Saturday, July 19, 2014

sky pics throughout the day's chores

this morning was just gorgeous! another beautiful river day as by 7:30am it was at least 20C outside.


i spoke to the man last night - also spoke to my friend W who kept me from going off the deep end. thanks W! jam assured me that he was having a mighty fine time hanging out with Pioneer Preppy in Toronto! (good one - ya wiener!)

i took pics of the sky all throughout the day as the clouds rolled in. also took a couple of pics of the cats - here's Frankie Blue Eyes, sleeping sideways one way and sideways the other, under the deck couch and up against the house:


Moe was sleeping right beside him...sort of under the hottub cover and a tire:


while watering the garden in fits and starts - i would run out for 15 minutes and water what i could and then run back into the house - the blackflies and deerflies were murder! i also took pics of the beautiful sky!


jam has us set up with 4 different hoses because our gardens are in different places - that makes watering soooo much easier. so i would run out, water an area, get bit to death, and run back in the house. then i worked on inside chores like finishing the dusting of the living room. then i would wait a bit, go back out and water another area. and take a pic of the sky. then get bit to death again and run back in.


then wash 10 million cat plates, run back outside and water another area...and of course take a pic of the sky.


then back inside to do up some flyers for our Hungry Man's Breakfast at our community centre on August 2. then back out to water another area. and take a pic of the sky.


then back in to take the bath mats out of the bathroom, give them a good shake, get bit to death and run back in the house. much water was consumed throughout the day's chores. back out to top up the pond and back in as fast as i could. another pic of the ever changing sky.


i didn't want to put any deet on because when jam is not here, i tend to only do outside chores that have to be done and then kind of "cave" myself in the house. i'd love to run down to the river and jump in - like i said - it was a gorgeous river day - but that would involve having to put on clothes (i don't mind if we get caught at the river naked together - but i certainly don't want to be down there naked alone!!!!).

so i ran out one last time to water the greenhouse again, took another sky pic. i love the sky here. it is always so blue no matter how many clouds there are. and the clouds are always so healthy and you really feel that all you have to do is reach up and you can touch them. big puffy cotton balls.

one last sky pic from this afternoon.


i am in now for a few hours. i will go and close up the greenhouse in a few hours. i have been bitten to death and every time that happens, you start to feel a little sick from the toxins. i will rub some comfrey salve on the bites - although i don't know how to rub it on certain parts of my back that are bit to death! - that's jam's job! but since he is off having a good time in Toronto with Pioneer Preppy (the wiener!) - i guess i will have to get one of the cats to do it for me - bahahahahahahaha!

oh yes, the bug toxin is getting to me - i think i need a nap! i hope you all have had a good day!

Friday, July 18, 2014

and he's off - 2014!

the morning started misty and foggy...


which really fit my mood as jambaloney was leaving this morning to go to ottawa to attend the AGM, with his Mom, for a fishing camp that she owns. he goes every year to attend with her. and also to visit her, his step-dad, dad, sister and brothers. there he is waving goodbye.


even as he was driving down the driveway the fog and mist had started to clear.


i, of course, followed him down the driveway for a last hug and kiss. i know PioneerPreppy is gonna make fun of me. i don't care. i missed jambaloney as soon a i couldn't see the truck any longer. i told jambaloney that after he left i was coming back in the house and drinking a whole bottle of wine and crying. i was trying to make a joke but he was upset that i was upset about his leaving. he gets as upset about leaving as i do and he has to spend the rest of the day: first in our little city on the island, then on a tiny plane to halifax on the mainland, then hang out in an airport until his next flight to ottawa. he's crammed a lot of stuff into his 4 days there and he is going to be tired! i hope he has a lot of fun out with a buddy of his tonight (insert Pioneer Preppy joke about Windsor, strippers and where jambaloney really will be).

of course, not 5 minutes after he left the day became this:



an absolute perfect river day and we have only had one so far! arghghghghg! so i put on my happiest sad face and went to look for things to make me happy - like little tiny roses: they make me happy!


and a big patch of heal-all. that's what we call it up here. some people call it self-heal.


if you would like to know more about the amazing health benefits of heal-all....which kind of already explains itself, no? then go here. or you can do some google searches for it - there are many great herbal websites out there. i will pluck the flowers in a few days, cook up some fresh flowers for salve and dry some for tea. we have big patches of it growing all over our land. it is a wonderful herb and can be eaten fresh in salads as well! that makes me happy!

here's my big beautiful rose bush:


i will take the freshest flowers and make rosewater, as well as rose lemonade. i will dry a ton of the flowers to put in epsom salts to make gifts for friends. that makes me happy!

oh look - a couple of squash blossoms growing in the compost pile:


you know that makes me happy!

potatoe flowers - woohoo - i think i am happy!


"tadpole, tadpole...all named frog" ALWAYS makes me happy! (h/t to Pioneer Preppy, the wiener!)


did you guys know that i grow the tallest, recorded red clover in North America?


i think it might like the discarded wire or something!

i also grow the tallest nappa cabbage flowers - don't believe me? have a gander:


flowers from a bolted cabbage means seeds for next year baby and you know THAT makes me happy!

there is no one on the planet who can look at a baby tomatoe and not get happy!


if not, yer some kind of weird ogre and should be living under a bridge somewhere!

zucchini flowers - woohoo!


sunflower, good morning!

check out these beautifully-coloured pea flowers!


the peas are doing fantastic this year - we already have a few - woohoo - happy!


 kids - look very closely in the centre of the picture below:


that is a little, baby broccoli head starting to form and i have never grown a broccoli in my life! happy!

the cobra tomatoes in pots in the greenhouse are all doing well despite the aphids wiping out all of my peppers:


little tomaties. happy!


i am trying to be happy because there is so much to be happy about and for. i am just gonna miss that man something fierce for the next 5 days - he gets back tuesday evening.  and i just somehow have to keep myself occupied until then. so please friends, do lots of posts on your blogs so i can at least kill a few hours a day reading them. thank you.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

lotsa fishing!



jambaloney here!

i can't believe it has been a month - time flies...esp when you are constantly tormented by flies - kymber and i and everyone here is suffering immensely....  all waiting for at LEAST the blackfliesto end - right now is the worst - hordes of blackflies and hordes of deerflies .it is on onslaught from sun-up to sundown.. bendryll and deet help - but sometimes 5 mins outside and another 15-20 bites.. it will make you sick.

so we have had a few sick days and been busy busy - soooo... it has been a month.. june is tip-top fishing so i have some pics!! lots for both pp and sandy and scifi so play nice and share!!!

june 21 -  this was a cool semi-cloudy morning

 water was calm..

up the creek mouth i went. canoes are pretty awesome ;-)


on the way back - the sun and clouds were doing some pretty amazing stuff on the surface of the river!

really amazing


more..

 a real treat!


and 3 nice trout - YUM!!!!!



june 22 - you have seen pics of strachan's brook many times on our blog - in the evening i often spot trout surfacing - so i decided to give it a shot!


on with the hip-waders and down the driveway!


across the road and over the embankment - what fun..

uh, yeah ;-))


we have noticed that over the years, the brook has been  slowly flooding the land right across form us - the bridge on the road has one culvert with steady flow... i think it is cutting a bigger furrow - the trees are slowly dying/drowning..


 then again - this critter might be contributing too - i often see he/she swimming about..


 okay - i am up to my lower chest and getting BIT TO F*** by blackflies!!!!!


 it IS pretty!!

 40 mins - 5 nice trout - once a month i will visit so as not to over-fish the stillwater out! k and i are feasting on trout at this point!!


2 days later, june 24 - 5:45 AM


 just past the solstice and the sun is already up in the sky..


dew abound - the air is pretty cool...


yeah, i know - more spiderwebs - heck - i think they look pretty nifty!!


down near the river - carnivorous plants - this  is a sundew....



and a pitcher plant..


this is the flower of a pitcher plant..


nice sunrise.. you can see the mist on the water... 


the air is cool but the sun bright - it is hot and cold at the same time!!


more mist..
back up the brook ..


okay - after 4 years, i don't know how many times i have paddled over this - the butt of a gun, no steel left - LOL!


and a great catch!!


awesome sunset the other night..(just over strachen's brook)


awesome!



hope you are all having a great summer so far!!
cheers!