hot hazy weekend

little Sally discovers the joy of LAKES

on the drive to the Lake House

Big T loves to climb

Mum finds the view distracting

oh it's a rough life ..watching each other work (notice Brody stole the chair?)

Mum's dog Wilkie worked hard trying to will a chipmunk down from tree

and supervising Big T when he had to fix the lawn tractor

the view from where we rested one way

Mum testing out her new tractor (she says liked the old 8N of my youth better!)

was hard to work but work we did - rough setting too eh?

it is GONNA be HOT today

so a nice cool picture of Big T and the dogs playing at the pond seems fitting doesn't it?

Arley cat is missing

and it is a huge worry.

He's a simple loving dude who doesn't have much common sense.

He spends a lot of life plotting great escapes but somehow I suspect he's regreting this one.

The people of Prince Edward County are amazing though - I called one vet to report him lost - the receptionist gave me two other numbers; each person I called kept trying to think of who else could help. So I've called all the vets in the area, the radio station, the newspaper, the humane society, the dog catcher and am feeling pretty good about humans right now. Everybody was so sympathetic and non judgemental (I guess I'm beating myself up enough). I'm not feeling quite so positive about predators like coyotes right now though.

We are all missing him - dogs, humans and the other cats, like old Nando in the picture with him. Of course I think the kitten Rumour misses him most.

Who sez life in da country is boring?

Not me - ever - and certainly not me last night!
We were up a little later than usual and therefore let the dogs out a little later than usual. Sally took off like a rocket for the chicken part of the yard with Hank and Brody HOT on her heels (the boys were barking and growling like mad).
Big T raced out to see what was happening while I grabbed flashlights. Hank was in the chicken run growling and snapping at something in the pen. The ramp (which is also the night lock) had been knocked aside and there are scratches on the wall of the coop.
The girls were fine but I think it was a pretty close call. Dogs didn't have a scratch on them and settled fairly quickly so whatever it was obviously booted for the hills fast. I suspect a coyote as any racoon I've ever seen cornered fights pretty hard and very loudly and can't get away too fast. Also we hear coyotes every night and have never seen a coon here (not even as road kill).
Sure got our hearts pumping fast ..
We ended up staying up even later and watched the last episode of Entourage for Season 4. Big T will have to get season 5 when he's at work this week!

gardening and wooding on the same day

and I ache :)
a healthy ache but a full day of weeding, and wooding after a night of little sleep camping out under the full moon and it serves me right

the wood was junk - pine and ceder but it had fallen onto Dad's neighbours yard so it needed to be cleared - might as well cut it up for the woodstove - dragging it out of the grape vines was back breaking work - the vines were as thick as my arm

the tomatoes may never ripen if we don't get some heat - we have lovely GREEN tomatoes hanging but thats it

peas were ok - lettuce is still chugging along
I must start pulling onions and drying them
carrots are tiny (MUST thin better next time) but tasty
a few ground cherries look like they'll make it - I can't wait

still getting the blackberries though less and less

garlic is truly impressive (and weedy - I've been ignoring that bed lately)
it really does feel like summer is winding down but we are only one week into August!

where I like to lay my head

new to me computer

means access to some as yet unposted pictures

here is my favourite picture of a typical sunset .. taken from right behind the schoolhouse



my favourite local beach walk - often this quiet at any time and maybe 10 minutes away if I putter along the road




and finally the schoolhouse itself .. the scene of much learning, loving and laughing



more pictures over the next few days ...

eating locally

not only eating locally but lately able to eat pretty much within eyesite of the kitchen :)

gotta love it

snow peas, peas, peppers, cheese, eggs, mushrooms, onions, garlic, any herb want - and tonight steak .. on our housewarming present from mum (a new bbq finally put together)
raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
home made bread ...

just yum

that's all simply yum

not sure I'll be giving up sugar or diet coke but this time of year certainly inspires me to be as local as possible - I'm in search of locla honey at the moment

will try to stay inspired a little later into the autumn this year .

what a lovely day

This big garter snake is enjoying the heat from the compost pile - she is shy and hid her head but you could SEE her absorbing the heat - quite neat - made me glad I don't have baby chicks or rabbits outside though ;)

Summer has been hard to find this year so far - my farmers tan is marked at my elbows at the best as I generally wear long sleeves then push them up for an hour or two in the garden
my legs are still pasty white under my jeans but today there is a hint of summer

I'm sitting outside the library at our local hamlet on my laptop with the wireless connection restoring my sanity (apparently I AM addicted to the net and 5 days induces withdrawal that hurts!) but have had a lovely day - mixed up chores, a quick trip to town to take fresh greens to the guinea pig babies I have up for adoption, eating fresh peas and blackberries, watching bunnies and chickens and dogs enjoy the nice day .. and of course, weeding... but I feel like I'm getting somewhere weeding so even that was fun today - the garden is starting to ripen though I have my doubts about some crops.

Trying to knock off a painting or two as well - supposed to be in an art show this weekend - but can't find the pre-move work .. may not have enough to show up ... we'll see

rabbits rabbits everywhere

between the animal control strike, hoarders in Meaford and a hoarder in Montreal I have TOO many small animals I didn't ask for ;) hopefully temporary, generally pretty sweet and so far no one has actually produced litters... may that continue guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits are the current crew ... I'm showing some bad rabbit pictures in the hopes somebody will know breeds ... I hope ...

Saffron is way way cuter than this bad picture .. she's tiny - not two pounds I bet and has dark brown eyes... and she's FRIENDLY .. holey smokes Big T has NEVER said he liked a rabbit before - he likes this one enough to name her and Niobe too :)

Niobe (Ethiopian godness of night) is dark black - tiny earred and maybe 4 -5 pounds tops.. is she a Jersy Wooly??

Lola - the biggest and witchiest rabbit going .. she is cute though .. she's probably 6 pounds or more ... she came named so I hope that means when the strike is over staff will want her back ;)

I'm sitting in front of the closed local library typing to get access to the wireless connection as I'm without Internet at home when Big T takes his work computer to work ... such is a life of leisure I get for the next couple of weeks - weeding, feeding, collecting eggs and just generally having some me time - lucky lucky me :)