a long weekend approaches

and I've been remiss posting - blew the monitor on saturday morning when a storm tore through here - lucky not to get more damage I guess

we finished putting up the shed (just door hardware, shingling and painting left)

I planted potatoes, beets, carrots

cut the grass

we walked the dogs, put stones in the driveway and generally pretended it was nice out (it was freezing and rainy but we didn't let it stop it)

it's supposed to be a bit grim this weekend too - but we'll have fun anyhow - I hope I can get the transplants in - they need more room then the peat and they have been hardening off ok (I think) I have an agility trial on Sunday - YEAH! Big T 's parents are coming down - usually thats fun but there is family politics lurking around his large family so I hope all is smooth!

spring forward

wow - the amount of work is phenomenal in spring when you have 107 acres! the seedlings are getting leggy enough it had better warm up ..SOON .. they are hardening off but I have my doubts about the great planting - but I'd better get them in this weekend I think. The ground cherries crashed over the weekend a bit and so did a few peppers.. the tomatoes still look pretty good and the onions seem stronger than the leeks - we'll see what happens when they hit real soil ... preparing beds is hard work - especially as the house garden was so neglected last year - turn, weed, turn in compost, de-rock and turn again.. then rest an aching back (garden has onions, beets, carrots, garlic and potatoes planted already - lots more to go in)
here is the back wall up

building sheds is hard work but, it's done, apart from a little trim work and painting .. the Buck is in the shed safe and sound
I need to repaint the muskoka chairs, rehang the mailbox and much much more - and that isn't even considering the flower beds !

sad losses ...

Bunny No No is no more :(
He died suddenly unexpectedly and in his sleep ...
I have one bag of combings from him - not enough to learn the skills I want to learn
but much more importantly I will miss him .. he had a great and happy heart

I hope he enjoyed being a coddled house bunny his last month of life! (He certainly appeared to enjoy it)

We also lost Coma Kitty (who is only on the cat blog I bet)

2009 continues to teach me about loss and grief ...
it could stop anytime

happy easter

Another lovely pair of walks .. the pond is full..you can see forever right now. Promise is in the air and it's exciting! Took a picture of a fence made of old stumps - it's a thing of beauty. I cannot imagine the labour involved in making this fence. Well that's not quite true I can imagine it having dragged and chopped the tops of trees and worn myself out. The effort to get the stumps out of the ground does rather boggle my mind though!

We worked a lot on clearing the barn debris but the dogs took things a little less seriously today. Thea did her best horse impression!

Thanks Heidi ...

My box of awesome (and nope I didn't win - my life was just so pathetic Heidi took pity on me) arrived today - YAY. My haul ...

(excuse the mess - that's my kitchen island/computer station - covered in STUFF, never ending multiplying stuff!)

• a lovely dark green robe (my favourite colour! how did she know?)
  
• yummy sweets - marshmallows with caramel - I have NO idea what they are called but I think I'm in love
  
  
• and a great little notepad proudly sitting on my fridge now :)
  
  how lucky can a gal be?
  

now I'm playing a game myself -it's about more awesome and more sharing .. and sharing awesome...

(changing one rule to add if you are already playing you don't need to repeat the post and give away .. so, for example, Heidi who started this could win here too! and if you really really have a good reason not to play yourself tell me and I may take pity on you too)

The first five people to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me.However there are some limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make.

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It will be done this year.

4. You have not a clue what it is going to be, poetry, shoes, bags or a little invention of my own.I may bake something and mail it you . Who knows? Not you that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

It may blow your mind! Here is the catch...if you choose to do this, you must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

I actually made it in time to post on http://benmelpeterson.blogspot.com/

which is a new to me blog I found following this game around ... cool eh? Or at least I hope I did - apparently she approves comments - so I may have a million posts I can't see ahead of me ... fingers crossed and what the heck I'll play anyways!

so post away ... I'm not crafty but I'm clever (somedays anyhow!)and I'll seek input :) (maybe!)

welcome to a new friend

~ a hard working friend ..a fun riding friend ~ a barely used toy for another family becomes a hard working family member for us .. the bucket in the back is great - the power in the machine is awesome! We zipped around the land on it - through the woods .. past the pond. It's not a great two person ride but it works and it is already obvious how much work we will be able to do with it! Much easier to drive then my truck or any dirt bike or tractor I've driven. I took it through the rough field - puddles are a riot in it! More like a snowmobile then my memories of dirt bikes and three wheel atvs actually. "Kewl" as my students would spell it!

seeds start growing ...

I'm using my fancy vet pack for a heat source- it doesn't provide a totally steady heat but the ground cherries seem to like it - they started sprouting today - about 5 days ahead of schedule!

The onions were first to pop up, followed by leeks; now there are a few tomatoes and ground cherries. The peppers are taking their sweet time though!

We set up a second light today so the 4 week ahead stuff can hit the pots early next week.

a hard day's work

Brody had the difficult job of supervising the rest of us ... you can see how he suffered.

We walked the dogs down the road, turned garden beds, continued Project Demolition, cut up a tree that had fallen into one of the good hay fields, loaded crappy hay into the truck for the garden paths, had a lovely picnic listening to the early frogs by the pond, went out for dinner with Mum.

I'm not sure I've ever seen dogs as tired as this gang is tonight. Think we will all sleep very well!

Any great ideas for what to do with the old sections of tin roof we are accumulating? I want to make something - but what on earth could I make with old rusted tin?

dreaming of chickens...

http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken-coop-small.html

I obsess about chickens, I want chickens...

our life isn't quite ready for chickens yet but I'm scheming how I could have chickens for the summer ... we have lots of room for a small coop - and I'd appreciate some help with the grubs in the garden - and we'd all love fresh eggs ..

if anybody knows any hens ready for a semi-retirement home in southern Ontario please feel free to let me know ... if our life isn't ready for chickens in September I have a great friends who have taken in hens for me before and are willing to again

seeds started ...

planting is harder than it looks - wee tiny seeds into wee little piles of earth - wet earth so covering them is nearly impossible

planted tomatoes, leeks, onions, ground cherries, and peppers today

more to start in three weeks ...

wwwwhhhhhheeeeeeeeee