Big Brother is ALWAYS Watching.

You just can't get away with s&*t around here. Big...err...well...maybe not so big. Okay, Little Brother is always watching. We had another break in the weather today, so I was able to get some painting done. I have officially completed the painting on the outer portion of the deck that faces the back yard. Good thing. I wanted to get it done before the SF went on his trip today. I needed him to help relocate the ladders and scaffolding to the last section of deck.

Have you Spotted him yet? No, not the SF, Little Brother.

Now? Look left....lefter.....

There he is!

Here is a BEFORE.

And the AFTER. (And that darn dog again.)

Yes, as I have mentioned several times, I am flying solo these days. I am officially bach'ing it for the next couple of weeks. Me and Ernie are free to sleep all day, party all night and eat whatever, whenever we want. That won't happen as I am planning on sticking to my diet and I also have chores that need to be done. My plans for the next two weeks, P&P. Planting and painting. My singledom will be finished off with one final frantic day of cleaning and then probably three days of recuperating.

My Editor at Large is truly at Large. No baby, I'm not saying you ARE large, just at large. While you are off guarding the power brokers of the world, I do expect comments from you. Don't let me down.

For now, I will leave you with a photo of the rose bush at the front of our yard with a view beyond to The Enchanted Garden. The rose bush is in full bloom right now and the SF says it smells wonderful. You'll have to take him at his word. My sniffer doesn't work so good!

Build It And They Will Come.

Now accepting applications. Free rent, just the pleasure of watching you raise a family in exchange. Lovely, unfurnished one room home. Your choice of three colours. All homes have a minimum of one perch and one entrance. Come in three sizes - tall, medium and large. Short term leases available. Be the first to apply and take your pick! Bring your own nesting material and make this house your home. (I hear there is a stash of eel grass nearby that makes perfect bedding. Just don't let Old Farmer McLachlan catch you stealin' it!)

Doesn't this seem typical of a husband and wife team. He stands around "twiddling his wings" while she does the inspection and, of course, gets the final say as to whether they move in...or not.

Apparently it was not the home for them. They flew away, never to return. I hope we didn't leave these birdhouses too exposed. Maybe they aren't liking that there neighbours will be too close. I don't blame them. Keep ya' posted. There's plenty of fish...err, birds where they came from.

The weather has taken a turn for the better here. It is glorious again. Sorry J&L. As soon as you went back home, the sun came out. Go figure.

My day was spent working on the front bed...again. The SF, bless his heart, not only cut the sod two or three inches deep here, he also tilled the hell out of it but the grass and weeds started growing back so the only thing left to do was to lay landscape fabric down and mulch. Not an easy task given the number of plants to manoeuvre around. Here is the bed at the beginning of the day. (I did a bit yesterday)

Here it is close to the end of the day. I am almost finished but had to cut it short to go to my "group". (Weigh in day tomorrow.)

I had numerous visitors while out in the yard. A new neighbour and her magnificent gentle-hearted doberman, Max. A delicate periwinkle butterfly, numerous hummingbirds, my baby squirrels and the chubby-cheeked chipmunk. But, none of them were quite as amusing as this fella that came to use the hot tub.

It literally lounged in the bird bath for a good 5 minutes.

Soak, shake, bathe, soak, soak, bathe, shake.

I'm certain he would have stayed much longer but his bath was cut short by a kamikaze robin anxious for its turn . Reluctantly, the love dove vacated the sanctuary of The Enchanted Garden.

That's all I got today!

Revisiting the Honey Do List....Better Late Than Never

As I may have lamented....a few times, over the past couple of weeks, our weather SUCKS! It has been raining, pouring, thundering, lightening, blowing....am I missing anything? It has NOT been sunshining. We have been able to get an hour or so of outdoor work done before the poor weather returns. Well, remember those bird houses we built this winter. We were finally able to find a bit of time and a break in the weather to install them.

The birds seem to be digging the grapevine I attached on the top. Every day I catch at least one perched on top of it. The tall one with the tin star was our first. I wasn't smart enough to install a door on it so that it can be cleaned out at the end of the season. Hopefully the new tenants won't have an issue.


We positioned them down by Rookie's Patch so we can watch them from the kitchen window. Now we can watch the chickadees, hummingbirds, love doves and squirrels from the window by our kitchen table and the future tenants from our kitchen, living room and bedroom.

Birdhouses installed - CHECK!


Next item ticked off, install the trellises...trellis'....trelli? It was truly over due (the Nelly Moser clematis pictured below actually started blooming in the garage) and not without a couple of issues.

Issue #1....yesterday rain was forecasted so I refused to do any outdoor work and focused my efforts on inside jobs. Thing is, it didn't rain so I lost an opportunity to get a bit of gardening done. When the SF returned from his day, collecting the trailer, insuring it, etc., we had dinner and then he coerced me into heading out to the garage to install the trellises, trellis', errrr, trelli. We measured twice, drilled once and as we were screwing in the second of four screws on the first one, on cue, it started to rain. Determined to get the job done, we persevered only to be interrupted by Issue #2, the SF's cellphone going off and him getting called into work for an "issue". We probably couldn't have completed the third one anyway as it really started rain, but COME ON....give an old goat a break!

Clematis Proteus

After returning from Ernie's three month check up at the vet this afternoon (see below), we finally got the third one installed and I planted the three clematis, clematises, clemati? (Can this get any more difficult?)

Clematis Duchess of Edinburgh

VOILA!

Trellis & Clematis (That works well, doesn't it? Grammar restored.) installed - CHECK!

LOL!!! Note to self. When it pours for what seems like two weeks straight, do not leave the drain on OPEN on the rain barrel. It doesn't work so well. The SF went to get some water today and the barrel was empty.

As for Mr. Noogie-san. Still waiting for results but it was a rather disconcerting visit for me, my first visit since losing Rookie without the SF there for moral support. And wouldn't you know it, two minutes after I get there a man comes in carrying his golden retriever. The man is crying inconsolably while holding his beloved pet, as best he can, on his lap. And what do I do...start crying! After they wheeled the poor baby off on a stretcher, the man sat in the waiting area sobbing. It broke my heart. All I wanted to do was leave and I think Ernie was much the same. My thoughts go out to his dog, Kayla tonight. I hope she is not suffering and is back home with her Dad wherever that may be.

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!

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?

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.

101.5 hours - Wasn't it God's day YESTERDAY?

Somebody forgot to tell him or he apparently forgot because he came a callin' this morning and he wanted to dig some holes to Hades. At least that's how it felt. The SF rented an auger but it, sadly, did not come with a helper for the other end of it, which only left me. Six holes later, shaky arms and a slightly achy back (yes T, I stretched...and the bath will follow in a bit) the job was done.

Paul Bunyan moved on to finish falling the tree beside this garden, the future home of my..uh...our greenhouse.


The sun was still shining once I finished helping the SF so I started painting the deck. I forgot to take a BEFORE shot but here is the first section nearly complete.


I think it is going to look great once it's all done, don't you agree? Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating and it was time to call it quits before it started raining. Notice someone peeking through the fence.

Still peeking until.....

Temptation came knocking on the door ....and Ernie resisted.

As I lamented on & on to the SF about how a woman's work is never done because I was still managing laundry, doing dishes, finishing some paper work related to our move, "juicing" him, making coffee and then he got called out for work. I guess my lot in life isn't so bad.

NOW it's time to bathe as I am NOT smelling very lady-like. Later!