I'll just try three more perfumes

 We went shopping for new PJs for micahel at the bay. Bay days, 30% 0ff!!!!

As I walked inside memories came flooding back of sitting at the perfume counter having to smell left wrist, then right wrist.  Which one is better?  

Almost as beautiful a smell, the fresh air while going back to the car. Funny the places that trigger memories and smiles. 

Yard Work

15 minutes in, and  needing a break?

It was another morning for yardwork.  It was not so tough raking up the leaves on the bottom deck, but the amount of willow and blackberry growing at the edge?   

Well, that was a bit tougher (trying to reach over to clip things without tumbling over the edge.

Yes, I will admit that Arta was a superior being.  I did find myself reflecting on her unstoppable energizer bunny approach to taking care of the land.

As I was taking the break, I noticed the smell of smoke.  Both Steve and I followed our noses to discover that Uncle Dave had started his own burn pile a few lots over!  Why not take advantage of it, we thought!   So Steve came to help me with gathering up leaves.  And he took a bit more agressive of an approach to the work.

loading up a tarp with leaves and sticks

We loaded up the tarp, and dragged the pile over to Dan's lot (where Dave had the burn pile going).  Dave had all sorts of tools there (including a leaf blower he would use to pump up the oxygen on the fire!).  Wonders indeed!  

Who doesn't love a little fire? 

Steve making sure the fire got air

Yes, there are lots of green twigs in there!

While this could never compare to the great burn pile of 2020 (can someone find the link to the photos?), it was fun watching the colours of the smoke and the flames.  

Three big loads later, and we called it quits.  Muscles had a good workout.   

The 'after' shot?

And if you want to see the video version?  Here it is!

April 20th at the lake (a photo essay)

clouds scattered across the hill tops

Yesterday gave us a whole swath of weather options, some sun, some rain, some hail, some clouds.  

In the evening (while Steve was watching soccer with Glen and Janet), there were many clouds laying on the tops of the hill.  I anticipated we could look forward to another of those beautiful silvery/grey days.   

And when I opened my eyes at 6am (Arta's bedroom walls surrounded as they are by windows), it seemed I was right: the hills across the lake had completely disappeared.  And yet, by midmorning, things had shifted, and the blue sky re-emerged. 

Here are some photos and videos taken on a stroll down to the lake.  First, a short video capture taken from the road just below Moiya's.

I had too difficult a time trying to cull the photos, so feel free to tell me which ones capture it best!  :-).   I am sure you can imagine yourself standing right where I took the pictures.  These three are the same shot, but I was just increasing the zoom (I was imagining watching the old sesame street, with grover running back and forth shouting "Near" and "Far")

I really love how that one line of cloud is stretched across the bottom of the mountain, and how amazingly reflective the water was at that moment.  I also feel like the reflection of the point on the right (Johnson's Point) looks almost like a fish head, mouth open).

Here is another video, to give you the horizon, from down on the beach.

I love the early morning sun casting shadows down the beach

don't you want to swim out to the dock?

We dragged some chairs down to the water's edge to sit there for a while, listening to the waves lap in (and the sounds of bird conversation).  Want to spend 30 seconds sitting there with us?  Then check out the video below.

Penny did get some time chasing the ball into the water.  She will go grab it, but with a bit less enthusiasm that was the case with Kiwi the wonderdog!

One of the unexpected things (a bit less pleasant) was seeing a number of clearcut sites on the other side of the lake.   Here are three shots, with a gradual zoom in on the clearcut itself.

At first I wondered if they were ski runs...

presumably the trees left behind help prevent erosion?

I don't love this view...maybe it is not so great to have a zoom on the camera?

Glen did talk us through all the things they look at in clear cuts, and the questions about how to do them in less 'icky' ways.  

OK.  One last shot.   Here is a fallen tree on the beach.  It is not 'two' trees, but just one, that has split up the middle over the winter.   Pretty cool!

A little bird in the grass

As I was looking out Arta's bedroom window towards  Johnson's point, I noticed a rustling movement down by the compost bins.   I pulled out the camera (with its awesome zoom function), and got a closeup of this little bird.

At first, I thought it was a robin, but the colour looked a bit off.  

It was obviously looking for tasty treats in the leaves around the compost bin.  I caught a couple of video shots...a bit hard to hold it in frame, since I was zooming in.   The longer clip bumps around at the end since Penny jumped up on me to see what I was doing!

I flipped around in Arta's bird book, trying to figure out what it was, but to no avail.  I finally posted the picture to facebook, and a friend came back with the answer!   

Here is a link to more info, if you want to read more about this little bird (or listen to its birdcall).

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Varied_Thrush/overview#

Easter Long Weekend at the Lake (April 15-18)

(I posted this over on my Vancouver Island family blog by accident, but it belongs here....so... sorry for the repetition!) 

Steve, Alex and I spent the weekend at the lake.  We arrived Friday night before the sun was fully down, so got to enjoy the deep luscious blues that come with the end of the day.  

The view from Arta's/Doral's deck

As we were driving through Salmon Arm, I could see the moon nearly full in the sky.  But as we got to the lake, it was hidden behind the mountains.   

Peeking out at the top of the hill

As we got unpacked, I kept sneaking out the front door to see if the moon had finally crested the hill.   Finally, it was peeking out, but not yet high enough to rise above the level of the trees.   Still, it made for some beautiful photos!

The edges of the leaves look like a swarm of birds or bats circling the moon

New leaves on branches backlit by the moon

Here is a 15 second video clip (where you can see the branches moving).   In the background, you can hear the noise from the stream!

Here are a few photos of the stream in the morning light.  

You can see that the stream is way more full than usual.  I am guessing it the showing the magic of the spring thaw and run off?  I think that also explains the noise!   Here is a video clip.

I also started channeling my inner Arta, and found myself starting to pull weeds and rake leaves us.   What is happening to me?!  

Raking up by the raspberry canes

uh... now i have to move these to the compost pile?!

after the raking, these little flowers are visible in the lawn

and the little clovers are not as big as my pinky fingernails

Here is the garden before.....

dried remains of the bee balm

And here it is again after a bit of work (note the wheel barrow!).  This gardening stuff is harder than expected!

The little daffodils doing work with no help from anyone else!

But it was beautiful to be outside:  the sky was filled with light, and the air tastes delicious.   Still... the lower lawn might have to wait a few more days (muscles getting sore!)

Maybe i will save the bottom lawn for tomorrow?

We took a trip into town so Steve and Alex could go for a workout (I was doing no such thing after the gardening festivus).  The view on the trip into Salmon Arm was beautiful... the water was as clear as glass.  Check out this photo (just before Canoe):

Or, if you want to join us for 30 second video of the road trip?

By Sunday night the clouds started to roll in, foreshadowing the possibility of rain ahead.   Life in a northern rainforest?  :-)

Longing

Saturday morning. 

Longing for 

the smell of muffins already cooling on a tray;

Bread rising on the counter; 

Compost buckets bleaching in the sink;

Vinegar-scented hallway tiles almost dry;

The New Yorker, 

dog-eared, with new  marginalia.

Words to be looked up later, 

and then dropped into conversation

as if they were everyday words.

Beside the computer, a quote or a phrase, ready to be crafted into a blog post.

I'm behind on my blogging, she would say, having set a goal of 1.5 posts per day.

I close my eyes, 

breathe deeply, 

and recapture 

the feeling

of smelling

freshly baked muffins 

cooling on the tray.

Planting Hollyhocks (a love letter to Wyona and Miranda)

In my mind, hollyhocks are back alley flowers.  That was the place I would see them when I was growing up -- seemingly growing up out of the gravel, up against back fences.  I always figured they must be weeds. Tall and sturdy stock, bursting with flowers. Not the kind of flower you can secretly pick one of and bring home.  Much to big for hiding behind your back as you sprint the last few house lengths home to your backyard. 

Here on my side of the country, you never see hollyhocks.  We don't have back alleys and they are rarely a favourite flower planted in flower beds. People favour planintg their more delicate tall cousin, the delphinium.

But when I was back in Alberta for the past two years, living in Lethbridge, back alley hollyhocks were front and centre again and I realized how much I loved them. And now that I am older I know that if you steal the flower, you will enjoy it but it will soon die. On the other hand, if you steal some seed pods, maybe you can plant you own hollyhock haven.  And so often when was out walking my dog in the fall and winter, I would look for the dried up stalks of holly hocks and help myself to some seed pods.  Into my pocket they would go.

When I was in Calgary visiting Wyona, I saw that she had beautiful white hollyhocks in her front garden bed and I asked her if I could take some seeds.  She of course said yes.  So months later, when I was back visiting again and hollyhock flowering season had passed and all that was left were brown stalks and seed pods, I slipped some into my pocket.  Same thing for Miranda who has a bed of double flower pink hollyhocks in her backyard.  Seed pods into my pockets.

I brought all these seeds back to Gatineau with me this year.  And a few weeks ago pulled them out to plant them indoors to  give them a head start on the growind season.

I had no clue how fast the hollyhock seeds would grow.  They are up there with pea shoots. In less than a week tiny green shoots were poking through the dirt.

Only one of the seed varietals wanted to grow.  So in the boxes where the seeds didn't grow, I planted some new ones.  I can't wait to see what colours of hollyhocks survived and grew.  I am hoping for Wyona's White and Miranda's Double Pink to be growing tall and flowering in my front yard this season. I promise to keep you posted.

$1.49

 I saw a huge bag of tomatoes on the "quick sale" stand and couldn't pass it up. Thought, 
"I"ll just whip up a batch of roasted tomatoes soup."

Got home and counted 14 tomatoes.  It was too many to fit on one pan.

For some reason it seemed wrong to only have one tomato on a pan, so threw some garlic in oil on there too.

At the other end of 40 minutes at 400 degrees, here they are.

Blend tomatoes with garlic and some carmelized onions. Maybe add some salt, pepper, fresh basil and dried oregano.

In the end, "whip up" a batch of soup doesn't mean it is fast.  But it is delicious.

I really wished I were sitting down to eat this soup with Arta.