If I Should Die Today Someone Call the Cops!

I started my day off with my NEW regular routine....Breakfast. I boiled the kettle to make my daily oatmeal, mixed it up, then microwaved it for a further 30 seconds and sat down to enjoy. I took my first bite and recognized that something tasted off. As some of you might remember, I have minimal sense of smell which also affects my taste. It sometimes takes several bites of something before I get the full flavour, almost like the flavour eventually builds before I get the full effect. Put it this way, I have been known to eat a few things that were "off". I have also been known to burn a multitude of things, whether toasted, broiled, baked or fried. The name of the game for me is pay attention, or more importantly, do not get distracted.

Back to breakfast, so I move on for a second bite and I'm still sensing some nastiness to my bowl of goodness. I give it one last go and, true to form, the flavour is building but NOT in a good direction. That's it. Down the garburator it goes. I settled for a piece of potato bread instead.
Next I slice some melon but either it was picked way to early or my taste buds are still suffering the indignity of that oatmeal. I was considering taking the whole box back to the grocery store as it was a brand new box.

When the SF comes back inside from tending his flock, I relay my breakfast horror to him. Unimpressed. Time goes by and about 20 minutes later, he is prepping his own breakfast. Then he picks up the kettle and says, "I wonder how this worked?" And then the light bulb goes off...FOR BOTH OF US!

Yesterday afternoon, when he was making himself some tea, the kettle was making all kinds of disgusting noises. Pops and crackles. Scale! We have pretty serious minerals in our water which clog up kettles and coffee makers. We discuss what we have simultaneously investigated. Before you go to bed you fill the kettle with a combination of vinegar and water, allow it to boil and then leave it to sit overnight. In the morning, rinse and it should be good to go. Problem was that it was too early in the day to set it up as the SF is also an evening teetotaller. So we put it off.

Funnily enough, as I went to boil the kettle to make my oatmeal, I had an "Oh Yeah" moment. We forget to try out the scale removing technique. Well, apparently didn't! The SF, never one to forget a task on the "to do" list, diligently prepared the kettle.

All I'm saying is, give the old girl a heads up, will ya? Either that or it is one more reminder, never doubt your husband's abilities. At least I know I won't have any scale in MY pipes. Or wait. Will I? Will the scale I ate lodge in my innards? So people be forewarned, if I should croak tonight, someone call the cops. My husband has tried to do me in.

Old McLachlan had a farm...Eee- I-Eeee-I-Oooooh!

And on his farm he planted some peppers...

...and tomatoes!

And there's Rookie's raspberry and blackberry bushes.

And then his Old McLachlan's nutbar wigged-out wife decided she would make her perennial garden a circle garden. She was inspired by one of her favourite gardens - The Grist Mill located in Keremeos, BC. Not a huge garden but a beautiful one that pairs the historic tools of the Grist Mill with lucious gardens that meander through the grounds. So far, all I have planted are sweet peas. Three different kinds. Tonight I have to plan out the rest. I'm hoping my little structure might act as a deterent to scavenging birds but if they are anything like the squirrels, it will take about oh.... five minutes before they move in.

And no, this is not Rookie's final resting place but the future home of zucchinis and courgettes (same thing really). The bugs don't like marigolds so I planted a bundle which says a lot because they have to be my least favourite flower....EVER!

One last perspective before Old McLachlan and his old lady head in for supper. Oh! Wait! See our rainbarrel beside the back door of the garage. We used nothing but that water today to provide sustenances to our garden.

Looking good Farmer Mac!

Lovegrass Farm & The Enchanted Garden

I took a trip back to Lovegrass Farm today to pick up the ornamental grass I was waiting for and took my camera along. As I mentioned before, Lovegrass Farm is a couple of acres of planted garden located in Dunstaffnage, PEI. It's about 20 km from our place and takes all of 20 minutes to get there. The concept is similar to a "u-pick berry farm" in BC. You select the plant you want and the owner digs it up for you. The benefit is that you receive a plant with a well-developed root structure and it is already hardened off to the elements so you can plant it directly into your own garden. I also brought along a neighbour who was interested in some raspberry plants. She had seen the plants we purchased the last time we were out there which are all filling in quite nicely in Rookie's garden and was interested in coming to take a look. It was frigidly cold out there with a rather biting wind so the visit was as short as it took the owner to dig up the lovelies we bought. (I also had to pick up the SF a couple more raspberry bushes.) Actually, the owner's husband was there so she had him dig up the raspberry bushes while the three of us chatted and shopped. I was teasing her that her husband purposefully took his time digging them up because the longer he took, the more we found to buy. I also told her that the SF and I found our own "secret stash" of eel grass. She later sent me an email saying her and her husband got quite a chuckle out of that and her husband said, "That's good, as long as it's not ours." I can't say enough about what a wonderful spot this is. Original and interesting varieties. Well-informed owner's, great customer service all with a smile and a few laughs. I know I'll be back again, sooner than later.

Perennial Beds

Ornamental Grasses

Lavendar on the far-off hillside

Raspberry, Blackberry and Rhubarb

As for our own gardens, again, the weather has not been cooperating. Not a lot of anything going on outside these days. It seems to rain until about 4:00 and then the sun comes out just so you can't say it didn't. Irritating and frustrating. Today, as I mentioned, was bitter cold. At least in the morning but shortly after noon, it started to heat up and I was inspired to get planting. I had a number of perennials that really needed to be planted and had to get the ones I got today in the ground as their roots are exposed. Here are some pictures. I've included before and afters again. Keep in mind that we are at the beginning of the gardening season here so these beds will continue to fill in.

NEW BED ALONG FRONT WALK - BEFORE - taken 7-May - ALL AFTERS taken today.

SHADE BED - BEFORE (all befores from here on - April 15th & 21st)

SUN GARDEN

SOUTH BED

The best for last...not without an ERNIE-ism. See him standing on the brick here? That's how he commutes the garden beds. He doesn't like the gravel under his feet so he skirts the flower beds by tip-toeing around the brick surround.

Picture in your mind, if you will...

I know I am severely dating myself here but I want to paint a picture for you. Better yet, for some of you, I want to draw on an old warm memory. Family nights in front of the TV watching your favourite TV show. For me, one of them was Little House on the Prairie. If I recall correctly, it was on when Dad and my brother were at hockey, so Mom had to endure and watch it with me. A wholesome, heart-warming family show that allowed one to escape to times gone past and imagine yourself living the adventure alongside Laura Ingalls. Nevermind Pa Ingalls, who was a hotty and I'm sure the reason my own Ma didn't mind watching. For numerous reasons, this show has become fairly relevant in my life. One, because I am living with Farmer McLachlan (Don't get me started!) and two, well....Do you remember the intro to the show when the Ingalls girls, Mary, Laura and little Carrie (I had to google Carrie's name..another sign I'm getting old. I'm losing my memory.) are running down a steep hill draped in long grass and flowers with Ma and Pa Ingalls watching from their horse drawn wagon? If not, it goes something like this....

Something has been happening in our backyard that keeps taking me back to the emotion that intro stirred in me and I just wanted to share it with you.

Can you see what I'm saying?

Anything? I swear to God, everytime I see him romping through the tall grass that tickles his willy, ears flapping in the wind, a kick in his step, a smile on his face as though he's died and gone to heaven...and apparently having ingested a dozen dandelion seed heads, it draws me back to little Carrie. All I need to do is capture him tripping and wiping out which wouldn't be out of the question for my dog with 4 left feet.

That's all I have for ya people! The weather has not been cooperating so I don't have many new pictures for you.

Note to Self

If you are attempting to train your spoiled rotten Brussels Griffon to sit calmly and patiently in his crate while you spending countless hours in The Enchanted Garden planting, you might want to heed my advice. Make sure that the nozzle on the hose is NOT aimed directly at his cage when you turn it on. Better yet, make sure it isn't set to POWER WASH mode!

"I an NOT impressed."
"And, I'm giving you the cold shoulder. Bad Mommy!"

Are you shittin' me?

It's been a couple of days so I have many things to update you on.

I attended the first of four Healthy Weight Program sessions on Thursday night, offered through Sobeys grocery store - FREE OF CHARGE! I mean seriously, what is free of charge these days? And let me address the "white elephant" in the room, and don't mistake me for that elephant, but clearly, I am in serious need of a refresher on what healthy weight and, more importantly, healthy eating standards are in 2010. Don't we all need a refresher from time to time. Standards change, right?

The group is a small one - eight people. And, a mixture of women and men in all age ranges. We are all there for different reasons, some related to health. Well really, we're all there for our health but others are also interested in losing weight. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we all have different goals. So, now the fun starts. Eating according to the Canadian Food Guide and combining some exercise into my day. Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted on my progress. Two days of healthy eating down, the rest of my life to go - that is until a chocolate bar gets in my way.

On the home front, yesterday while I was running around town doing some errands, the Silver Fox was hard at it, building.....



Great, no? At one of the nurseries in town, he was chatting with the manager about the chances of peppers producing here because it is still a fairly mild climate. She told him the only chance he would have is if he grew them in a greenhouse or a cold (HOT) frame. So, he set to it. He is bound and determined to grow those little suckers.

Today, I continued on with my painting. I did the second coat on the strip along the deck surface and then took a lunch break. I made a sandwich and headed outside to the stoop with little Ernie at my side. After a few moments, I heard a squirrel coming up under the deck, between the stairs and the wall. I knew that it wouldn't see us because we have a collection of plants sitting beside the stairs waiting to be planted. We sat very still and sure enough, the squirrel pops its head around the plant and realizes we are sitting there so it makes a hasty retreat. Seconds later, another squirrel does the same thing except this one doesn't see us and walks right out in front of us before high-tailing it out to its tree.

After lunch, I headed out to paint the deck at the back of the house. The SF assembled a scaffolding of sorts for me to paint the outside of the deck. FAR BETTER than standing on a ladder and allowed me to make quick work of the couple of sections I completed. Mid-way through the SF stopped by. Since it was such a great day, he brought his lunch home to eat outside (I just about splattered paint on him...oops) keeping me company. So sweet. When he was ready to go back to work, I walked him up to the front of the house. As I stood at the top of the stoop, babbling as he walked to his car, he suddenly turned and postured oddly. At the same time, something lying on the road behind him caught my eye. Noooo!! I asked him what it was. Is it a squirrel? And he wouldn't answer. I'm heartbroken. He walked over to it and nudged it over to the side of the road with a promise he would pick it up after he got home from work. "Is it my little Momma?", I asked him. And he wouldn't answer. Just that he would put it away later. I knew it. I knew my little Momma was gone. Only moments later a group of teenage girls must have spotted her when they were driving by and I could hear them squealing as they continued driving. Then they had the nerve to turn around, come back, stop and get out to look at her. I couldn't leave her there until the SF got home so I scooped her up and dug a little grave for her under a tree. I'm sure there are some babies somewhere that probably won't make it much longer without her because it looked as though she was feeding. Why? My poor sweet friend. I seriously need to stop attaching to the wildlife around here. Geesh, the other day I came home heartbroken because I saw a baby fox that had been killed on the highway. It was no bigger than Ernie. Poor sweet baby. Rest in Peace you two. There are no darn cars where you are now but watch out for that Rookie. Nothing he loves better than to chase a squirrel.

When the SF arrived home from work, he headed out to light the barbeque on the deck. He had moved the first planter onto the painted deck surface. Here's how things are shaping up there. Just need to fill the planters...


and now I have one more job to do.....cleaning up someone else's job!


Not twelve hours have passed and the birds already crapped on the freshly painted deck. No where else. Just the nice white stain! Are you shittin' me?

Cuteness factor...and for once it isn't about Ernie.

After slathering on some sunscreen (Yes, I know. I should have thought of that YESTERDAY!) I headed back outside to get some more painting done. I broke with my routine and started painting some of the deck surface. Completely unlike me when it comes to painting. I am very strict about painting in a consecutive organized manner. None of this bouncing back and forth for me. However, we are anxious to plant in our newly constructed planters but we can't until the deck surface is complete, or at least the deck surface underneath the planters. So, I painted a swatch about 7 boards wide, spanning the deck's surface. I dare that little frog to show up and say I have lots of work to complete. The deck surface is a snap to paint. Another coat on that small path and the planters can be placed in their future home. As I was painting, the SF was washing my car on the driveway below. At one point, I stood up to stretch and was chatting with him when some movement further downstream of him, literally, caught my attention. It was a squirrel walking out onto the driveway to get a drink from the water running down the driveway. It was very sweet. The little guy stayed there for a couple of minutes and then looked at the SF as if to say, "Thanks, Dude!" Heartwarming, no?

Well it was for a short time. An hour later, I saw the SF shooing the squirrel away from the bird feeder and I couldn't understand why he was getting so annoyed. After all, the squirrel has been eating out of the "squirrel proof" feeders for several months now. Well, this should answer the question.

Noooo!!! Say it isn't so!

"You lookin' at me?"

Lower....lower.....Got it!

It's no wonder the hosta below this feeder has new leaves broken off of it every day. The squirrel jumps down from the feeder into the hosta. I suspect it is trying to cushion it's fall.

She's in for a rude awakening because just hours after this show took place, I saw a hummingbird checking out the feeder. Time to switch it up a bit. Besides, those squirrels and chickadees are fat enough now. Time to fatten up some hummers.

Must go soak in a hot tub. Later!

Rare Flower Findings, Return of the Supervisor & Camping.

In my relentless hunt for unique, exotic and hard to obtain flora for our garden, I discovered a beauty that already existed there. An Arctic Lily. Pure White. White as the driven snow, or is that pure as the driven snow, well it’s all that too. At maturity, it stands over 5.5 feet. It’s petals are spiral shaped and hang loosely. When the flower first blooms, the petals have a myriad of colours running through them, depending on the light, but always present, are tinges of white which eventually spread like wildfire as the lily ages. It’s translucent limbs are veined with the most spectacular variety of green, purple and blue. As it is exposed to the sun, as we had today – beautiful, glorious warm sun, the limbs turn beet red....OH WAIT! IT’S NO LILY. IT’S ME & MY LILY WHITE LEGS! They haven’t seen the sun in 3 years and the reflection off of them today is enough to blind a 747 doing a fly-by high above. Well, I'm not white any more. I'm looking more like a poppy! Ouch! SUNBURN!

The day was spectacular though and a great opportunity for me to get some painting done with the ever faithful supervisor showing up and doing his part again. I made some great progress completing the second and final coat on the umm...East (?) side of the house. Not great at directions, what can I say.

AND, if I dare say, I turned a corner today as well.

Let me ask you. Have you ever had one of those bosses that you feel is always watching you? Like you can't even go to use the facilities without "BIG BROTHER" keeping a watchful eye? They think they are being all cunning and are so dense that they don't realize that you FEEL their eyes burning a hole in the back of your head? It's as though they their glaring at you with those piercing beady little eyes, is going to miraculously speed up your productivity? Do you feel me people?

Let's take a closer look.

Anyone want to hazard a guess what this is? You'll never get it. Even if you think it's obvious, it ain't!

Well?

It’s a PUP TENT!!!! I know, pathetic, right? I should quit while I’m still ahead. But it worked out great for Ernie. He is very susceptible to the heat and even though it maybe hit 20, it’s too hot for him. This brainchild, brought to you by yours truly, worked fantabulously...don’t you agree Ern?

“Zzzzzzzz....Zzzzzzzz....Zzzzzzz.” I’ll take that as a yes.

Team Work

The day began with a run for the Silver Fox and sleep in for me & Noodles. We all met up outside as the SF arrived home and Ernie and I were outside for his morning pee. Notice something wrong with this picture?

Let's take a closer look....

CLOSER...

Well, not that close. It is, after all, a family blog.

Once I had a cup of coffee under my belt, I headed out to help the husband on one of our projects. Rookie's Berry Patch. People...I need a better name than that? Yesterday I painted the fence posts and finished painting all of the rails. This morning (while I was drinking my coffee), the SF "tamped" the fence posts in and double-checked that they were all level. Then we set to work.

We had to decide how high the fence would be, where to place the two rails, how much fence post we wanted showing after we were done and how much overhang we wanted on the rails. If you know me, decision making is sometimes not my biggest strength. There is something so final about making decisions, right?

That's the eel grass in the middle of the garden.

Yep...Looking level, Honey!

Oh, look! The supervisor is sleeping on the job again!

First section, done. Onto the second.

"Ahhh.....let me just put my head down here for a second. I feel a fiver coming on. "

The supervisor doing what he does best. Sawing.......logs that is! "Zzzzzzz...Zzzzzzzz.Zzzzzz "

Moving along.

Done.

Well almost. I just need to paint all of the exposed ends now, but since it has started to rain, it's time to head indoors. Here's another view. Everything is level and square just the way the SF likes them.

Can you tell who planted which row of berry bushes? I know Rookie wouldn't care and that's all that matters to me.

"Huh? What? We're done working for the day? Wow! Where did the day go?"

A view from the back of the yard....

And finally, a view from the deck above.

We know Rookie is looking down on us today with a big smile in his heart as we will every time we pull berries off of the bushes. Nothing better than a little teamwork (even if the supervisor slept through the entire thing) to get a job checked off our list.

Seriously folks, if you can think of a better name for Rookie's patch, please let me know. Thanks for visiting.