My Garden – Mon Jardin – Mi Jardin – Mein Garten – Daily Adventures & Thoughts

No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.

Tag Archives: Canada


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I found a lost Staffordshire and then we had to go looking for his owner

Friday, January 25, 2013

A few days ago, on my daily walk … I was standing at the edge of the path, watching one of the resident eagles who was perched in a nearby Oak tree.    A guy came walking fast up towards me and asked if I’d seen a white dog.  A Staffordshire dog …named ..well, his name doesn’t matter.   I hadn’t seen him and promised that I would look for him.

I continued with my walk and met a group of birders .. asked if they had seen this dog. Sure enough, he had been following them and then he exited the Sanctuary (yes, at the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary again!)    So I took the same path and began asking all that I met .. if they had seen the dog.  No … but .. looking ahead . .I could see this dog .. he’d just crossed a busy road and was walking along the wooden bridge.  So I started to run .. .yelling “stop that dog”.

And you know what!  A lovely young man did just exactly that!  I gave him my scarf and asked him to loop it under the dog’s collar .. which he did!  Scarves come in handy!

So now .. I’m feeling so happy that I’ve found the lost dog .. and start walking where I think the owner might be.

01

After a few minutes of walking around .. I see the owner and yell out to him that I’d found his dog!    Whew … turns out the dog is a Houdini and is able to open windows and escapes to explore the neighbourhood.  The owner has paid high fines and says that I’ve just saved him hundreds of dollars.   Well .. I’m just glad that the two are together again.

So I said goodbye .. and continued on my way.  Certain to have burned off a few calories in this little adventure …bye little dog .. glad that all is right in your world now …

02Lovely blue skies from that day …

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So very alluring …. so very beautiful07

Walking towards Tuesday Pond, I encountered a small flock of Canada Geese … these birds get very defensive some times .. so I proceeded slowly…

 

 

 

 

09

They moved .. just as slowly .. into a side marsh ..

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And soon these stately birds had exited .. whew … I was glad.10

Farther along .. I saw the reason for the Mallards to make their quick and noisy departure from the pond … there was a hawk high up in the tree ..

12

These gray squirrels are not native to Vancouver Island .. they’ve usurped the black squirrels, however, I caught a glimpse of one last week ..

14More beautiful aerial scenery ..

05

So relaxing to look at .. and cheerful ..04These wonderful walks are invigorating.  I just cannot imagine how my days would be without them.  I wouldn’t meet some very lovely dogs.   Have little adventures like finding a lost dog.  How wonderful is that.

And the places my lovely muddy walking shoes take me!  Along very long and winding streets.   Up and down hill.   Through lovely local parks.  To the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary .. where there are lots of knowledgeable birders I can talk with and learn.

Such lovely quiet periods of time .. to stop, reflect on nature.  Have the opportunity to watch birds living in the wild.    As in this grouping of Double-Crested Cormorants .. relaxing on a float near the main walkway that spans Swan Lake.IMGP9442

So every day is different and every day the walks are long!  I think that I need to get up real early in order to have these wonderful walks and then have enough time left over to spend lots of time in the garden!

I’m still carefully removing the heavy mulched layer from the garlic beds.  Every day, more and more of the leafy growth is emerging.   Oh, I can hardly wait to dig up the large elephant garlic .. this is going to be the best crop yet.

And my lovely chopped oak leaf mulch is waiting to be used.  Along with the lovely batch of seaweed that D and I collected last week.  Marvelous magic for the garden.

Well .. end of the day .. time to close off .. it’s been a great week – all told!

🙂


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Saturday was a busy day! Shopping at Ikea. Attending Asmira’s 25 Anniversary show. Stepping back in the past with memories from friends!

28 October, 2012

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  So DH & I  had quite a fun day yesterday!  We travelled on the ferry .. shopped at Ikea … met some interesting people .. watched seagulls soaring .. I attended a 25th Anniversary celebration .. and, I was brought back into the past, quite a trip!

We had things to do on the Mainland yesterday, which necessitated a drive out to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal .. where we boarded one of the most uncomfortable ships I’ve ever travelled in.  One of the “new” Coastal ships … the very expensive looking passenger seats were created for body types that weren’t like ours, so that was a very uncomfortable experience.  Then, the constant very heavy pounding of the ships engines brought on neck pain that I hadn’t experienced for years.  I spent the majority of the trip trying to get comfortable on these seats and alternately massaging my neck to try to alleviate the pain.

I have to say that this was the worst trip that I’ve ever experienced and it made me wish that I’d stayed home.  But .. we persevered and (not soon enough) we were driving off the ferry and heading towards Ikea!

The trip entailed taking the Ladner Trunk tunnel (aka Deas Tunnel) .. here are some links for more information:

http://historytothepeople.ca/2011/06/the-persistent-tunnel-vision-of-british-columbias-george-massey/

It started off being called the George Massey Tunnel:

http://alex.gaio.me/delta/?page_id=836

We soon arrived at Ikea .. it’s been years since we’ve been there, and (as D had told me) .. the building had been torn down and a new one built nearby.  I didn’t even let myself dwell on the fact that I missed some amazing store closing sales!  So I won’t go there!

We were at the store nice and early and so lucky to get underground parking close to the entrance!’

First of all, we headed to the cafeteria style restaurant, which  is quite large and orderly.  Soon we had our breakfasts on trays, searched for and found (with me asking fellow shoppers where to find some things!!) all that we needed.  I noticed that some shoppers were wheeling little shelved trolleys, with trays full of food .. to their tables.  How clever, an easy way to bring breakfast to the table for the family.

I happened to chat with one of the employees .. who was placing spent coffee filter & grounds on a cart and, just for the heck of it, asked if Ikea composted anything!  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they did this!  And when I asked if I should remove the spent teabags from my tray, I was assured that all foods are sorted back in the dish washing area!  How cool is this!

For the next few hours, DH & I took our time, wandering through the store .. the displays had been well set up, showing complete rooms, including closets, with clothes hanging in there, making the displays appear to be liveable, and you know, it worked!  It felt as if we were wandering through a friend’s place .. everyone treated the displays with respect.  This was a good way to visualize the furniture and see how the many items could be best utilized.

My favourite places were the kitchen displays.  Each one had a dishwasher, oh, joy, I would love one of these.  And my favourite item in all the kitchens was a counter-island, with storage all around each side.  A sink, and dishwasher!  High stools so friends (and myself!!) could sit, chat and sip on glasses of wine.  How comfy would that be.

I made purchases here and there.  Thought of taking photos, but, there are enough photos of Ikea online and they are nice and clear.  Besides, I kind of forgot to take my camera out of the case, because I was so enthralled at looking at all the beautiful and useful items that were there.

Oh, I love Ikea and sure wish that the store would return to the island, but it was a failed experiment in years past and so I don’t think it will ever happen.  sigh.

What did I buy?  Well, how could I resist some economical new duvet sets?  So I chose 2.  Lovely.  Then there were heavy re-useable Ikea branded ziplock bags, they came in 2 colours, pink or blue.  And then, each box had 2 sizes!  Oh, these Swedish people are clever and practical!  So I bought only one box of each .. instead of 3 or 4, as I would have done in the past.  How very mature.

A cute little work lamp for only $11.95!  Little things like that.  Oh, so much fun to wander around and get ideas.

We caught the mid-afternoon ferry for our return trip.  Oh, lovely .. this time we travelled on the Spirit of British Columbia, that model that should have been used to build the last “new” ships.  What a lovely trip this was!  Comfy passenger seats, just the normal comfortable rumblings of the engines down below.   And the atmosphere, I swear, was so much friendlier!

On this trip, people talked with each other, there was a wonderful ambience all around .. this is the way that ferry travel should be!  Guess next time I’ll check ahead to see which ships will be sailing before I plan my travels.   I do not want to travel on those Coastal ships again, shudder, shudder, shudder!

I noticed that someone was throwing treats down on the deck for the seagulls.  Although this practise is not encouraged, it is harmless and raining and the seagulls were performing delightful aerial stunts, which brought out more people and their cameras.

Later on, the Captain announced that there was a young Humpback whale to be seen, so crowds of us rushed outside … how lovely was this sight!  We saw the whale spouting and then the flip of its fin and it went below the water.  As the ferry travelled on, we could see the whale continuing with these actions .. how beautiful was that.  I caught a little bit of action, not much but enough for me to appreciate the wild beauty of sea-life.

And again, I thought of the fight against a proposed Enbridge pipeline that the government wants to be installed, and how it would jeopardize our fragile sea creatures.   Here is a link showing what’s going on, just for greedy money with only lip service to the environment:

http://www.pipeupagainstenbridge.ca/ 

And then I read a story in today’s Time Colonist, page D8, showing a photo of a 78-year-old woman standing on her property.  Trying to ward off the construction of a Keystone XLoil pipeline that will bring oil from Canada.  Here is a link to the Los Angeles Times newspaper article:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/19/nation/la-na-texas-pipeline-20121020

Turns out that the TransCanada company created an easement on her property under Texas’ “eminent” domain law, which will pay her half the money she was originally offered.  How horrific is this .. to have no control over your own property. This scares the hell out of me.   And this has also happened in Canada.

Sorry to rant, but these things, these greedy actions abhor me.  However, we humans have to learn what is going on with our earth, do our best to protect it.  We must learn what companies are trying to do with our natural resources.  Just tsk tsk’ing and turning the pages or changing the channel does not serve us well.  We need to educate ourselves and learn to speak up against these things.  Get off the fence.

I will endeavour to lighten the mood now.

So I took lots of pics of the seagulls playing around in the air, balancing on the ship’s rails, pecking away at the potato chips .. and in so doing, chatted with fellow passengers, had a good laugh and thoroughly enjoyed standing outside in the rain.

Back home .. took out my new purchases and played with them all .. ah, it’s great to have enthusiasm.

Later on, I attended Asmira’s Silver Anniversary Show, here’s a link to some photos:

http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/Pioneering+Asmira+marks+milestone/7457883/story.html

And here is where I stepped back into the past!  Another friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, was dressed up as a very sexy  devil, artfully dressed all in red .. showed me what she was using for the tail of her costume!  It was a red velvet hairband tie that I had made for sale about 20 years ago!

I’d completely forgotten about these things .. back in the day when I was busy sewing, crafting and selling my creations.  Now the curtains of my memory parted and once again I was back in the past, making trips to fabric stores, visualizing the finished product,choosing materials,  making purchases.  Going home to my sewing room, measuring, cutting, sewing.    Taking my items to a friend’s shop for sale.   And all these years later, all that I’d forgotten flashed into my mind.  All that excited creative energy from the past beckoned me, begging me to let them live again!

And another reminder, another friend who I hadn’t seen in a very long time reminded me of a memory she had of me, back when, as a group, we all flew to Seattle and visited theNorthwest Folklife Festival!  She remembered that I’d bought a small tin of lip balm, made of honey and spices.  And that I’d like it so much that I kept applying it to my lips, till at the end of the day, the tin was empty!  Wow .. ok, flashes of this started to pop up!  Nice.

And this reminder of how time travels much too quickly sometimes!   I was chatting with another friend, not seen for… hmmm … how many years?  Well, let me tell you!

I was reminiscing with her about that same Folklife weekend, she was pregnant and we were wandering around the food building and she was eating a variety of foods.  She warned me to not try to follow her lead, as I couldn’t keep up with the ravenous food cravings of a woman who was pregnant.

So I asked her how her “little” boy was doing .. and learned!!!!

That he was 30 years old, married, with a daughter.  There was a silent hush as our mental calculators clicked away.   Ouch.

I would love to go back to Seattle in the spring and revisit the Folklife Festival again … so maybe next year we could get a group together and just go back to watch the marvellous folk arts, the dancing (the Clogging!!!)  To watch the most amazing dance performers and perhaps this time we could try to get into the Gospel celebration .. it was packed full and we could only hear the singing very faintly.

Here’s a link:  http://www.nwfolklifefestival.org/

And I do not like crowds, but I remember being there, thousands of people milling around and feeling so happy to be there with all those who share a love of dance, crafting, creating things, and what a wonderful place to be.

Oh, I do chatter on .. and it’s time to get going. The rains have stopped and I have plants to re-pot.

Just thought that I’d like to post those photos of that long ago visit to Folklife .. the pictures of the cat riding along on his owner’s shoulders.  The vast cooking areas.  The broom makers.

I’ll have to dig out those photos and scan them …ha ha… the days before digital cameras!!

ttfn …..

🙂


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Thoughts on creativity, and the like, on a quiet Sunday morning.

 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

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I’ve been reading some lovely blogs recently and quite a few of them list the reasons why they blog and I find that quite interesting.  And I thought, why don’t I do the same thing .. try to explain why I blog.

I didn’t know what a blog was a few years ago.   In fact, I went to a writer’s group at the local library at that time and listened to some interesting audience  feedback to the presenter, a published author, who was talking about writing, and how to get the stories out there in the world.  She said that blogging was an excellent way to do this.

One person listed his blog and stated that it helped him with his creativity in writing fiction.  It was something like … Running with the Tao, or something like that.  I remember thinking how brave he was, to publicize his thoughts .. could I ever unlock my soul to be so sharing also?

Interesting, also, he discussed the fact that his sister had created a small one-person play and played this part over and over and over, at fringe fests all over the place, Canada and the US.  She perfected the play so well that it was finally produced as a tv show.  Unfortunately, I didn’t note his or her name, nor the name of the show.

What I did remember, though, was the persistence of the woman, how she rehearsed her little play, the same one, over and over and over until it was polished sparkly bright.

That imagery of her focus stayed with me.  That is the power of dedication.  I love hearing stories of people who work hard like that.

Reminds me of the poem:  A diamond is only a piece of coal that stuck to its job you see.  If it wasn’t for that piece of coal, where would the diamond be!

Anyway, I dutifully copied down his blog address, went home and typed it into the url location, expecting it to take me to a web site.  No joy.  After a few more attempts, I gave up.

Then, nearing retirement, 2 years ago, and wanting to continue yakking about gardening, a co-worker suggested that I start a blog.

What is a blog, I said?  And, who, me?  Who would read what I wrote?  And could I really write my thoughts down so that others, people I don’t know .. could read them?   Bare my thoughts about gardening and how it brings such pleasure into my life?

Another co-worker helped me with locating a good blogging site, ahem, WordPress!

And so I went there and timidly (I’m serious!!) I registered and started writing.

At first I was stiff and very conscious that others might possibly read what I wrote, so I was very cautious   And really, I wasn’t used to just letting my thoughts flow from my mind down through my fingers tapping away at the plastic keys of the keyboard, resulting in all these neat and tidy black symbols on a white screened background.

Sheer magic.  I fell in love.

Once again, I felt the joy of creativity.  I enjoyed the power of unleashing my hidden thoughts.  The energy of the free flow of my dear subconscious, free at last from the chains of being in the background.  I’d not used my creativity for quite a few years and thus this freedom was such a joy.

After awhile, I stopped worrying  about what I wrote, how I wrote it and what people would think, if they bothered to stop and visit, that is.

Now, I know that I must write everyday if I can.  The simple pleasure of sitting at my keyboard, mug of Yorkshire Tea, photos downloaded .. time to look at what’s been happening in my life and appreciate all those treasures.. is such a treat.

I love very much the beauty that surrounds me.  The activities and awareness of nature that fill me with awe .. like the magnificent ocean visits, the cheerful whirlwind that is the flock of Bushtits that twirl around the suet block.

The little sparrows that momentarily alight on my little water fountain (actually a barrel liner with a bamboo spout).  The quizzical chirps of the Chickadees as they flit from branch to branch on the various trees in the yard.

The Anna’s who dive and zoom and sip at the nectar in the hummingbird feeder.

All of this is right here and having the time to just sit outside in the quiet of the day and enjoy all this is quite a treasure for me.

Beauty .. it is everywhere .. sometimes I have to look hard, but when I shift my view .. well, there it is!

Well, that’s enough for a Sunday morning .. time to get going and see what else is happening out there.

Enjoy .. and if you liked my ramblings, well, that is good .. and I feel happy for having taken the time to ramble on and on and on.

🙂

 

 

 


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Spending time decluttering and taking time to watch the birds.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

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Such a beautiful time of the year .. sun is still shining, veggies are still growing.  Birds are flying and playing.  A perfect time to continue decluttering, with some time out to just stop and watch what is going on.

I’ve recently been busy sorting out, decluttering and organizing various areas in the yard and quite impressed with my results.

Start out dreading the task I’ve undertaken … then I get totally involved with the decision making and before the end of the day, I’ve succeeded in weeding out what I need to keep and what needs to be sent along to recycle, donation, etc.

And so a few days ago I began this decluttering activity in my little wee garden room in the basement.

This is the place where I’ve put things “just for now” and “until later” .. well, later has arrived.

And I’ve discovered that I have way too many gardening gloves .. if that is possible.  I gathered up all the gloves, tossed them in a container and brought them outside for sorting.  Only found a few unmatched sets and ended up with a lot .. I didn’t actually count how many .. but believe me when I say that I have more than 20.  Too embarrassing to actually take a count, so I won’t!  Threw them all in the wash and dried them in the sun. Now, they are all in one container and I have absolutely no excuse for going shopping for more.

This is one good reason why decluttering is good.  When you can’t find something and buy more just to save time searching for things (say, um, gardening gloves) .. then it is high time for decluttering.

I set up a large work table just outside the back door.  And began the million trips of emptying shelves and baskets,  taking one or two things outside.  Putting them on the table.  Decision making.   Keep, recycle, discard .. one after the other.

Slow going.  I searched for tips on decluttering, as I was finding it challenging to muster up the energy to just get rid of everything.

I found some good inspiration.   that clutter is blocked energy.  Life doesn’t stand still.  Life is a flowing river.  It’s okay to change the course, it’s good to have it flow and bubble around rocks in its path.

I found these gems here:  http://eliminatecancer.hubpages.com/hub/Declutter-Your-Home-and-Re-energize-Your-Life

There were other inspirational sites that I found, but this one resonated with me.

So downstairs I went.   Back to my little room.   And I was discovering that the room was feeling better, more spacious.  Less clutter.

Soon I had a stack of empty baskets.  A huge Rubbermaid container full of things to give away, things I no longer use .. time for someone else to play with them.

I’m halfway finished.  Spent a lot of time moving things around.  Making progress.  Feeling more energized.

Unearthed some crafty projects, purchased years ago from a sewing convention.  A little kit for  beading, weaving ribbon, embroidery .. to make a little sewing needle case.  Well, really, why did I ever buy this?  Never in a million years will I ever tackle this little delicacy.  What was I thinking of, anyway.  Plus, the two extra packages of eyelash embroidery!!!

Took an old shelving unit outside, slapped on some neutral paint to freshen it up.   Today I’ll splash on some leftover lavender paint to brighten it up and then will use this for storing empty baskets on.  Something to brighten up my little room.

And in between times, lots of breaks .. taken outside.   Watched one of the local eagles soaring overhead.   Flocks (gaggles ??) of Canada Geese, flying so low overhead, I could hear the strong silky swoosh of their  wings as they flew over .. the late afternoon sun cast a mellow golden glow over their feathers.  Beautiful nature, wild and free.

The local little band of Bushtits swirl in .. chasing away the sparrows.  They are so darling as they flit about the branches.  Taking turns nibbling at the suet cakes.  Busy chirps.  Then suddenly they depart.  Love these energized little visitors.

Chickadees visit the hanging water bath that I’ve placed in the cherry tree.

Lovely sights and sounds.

Then I walk around the garden patch.  Squash are still growing … I’m impatient to prepare this area for planting garlic, but there is still time.  My gardening neighbour tells me not to plant till October 20 .. so I’ll leave them to grow another month.

Sweet peas are still flowering, fruiting, growing.  Ok, I’ll leave them also.  Some zucchini plants are still growing.  As are some tomato plants.  Sigh.  I’ll let them flourish in the sun for a few more weeks.  I’ve been picking some tomatoes and freezing them for future stews and lasagna in the fall months.  Mmmmm.

And yesterday, I was preparing supper, brought out a bowl of peas from the fridge .. I’d only picked them a few days ago, it seems.  And .. a lot of them are sprouting.  So I quickly searched growing peas in this part of Canada and lo and behold, there are a fair number of people who have successfully planted fall peas .. so I decided to try that!

Lovely times.


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Despite the short summer, it’s been a delight in the garden, busy and happy times. Spending a lot of time looking at the skies!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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August will only be with us for a few more days and I will miss this end of the summer.  Our summer was only two months long and it really was wonderful.  Once the summer heat began and the race was on to grow things in the garden.

I must admit that I hadn’t prepared my veggies for growing, depending on purchased plants.  The proverbial “next year” sounds good to me right now!  Well, next year, I will start in the spring to prepare the seedlings for planting.   And … next year .. I will prepare little plastic houses for the tender plants.

This year, though, I am quite happy with the results of my garden.  I definitely have one pumpkin and see a few others growing .. I still  have another month for them.

And my cucumber plant has one cucumber, slowing maturing.  It might be the only one. The basil plants are limping along.  The lettuce is producing daily.  Sweetpeas, late, but strong.  Flowering and producing seeds for next year.  Lovely plants.

My friend D has given me the most lovely planters … quite ornate, open metalwork, with coir linings.  I dug through the soil and found some lovely sparklies and a little yellow lizard amongst the soil .. treasures!

I’m going to dig up some kale and put them in these containers … so they will continue to grow .. and I can start shape-shifting the mulch pile where they grew all summer.

Blueberries are still fruiting .. I have some late bearing bushes.

I’ve also started decluttering my garden supplies .. and today gave away hundreds of plant pots and over a dozen propagating trays.   I had way too many .. how many do I really need!   And so it’s fun to share with fellow gardeners.

Tomorrow I plan to finish clearing out my garden work area .. to sort out what I need and what I can give away.  Feels great to do this.

I walked around my garden .. looking at the changes I made this year.   Feel amazed that I actually planted all the plants that I purchased in the past few weeks. . that is a record for me and feels like I’ve accomplished quite a lot … and I have!

Spent hours today digging up dandelions in the back yard.  Noticed that there were hardly any in the areas of lawn that were well watered and that there were so many in the drier patches.  Interesting.  I’ve put them all on a tarp, to dry in the sun and then I will add them to the compost bins.

The Italian prune plums are just dripping from the branches.  I’ve been picking quite a few.  Dehydrated some in the oven and quite a few were put on a pot to stew and then I’ll freeze some containers to use later as sauce for chicken or for a jam.

I’m quite enjoying this time of the year .. clearing up my garden areas.  Watching the birds.  I see the little Fox sparrow .. like a little sprite way up in the tree.

Yesterday and today I was treated to an aerial show of the Canada Geese as they flew overhead, en route to Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary for the night.  I wonder if these are the spring-born goslings, all grown up …. preparing for their winter flight.   They sound so strong and fly so well … my heart goes out to them.  Theirs is a tough life of survival.    I know that a lot of people don’t like Geese .. but none have harmed me.    I’m smart enough to turn around and walk the other way when I’m confronted with them.  Their beaks are very strong!

I watch little Youbou out in the yard, vigorously scratching away with his strong right leg.  Hard to imagine that last spring he couldn’t walk on that leg .. for reasons unknown, despite the many veterinarian tests.  Luckily acupuncture was able to help him.  He’s no longer on Prednisone and has his acupuncture visits about once a month or so, just to keep him aligned.

The skies have been so beautiful to watch that it’s a wonder I get anything done in the yard when I’m out there!   In the spring I gazed upwards to watch the eagles and now I watch for the Geese and the ever-changing panorama of beautiful shades of blue and white.  sigh.

And finally, on Monday, I spent the day preparing my garlic for the winter.   Set up my outside working tables and began the task of untying the bunches of garlic from beneath the sundeck, where they have been drying and curing for a month.  Noticed that quite a number of scapes escaped me!  How did that happen, anyway!  I was so sure that I’d clipped every scape to make pesto!

Just like last year, I was sure that I didn’t have enough, but when all were cleaned up and put in baskets, I realized I have more than enough.  Enough to cull the largest for planting next month.  Enough to send some to my sister back east.  Enough for us.   Enough to share.   So I’m happy about that.
And the hardnecks have these little yellow cloves, they look like kernels of corn.  I’ve read that these can be planted for spring greens.  And I’ve read that they also can be grown for several years to reach the size of a garlic bulb.

Speaking about enough .. I started thinking about all the work I’ve done over the past few years.  Gathering oak leaves from properties.    Filling bags, stuffing them in my car.  Taking them home, starting the dance of moving them from the car to the back yard and then mulching them.  Ordering bales and bales of spoiled hay .. wonderful for mulching in the yard.

What if I don’t feel like doing that this year?

Well, I’m not worried.   Because I have 3 compost bins.  Lots of lovely soil already in the yard.  And I really and truly depend on my EM to save the day!    As long as I continue to prepare my batches of EM .. I will always have the most fertile, rich garden!

Well, I’ve been enjoying the days this week .. working had and accomplishing a lot.  Feeling quite pleased with the progress of my garden.  And looking forward to making more changes.  And taking time to watch the birds … listening to the cheerful little nasal chirps from the Bushtits, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Fox and other sparrows.  And the energetic antics of the Anna’s.  And hoping to get a closer glimpse of the Geese as they soar overhead.

Another lovely day!


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Happy Canada Day!!

On this most wonderful day, a Sunday …we are all celebrating Canada Day.

Weather here has been a mixed bag .. at times overcast and then the sun will break out.

Lots of activities going on .. something for everyone .. from parades to car shows .. fireworks .. you name it.

Many people are wearing Maple Leaf designs on flags, hats, clothing … nice to see the colourful red and white everywhere.

And two days without gardening for me … I feel the pain.   On Friday I spent most of the day outside .. finally planted some sweet peas … dug up two garlic plants … sadly, the bulbs weren’t very big .. so am hoping that the rest of them are larger.  Fingers crossed.

I spread the remaining seaweed mixture around the  yard.

Already, I am planning the shape changes for the garden for next year.  So much fun to play around with that. 

There are still a number of perennials to be planted … these will get planted next week, for sure.  I’ve been looking through some gardening books .. more ideas!

I’ve used pvc hoops (pvc lengths joined together, painted green) … shaped into aerial arches .. by sinking in lengths of rebar, then positioning one pvc end onto one and then placing the other pvc end on a 2nd rebar.  Makes a great inexpensive hoop.  Then I’ve placed screw along the sides .. and then strung up a plastic netting between the 2 sides of the pvc, wrapping the netting ends firmly onto the screws.  Works great .. peas, sweet peas and other climbing plants grow straight up.

So I have snap peas growing on the back arch and on Friday, I planted sweet peas on another.  Should be quite pretty in another month.

Started more seeds, orach, luffa (what the heck, the hot season is late) and a few other types.  Watered with EM .  Hope to plant them soon, when they sprout.

Yesterday we visited Stamp River  Falls.  We’ve flown over this area many times, but never .. until yesterday .. did we realize the mighty power of the falls.  Turns out that this year is phenomenal for sockeye Salmon!  They are so thick in the water that you could literally walk across the water on them!

Looking at the information on the fish ladder I am so humbled by the drive that takes these fish on the journey upriver to their spawning location.

These waters are white water rapids … the noise of the billowing rushing body of water thunders into the air.  The massive energy and power of this force of nature is simply overwhelming.  How puny are the acts of humans .. when compared to the power of the earth.

We knelt down on the cement, to watch through the metal guards of the fish ladder … saw the salmon fly into the air, against the powerful forces of the water.

Walked along to a lookout, saw the crowds of salmon milling about .. waiting their turn to enter the fish ladder.  Again saw the powerful leaps of the salmon fighting against the strong current of the river, to proceed, bit by bit up the river.  

Felt the strong pull of nature, ever powerful .. effortlessly regal and pure …. beautiful to see such true honest energy. 

Photos to follow!

Enjoy Canada Day .. cause I am!