Pilgrim's Progress

Happy International Day of Peace, good readers. In honour of the day, I will refrain from making reference to poo, carcasses, or 'battles' with morning glory. All will be goodness and light, I promise.

It feels as though things have finally settled into a bit of routine around here... I'm at my computer by 7am or so, do my Uvic work until about 10:30, then head outside to do some yard work. (Paul just works all the time, then comes in covered in dirt, hungry, and generally very happy). Yesterday I dug the grassy turf from around some fruit trees-- the lady at the garden shop had said it suffocates the trees, so I'm going to fill in a circle around each tree with good, nourishing compost and some bark mulch on top. After pondering for a few minutes what to do with the turf, I ran inside and googled 'does turf compost', and Lo! it does. It just takes a few years under black plastic, but apparently the end result is worth it. So I started a pile in a corner of the property, and will get back to you in 2013 on that.

High on my agenda is to get the veggie patch laid out, then to start the lasagna garden. For those not familiar with this 'no dig' method, the go-to book is 'Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!' by Patricia Lanza. The idea is to place layers of cardboard (that we have from saved moving boxes!), peat moss, compost, wood chips, wood ashes, newspaper, etc. etc. right on top of turf, and Hey Presto! in the spring it's settled and decomposed to a few good inches of wonderful stuff you plant right into, with the turf beneath all chewy-soft from the little organisms that flocked(?) toward all the yummy stuff you gave them.

Here's the area I plan to make into garden: looking north...





and south. And yes, its big, but they don't call me 'Go Big or Go Home Jojo' for nothing.

In the next few days, I'll stake out the beds and then start layering. I think the main challenge will be obtaining enough material, but I've started calling around for manure (oops, sorry, that's poo, isn't it) and other ingredients.

Yesterday Paul started dismantling the chimney, which doesn't work where it is (and has seen better days and a few fires, by the looks of it) and has to come out to make room for the new stairs to the second floor. Here are some shots:

 And today, I pruned back the raspberries, which had become a jungle. Never having done this before, I referred to my 'Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food'. I had to read it over a few times, and given that I don't know whether we have everbearing or simply 'red' raspberries, I had to guess and sort of came up with a freestyle method of my own. I cut down to the ground all the brown, dead canes (there were lots), and then thinned the rest so there is one cane about every 3-4 inches. I then topped them off at about 6'. As you can see, there are now far more branches in the pile than there are in the garden!                                                                 

I hope I haven't just sabotaged next years' crop... I also saved a pile of the young, fresh leaves, which I'll hang to dry in the Banya and use for raspberry tea this winter.

On the ToDo list: rent chipper to cut up all the tree trimmings we've collected so far (can use in lasagna garden); put up posts and wire for more raspberries; prune the hazelnuts where the bears broke branches :( ... Learn how to prune the fruit trees later this fall; clean up existing garden beds; extract the honey we pulled off the hives and set aside a few weeks ago. But most of all, continue enjoying the peace and beauty of this place as we move into Autumn. Peace to all, and a happy upcoming Autumn Equinox!

The House at Poo Corner

Greetings, dear readers. We know you're hankering for yet another glimpse into the rural pastimes of Paul and Jo-Anne, so let us begin.

These past weeks have been wonderfully full. I wanted to live closer to nature, and by George, we are! Nature is Creeping under the doorstep (morning glory vines), being Deposited in the livingroom (Cassius' latest trophies), and Sneaking up the garden path (bears, bears, and more bears). And isn't this a wonderful shot of a Praying Mantis, who jumped out of the morning glory onto the white wall of the workshop and posed for me.

Some Savoury moments from the past few weeks: Friday before last, when the Moon was coming on full, Paul suggested we walk down the road to the restaurant at the golf course for dinner. I hadn't realized it was there, or that it was so close. Turns out to be a Pub in our neighbourhood-- score! And, after some inquiries between me, the server, and the chef, turns out they don't bread their chicken wings. Only those readers who are celiac or gluten-sensitive will Appreciate. So we have our Friday night date night chicken wings and caesar salad night nailed down, right here in our neighbourhood! We so enjoyed sitting on the pub patio as the sun set, and then just a few brief moments later, watched the moon rise behind us. The walk home was Magic, the evening so soft and warm-- something I missed so much living on Vancouver Don't-forget-your-sweater-going-out-for-the-evening-yes-even-in-August Island.

We've also made some new Friends with Sarah and Gregg-- Sarah is helping me find local foods, and I've already purchased a half dozen Gorgeous roasting chickens (in the freezer for winter) and a turkey for Thanksgiving! Sarah leads the community Choir, which I've joined, and it feels terrific to be singing again. They are wonderful, community-minded people and so very Generous. We enjoyed a delicious currie dinner at their place last week, and are having them over this week for dinner a la Workshop.

What else? Paul has done some serious demolition in the house:





Oops, meant to show this pic:












I've also made Headway in the Battle of the Morning Glory, with Becca and Dean's help. We removed the Obnoxious Stuff from around the perimeter of the workshop and bagged it up for taking to the dump. I also got a fantastic Tip from a gardener in Trail, who said she asks for used tarps from building supply companies (its what they wrap the loads of lumber in for trucking). So I hopped down to the Rona and asked-- and voila! A trunk load of tarp, black on one side, white on the other-- Gratis! I've already covered over most of the patch of garden I weeded (you remember that, dear reader), which is Rife with morning glory. According to the UBC horticultural website, covering morning glory with black tarp for about a year may Eradicate it. We'll see.

So... we come to the Bears. It is with Trembling Awe that I write on this subject. The sheer Size, the Volume, the Frequency, sets the heart Racing and knees Quaking. I speak, of course, of bear Poo, which is bloody well everywhere on the property. The bears themselves aren't actually as big as I'd imagined. The cubs are pretty cute. But wow, what a nuisance. Behold:

This one is in the pear tree that stands on the corner of the carport, between the house and workshop. I believe we've actually passed beneath it many times in recents weeks, completely oblivious to the munching ursine above.

Here's the Mom standing guard while the cubs descend from the tree. As we watched from the bathroom of the house (how ironic), we quickly realized they had descended for one reason only -- bathroom break! We managed to chase them away before more of the area could be transformed into a cesspool.

This next picture is not for the faint of heart. I have it on good authority that one can Compost bear poo, so yes, I went around scooping it up, and yes, it is a Barrow O'Poo. I tucked it under some black plastic, on top of some morning glory. Sweet Revenge.

        

Of Moles and the Glory of the Morning

Mornings at Flying Leap are truly a gift. It is impossible to not want to step outside first thing, and every time I do, I am smitten with the place all over again. It is so, so quiet, all I hear are the birds and the occasional car as someone heads off to town early. But we're so far from the road, that's never been a problem-- in fact, I like knowing there are people around and not needing curtains on my windows. Nice combo.

These days have been, almost without exception, crystal clear. The mornings are lovely and cool, but by noon it's hot. Which means that for me, anyway, outside work needs to be done before lunch. Today I was out by 7am and finished that huge weedy patch I showed you last time. Here is the after pic:

However, the Glory of the Morning around here has been tempered significantly by the discovery in that garden bed of a huge encroachment of Morning Glory... which I have come to appreciate by it's alternate name: Bindweed. Morning Glory is the common name for over 1,000 species of the plant, whose taxonomy, according to Wikipedia, is in flux. Likely because the little bloomers keep multiplying faster than you can classify'em. I believe the type we have is Calystegia sepium, which multiplies like a many-headed Hydra every time it's mowed, cut, or pulled without having removed the whole root, and it chokes out everything in its path. 

Here's a shot of it creeping into the bed I just weeded. There's a huge section all along the northwest side of the property, and Paul and I will have to strategize about getting rid of it. Apparently covering it over in black plastic for about a year will do the trick, but a barrier of some kind will be needed to keep it from creeping back from the next property over. We'll have to figure out some way of eradicating it, because I refuse to spend the rest of my days here pulling the ruddy stuff. Will keep you posted.

Which leads to discussion of our other predatory species. If you look closely at this photo, you'll see small holes amid mounds of dirt. They've been popping up all over the property, and, you guessed it-- they're made by Moles. According to the neighbours, they gnaw away at root vegetables in the garden, and have made a comeback since someone with four cats (the former owner here?) moved away.

The only encounter I'd had with this creature until now was via the very charming children's story, the Wind in the Willows, where my children and I happily followed the bucolic adventures of Mole, Ratty, Mr. Toad, Mr. Badger, Otter, and others. My first closeup occured yesterday, when I almost tripped over a furry corpse left by Cassius for us to admire after an early morning hunt-- and yes, the little digger paws looked pretty much like they were portrayed in the book. Sigh. Be grateful I've spared you a photo. But while not wanting to make a mountain out of the infamous you know what, we will have to find a way to get rid of them as well.

One method suggested by a neighbour, and which is backed up by online testimonials so must be good, is to shove a piece of Juicy Fruit gum down the mole hole. Apparently what your mother said about swallowing gum is true-- they eat it, and it kills them. I remember rolling the gum around in my mouth and wondering why my stomach could handle the (rather astonishing) range of other stuff I ingested as a kid, but not this particular substance. I still find it difficult to swallow gum, but feel strangely rebellious and triumphant when I do-- kind of like peeing while swimming.

Dinner tonight: a fresh quick pasta sauce made from all the various veggies we've been gifted by neighbours, including tomatoes, zuchinni, patty-pan squash, onion, my own basil and italian parsley, some canned sardines (mmm...), and capers. Maybe I'll also roast the rest of the spaghetti squash, just for the theme.

Labour Day Weekend, that's for sure!

Hello, faithful readers, I come to you today a slightly sunburned, muscle-fatigued version of my former self. If anyone out there can recommed a #50 sunscreen that doesn't irritate sensitive, delicate facial skin, let me know.

Paul continues to set up our faux-kitchen in the workshop. We actually have the kitchen triangle happening... it's just that the fridge is about 18 feet from the stove, which is about 25 feet from the sink. But hey, who said cooking couldn't be an aerobic workout?

I will admit to becoming ungracefully impatient last night-- I kind of 'lost it' trying to make dinner out of boxes of food and dishes all over the workshop floor... I think Patience is going to be one of the gifts of this place to me. But wait-- Paul's just informed me the cabinets are set up and ready to fill. Halleluja, no more worrying about mice getting into the dry goods. (More on Mice later).

Here are more shots of our living quarters for the next few months:

The view from our 'livingroom'.

My task of the the last two days has been tackling the North Garden, which in the busy-ness of everything we let go not only to weed, but to seed. This is where the green house will be moved to, and where I'll have my compost system built out of wood pallets, so I'll be grassing this in next spring so we can have truck access for all the lovely loads of manure we'll be bringing in. We won't be composting kitchen waste there, though-- it goes into an Earthsaver bin that I brought from Victoria, and locals have said bears won't bother with it as long as there's no meat products thrown in (we never compost meat waste anyway).


Here's a picture of the South Garden.
Doesn't the gazing ball just look positively
radiant with promise? The North Garden will be mainly for veggies, because of it's proximity to the kitchen. My vision for this garden, located roughly at the 'front' of the house, is to plant more raspberries (including the local black raspberry that looks like a small blackberry), herbs, and cutting flowers. It might turn out as a simple maze, we'll see.

Ok, dinner calls: grilled steak and smashed potatoes, kholrabi, and garlic, and greens (all local).

Oh, one last thing-- Cassius has asked me to include his list of accomplishments to date: dozens of field mice, one bird that we know of, and one small fruit bat. Thank you Paul for dealing with the corpses, even in the middle of the night. And to Cassius for revelling in your Catness.