So lately we've been hearing the spooky sound of coyotes yipping and wailing at night. Back in the early '80's when I lived way out in the boonies with my ex-husband, northeast of nowhere in an area known as Blackwater, we heard coyotes all the time. The cowboys who helped run our cattle told me under no uncertain terms it was pronounced 'kai-yoot', not 'kai-yotee'. That was for city folk and Americans, who tended to be lumped together for some reason. Anyway, back then we had a wonderful dog, who we never worried about around the coyotes. And I never worried about my own safety around them either... just enjoyed their singing under the stars.

But it seems something has happened to the Canadian coyote in the intervening decades. Maybe it's rising unemployment, a sense of alienation, or pack mentality, I don't know. What I do know is they've got a bad reputation. Dogs, cats, and gerbils disappear and people blame the coyotes. There are rumours of children and old folks being attacked. People walk quickly, afraid of being perceived as lame or weak. Even Paul (wildlife and animal lover that he is) glanced nervously over his shoulder on our first evening family walk after the coyotes showed up. I saw one down at a neighbours' a few weeks ago; he was leaning up against a fence, smoking a cigarette and checking out the chicks in the coop. We said 'hey' to each other and I continued on my way. Didn't seem so bad to me-- maybe a little sad and lost under all the bravado.

Kidding aside, we try to keep the cat in earlier in the evening, and Billie's after-dark pee-breaks are definitely supervised. It certainly hasn't deterred the two of them from wanting to do the evening stroll. Here's a picture of them lined up at the door, waiting:                                                          

Our walks are pretty hilarious. With Paul leading Billie on leash, we start out, and soon Cassius appears behind us. At certain points along the route (always the same) Billie lies down on the road and waits. Ice, snow, mud, doesn't matter. Which means Paul and I stand there and wait as well, while the cat takes his sweet time (as only cats can do) to sashay on up close to Billie. Sooner or later Billie twitches and then Cassius takes off (sometimes leaping over her)-- at which point Paul and Billie run like mad after the cat. Then Cassius darts off the street into a yard, and the whole routine starts over. It's pretty funny watching a 50 year old man running down the street in the dark with a dog, chasing a cat, and usually laughing his head off. I've asked him if he does it when I'm not along for the walk-- silly question, of course he does.

Here are some pictures of the progress on the house. Remember the upstairs hallway?                           

Here it is as of this week. New windows have been installed throughout the upstairs.

Here's a shot looking back the other way, toward the master suite and the new stairs.

Here is the kitchen, and below, the dining area to the left. I absolutely adore the light in the main living area. I am still obsessing over paint colours, and time is ticking away, as you can see. We should be ready in about ten days, and one of the carpenters and I will tackle painting while Paul works.

Speaking of which... for those who don't know, Paul has been a very busy boy. He's been hired on as a temp with Selkirk College, meaning he fills in at any of the campuses in Castlegar, Trail, or Nelson. They're booking him up fast-- right now he's working mornings in Trail, then coming home to work on the beekeeping business... which is going great guns! He drove across the border last week and picked up our first order of equipment (which is sitting in our 'livingroom' here in the workshop... this place is doing triple duty for us at this point), and we have customers! Check out our website at www.kootenaybeekeeping.com. Our byline as of today: "Kootenay Beekeeping Supplies: Taking Care of Buzziness since 2012".

Sigh. Stay tuned, there's plenty more where that came from...

Reno Update!

Gooood morning, dear readers! There is now a faint strip of light to the east at 6:30am, but with all the snow on the ground right now, it's hard to imagine summer and 4:30 sunrises. I'm putting off thinking about the garden and seeds for awhile yet-- it just feels as though our house needs to be put in order before going there. So on that note, here is an update on the renovations:

The carpenters are finishing prepping the house for drywalling, which will start next week. They're also swapping out all the old windows upstairs and installing new ones, including these in the front:

Formerly, there was only the one window in the centre. The house looks much more... substantial? Solid? House-like? It looks better, anyway-- and the two bedrooms on that end have waaaay more light!

The plumbing is finished! So that means the two bathrooms upstairs are plumbed for toilets, sinks, and our two clawfoot tubs, and the plumbing for the main floor bathroom sink has been shifted over to allow for a door to the laundry room. We have two vintage cabinets to yet be converted to vanities, both with vessel sinks awaiting. I'm excited about how terrific that's going to look.

The electrician has been working hard for weeks now. He had quite the challenge sorting out the puzzle that was the wiring in this place. But he's almost done-- upstairs has been completely wired for lights, baseboard heaters, fans in bathrooms, etc. Paul took some of the flourescents out of the workshop (there were far too many) and they are now installed in the attic-- a temporary arrangement until that space is finished. The wiring on the main floor has been revamped, with baseboard heaters pulled out of the living room/dining/kitchen areas. This space will be heated by the woodstove and a gas unit in the dining room.

The drywalling will take about three weeks or so, and then... WE PAINT! My favourite part, as those of you who know me, know. I've never felt such accute pressure to pick the 'right' colours... currently my thoughts are turning to all the beautiful greys available, as a backdrop for two of my jewel-toned quilts and our paintings in the main living area. We also have a vintage dining room hutch, currently painted white, that I think I'll paint a deep, glossy red or peacock blue. Yum. Stay tune for
Jo-Anne's Adventures in Colour.

After the drywall and painting is done, the kitchen goes in and the new flooring goes down, where needed. As you know, there is already beautiful hardwood throughout, except: at the river end where we expanded into the old addition; in one office on the main floor; the upstairs hallway; and the main bathroom upstairs. In all the upstairs bedrooms and the en suite bath, we've decided to use Benjamin Moore porch paint on the old original plank flooring. We'd used it in the Victoria house and it lasts for years and years and stays beautifully glossy.

The electrician has tried his best to preserve as many of the upstairs plaster walls as possible (that is, to cut into them as little as possible when installing wiring). So we'll have some of the original plaster to patch and paint, which will be great. Some walls we just couldn't save-- the whole upstairs hallway needs drywalling, and one bedroom was a lost cause as well. The bathrooms are pretty good, so just the ceilings will be done in drywall.

And so we're looking at a timeline of some time in March to move in.... not bad, really. I think I can make it. The workshop was feeling pretty bleak after Christmas, so I've set up my sewing machine and am working on another quilt-- and have two more planned. Between that, my work, dog walking, snow shovelling, evenings with Paul, it should be ok. We had Becca and Dean and friends Sarah and Gregg over for dinner the other night. Paul has been working like crazy getting Kootenay Beekeeping Supplies up and running. Our first order should be arriving in about three weeks (don't ask me where we're going to put it all.... just don't ask). There is still lots of interest out there from folks looking to buy beekeeping equipment, and Paul will be attending a local beginner's course to introduce himself and our product line. He's going to be terrific at this.

Next time, I'll post new pics of Billie and share with you a description of our hilarious evening walks. Until then, ciao my darlings!

How Very Merry It Was

Well, it's January 19th and I finally feel restored enough to tell you all about how our Christmas turned out. I'm sitting here with Billie at my feet-- she just fished my tea bag out of the garbage and had a pretty good chew of Acai Green before I got it away from her. If I keep hiding treats in the folds of her blanket, she might stay out of stuff long enough for me to write this.

So how did our first Christmas at Flying Leap go? Pretty well, actually, even though it had some hallmarks of a marathon. It started on December 15th, when Paul and I drove to Kelowna to pick up my son Luke and his partner Erika from the airport. It had been one and half years since we'd seen them (Becca & Dean's wedding) and of course I cried. They looked so young and healthy and beautiful, what's not to cry about?

These two stayed with us for a full three weeks, and what a gift they were! The very day after arriving, they tackled Project 'Move the Greenhouse So It Doesn't Block the View of the River for Christmas'. The greenhouse is 8' by 20' plexiglass, and it turned out to be a half-day job of digging and heave-ho'ing (there's a lot of that required around here, I'm learning). End result: it is now situated close to where it will be permanently installed on a concrete pad in the spring, and we have a gorgeous view of the river from our new dining room windows. Hurrah!

And of course, Erika being the amazing and talented girl she is, arrived with a suitcase full of gluten-free baking ingredients and treats from Toronto deli's for us to cook with. She knew that Dylan and I are gluten intolerant, and Becca was avoiding it and Luke should. We all cooked up a storm over the next three weeks, and I believe it was 100% gluten free and almost dairy free. That includes baking and multiple feasts-- proving that those of us with extra-sensitive gastrointestinal systems don't need to be gloomy sourpusses over the holidays.

On the 19th (Luke's birthday), Becca drove with Luke and Erika back to Kelowna to pick up Dylan and Alandra, who were flying in from Montreal. More joy to see these two, who had been wedded in September in Toronto. Our household was now complete with six of us staying at the Fleap. So where did we all end up sleeping and cooking and eating and bathing and lounging, you ask? To recap: my goal last September when we were so very optimistic and naive was to be moved into the house by Christmas. So we booked flights for the kids from TO and Montreal. By October, it was 'warn the kids things may not be completely finished'; by November I was despondent about being in the house at all and wondered where the heck we'd fit us all. By early December we were going with Plan D: have the carpenters mock up a kitchen for us (the gas was in and stove could be hooked up, and it was easy to push the new fridge into place and plug it in). Contractor Jim was very accommodating-- I think he was aware of my feelings about celebrating the holidays in the garage. The carpenters cleaned up the main floor by moving lumber and tools upstairs, tore the protective paper covering off the hardwood floors in the living room, and had given things a good sweeping. I went in the next morning and washed the floors twice.

So now it was December 22nd, and we had hauled over the dishes, pots and pans, dried and canned foods, refrigerater foods, couches, chairs, and Christmas decorations. We would eat and hang out in the house, and sleep in the three side-rooms in the garage, which Paul and I had cleaned out (moving boxes around yet again) and set up as bedrooms. I was in gritting-my-teeth-I-will-do-this-if-it's-the-last-thing-I-do mode. That afternoon, we decided we'd better look for a Christmas tree before the town ran out of them and we were forced to thieve off the Queen's land. Paul had noticed someone selling trees in the parking lot of the recreation centre, so he, Alandra and I climbed into the truck and headed out. Nothing there. Starting to panic. We cruised the main drag, and sure enough, spotted a man hanging out with four trees, in the lot of the garden supply place that was closed for the season. The last four trees for sale in town, and they were beautiful! $30.00 a piece or four for $90.00, he told us. We picked the biggest and best, stuffed it into the back of the truck, and headed home. Mission accomplished!

Here are some pics of the house decked out:

Luke and Erika cooking.

My lovely daughter-in-law Alandra making miniature Christmas decorations.

Love the cardigan and Star Trek communicator.

From the dining room window.

Some of my favourite moments from the holidays: Rebecca and Dylan bent over a chess game, hearing them talking and laughing; all of us gathered around the large dining room table we bought for the new house, for so many fantastic feasts; opening presents around the woodstove Christmas morning; seeing the Nutcracker livestreamed from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, at the Royal movie theatre in Trail; games of Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Sequence, MindTrap, Five Thousand; spinning honey with Luke and Erika, a task long overdue; talking by the fire and sipping liqueurs; snuggling into bed at night with my kids nearby-- can't beat that.

We said goodbye to Alandra on the 26th, Dylan on the 29th, and Luke and Erika on January 1st. On January 2nd we were back to one puppy (we'd taken care of Becca and Dean's Cooper while they were in Calgary visiting his family), and we couldn't believe how quiet things were. The carpenters arrived on the 3rd and helped carry the couches and comfy chairs back into the garage. It was all over, and boy was it worth it.

Some things we learned: 1) Don't book family to fly into Kelowna in the winter; pay the extra and take the chance they'll be able to land in 'Cancelgar'. 2) The house will work really, really well when it's finished. 3) Put a heater in the river end of the house, it gets chilly down there even with the woodstove on. 4) Finish the space under the stairs in the living room for wood storage-- we need a lot in the winter! And 5) This is going to be a phenomenal place for family and friends.

Much love and a Happy New Year to all!

State of the House Address

Greetings, faithful followers. As we head into the holiday season (not allowed to say 'Christmas' anymore... we can celebrate, but carefully), I know you've been worried about whether the house will be ready for our five guests: Dylan, Alandra, Luke, Erika, and Luke's friend Greg. The hordes begin arriving on the 15th.

I promised an update, and after some consultation with Builder Jim, here it is, starting with pics of the current state of affairs. This is a shot from the back door, looking into the kitchen and dining area. Note the lone post that is serving, along with the huge honkin' beam above it, to hold up what used to be the (pink) bearing wall there. The new windows afford a gorgeous view of the river. The window nearest will have the sink just below it, so we can enjoy the view while up to our elbows in dishsoap. Where the door and white board are now, will be the french doors, soon to arrive.

Here's a shot looking down toward the riverend, showing our new wood stove (which the builders are glad to have installed). It is a huge space now that the old wall is gone, with livingroom, dining, and then the kitchen going around the corner into the L.        But, as you can see, it is also a construction zone. So the revised Christmas plan is this: pack as many boxes as possible from the workshop into the attic, which Paul has been cleaning out. Remember the picture of Dirty Paul? Well, it turns out he hauled (get ready for this) 450lbs. (yes, you read that right) of dirt and soot out of the attic. And probably 50 more pounds has gone down the drain with his showers at the end of the day.    

Anyway, we move a whole lot of boxes into the attic, thus freeing up two more side rooms here in the workshop. Thank goodness for the workshop! With various throw rugs, beds, side tables, and lamps, we can make those rooms into two cozy bedrooms for Luke and Erika, and their friend Greg, who all arrive on December 15th. That just leaves finding room in tbe main house for Dylan and Alandra, who arrive on the 19th. By that time, the builders have said they would set up a temporary kitchen in the house using our new, lower cabinets and old appliances--yes, hauling them from the workshop into the house again. But with all the construction still to happen after Christmas, it's a better choice than to take our shiny new appliances out of their packing crates and risk them being damaged with all the moving and building still to go. The dining and kitchen area won't have been drywalled by then, although it will likely be insulated. So the kitchen will be temporary, to be taken apart when everyone leaves so the builders can get back to it. We can also set up our big dining room table in the house, and with the woodstove and a Christmas tree, we'll be set to make merry.

The upstairs is still a long way from finished, so we'll be using the main floor only. The new stairs from the main to second floor should be built by then, but we may block off the opening with plywood so we can heat just the main floor (we won't have baseboard heating in yet). The builders have taken apart the ceiling of the second floor/floor of the attic to make room for the attic stairs. Here is a shot from the second floor, up to the attic ceiling.

What about bathrooms and showering, you ask? Well, we'll all share the bathroom with shower in the main house, and there is the half bath in the workshop. Hey, I grew up in a small house where eight people (five of them female) shared one bathroom. It can be done. And Paul and I only had one bathroom in the Victoria house, and we've had all my kids with partners for holidays before. Take a number!

So there you go-- it will be fun for them to have both the Before and After experience here at the farm. We'll dig out the lights and decorations, and I've begun packing some gluten free baking into the freezer. You must come try my Bourbon Balls! Ta-taaaa and ho-ho!

                           

Heeeeeere's Billie!

Ok, so every farm needs a dog, right? Or maybe it's every dog needs a farm? Regardless, two weeks ago we decided to take another flying leap and get ourselves a puppy. Paul had been keeping his eye on the local animal adoption agency site, and when he forwarded the pictures of three rolly-polly black fuzzballs, I caved and said 'let's go see them'. And from there, you know our fate was sealed. Billie looked up at me with her bright black eyes and stole my heart. She and two brothers were being fostered, and although the smaller boy-pup was also a darling (they'd named him Brian), I kept coming back to Billie.
She's a collie-shepherd-lab cross, and yes we'll definitely be going to puppy training school! I haven't had a dog in, well, donkey's years, and so of course, being me, I hit the books before our scheduled pick-up day. I read Cesar Millan's How to Raise the Perfect Dog in two days, and coached Paul on do's and don't's all the way to Nelson. Big don't: if she's whiny, no eye contact, touch, or voice contact. Of course, she howled in her crate most of the way home in the car, but Becca (who had come along to see the pups and promptly fell in love with Brian-- they're taking him home next week[!!]) did a great job of just sitting beside her in the backseat and generating calm energy, only talking to her when she was quiet. Two days of doing that at home, and she's practically whine-free (gosh, should I be trying that with my clients??). The book said to not let a new puppy have the run of the house, so she's either outside with me, or in her roughly 60 sq.ft. pen in the workshop living room. She has lots of toys to play with and chew on, and can see us at all times. She's in her crate at night for sleeping, and after ten days, there is barely a whimper anymore when she's shut in at night.

I may be making it sound easy-peasy, but there are definitely challenges. Our property isn't fenced, and a brief chat with the puppy-training lady revealed that I shouldn't be letting her off leash until she is very, very good at responding to the 'come' command. Well. So far, she responds very, very well to 'come' when a) I am standing in her pen with her, about five ft. away; and b) she can see from there that I have a treat in my hand. Actually, to her credit, there has been big improvement on that score and she's now enjoying some off-leash romps outside, staying near the house.

Having said that-- right outside the house may not actually be the safest place for her-- check out this shot I took two mornings ago:
Aren't they supposed to be hibernating by now?! The tracks showed that the bear came around the corner of the workshop and strolled right between my car and the front door. That's very close. Twice now Billie has stopped playing and stood staring at the riverbank, nose quivering, then made a mad dash for the front door, looking back at me as if to say 'Hey stupid, can't you smell that? You're the one with opposable thumbs--open this door quick-like!'

In the first week we had her, I ran around to pet stores making sure we had everything we needed to bring home our precious bundle. Dog bed, indoor pen, chewy toys, big bag of food, treats. Hanging around pet stores has given me an inside view of the huge industry that caters to dog (and other pet) owners. For example, I grabbed a few doggy biscuits on sale at the front counter, only looking at them closely once I got home. 'Apple Crisp Flavour'? Give me a break! Aren't we getting just a wee bit confused, people? If we were honest about marketing to dogs' tastes-- rather than their owners'-- we would see treats such as Deer Poop Pops, Decaying Mouse Flavoured Biscuits (yes, this is currently her favourite outdoor attraction, thank you Cassius), Smelly Boot Chewy Strips, and Good Ol' Plain Dirt dog food. Earlier today I found myself watching as Billie rooted out of the melting ice one of those decapitated mouse heads, to which I treated you, the reader, to a fuller description in a previous posting. As I watched her munch and crunch away on it, a number of things went through my mind:
1) how very far away from 'Apple Crisp Flavoured Biscuit' a desiccated mouse head is
2) that dogs are carnivores
3) that she might ingest some hideous parasite with it; and
4) that there was no way on god's green earth I was going to fish it out of her mouth. By the time I'd processed all this, she'd polished it off. Oy.

Here's another picture of Billie, one very relaxed pup. I'm looking forward to enjoying her company for many, many years to come.

Dirty Paul and Frosty Mornings

It's frosty in the mornings now. Instead of finding damp, limp carcasses left by Cassius on the doorstep, we find little mouse- or molecicles. Easier to scoop up for their ceremonial fling over the river bank, muttering as we go the Common Prayer Book's version of mouse last rites: "Love to eat them mousies. Mousies what we love to eat. Bite they little heads off. Nibble on they little feet." Amen, fling.

Amazing what one gets used to. Cassius is such a ferocious hunter, the property is fairly strewn with rodent body parts. I now find myself casually sidestepping miniature still lifes of carnage and horror-- one would think there was a pint-sized Freddie or whoever the chainsaw massacrer is, running around commiting unspeakable acts all night, taking his underdeveloped rage and frustration out on the only thing smaller than him.

But don't be silly, Jo-Anne. It's just Cassius, having the once-in-nine-lifetimes opportunity to roam free and hunt and do what cats do, then to come inside for a warm meal and some cuddles before heading out to slay more rodents. We are eternally grateful he's keeping them out of the workshop.

A few weeks back I found myself sereptitiously kicking a mouse head out of the way while greeting one of the young folk who have responded to our ads for help with the yard work. She was a fresh-faced young teacher-on-call, and I hoped she wouldn't be put off by the red-tinged sight at our feet. She turned out to be a fantastic worker, digging a garden bed out of tough sod all around the bee yard. Well, almost all the way around, until she was called in to work, and we picked another name out of the many responders we had to the ad. This next young woman finished off the bee yard bed, then tackled tarping the south garden with me. It is now all tucked in under it's cold black plastic quilt, where the morning glory will perish over the next year. A shame to have to leave it undeveloped that long, but it will be worth it.

Another wonderful young person we've met recently is the chef, George, who works at our neighbourhood pub, Mulligan's. Turns out George grew up here in Castlegar, and has recently graduated from cooking school in the Okanagan. We had a terrific chat with him a few weeks back about local food, bees, and the possibility of supplying him with produce from our garden in the coming seasons. He was especially excited about the idea of using lavender in his cooking. The idea of growing lavender in the acre along the driveway still excites me-- I can see the purple swathes in long, gentle curves so clearly. As with the bee supply business, people just keep responding positively to our vision for the place. What a great feeling to know we'll be here, year after year after year, slowly shaping it into our own vision of abundance and beauty.

Some updates: we attended a jolly halloween party at Rebecca and Robin's, in the Dom (Doukhobour house) up the hill. These two gifted individuals invited anyone who wanted, to perform a song or reading of something spook-related, and it was wonderful that many people did just that. We heard an old celtic folksong; an even older dirge for singing at wakes; a heartbreaking aria; and some poetry and prose. And Paul brought along his guitar and did Werewolf of London, and then Lawyers, Guns, and Money (very scary).

Last weekend, we rented a wood chipper and spent a day reducing the piles of branches and tree trimmings, with the help of Becca.

Unfortunately, the chipper broke down before we finished, but there's only one pile left for next spring's cleanup.

The lasagna garden is finished: each bed is about 15" high in the centre, and consists of ten layers-- cardboard right on top of the turf, then grass clippings, leaves, manure, straw, leaves, manure, leaves, grass clippings and straw. I'm really excited to see if it chews up the turf like it's supposed to. I've also ordered two books on gardening: one on greenhouses and the other on gardening in the north, both by renowned gardener Eliot Coleman.

Paul has been working away in the attic, still tearing up old flooring so the electrician can have access to the rooms below. At least, that's what he says he's been doing, but it rather looks to me as though he's just been rolling in dirt. He knows I don't like the ladder going up to the attic, so how would I know the difference??

One last shot, this of the river through golden birch leaves. I don't know if it shows up well, but the bright leaves against the steel blue grey of the river is just stunning.

Well patient readers, dinner beckons. I'll show you photos of how the house is progressing next time. You will be shocked and disturbed, I know, at how far away we are from moving in, nevermind having guests for Christmas. The tension, if not the house, is building. There may be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Stay tuned!

Workshop Chocolate Cake

Hello dear readers, I've just come from my late afternoon bath over at the house, which I like to do after the carpenters leave and before the possibility of a close encounter with a bear in the dark. This is going to get tricky as the light fades earlier, I can see that...

So right now, Paul is upstairs in the attic doing lord knows what... from the noise coming from there, it sounds like he's doing dental work on a giant using a very large drill. I think he's actually trying to take apart and extract a very large truss that held up the chimney that is no longer there. I don't know why this makes me think of dental work.

But speaking of fairy tale and other-worldly beings in the house, I wanted to share with you a bit of a strange feeling I've had here, right from day one. Part of the strangeness is that I never feel it when I'm in the house, only when I'm outside. It usually happens when I'm working in the yard and no one else is around. I get the feeling I'm being watched from an upstairs window, but of course when I glance up, there's nothing there. The feeling is a mix of dread at the chance of actually seeing something-- and then what would I do?-- and disappointment. What am I expecting? Well, actually, I find myself thinking of a young blond girl, maybe nine years old or so, dressed in a cotton blouse and holding a doll. Or a young woman in a kerchief, who would draw quickly away from the window if I saw her. These last weeks of carving out the vegetable garden, I've found myself wondering if they would approve of what I'm doing with 'their' space. I get a similar feeling when I'm working on old rescue quilt tops I've bought on ebay... as I add border, quilting, and backing, I feel that I'm collaborating with a ghost. I am keenly aware of her fingers having worked the fabric, and I wonder what she thinks of my choice of (sometimes outrageously colourful) fabric to finish the project she started.

Speaking of projects, here is an update on the house: The back end (dining room and kitchen) is almost ready to be closed in, although the windows won't be ready for a few weeks yet. A concrete footing has been poured to support the single post that will support the huge new beam that will allow us to remove the (formerly pink) wall that divided up the river end of the house so the view was blocked. Whew. Also, a hole has been cut (mostly) in the ceiling of the main floor, or floor of the second floor, depending on where you're standing, to make room for the new staircase. Behold the picture: I'm standing in the second floor hallway, looking down at where the stairs will be.

Electrician Bill has also made a few visits, and begun deconstructing the elaborate puzzle that is the wiring in this house. And the gasline has been laid, which will service our gorgeous new six-burner BlueStar stove. Here's a great pic Paul took the other morning, of the trench for the gasline in the early morning fog:

The trench still needs to be backfilled, and right now it looks like an ugly incision stretching across the property from the road to the house (about 200 yards). Paul assures me it will heal.      

As for bears: Paul encountered a large one the other evening, in another pear tree closer to the mobile home where our tenant Patsy lives. It broke a large branch climbing that tree. But the bears (and their droppings) are scarce these days, especially since we removed the pear tree standing right outside the house. We discovered the core of the tree was old and crumbling so we didn't feel too guilty about taking it down. Some of the pear wood went to Ted, a neighbour who is a wood turner (Paul exerts huge effort not to call him Ted Turner; I've actually seen sweat break out on his forehead from the strain) and the rest is cut and stacked for burning.

And so things go along, and we continue to grow in our love for this place. As per usual for me in the fall, I'm feeling more like cooking and baking and continue to miss having all my pots and pans and various culinary paraphernalia around me.

Regardless, Recipe for Workshop Chocolate Cake:

Discover a package of gluten-free chocolate cake mix Paul must have bought while I was in Victoria last summer.

Call Paul and ask him to heave and ho heavy boxes in search of a measuring cup and cake pans.

Discover one plastic measuring cup with barely readable markings in a box with articles I've never seen before, which must have come from the farthest corner of the basement in the Victoria house; it will do nicely.

Discover a box of metal baking pans-- score!

Fail to locate icing sugar, so make do following an online boiled granular sugar recipe. It fails miseraby, becoming quickly unspreadable as it cools and sits in coagulated lumps on the cake. So of course we eat those parts first, sitting on the couch in the workshop, my feet on Paul's lap, and it is delicious.