Green Wellies

Time in the garden is time well spent

There was a misty rain this morning and then the sun came out and so did I.  I've been working on the side yard, which was a narrow strip between the cottage and my neighbours' fence.  The idea to transform it into tomato alley was small to begin with, but today, I took down a fence bit that divided it in half, laid more landscape carpet and covered it with cedar mulch.  Now I have twice the space to grow tomatoes, patty pan squash and zucchini, with hopes that the deer don't discover it.

My neighbours found a pile of enormous tea tins behind a restaurant in Vancouver and gave me two of them.  I hammered about 20 holes in the bottom of each, filled them with soil and they'll be recycled as plant pots for more tomatoes.

The hop vines seem to love the climbing rig I made for them and are working their way skyward.

The potatoes that I planted in three huge black pots are just peeking through.  I know I won't get a bumper crop, but just the thought of a meal with my own spuds is good enough for me.

When I open the back door, I'm greeted with the heady scent of sweet cicely blossoms.  The plants are shoulder height and I'm always amazed at how quickly they grow...like Jack in the Beanstalk quick.  The little bleeding heart plant is one that I discovered under drooping cedar branches, dug up and transplanted.  It's only ever managed the strength to produce one or two hearts, but this spring, it put on a surge of energy and looks like it just might survive as a real bush after all.

Even on a dull day, this shines like the sun...

And at the bottom of the driveway, this greets me when I pull in...

I had fun playing in the garden today and the forecast is for warm and sunny days ahead, so there will be more of the same in store for me tomorrow.   

Round and round

ROUND ONE: It rained heavily all day, so I couldn't go out and play in the garden.  I decided to play in the kitchen instead.  Taking inspiration from Gwen, I made paneer, a firm Indian cheese.  Breaking with tradition and wanting an excuse to use chives that are growing in leaps and bounds, I added some to the milk just before it reached a boil and ended up with chive paneer.  Instead of a perfect round, mine looks more like a hat...it took on the shape of the colander and cloth as it was draining...

ROUND TWO: I found a few more pieces of beach glass to add to my bowl of fragile hearts...

ROUND THREE: Even though I've lugged home tons of rocks, there's always certain ones that call out to me and find their way into my pockets...

And not round, but worthy of a haiku...

heart rock on the sand

the beach wears you on its sleeve

shaped by tossing waves

Busy world

Life has never been busier and that's a good thing.  First of all, thanks to everyone who emailed to check up on me and to make sure that I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth.  I'm still here and the only thing that's kept me from writing on a regular basis has been other commitments to family, friends, doing respite and now that spring is here in all its glory, the garden.  I had my grandson here on two different occasions and we had a fabulous time together.  He talks a mile a minute, is interested in everything and loves to hang out with his nanny on the beach, wearing his own version of green wellies...

Casper, Indy and I walk the beach twice a day and lately, we've been heading out to hike some trails on those weekends when I have a foster child here for respite.  Until we decided it might be a good idea to read the map properly, one 2 kilometer hike ended up being a 5 kilometer trek...we got lost, but the birdsong, the masses of Dutchman's Breeches and the woodland sunshine made every step a delight...

The garden is coming along in leaps and bounds.  The rhubarb has become a bouquet of mass proportions and will soon be ready to be transformed into bottles of nectar...

The lovage is knee high to a donkey and I should have transplanted it last fall, as it's threatening to take over this tiny bed...

Taking inspiration from one of my flickr contacts, graygoosie, I'm in the process of making a narrow strip of the side yard between my place and the neighbour's fence into a tomato patch.  Because it's a sun trap, the weeds were prolific and it was an odd spot to get into with the weed-eater.  I dug up weeds, laid landscape carpet, covered the lot with cedar mulch, moved in an old blue bench and planted tomatoes in large pots.  It's another attempt to foil the deer.  They ate the flowering tops off of all my tomatoes last summer and I'm hoping that they won't wander into such a confined space.  Time will tell. 

The side of the house looks patchy.  It's been power-washed in preparation for a new coat of paint...

Using an old tap that my sister gave me, I fashioned a new spout for the front fountain.  The tub is from an old wringer washer, so the tap just seems to suit it better than the bamboo one I had before.  Trying to explain to the men at the hardware store the parts I needed, became a lesson in patience.  I could see it in my mind's eye, but they couldn't!  We managed to work things out in the end...

And while I garden to my heart's content, the dogs are kept busy chewing on bones.  Casper has his special technique...

Indy has his...

If all goes well tomorrow, I'm heading to as many blogs as I can to see what everyone else has been up to.  It's good to be back on board!

 

The inspiration tree...

My friend, Margaret, sent me this card for my birthday and it holds such meaning for me.  I'm like that tree and despite being so grateful for good strong roots...ancestral and immediate family, one and all, I realize that I'd be nothing without the friendships I have, filling out the leaves of the many branches that represent the journeys and pathways I've taken in life.  Some of my friends go back to the early times...Willa and Mary Ann, who I've known since I was six or so; Saundra, who became my friend when I was twelve (we promised to be each others maid of honour at our weddings and we were); Jan and Cathie who I met in high school...we've survived marriages, childbirths, divorces and life ever since; another Jan from Toronto Teacher's College; Sue who stood by me during some rough years and stands by me to this day; Veronica and Diane from early Folk at the Forum days and good years beyond; Greg, Peter, Maryruth, Berylanne, Janet, Meg, Bonnie, Barb, Brenda, Margaret, Bruce, Betty, Tom, Susanne, David and Julie...my wonderful school staff family (how I miss the laughter that resounded down those halls); Deb, a volunteer in my classroom for years...a woman with a huge laugh and a huge heart; Mell, who I first taught with and shared child-rearing days with; Liz in Australia; great neighbours who hug and cook fabulous food; new online friends scattered about the globe that I've met through my blog and theirs and even more incredible friends on flickr, through the magic of photographs...this would be one long post if I mentioned you all by name, but you know who you are and you know how special you've become to me, from New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, The Netherlands, the US and coast to coast in Canada.

   

Walt Whitman had his Leaves of Grass...I'll take a tree with leaves of friendship, ever green, ever growing, ever inspirational.

* card credit goes to erica of warmfuzzcards.com

Time marches on...

February was another very busy month.  Two weeks ago, I spent four days helping my sister move into her new home.  After an agonizing few months, she was left with no choice but to find a place for herself and the three remaining kids still living with her.  The family is thrilled to pieces that she's heading out on a new path in life and was able to buy this home sweet home to call her own...

Three rental truck loads, much heavy lifting, heaving, hauling and moving things into place, she was ready to start anew.  Congratulations and more power to you, dear sis...

While much of eastern Canada is blanketed by yet another snowstorm...

this is what I saw outside my back door this morning...

After a long wet winter, finally, purple shades of things to come.  Spring is just around the corner!

P.S. Thanks to my brother, Phil, and my dear sister-in-law, Janet, for the use of the great bird nests' bouquet in the snow.

Happy hugs to all...

Phil and Janet, my dear brother and his amazing wife, found this nest while out for a walk.  It was made by a very caring and clever mother robin and it reminds us to feather our family nests with love, hug lots and to always look upward and move onward, so we don't miss a single thing in life.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Circle the wagon...

It's February and seven weeks until spring arrives.  January was not a kind month to some of the people in my life.  A dear friend lost her beloved sister...too fast, too soon.  I found this rock on the beach today and it symbolizes many things to me.  It's large and at first I didn't think I could carry it while I had two dogs on leashes (after the beach run, we went for a long brisk leash walk), but I knew I had to bring it home.  I'm not sure what made the markings...rust, some large sea creature, mermaid scribbles.  All I know is that the concentric circles made me think of the ripple effect that events in our lives have on us, but more importantly, the absolute certainty of circling the wagons around friends and family that need our strength, encouragement, support and love during those times when life hands us a raw deal.  I'd be nowhere without so many wonderful people sharing my journey and the best I can hope for is that in some way, each person knows I'll always be there for them...because I am.  I wish for a kind and gentle February to all who have had a sad and cold January and my hugs go out to you.

Round and round...

When I last looked, the earth was still round and the almost-full moon is lighting up the woods behind the garden.  It's not for lack of words, but more the lack of time that has kept me from posting something new.  I was back in Vancouver earlier in the month to help my niece move and to visit with family.  I've been doing respite for a foster child, doing some early spring cleaning in the closet and on the bookshelves and trying to help some friends who are going through an emotional rough patch in their lives.  I want to thank those of you who emailed to see if I was still standing.  I am.  I think I may take a bit of a break until the end of the month, so that I can gather my thoughts and make some sense out of what I write.

We had a good taste of sunshine today and not a moment too soon.  I was beginning to feel waterlogged from days and days of rain and I was worried that I might end up looking like this...

* inkognito card "Lachmowe" by Rudi Hurzlmeier

A Happy New Year

PEACE. LOVE. WISDOM. INSPIRATION. ADVENTURE. KINDNESS. LAUGHTER. HUGS.

Green greetings

Holiday greetings to each and everyone of you.  Your stories have inspired me, have made me laugh out loud and have taught me things I didn't know.  Your writing continues to amaze and delight me and fires up my imagination.  I feel thankful that you have shared the happenings of the past year with me and I'm grateful to be blessed with your friendship.  I send heartfelt wishes for much love, joy and laughter in 2008 and I look forward to seeing where the New Year takes us.  May we collectively hope for peace for everyone with the conscious energy we send out into the world.