To a gardener, these are more then just pretty packages

 

 

You see them peeking through slots in cardboard boxes, and piled on wooden racks this time each year, the brightly coloured seed packs, and flower photos blooming on bags of bulbs.  To a gardener these are more then just pretty packages, they are the promise of spring that will be followed by summer. 

They are hopes, and dreams, and admirations of beauty.  Of times spent reflecting on a day in the garden, the gentle ache of newly wakened muscles, and dirty hands. Of the joy in finding that first flower bud on a new plant. Of seeing a fresh shade of green, and the banishing of the brown winter blahs.  Of conversations with neighbours over fences, and the smell of newly cut grass, as children’s voices in play scatter like a dandelion seeds into the breeze.

Those packages offer a glimpse of glorious moments when the summer sun has gone down, and the luminous glow of the flowers still remains in the fading light. When the cold drink in your hand has formed droplets that fall onto your skin, and you realize that summer is truly here. And you believe for that moment that it will last forever, that this time, it won’t leave….

The bulbs may be packed in plastic, but they are sprinkled with hope, doused with creativity, and watered with imagination.  They are there to banish the snow that lingers like a unwanted guest, to dispel the grey skies, and bring joy to a otherwise bland month. They are promises in a package, and they are so much more then just a pretty picture to a gardener.

They are spring, turned into summer.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

New for Okanagan gardeners, Icicle hydrangeas

 

 

 

Announcing the newest variety of Hydrangea available to Okanagan gardeners, Hydrangea paniculata “Icicle.”  Available anywhere the temperatures are dropping, and there is some dripping water. 

 

 

We really need to get some eve droughts.  Apparently no one ever bothered getting them installed before, and the freeze thaw definitely isn’t good for the plants at the foundation. And having icy water dripping down my neck every time we go through the front door just doesn’t work for me.

 

 

On another note, guess who is having his claws clipped rather close from now on?  Well the Big bad Boo! that’s who.  We just bought two lovely area rugs, and Boo decided that they were scratching posts, not a good idea Boo.  Not even three days in the house, and they are showing signs of distress.

 

 

With laminate flooring everywhere, he is very happy to have this great big scratching post laid out for him on the floor.  Now he gets to keep his feet warm, and sharpen his nails.

 

 

Well I have other plans!

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

I can’t find _ _ _ _ and the _ _ _ _ seems to have disappeared?

 

Moving, a perfect way to lose, or break almost anything that is near and dear to you.  All day long it seems like we are asking each other, do you know where the "_ _ _ _ “ is, or have you seen the _ _ _ _ lately?  How do things disappear into thin air, out of a cardboard box, never to reappear again.  Especially when you know that you packed them at the other end.

We are missing a few items that have a huge sentimental value, my husbands participation medal from his first marathon.  The photos, the medal, the paperwork, all gone… The little alarm clock that was on my night table for over a decade, ever since my Mom gave it to me…gone.

I’ve since found the frying pan, and the baking rack, but the salad spinner is gone.  The cute little cache pot I used for small plants is broken, a beautiful glass bowl is chipped, and my wonderful dragonfly bird bath has a broken wing.  All day we ask each other, have you seen the _ _ _ or the _ _ _, it’s like insert item, so much is misplaced, or maybe missing.

Many of our boxes survived their upside down delivery, and I honestly don’t know where in the two part move it happened.  Somewhere along the line, the boxes in my craft room have been turned upside down, not a good thing for boxes with small parts.  So all of my carefully packed crafting supplies are hither and thither…that’s life I guess. But can’t anyone read “this side up?”

Seems like his highness, Bootsie has settled in nicely.  He loves the space, and aside from the neighbours yappy dog, hasn’t any problems.  He follows the sun, moving from room to room.

Stuff is getting out there, but it still seems over whelming messy, and I have a problem with that.  We have almost decided on a paint color, I know…I keep teasing you with hints…but the house is messier then I like, and I just haven’t seen the sun for so long that most of my shots are blurry with the lack of light.  I did find my flash, and I will need to organize some shots to share..please be patient. 

Between the move, setting up house, and helping out my Mom, and Dad, we are a little wiped. It’s slowly getting better, now if I can just find the _ _ _ or the _ _ _ life would be grand.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

If winter tarries too long, make your own spring

 

The gardener in me being ever the optimist, I am celebrating the fact that we didn’t move up here to the “frozen north, or land of endless skies” until the beginning of December last year.  Winter tarries long here, holding on with icy fingers, and giving in begrudgingly to spring. 

Whenever spring is coming….there that’s the realist in me.

By moving here in the middle of winter, we shortened the time I have to live without green things growing, at least for the first year.  Who knows what I am going to do next winter, make my own spring I guess.

Down on the coast there are crocus blooming, there are BUDS on the branches, GREEN BUDS! And yes that was all capital letters, it was required by the gardener in me. So who’s whining, not me, it’s just that gardener chick that lives inside of me.

Winter is tarrying, taking it’s sweet time, hanging out, flirting with us, giving us the occasional day of warmer above 0 temperatures, and then snatching it back with a vengeance.  They are predicting –12 C this week.  That’s pretty cold if you can’t do the conversion.  In fact when we lived in White Rock, that would be “alarm bells” cold.  Seriously cold, as in ice half way up the windows of the condo kind of cold, but we are made of sterner stuff now, and this house has better insulation.

In a recent trip to the “big city” of Kelowna, I noticed that the closer we got to the city, the less snow there was.  It’s kind of hard to admit that my sister [she who knows houses] was right, and they do get less snow there then we do.  In fact Kelowna was brown, while here it’s white.  It’s white, snowy fluffy stuff everywhere, including my garden.

Which has the gardener chick in me wringing her hands, and worrying if spring will ever come.  Well that’s fine, I have over 30,000 photos on my hard drive, and most of them are flowers, I can print them out and plaster the house with them should I so choose…so take that winter!

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

I did tell him, didn’t I?

 

Over the years while driving my parents vehicles when I was young, and now using their vehicle to drive them around we have occasionally encountered some problems.  That’s normal, no matter how well maintained, vehicles break down.  When I was young, I used to mention an odd noise to my Dad, who had a mechanical interest, and he would take a look, and then tell me that nothing was wrong.

Both my Sister, and I have been telling them that there are problems with their truck brakes for a few months now. Of course my Dad, insists that there is nothing wrong, but to placate us he will have them checked. Although they were still fine, the repair guy said he would replace them to make us feel better. 

 

Yesterday after picking up their vehicle from the brake repair shop, my Mom and I drove a few yards over to a parking spot at a garden center.  And as I wheeled into the parking spot I got the scare of my life.  The vehicle seemed determined to crash through the fence at the end of the parking spot.  Crunching noises, the feeling of brakes giving way, and total disbelief, after all I had just picked it up from the repair shop.

 

 

Turns out the ABS light isn’t coming on, and while I did manage to stop in time, there is something wrong that they didn’t catch at the repair shop.  See Dad, I did tell you there was a problem, but again…sigh you didn’t believe me.

 

 

Remember when I told you the Fiat would stall out at rather inopportune times, and you never believed me until you ended up stalled on the train tracks, and the train was coming? 

Yes….hmmm.  I rest my case.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

I’m still waiting

 

 

They say there are signs of spring showing up on the coast.

I’m still waiting, we just got more snow again.  And the snow plows have been running all night.  Gone are the city noises, now we are wakened by the giant diesel trucks running the roads and pushing snow all night…

 

They take snow very seriously up here.

And I take spring very seriously.  I guess the snow plows won this round.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Thrifty living 2012 - Daycations

 

Each Thursday  the Frugal Five write a blog post about Thrifty Living 2012.  With the economic downturn, and the cost of everything rising, it’s good to have some tips on how to save, and be thrifty.  Join, Brenda, Claudia, Elaine, Diane, and myself as we present our individual views on each subject. This week’s topic is Daycations.

The Daycation, taking off and enjoying the scenery within the boundaries of a day’s drive, and returning to your home that night, and sleeping in your own bed after having a great day away.  For homebodies like me and my husband, a Daycation is a perfect way to enjoy the surrounding attractions, and still be comfortable that night. You come back refreshed, replenished, and rejuvenated, and with much less of a credit card bill then a vacation.  The extra bonus is you don’t need to unpack at the end of it either.

When we lived on the coast we had Circle Farm tours, in the Fraser Valley, that offered cheese and wine tastings, along with farm grown produce.  Or we could head off to the big city, Vancouver, with it’s amazing cultural neighbourhoods ranging from China town, to little India.  It was like touring the world all in one day. Granville Island market was a particular favourite, featuring art galleries, glass blowers, retail stores, a market selling everything from veggies to cut flowers, and spanakopita.

We have so much to explore in our new world up here, there are mountains, rivers, turquoise lakes, world renowned wineries, and deserts all within a same day drive. And the best part is we get to take lots of photographs, enjoy ourselves, and sleep in our own beds that night.

So the next time you need a bit of a break, consider the Daycation, it might end up being just the ticket.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

 

View in a window

 

Just a few shots of cut flowers in the window…I miss the flowers on the coast.  Apparently there are sightings of crocus, snowdrops, and witch hazel.  Me, I have snow.

 

But for now, this is my spring….

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Neighbours, doggie gifts, and frozen chickens

 

We have just moved into our new home in the rural suburbs, and being new, we would like to make a good impression.  So I bit my tongue when I found the special gift the large dog next door left for me on my front lawn. Talk about putting your foot in it, there I was wiping my shoe desperately in the snow, and introducing myself to another neighbour the same time.  Thankfully he wasn’t the owner of the naughty dog.

A few days later I found a white feathered, frozen chicken in the bushes lining my front yard.  Cold, and very much dead, the poor desiccated thing had been thrown in there, but I decided to leave it until garbage day.

A few days later, after a heavy snowfall my husband was outside shovelling the driveway when the neighbour with the large dog stopped by to chat.  Oblivious to his dog happily wandering all over my front lawn leaving doggy prints in the pristine snow, I glowered at the dog through the office window. 

The guys talked, I hid behind the blinds in the house willing the dog not to leave any more special gifts for me, and wondered if I would have the nerve to say something if he did. 

After snuffling through my bushes for a few minutes the dog discovered the dead chicken, and started to chew on it, frozen feathers sticking out of it’s mouth.  It coughed them out, and went back to happily munching away while the guys talked over on the driveway.

I debated letting his owner know that his dog was chewing something rather unsavoury, until I thought, no, if he can’t pay attention to his dog, and he’s willing to let it wander all over my front lawn and leave messy gifts…then too bad. Besides, I was in my housecoat, and my hair was a mess.

The neighbour finished his conversation, and my husband came inside.  The dog obediently trotted over to the neighbour with the dead chicken in his mouth.  As the the neighbour, removed the dead chicken, he looked around thinking so where do you throw a dead chicken from your new neighbours yard?  Why back onto the new neighbours yard of course.  So there is lays, somewhere in the snow bank on the road side edge of our lawn. I am hoping that a neighbour who walks their dog without a leash is surprised one day by what their dog picks up the next time.

And I think we might be looking at fencing the front yard.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

We’re taking it all off – word verification that is

 

 

I kind of feel like we should be playing a few notes of a drum roll here to celebrate. Because you have all been taking it off for a good cause, removing word verification from your blogs, and saying how much you don’t like it on other blogs. It’s hard to understand, difficult to read, and who has the time to spend trying over and over again. 

Spread the word, pass it on, tell a friend, and then tell another.  Word verification isn’t the way to go.  The filters from Blogger have been improved and are very good at getting the bad stuff.

I really appreciate all of you who left a comment, to be honest, I was a little worried that no one would understand. And it’s nice to know that it’s not just me that has a problem with the squigglies.

Rock on word verification free blogs.

I was looking in my archives and I found these images of snowdrops taken last February 19th.  Just think, last year at this time we were starting our condo Reno, and had so much upheaval ahead of us, good thing we didn’t know what was coming.  While as a gardener I am missing the early flowers we used to enjoy on the coast, it’s good to be here in the Okanagan where we have longed to be for such a time. 

And as soon as we get a brighter day, I am taking some indoor photos of our house.  There are a few areas that I would love your decorating advice on.  And painting, well it’s still needing to be done, we are getting close to picking a color that we think will work. Will share that in the next few days.  Imagine this, we have all the boxes unpacked, now it’s just detailing, cleaning up, and organizing.  And then I am hanging pictures, even before I paint. I need to see art on my walls, I love color.

Here’s to blogging, and here’s to good blogging friends!

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Word Verification, I’m sorry…but it’s so not working for me

 

When I was trying to leave a comment on a few blogs yesterday I noticed a problem, the word verification has been stepped up. Seems like Blogger has pulled a nasty trick on all of us “over 40’s” who’s eyesight isn’t as it used to be.  It’s word verification gone to the max.  It was hard before to figure out what those scrambled, jumbled blurry characters on the screen meant, and now it’s impossible for me to figure them out at all.

I’ve tried, many times, there were some blogs that I valiantly tried over 4 times to leave a comment on. But if it involves calling over my husband to puzzle over each one with me every time I would like to leave a comment, something isn’t working for me.

I can’t do this, I am unable to understand the characters, and I am finding it a strain.  I read a lot of blogs, and I love all of you, and I want you to know that I will continue to read your blogs, but I just can’t leave a comment on your blogs if you use word verification.

I get a lot of spam, some days it’s a LOT of spam, I think one bad day it was 70 comments in my spam box.  But you know, in all the years that I have been blogging, only twice has spam made it through the filters to actually be on the posts.  And I just went to the post and deleted the comment, it wasn’t the end of the world. I use Gmail, and I use Blogger, and they both do a great job of filtering out the bad guys. 

You might have noticed the button on the sidebar of my blog that reads “word verification free blog” it’s more important to me now then ever. If you would like to join the movement and have the button on your blog, please visit Beatrice Banks.  The button code is on the bottom of the post, and she says it much better then I do.

So if you have word verification set on your blog, and you don’t see comments from me, I apologize, but now you know why.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Choices: Unpacking or blogging…well of course I choose blogging !

 

 

 

It’s always coming down to making a choice, unpack, or blog…I know no contest.  Blogging when there is a spare minute, and then unpacking for a little while to make up for it, and there still aren’t that many spare minutes in our days.  We are most likely down to the last boxes, except for the studio/craft room, and that’s a mess.  I say most likely, because I truly think those boxes are multiplying behind our backs.  They are sneaky like that.

 

 

Boo our cat is settling in, he has a set routine now, which involves going downstairs at 5 am, and scratching the inside of a rattan basket that I set out in the hallway as a catchall.  It’s caught his attention, and the sound of the cat scratching the basket at 5 am echoes through the silent house. 

Too lazy [tired] to get up, I just call downstairs at him, “Boo, no scratching” and it suddenly stops. Why?  Because he is bounding up the stairs, and launching himself onto the bed, where he immediately comes over to my face and meows.  As if to say, “hello so you Can Openers  ARE alive, I was rather worried that something happened to you.”   LOL, ah ha, sure you were. 

I’m smart, and play it fast asleep, but if Gar talks, we are in for it.  Bootsie is diligent, his life’s goal is to wake us up, and have us feed him.  Black and white cats are very strong minded, and determined to get their way.

 

 

He has a morning spot, which is in the bay window in the kitchen, where he can watch the Magpies swoop down from the fir branches, which reminds me to set out the feeders.  I keep forgetting, can’t understand why.  After 11 am you can find him in the front living room window, he sleeps on his pillow, and monitors the neighbours as they walk by with the dogs. The late afternoon he spends upstairs on our bed, and evenings are spent downstairs on the couch.

 

 

That cat has it made, except for the fact that we brought the farm dogs over for a visit the other day.  The look on the poor cat’s face when they charged into his domain was unforgettable.  A little astonishment, some disgust, indignation, and a touch of fear.  He was still searching the premises the other day as if to say, where did you hide them?

 

 

It’s a cat’s life, and it looks like we won’t be getting a dog anytime soon, but situations change all the time, and who knows if Boo is lonely….we might need another kitty.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Necessity is the mother of a “toasted bagel”

 

Well, the correct term is necessity is the mother of invention, but in this case it’s a toaster. See there are two kitchen boxes left to be unpacked, and I seem to have lost my necessary unpacking energy.  Could be the mounds of cardboard, and newsprint that seems to multiply as soon as we turn our backs. 

I had a toasted sesame seed bagels on my mind, and a craving that drove me, until I went out and bought some to appease it.  At 200 calories each, these are treats, toasted and slathered with butter they are memorable, and nothing that a few hours of unpacking won’t work off.

There wasn’t a toaster to be found, not anywhere, so that drove me to look through the last two boxes, the ones that I have been avoiding all week. Well they are the last two in the kitchen…there’s still boxes in the garage, and I think that they are multiplying also.

The boxes got unpacked, the toaster is found, and I had my toasted bagel treat, life is good. Obviously I am motivated by the thoughts of food, except I really can’t get too enthusiastic about unpacking those boxes in the garage. 

Cheesecake anyone?

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

PS: These are all shots of “Next Door Kitty” Allie, he was Boot’s kitty nightmare, but such a sweetie to us.

Thrifty living 2012–Saving on Groceries

 

Each Thursday  the Frugal Five write a blog post on Thrifty living 2012.  With the economic downturn, and the cost of living rising, it’s good to have some tips on how to save, and be thrifty.  Join, Brenda, Claudia, Elaine, Diane, and myself as we present our individual views on each subject. This week’s topic is Saving on Groceries.

Food, I love it, but it costs the earth sometimes to buy.  We Canadians can only look over the border with some sort of envy, it seems like Americans have such choice, and so many great prices that we can only dream of.  Add in extreme couponing, stacking coupons, double coupon days…we can just dream on.

While we do have store coupons, and sales, manufactures coupons, and rebates, I don’t think they come anywhere close to what US shoppers have available.  Not to mention the wider variety of products that are available….

1. I buy in bulk, it’s simple if you have the space buy larger quantities and break them into smaller, easier to store amounts. We have Costco, and bulk stores, prices there are usually quite a bit cheaper when you don’t have to pay for packaging.  If you don’t have the space, try splitting the food with a neighbour or friend. Spices are a great example, a small jar of dried mint would cost me $3.00 at the grocery store, at a bulk store it would have just cost me pennies.  Transfer your bulk food into your own jars, and containers, label it, the extra time is well worth the effort, and think of the money you will save.

2. Train yourself to shop mostly the outside aisles of the supermarket, the freshest food is on the exterior walls of your local grocery store.  Dairy, meat, produce, are all fresher, healthier, and less expensive then the prepared meals that are in the inside aisles.  Sure it’s convenient to have some microwave dinners in the freezer, but you will pay more for them. The same goes for prepared foods, the sodium and fat levels are high, they have lots of preservatives, and they cost more.  Convenience is the price you pay when you don’t cook from scratch.

3. Make it from scratch…remember homemade?  It seems that we are all so pressed for time now, that convenience foods are the way to save a few minutes.  Made from scratch takes longer, but it costs less.  You can also make a little extra for lunches the next day, or freeze leftovers to have on a day when you don’t have time to cook.

 

4. Shop the sales, I go through the store flyers, and specials in each flyer, then I mentally plan out meals using the sale priced items. Lets say large packs of ground beef are on sale, I can cook it all and freeze it in smaller amounts for when I need it.  If there is only one or two items on sale at a particular store that I need, and another store has lots of what I am needing I will skip the first store, because what I save on food, might be spent on gas. And that’s not saving at all.

5. Plan ahead, your grocery costs will be less if you purchase items when they are on sale, and before you need them.  It involves a bit of thinking, and preplanning, but in the end not having to run to the corner store for bread will save you $$$$. Because you know that there is no way you are just coming out of there with a loaf of bread. If a item is on sale, take advantage, and buy more then one, if you will use it in the next little while, it’s worth it to stock up.

6. Eat seasonal foods, and veggies when they are in season.  Every fruit and veggie has a peak time and that’s usually when they are the least expensive to buy.  Buying blueberries in winter will definitely cost you more than when they are in season during the summer months. Fruit and veggies are expensive during the winter, try buying frozen, or freeze your own, they make a great less expensive alternative.

7. And last, don’t buy non grocery items at the grocery store, this hint has always stuck in my head.  Deodorant, laundry soap, toothpaste, convenience items are usually more expensive at the grocery store then the pharmacy, because they know that you are not going to make a trip to another store, and will justify the extra cost because of time constraints.  If you wait for a sale at the pharmacy, or bulk store you can save even more.

Put the money you have saved from these grocery tips into a daily interest savings account. When you have saved enough, you can send me a post card from the Hawaiian vacation the accumulated savings paid for.

Stop by the other Frugal Five, Brenda, Claudia, Elaine, and Diane for more grocery saving tips.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams