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.