Still Renovating and renovating and renovating....

Will it ever end? Considering that I have a to-do-list with about ten items on it (and I'm sensible enough not to discourage myself by including absolutely everything), I think the answer to the question is "no, it will never end". The latest project is screening in the side porch. And so to that end, we had to start out by putting rails on it. Now I gotta tell you that Don loves his nail gun but it makes me nervous even though I appreciate the ease and convenience of using it. So he's happily nailing rails on and all of a sudden, no more nailing and he's dancing around holding on to his finger. I dropped what I was doing and looked over his clenched hands and sure enough, he's done it! Nailed his finger. Fortunately only his finger! "I'll turn off the coffee pot and then I gotta put the horses back in the paddock" and Don said he would clean up the tools.

Now normally, the compressor is heavy and cumbersome enough to need two hands to lug it out but, and I did not see this myself, Don grabbed that baby up with one hand and hustled it into the garage with hardly a backward look. By the time I got back from the barn, the tools were tidied up, the garage door closed and locked and Don was sitting in the car. And off to the hospital we went. What a day! Put an end to the porch work for a few days, but the nail didn't go through the bone, just slipped underneath it and so it wasn't long before we were back at it. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the nail and the finger, but you do get to see how nice the porch is looking so far. Next week I hope to be putting the screen on and then old fashioned screen door and then I can cross one item off the to do list. And that will leave how many? Hmmm, was that nine, or ten or....

Hum a little tune while we wait for the sun.....

A few weeks ago I happened to look out the windows that overlook the backyard and was amazed to see a mob of robins. I lost count at 25 plus because of the constant movement and business of these messengers of spring made it hard to keep up. So the birds have declared that spring is here, now if only the weather would catch up. An occasional warm day, but then several chilly ones, rain too. But it will come, and then we'll all be happy.

And as the robins are here, I'm sure that the little hummingbirds will be back if they are not already. Where did I put my hummingbird feeders? I will have to search the cupboards and get them out there pretty quick. We had a couple of hanging baskets last year too and we'll repeat that and in a couple years my trellis will be covered with honeysuckle and then it will be like a smorgasborg for hummers.

Oh dear, the rain has started again, but I still have faith that the sun isn't far behind.

Stanley Street, After....

So I thought you might like to see our little project that has been taking ages (or so it seems) to complete. The first pictures here are obviously the "after" pictures and if you continue on, you'll get to see what we began with. The house is about 75 years old and the lady who lived there previously was elderly and not well, so for decades nothing was done to it. So we insulated, some plumbing, new windows and siding and lots of paint and elbow grease among other things. So there you have it.

More Stanley Street, After....

So now you've seen what can be done with a little imagination, a lot of elbow grease and a couple bucks (or three or....). and the next are the icky "before" pictures.

Stanley Street in the beginning.

We've been busy, soooo busy in these last couple of weeks! But now a respite from it all. What did you think of the little house. As you can see by these photos, it was a real wreck. But we had enough imagination to see what it could be and so here it is.

Little Dogs, woodland walks and the end of winter...

The snow is almost gone, little patches only left in the shadows of the trees, but soon even that will be gone. And the ice slowly disappearing from the soil. I've been moving a few things around as the soil has softened, made my plans for the garden and now just wait. When will my little broccoli's go out, my asparagus germinate and when will the sun shine? So many questions, and only time holds the answers. Patience grasshopper.....

We did go for a walk up a little dirt road that is used mainly by ATV traffic in the summer and snow mobiles in the winter. Some parts were a bit soft but dry enough to walk on until we came to a huge stretch of snow and mud. At that point we turned back but through it all, Max had the most wonderful time. He is the perfect dog to take on a walk. He'll run up ahead about forty feet, but is always tuned in to our whereabouts and returns immediately when called. We always keep an eye on the sky though when we go out with him, looking for eagles. What a horror that would be! If we spot one soaring high overhead, he gets scooped up immediately and then we have to listen to him crying to be put back down because he loves to run. But we love him more, enough to put up with the whining. As for Diesel, we're on the lookout for a sort of baby-sling but doggy sized so that we can take him out too. I know he isn't old or infirm but I'm telling you, he is so darn slow you would think he was both! A walk that should take half an hour normally, takes 45 minutes or more and the whole time he is hanging at the end of the leash behind you, so that it looks like you are dragging him down the street. And heaven forbid you take him onto ground rougher than the sidewalk because at the first bunch of grass or branch across the path, he is stuck like he has no idea how to deal with the difficulty. In the meantime, Max is jumping over it all like a little jack rabbit. As a matter of fact, that picture that Diesel is in, illustrates the maximum level of effort that he willingly puts out but only sometimes, maybe once a week. Notice that the activity takes place on the couch. That way if he is hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion, he can safely and comfortably collapse where he stands. So it's either a carrier of some sort for Diesel, or he'll get left home while Max gets out and we would just feel too bad. I think we're the stereotypical old people and their little spoiled dogs! How humiliating! Oh well, no excuses, we just love'em.

Spring is sprung, errr? springing!

Yes I know, it has been a while, but honestly I have excuses! Lots of them, really I do. They range from we're still renovating, to I've been working on curtains, to my favourite which is my garden calleth! Yes indeed, the snow is gone except in the woods and the melt is draining and leaving things dry enough to begin digging in some places and today is simply wonderful. I started out wearing a turtle neck, a sweatshirt and my old ski jacket and by the time I'd been out there an hour I was down to the turtle neck sweater and feeling a bit overheated. So I have been having fun, digging and moving and contemplating, not necessarily in that order of course. It is a bit daunting starting a garden on what is basically a blank slate. Especially when the "canvas" that I'm working on feels so expansive as you can see by the photos. The previous owners did nothing here except mow the grass. But in a few years, this place will look terrific.

We have a deck on the back of the house, where it is a little more private from the road. But it is mostly in the shade and we've found that as the summers are a little cooler here than in BC, we tend to spend more time sitting on the side porch. Unfortunately, this is also where we have a huge expanse of driveway right in front, and so it is going to take some work to soften it and make it more appealing. While I did plant a number of small plants around this porch last year, as well as marigolds which do wonderfully here (no slugs to raze them to the ground overnight!), I have found over the years that I arrange gardens like I arrange furniture. Try it here, then if after a while you don't quite like it there, it gets moved until finally it finds the right place to actually grow in for the next few years. Unless of course, I change my mind again. Anyway, that is what I was doing this morning, rearranging the "furniture". It doesn't look like much, but after all, it's a work in progress. Later in the summer I'll take pictures again and show you what's been accomplished.

One thing that I am going to do, is build a trellis to grow honeysuckle on just about five feet from one corner of the porch. Last year we had the ruby throated hummingbirds beginning to visit our feeders and apparently they love honeysuckle so we'll lure them to the porch in droves! At least that is the plan. Anyhow, must go and check the blueberry muffins that I made before I started this. So have a nice day and I hope you have sunshine wherever you are.