In transition

 

Every beginning is a consequence - every beginning ends some thing.  ~Paul Valery

 

We are experiencing transitional weather lately.  After weeks of unseasonable rain, we now have warm days, and even warmer nights.

Summer is grasping at the last of the petals on the sunflowers.  Unwilling to let go, not that I can blame her at all.

I find myself grasping at things also.  Now that we have made the decision to move, and know that it will be sometime next spring, I worry. I wonder, I wish.

Worry about how much work it will take to make our little condo saleable, wonder who will buy it, wish that we were just up there already. Life would be so much easier if you could just do a “I dream of Jeanie” and nod your head, and have it done.

Everyone says that moving is the hardest thing they have done.  The last moves I made were as a single girl, one pickup load, and two family members.  Now I have acquired wonderful treasures in my life...a husband, a cat, love.

So what am I worrying for?

Transition and worry are the ones that take up all the space in the moving van.

But love doesn’t take up much room, I should have no worries about that.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

.

A gardener that’s allergic to gardens

 

 

That’s a pretty picture up above isn’t it?  Beautiful water, reflection, trees...

That’s why its so hard to believe that something so beautiful can cause me so much discomfort.  Trees, gorgeous, green, stately, graceful trees.  Oh grass, and apples, potatoes, and eggplant.  I mean who is allergic to apples, and carrots?

Well...me.

I think that of all the serums they guinea pigged me with, I reacted to each and every one.  But the absolute worst were tree pollens, and grasses.  We are talking out of the stratosphere, over the top reactions.

That’s not good news for a gardener.  How do you avoid trees?  I love trees.

So that explains a lot, why I had such a bad rash all summer on my face. Why I couldn’t go outside at all this year, and why things I ate bothered my skin.  I am allergic to almost everything.  Wow, it feels like that.

When the allergist hands you a sheet of paper, that they normally circle a few items on that you might be allergic to, and each group is circled.  You are in trouble, deep, no more gardening until they get this figured out trouble.

No more potato chips, no more tomatoes, no seafood, no fun.

Allergy shots here I come.  They are not cheap, but the alternative he told me, was Asthma.  No thanks, so twice a week for ? who knows how long.

After all, I love gardening, and I love trees, so what should a gardener do?

BTW, I am only slightly allergic to cats!  Whoooo hooo! Because like I told the allergist, there was NO way I was giving Boo another home. 

Never, call me silly, but I love my Boo.

Even if it did mean living with allergies.

So who else out there is living with severe allergies, or taking allergy shots? I would love to know if they work.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

.

From stalker kitty to BFF

 

It’s been a long, hot, hard, summer. And I can’t say with total conviction that I am glad it’s over, but I am pretty sure I am.  Yes I will miss the warm days, and beautiful brightness.

But I will not miss the 2 am wakeup calls from Bootsie and the constant keening, and screaming of the seagulls.  For some reason, the Boo decided that we all needed to wake up at 2am.  Every day of the spring and summer. If we needed more sleep that was too bad, he demanded to be let out, in order to roam the “whatever” and he was determined to have his way.

Now I can see some of you shaking your heads, well you probably don’t have a determined black and white cat, or one at all.  This is what a cat that has decided to adopt new people, and more or less just moved in does.  He grooms the new people to his standard, and they, pleased as punch that the now grown up kitten that has visited them for 3 years has made them family, give in.  We love him dearly. 

We also loved sleep, but that was another story.

Things changed after we went away for 4 days in September, his routine disrupted, we no longer reacted to his wakeup calls, and he now sleeps until 5 am.  Of course the fact that the seagulls are sleeping in till 5 might have something to do with it.

Boo had some difficulties when the new neighbors moved in, and let their two cats roam. Overnight he turned into the worst kind of stalker kitty. Pouncing on the unsuspecting younger female, howling and yowling at the slightly older male. 

Life was lived with even less sleep during this transition.  They all seemed to collide when the sun went down.  No relaxing for us.  Howls, and hisses.

Then one very fierce fight, and sudden silence.

The next thing we knew, they became best friends forever.  Go figure.

We expected tension, but they now get along, the two neighbor cats are exploring our deck, and even peeking in through our patio doors at us.

The Boo shares the space with them, and they all play together, I am still kind of awed that they can go from stalkers, to best friends forever.  But I guess I don’t know kitties as well as I thought I did. 

Seagulls, and their constant screeching?  Well..

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

.

 

 

 

Soon

 

This is my neighbors cat Chloe, she is a adorable calico, and very shy.

I’m not much of a night person, it’s just after 10:00 pm, and I am fading faster than a morning glory after a hot day. 

Look for a new post sometime Sunday morning. That’s morning, Pacific Standard time, which is afternoon for almost everyone else.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

It takes a long time to grow a old friend.

 

 

I made up with a old friend today, worked out our differences, and decided to go forward, and forget the past.

It wasn’t easy to do, things have been rather hot between us lately, and I was waiting for my feelings to cool down substantially before I approached again.

But I am glad that I have done it.  If I were to wait to long, I might have regrets, more disappointments, and sadness.

Besides now that the summer heat is over, and the cooler temperatures reign, it’s a lot easier to visit my garden, my good friend. 

During the heat of summer, I must admit to neglecting the watering, the weeding, the deadheading. It’s that kind of friendship, “a you get what you give.”

 

And sometimes you end up giving too much, and getting little in return.

This is the year of giving lots, and not really getting a return.

My garden has been a big disappointment as far as friends go this year.  Early promises, and then long wet spring, hardly makes for a great friendship. Everything was stunted, short, and timid.  Tomatoes, beans, flowers.  The only thing that really grew were the peas, and they took months to show up.

So as I take stock of our friendship, I do realize that each one is different, and good friends are hard to come by.

And it takes a long time to grow a old friend.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Imperfectly perfect

 

 

After years of garden center work I had been trained to keep a eye out for perfection, beauty, and fine detail.

But somehow these faded beauties hanging their bashful heads give me more joy to shoot, then when they were at the peak of perfection.

To me they are imperfectly perfect.

I am not sure if you see it this way, but I get as much fun out of a crispy brown hydrangea blossom, as I do shooting it’s stunning blues during mid summer.  There is a texture in dying flowers, a deepness of a season passed by. And when the hydrangea turns colors as it passes through the stages, it’s even more beautiful to me.

When the leaves of a tree turn color, they shine, they shimmer in the golden light of autumn, and as they fall they evoke a good feeling of seasons to come.

So Autumn, come bring your color, and summer gracefully let go of your days. The fading light, and cooler nights will bring many treasures for us photographers.

Our subjects may be fading, but they are imperfectly perfect.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

.

The Dahhhhhhllia Darling, the Dahlia

Sometimes it’s worth pushing yourself to get out there after work, and do a walk.  If I hadn’t there wouldn’t have been a opportunity to get these shots of the dahhhhhlia darling.  Since it seems to have been raining every other moment this week.

For some reason when I see Dahlia’s, they speak to me in that beautiful sultry voice, the film noir, movie star with the smoking cigarette holder in her hand, and the drawling, low key voice. The dahhhhhhhhlia darling, the dahlia.

What?  Don’t flowers speak to you?

If you want to see more in the collection, here is the link to the Picasa album. 

Dahhhhhhling.

Now seriously, don’t flowers talk to everyone?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Oh you mean it’s NOT a asparagus picker?

 

It happens, even though I am as careful as possible when editing my cards, sometimes a mistake is made.  I had thought I checked with my Sister about this antique piece of farm machinery being a asparagus picker, but apparently it wasn’t.

When I brought my new Muddy Boot Dreams card line with us on our recent visit to Armstrong, I wanted to share them with my family, and get their opinion.

It turned out to be a rather good thing that I did it.  As my Mom turned over the card to check the information on the back she started laughing.  “Jen, she chided me, that’s a strawberry planter, not a asparagus picker!

I had to tell her that most of the people who buy my cards wouldn't really know the difference anyways, but she got a good laugh from it.

Picker, or planter, I always love the shots I get of it.  And I should have realized that you can’t pick asparagus by sitting upright on a seat.  They need lay face down, flat on something that resembles a airplane, in order to get close enough to the asparagus.

And I guess that those cards will be available only as a limited edition, until the next batch is printed.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

Pumpkin fever, watermelon joy

 

Just a note to those of you have already read this, sorry about re-posting, but this isn’t showing up in very many inboxes.  Don’t know what happened to the feed, so I am trying to repost it again to try and figure out what has happened.  If you have already read this, then I apologize, last nights leftovers, and such….LOL.

Jen

 

All summer long I’ve been hearing about the wonderful fruits and veggies that my Sister’s farm is producing.  My parents have been tantalizing us with tales of planting corn, potatoes, carrots, and seedling watermelons, and cantaloupe until we were drooling. And then to they would describe what they were having for dessert, watermelon, cantaloupes, peaches from a friends tree. It was hard.

There is nothing like paying over $4.00 at the local fruit mart for a mushy, overripe, grainy melon to make you crave the real homegrown thing.  Of course with a 5 hour drive it makes it a little expensive to just drop by and pick up some.

So we made the trip last weekend, and came back loaded down with everything under the sun.  Juicy watermelons, crisp, and perfectly ripe, musky cantaloupes fragrantly smelling up the truck.  Orange pumpkins, with warts, that I fell in love with immediately. Corn, that is unlike anything you have ever tasted. Along with carrots, and potatoes from my Dad’s garden.

You can start drooling now.

There was red Russian garlic at the farmers market, do you have any idea how hard it is to get good garlic that isn’t grown in China around here? Almost impossible. And my massive harvest of 5 heads isn’t going to take us far.

With all the rain that we drooped through during the long weekend, it seemed easier to put off picking until it dried up.  With such a short trip, time went quickly, and we found ourselves forced to forage in the dark, the night before we left, with the glare of the headlights illuminating the pumpkin patch in order to choose the perfect “great warty pumpkin.” The dogs thought this was great fun, and in the inky blackness ran past us so fast they almost knocked me over.

My nephew was so helpful in picking out the melons in the dark, it seems he has a real talent for that.  Because at that point I would have just settled for anything near the road, thanks H.!

All of this just makes me more determined to move upcountry, because I hope that the first thing we are able to do when we get settled is plant a veggie garden. 

With visions of orange pumpkins, and red garlic dancing in my head.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

An abrupt change to winter rain

My only guess is that we grumbled about the summer heat a little too much, those days of soaring temperatures, and hot sun are just a distant memory.  Really distant, oh, and they are a little wet, musty, and damp due to the large amount of rain we have had lately.

What’s up with September, we usually get a beautiful few weeks of sunshine, warm days, and cooler nights.  Now we have had nothing but hard winter rain for the last few weeks.

When we were in Armstrong, up in the Okanagan, home of the “oh sure call it rain if you like, but this is nothing” we for the first time up there experienced a wet coast rain.  You’ll know the kind if you live any where on the coast, the kind that penetrates your very skin.  Soaking, dripping, saturating everything, and the dampness that invades your clothing doesn’t go away until next August.

The wonderful IPE fair, where it only rains on the first day, which is historically Thursday, was full of rain.  The Saturday night that we went, it poured for over 2 hours.  Armstrong doesn’t get rain, and when it does, it doesn’t last for more then a few minutes. There were so many shocked people hiding under eves, darting into buildings, and squeaking in the bleachers, as they stomped their soaked flip flops up the pathways it was actually crowed.

Everything more or less shut down, the rides had no lineups, the rodeo was delayed, and the cotton candy melted on it’s sticks.  The mini doughnuts wouldn’t fry, and the caramel apples were gloppy.

And worst of all, my camera doesn’t like the rain, so I could barely get any shots all weekend.

It was rather funny to be up there, [from the wet coast], overhearing everyone talk about the rain, all we heard was "never seen it rain like this before, have you?”

Yep!  Been there, done that, LOL.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Summer’s Golden Light

 

 

These last few weeks of sunlight, warmth, and the beauty of the fading flowers are the most precious of all summer’s gifts to us.

The days feel like they are sifting through our fingers, passing too fast from our view.

But welcome the changes that summer allows, the seasons change, and so must we.

Well, don’t I sound melodramatic?

I guess I am in a somber mood today.  Remembering 9/11, and all the sad feelings that brings to mind.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Well…..that’s a cute name.

 

I was in my local bank, it’s a small and friendly branch, almost everyone calls you by name. When a new teller read my business name on the cheque which is Muddy Boot Dreams, she remarked, “well.. that’s a cute name.” 

Misunderstanding her intentions, and wanting to make sure she understood that there was nothing cutesy about my business name,  I reiterated, “no it’s not cute, it has meaning.”

Then I explained that we have a dream of owning a small farm up in the Okanagan, and living a life filled with muddy boots, that was our bliss.  Hence the name.

We spent a lot of time trying to come up with a name that would invoke the feeling we hope to have when we get to our farm, and many names were submitted but turned down.

I wanted something that could be used as a farm name also.  We will call our farm, Muddy Boots Farm. 

Since I have started my small business, I have heard every connotation available, “muddy boot jeans?”  no not jeans, dreams! Who do you think I am? Mr. Green jeans?

Mucky, no muddy, as in mud.  You know that dirt stuff that sticks to your boots, no not sticks to your ribs, I am not a chef. What kind of dreams?  The real good ones, of fresh air, fresh veggies, and land!  No foot fetish people need apply, nothing like that going on here.

At first I used “Jen’s Garden”, for my cards, but it won’t work well a few years from now, and I am glad that we spent the time brainstorming about a great name. 

I am proud to say that I am from “Muddy Boot Dreams,” even if some people think that it’s a cute name.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

A tale of two gardens

 

Those of us who are interested in gardening have joined together in our condo, and we all have small garden plots.  Some are as little as 4 square feet, some are as large as 50 square feet.  Every available inch is being used in this small area.  The most important thing is, we are having fun. 

The original garden makers just kept adding to the space, and keeping it all for themselves, and when they moved, we finally got our share. Some gardens are a little bit more generous then others this is due to the slope and the landscaping.

While space is a issue that many of the gardeners squabble about, the available sunlight is also a concern.  As a gardener I knew that sunlight was a requirement, I just had no idea how a extra hour or two of sunlight a day could make such a difference in growth.

There is a garden that was planted at the end of June, look at the tomatoes, they are gorgeous.  My garden had peas planted in the cool months of February, and they are only 12 inches tall now.  Go figure.  Of course we could blame it on the weather, it’s not been the best, but this has happened for 3 years now.

The garden with the great tomatoes gets sun all day, the other gardens get much less sun.  And it shows. 

Certainly makes you realize that next time you plant a garden you should find the sunniest spot available.

Oh, and that’s my next door kitty, Ally, he likes to garden too, especially in my garden.

Jen  @  Muddy Boot Dreams

.

 

 

Passionately colorful

As gardeners we are very responsive to color. And it is interesting to see how some people gravitate to certain colors with passionate comments, while others are merely lukewarm and can’t get excited about it.

Color can invoke a subtle reaction, or it can make your heart sing.  There are soothing colors, that cool us down, and then there are the colors that vibrate excite us, other shades disturb us.

I won’t let a certain shade of plum poppy bloom for too long in my garden, it’s just to wussy for me. I can’t stand the half hearted tone with a mixture of purplish blues. Not blue, not purple, not pink.  I want to tell it to make up it’s mind, it reminds me too much of the eighties, and dusty rose.  Yuk!

I have been known to delete all the photos of orangey red poppies in my photo archives also.  I find that Adobe PS makes the colors too jarring for my senses.

It’s not that I don’t like red, I did not want to see this shade popping up all the time.

Anything green, mossy, cool, or any of the autumn shades works for me.  But in the spring we want a clear blue, white, soft yellows, and pinks.

During mid summers and beyond, the warm tones of the approaching Fall make us feel contented, that we are slowly slipping into the next season without a abrupt change. The orange of pumpkins, the russet of chestnuts, and the golden hues of the setting light, cling to every falling leaf.

The Aubergine watering can invoked such strong feelings in everyone, almost no one complained of that color.  If it were to be mixed with Chartreuse foliage, that joyous limey green would make it even more perfect for me.

So how do you feel?  What’s your favorite color, combo, what do you dislike, what can’t you stand?

What color would you never, ever plant, even if it was on sale more then half price at your local garden centre? 

Are you willing to pass up a bargain, in order to have color harmony in your garden, or are you a plant all the rainbows colors, they all work for me kind of gardener.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

A letter to my cats and dogs

I saw this on the internet, fell in love with it, and have saved it for ages.  It is written by Jilly Bean, who in my opinion is absolutely brilliant, and is probably a cat herself. Any higher praise couldn’t come from me.  Thank you Jilly Bean, we love this.

Dear Cat’s and Dogs:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine, and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by Nascar and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom in not the object.  Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster then you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.  It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible.  I also know the sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom!  If by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door.  I must exit through the same door I entered.  Also I have been using the bathroom for years, your attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Remember dogs and cats are better then kids because they:

eat less

don’t ask for money all the time

are easier to train

normally come when called

never ask to drive the car

don’t want to wear your clothes

don’t smoke or drink

don’t have to buy the latest fashions

if they get pregnant, you can sell their children..

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Words for summer rain

It’s raining today, after many, many wonderful bright sunny days, the weather forecaster is finally correct.

Misty, this is not, it’s a true summer rain, almost heavy winter rain, the kind that we get all of November through April.

A few seasons ago I wrote in despair about how the Eskimo’s had so many words for snow, and we had only a few for rain. Although apparently it is a myth that they have so many words, It seemed to me that living in a climate with this much liquid falling from the sky we should have a entire repertoire of words that could aptly describe the feeling of wet as it falls upon the earth.

That was hands down, my most popular post, go figure?  Seems like there are many people out there busily goggling the words for rain.

Anything to avoid going out in it, I guess.

A summer rain is different then a winter rain, for one thing it is less wet, less cold, and less of a shock to the system.  We are rejoicing when we get a summer rain, unless it happens to fall on the long weekend, which here in BC seems to happen a lot. We have a saying around here, if it’s raining, it must be a long weekend.

So I bring you, “words for rain” summer version.  Feel free to add your own in your comments. While these are words for a summer rain, I did use some of the winter rain words.

Misty, wet, damp, liquid sunshine [as if] softly falling, cloaking, precipitation, splash, soaking, soaker, gentle, shower, droplets, dewy, wet, monsoon, deluge, soggy, dripping, saturated, LOL.

I could go on, and on...

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams