Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Happy 3rd day of Fall

The month of September has been a glorious one so far. It did freeze the other night, though, and it's near that now....and raining outside. Very close to being snow.

Yesterday, we decided to harvest all the veggies that were above ground (well most of them). These potatoe plants have had it........but the horseradish is happy.Xena is helping Art harvest the tomatoes. Moments after this photo I caught her absconding with a mouthful, only to spit them out after finding that they weren't quite what she was hoping. She just can't help herself .... she's a kleptomaniac.This was a lot of plant for not much fruit. I know, Carol, they look like little pumpkins, don't they, but they're not.Actually, I don't know what they are. What we planted was Butternut Squash, which these orange ones do not look like, and Acorn Squash which are supposed to be green but these ones came out white. I think the seed company got some packaging mixed up.The Spaghetti Squash is wonderful and plentiful, as well as the Zucchini.

This the new composter .... made out of tires and sat upon that new pad Art made.Heading off with some of the "loot" to put in the basement until we can get some cold storage built.My discovery of the day was raw turnip. Well, actually Rutabaga. All you Weight Watcher type persons probably already know this, but it's new to me. Peel 'em, cut 'em into fingers and snack away. YUM !!! They are sweet and crunchy and way, WAY good! Art says that when he was a kid they dipped the ends in sugar before each bite. Also very delicious. Well, we have plenty and I now have a new favourite snack.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

lovely weather

We are having the most gorgeous Fall that I've seen in a very long time. It is warm and sunny and just plain pleasant. No high winds .... just summerlike breezes.No bugs (....nice). The leaves are changing before our very eyes.Sadly, the hummingbirds are gone, but the kestrels are back. Even a magpie, which I've never seen here before, which tortures Xena and makes her give chase all around the yard. There is also a pair of woodpeckers that seem to be looking for a place to call home. I keep catching one of them pecking on the side of the house (not too desired when you live in a log home) and once found them checking out the rafters inside Art's new shop. I'll try to get pictures, but they are somewhat elusive.

Progress on the shop is coming along. We had a mechanic friend come over one day and he got the Cat working. Next, he did some surgery on our poor little skid steer.Our neighbour (different one from past years) asked if they could graze their cattle in our fields. We're happy to have the grass being "mowed", but I wasn't relishing the task of continuously chasing fence crashers out of the yard and garden.But do you notice something about this girl? She's far away from the fence. Not a one of them has even tried to bust through. Turns out that this herd is trained to think that all fences are electric, so they stay away. How great is that?Here's Ewie, doin' his part to help out with the yard projects.
Cat on a Cat....

Friday, September 19, 2008

it's a gift

Wanna know how to make a really big mess in less than a second? Okay....maybe one full second, but no more, I guarantee.

Load your arms up with full pop cans...probably more than is wise...and walk over to the fridge. Let one slip and drop on the floor, but do it in such a way that it's kind of spinning when it hits. It's very important that it lands correctly...just on the join of the top and the side....because this is the effect you're going for.Now you want to be standing as close to any furniture or appliances as possible. Make sure cupboard and closet doors are open. Appropriate footwear is crucial. Crocs are best, because they can be washed in the sink, no problem, but for extra effect they should be the ones with holes in them.

I have never seen so much sticky, spinning splatter cover so much area so quickly....up the walls and everything. Up my pantlegs....inside my shoes. Yeesh almighty.

And most amazing of all.....there was still a mouthful of pop left in the can!

Friday, September 12, 2008

this girl enjoys her toys

Yes, I know it's lookin' raggedy, but are you gonna throw it or what?That's more like it!

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

okay...okay...stop nagging

I've been busy......The last week especially has been a real drag. While Art's been working hard on the garage rebuild project, I've been breaking my brain trying to make head-nor-tails of the books for our local community hall. They volunteered me to be treasurer 2 years ago and frankly, my heart's not been in it. Thusly, I've just been throwing everything in a box with the intention of getting to it "one day". The AGM is coming up and they want to audit the books, so I guess I'd better get it together. Ever since our neighbour lit our place on fire back in the spring I've had a bad taste in my mouth about being very involved. Anyways, I'm finally finished balancing the books (this was a very good lesson on the dangers of procrastination) and all I want to do is hand it over and resign. I can relate to your sentiments, Carol.

So, before I get on to the next thing I'm going to spend a little time updating this much neglected blog.