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.

Bearly Here...

Well, as many of you know by now, Paul did in fact make it home, body, soul, and trailer intact. What have we been doing, you ask? Let's see: Paul has done more repairs to the trailer (grrr...), making it much more road worthy. I've finished marking final papers and sent the lot off to Uvic today. We've organized the (1600 sq.ft) workshop (I can hear the Guys drooling from here) so we can move into it for the next 2-3 months while renovations are happening. My daughter Becca and son-in-law Dean are coming tomorrow morning to help heave heavy items from the house into the workshop (hey, didn't we just do the reverse in July??). The shop has a main large room where we can plug in the stove and fridge for meals. We'll use the kitchen cabinets that are being torn out of the house, and there's a bathroom, and three smaller rooms, one of which will be our 'bedroom' and another my 'office'. As soon as that's accomplished, Paul will begin serious demolition duty. Let's see, what else-- the building permit came through yesterday, hurray! And we spent a lovely Sunday afternoon with neighbours up the hill who renovated their Doukhabour home three years ago. Rebecca and Robin moved to Castlegar from Calgary-- Rebecca is a writer and Robin an anthropologist, and they're lovely, warm people. In fact, we're finding that everyone we meet here is terrific. I just met another neighbour on the way to the mailbox this morning, and was given a warm welcome to the 'hood and promises of introductions and plant-sharing-- yay!

People seem to know our house, and many have commented on what a special property it is. We've realized that none of the new houses being built on our street along the river can be positioned as close to the river as we are-- we're probably the closest on this whole stretch of the Columbia for miles. How lucky we are to step out the (future) dining room doors and sit literally on the bank! But more than that, the comments have been about the peace, tranquility, and spirit of the place.

And in that spirit, here are a few more pictures:

Paul brought all my potted herbs, tomatoes, and geraniums from Victoria, and they're adding some colour to the Banya.

One of the many apple trees... we met a woman today who told us where we can have our apples juiced if we want.

Plums are almost ripe... which leads to the next shot:

Yes, we have a Bear, as evidenced by his or her Doo-Doo. Huge Doo-Doo, at that. May signify a huge bear, or just one who is on a terrific fruit cleanse at the moment.
Apparently we'll be vying for the plum crop... stay Tuned.

Trailer Trash, or Will Paul Make it Home?

Thank you for your patience, dear readers. I realize it's been almost a Month since I last posted (hmm... reminds me of being Catholic: "bless me father, for I have sinned... it's been one month since my last confession."). Oy.

In truth, there hasn't been a lot to report on my end, and Paul was too busy to write. When we last left you, I was starting my month of Uvic summer teaching, living in our basement suite in Victoria. I'd spent just one brief, lovely week at Flying Leap Farm before driving back. My month was... busy and boring. Although I enjoyed being in the classroom, as always. Sitting marking papers was boring, though, and I missed Paul and Cassius something fierce.

As for Paul, he accomplished tons: mowed the whole dang three acres, which was knee-high in dry grass, with our New riding mower; trimmed some of the lower branches on various Trees; made contact with a Builder, got the Permit application process underway, met a few of our Neighbours, etc. etc. He also entertained house guests, who helped him begin Demolition of the back entrance.

Before we knew it, it was time for Paul to drive back to Victoria to do some minor Maintenance on the Chambers St. house that he hadn't got to earlier, and to pack me up and bring me home. Therein begins our current Adventure. Paul, being the Bargain Hunter he is-- and usually a fine one, at that-- thought that instead of renting a U-Haul again, he would buy a second-hand Trailer to use for the duration of the renovations as well as this last move. Brilliant idea. I accompanied him to the Trailer's location, and my first thought on seeing it was 'that is one Ugly trailer.' Then, (in the voice of Gandalf) 'Is it safe?' I demurred to Paul's decision in the purchase, however, trusting in his good sense.

Well. Two days later, after repair work to the electrical/driving lights system, he was Hitched up and on his way back to Chambers St., when... the hitch broke. Bouncing along with only the safety chains holding things together. More repairs involving a Welder, and sheets of Plywood for where the truck hitch had rammed into the front of the trailer after they had parted ways. Maintenance on the house now being replaced by maintenance on the Trailer. I finished teaching Friday the 19th, cleaned and packed Saturday, and left for Home on Sunday. Paul was to follow as Soon as he was able.

Which turns out to be... Not Yet. I give to you, for your amusement and perhaps alarm, the following Excerpt from Paul's email to me last night:

(10:49 pm)

"I'm at the beautiful Ponderosa Motel and Sushi Bar in Princeton, BC: home of a number of high-temperature records and only a single day's wait for new auto parts from the Lower Mainland. I got on the 7:00 ferry yesterday and noticed on the boat that one of the trailer tires seemed a little low, so I filled it at the first service station after Tsawassen and bought a tire pressure gauge and, for some reason, a small LED flashlight. I drove very carefully to Hope, then aimed for Princeton starting at 11. There were so few people on the road at that time, it seemed best to drive when there was little potential for conflict. I drove slowly, letting people pass.

The first trailer tire went thwappa-thwappa-thwappa at 1:45 a.m., just past Manning Park. The pickup's bolt wrench was the wrong size and the bolts were frozen, but I had tools packed and eventually hammered & torqued them loose. I'll need a new ratchet set; I didn't know I could bend one like that. Adjustable-jaw crecent wrenches worked better.

The spare tire had only 20 psi (though the guy who sold me the trailer had filled them all to 34) and the wheel it was mounted on didn't have any clearance from the frame, so I had to take it off again and reverse it. I did this with the little flashlight between my teeth, turning around often to check for bears or zombies. One driver stopped to say he couldn't stop. There was only about one vehicle every 15 minutes, mostly big rigs. I always stopped what I was doing and stepped away from the trailer when someone passed, remembering all those stories that start with "The victim was changing a tire at the side of the road" and end with "identified through dental records."

The second tire shredded after 20 minutes more of driving, just before 3 a.m. I was climbing much higher up in the mountains now so it was very cold and I'd used all my warm clothes to pack breakables. The second spare was completely flat. Fortunately, I realized I had packed a bike pump. It takes about 350 pumps to fill a car tire with one of those, which is warming. I also topped up the first spare, with the filler tube now on the inside of the wheel under the trailer.

The first spare started clunking about 5 km outside Princeton, around 4:45. As I had no more backup tires and didn't care about the ones I had, I kept going for a couple of clicks and until I got to the Husky station. To my surprise, the tire wasn't flat -- but four of the five bolts were sheared off and the last was holding on by the remaining nut, which was two-thirds off. I slept for a couple of hours, and when I woke up there was a flatbed tow-truck driver getting some coffee at the station. He worked for a tire place just up the hill. Perfect.

It turns out the previous owners had changed the axle without checking the tires for clearance. They were all Bridgestone T/As, wide performance car tires. They barely fit inside the fenders, but once the trailer was loaded (those watered plants are wicked heavy) they widened out and hit metal. Then one reversed spare tire couldn't hold it's centring, snapped the bolts and chewed almost through the hub. The guys at the shop had never seen the type of damage I had. I got the sense there were some bits they might be framing.

I moved the heaviest plants from the trailer into the pickup but the parts, including proper trailer tires, won't arrive until tomorrow. The trailer should drive and track much better after that, will last longer and be a lot safer.

Through all this I didn't find myself cursing or screaming -- it was more like "Really? Seriously?" And the whole thing's been some weird kind of fun, like one of those computer games where you have to figure out how to use the gear you've collected to complete the challenge. Collect little flashlight; use little flashlight. Tire gauge, wrenches... even two same-keyed padlocks I bought a couple of days ago -- they can't move the trailer inside to store it overnight because it has no wheels now, so I needed the locks to secure the contents. It's like everything I had a passing hunch I should get, I've needed.

What frightens me is, today I picked up some bear spray."

 

Will Paul make it home Safely? By how much will the Bargain Trailer have exceeded the cost of renting, and how much will Jo-Anne care? Will the repair costs be Deductible in the same way the Rent of a U-Haul would have been? Are any Revenue Canada employees reading this right now? And why are there no photographs with this post? Stay tuned, dear readers.  

Basement Suite Blues

People have been saying 'wasn't it torture having to come back so soon after moving?' But it's not that bad, really,as long as I don't think about fresh raspberries in the morning, the sound of the river, the smell of the meadow, magnificent thunder storms... and of course Paul and Cassius. I've been back in Victoria for 10 days, living in our basement suite so I can do my Uvic summer teaching gig. The first week was the worst, mainly because I was cramming all those chapters I hadn't got to while packing and moving. But being back in the classroom feels great-- well worth the prep. Right now I'm teaching Family Counselling to the masters students who are in their third and final summer of the program. This week I add Theories in Counselling, with the new cohort just starting. I love it, the students are great. AND I get to spend a little more time with my spiritual study group, which is terrific (I've written about it on my website, www.jo-annestoltz.com).

Back home on the farm, Paul is accomplishing tons: he's installed an electric fence around the bee yard, is waging righteous war on the wasps, has met and dined with various neighbours, and bought us a riding mower of our own so we don't have to beg and borrow. I accidently brought both cameras back with me (have mailed one back to him), so he's waiting for it before posting pics and comments here. I think he'll have lots to say.

We've also had two virtual meetings with architect intern Julie from Studio9, and I think the floor plans are pretty much done. Next step is for Paul to run it past the local powers to determine permits etc. One item we're nervous about is potential required changes to the septic system to accomodate additional bathrooms... could be costly if we have to relocate the whole thing. Will keep you posted.

In addition to my pedagogical duties, I've been busy here fixing up the basement suite at 2123 Chambers. I've done some 'deep' cleaning and painted the bedroom. It was previously dark green, so hopefully this soft yellow will be an improvement during those rainy glum Victoria winter days.

I've also weeded and tidied the back yard, and will do the same in front. The lavender and rosemary need pruning, and I'll try to find a place to hang and dry the cuttings to bring home for the winter. I'm used to being able to run outside and pick fresh herbs for cooking all year 'round here, but we'll have to make do with fresh dried until I get things set up at the farm. I'm thinking pots on the new deck that can be trundled into one of the workshop rooms for the winter...

Here's a shot of some roses I picked from the bush out front, with mint drying on the window sill.      

The upstairs tenants are really nice, and I've rented the basement suite to a lovely young couple for the end of August. The Master Plan is proceeding very well indeed, heh heh. But can Paul and Jo-Anne continue to confound the Twin Gods of Crisis and Disaster in their epic journey toward unbridled, unabashed Pastoral Bliss?? Stay tuned...

PS: Have you ever noticed in 19th century writing that certain words are Capitalized by the author for Emphasis? I like it, I think it will become my Style.