvonne' and 'Wine & Roses'. My Spring map was good but not quite good enough. I have two Dahlia tubers of which, one is 'Taratahi Ruby' and one is 'Hy Cutter' but I don't know which is which. Good thing 'Hy Cutter' is white so it will go with anything and I will figure it out next year when they bloom.

Lifted Gladiolus 'Passos', Border Gladiolus, Calla 'Picasso' and all the Freesia. Potted up two more Geranium cuttings. Planted Speedwell from Judy which is different than the one I have here already. I put the Speedwell beside the two patches of German Purple Iris at the rock edge towards the Knautia. Planted Bouncing Bet in two spots: beside the Stargazer Lily in the Bird Sanctuary (to the house side) and right off the front deck beside the trellis where the Euphorbia was planted this year. Planted Monkshood beside (lawn side), the Knautia that went in the Bird Sanctuary. Moved the 'Angelique' Tulips marked in Summer to two places: in front of the furthest Delphinium in the Front House Garden and immediately right of the sidewalk where the bushline was taken down. Dark came too soon today. I was on a roll.

Nesting Again

2010-10-17T18:35:00.000-06:00

Baby Hammy is still trying to build a little log house in the bird feeder. We keep trying to discourage it, he keeps rebuilding. I really hope he has built an alternate winter house somewhere because there is no way this is going to keep him warm enough in -50!

Garden Record Notes

2010-10-16T21:29:00.000-06:00

It would seem that between my notebook, my maps and my blog journals, I have once again lost complete track of my garden. No time to figure it out now though. Still things to lift and plant. Was a busy day in my garden despite the cool weather and wind today. I planted the Knautia 'Mars Midget' in the Bird Sanctuary at the start of the rock edge behind the chiminea. Planted another patch of German Purple Iris beside the first that went in that same garden next to the new 'Henry Hudson' Rose. Planted the last patch of German Purple Iris left to go in at the Saxifraga 'Purple Robe' in the Sun Gardens. Put four of the Geranium cuttings into pots to root. Lifted 'Kari Fruit Salad', 'Babylon Purple', 'Baron Katie' (all dahlia), the yellow Calla 'Flame' and several of the Calla 'Crystal Blush'. I would have got them all but it appears I have lost track of a couple for the moment. Time to read my notebook. Planted my new Explorer Shrub Rose 'J.P. Connell' which is a yellow climber from Judy, in the Bird Sanctuary top level towards the house from the yellow/purple Columbine. It needs something to climb. I need to remember that.

Cerastium in the Sun

2010-10-16T20:40:00.000-06:00

If I recall it was Linda who told me that I should move my Cerastium that was here when moved in, into the sun. Wow! Was she right or what? I can't believe that I saved a little piece back in its' original shady spot just in case it didn't survive the move. I'd say it more than survived. I guess I'll move that little saved back piece out into the sun in the Spring.

Woodpeckers Return

2010-10-16T17:06:00.000-06:00

Not sure where they go for the Summer but they are back in droves for the winter. So many of them, the birds are sharing the suet and one little guy had to wait in the hanging bird bath for a turn to eat!