couldn't get enough

The Civil Wars "The one that got away"

Parallelograms of light

La Casette by Louis-Jean Cormier

In the narrative of my life, I consider last new year a time of crisis about my house. In particular the unfinished renovation that had no timeline (which stresses me out but which is imperative for my husband to function). The crisis didn't resolve per se, but my soul did get tired of thinking about it.

I fell out of love with my house, and I stopped updating the blog with as much frequency as I had maintained in the past. 

This numb resolve has carried me through one harvest season, which seemed surprisingly easy. I keep opening my pantry and freezer to expect an empty space void of the goodies of life, but alas I've managed to put up jams, pickles, stewed tomatoes and so many other local delicacies (with the help of my mother) that it seems the inconveniences I associated with homesteading are now smoothing over. 

I have a routine, I see the light, this is normal. I eat the bread I make, I drink the tea I picked, there is always something to be cooked up with the seemingly random collection of raw foodstuffs in the fridge.

YET. I think this online journal has so much worth. I feel bad for not updating it, since I know I will appreciate having the timeline in the future. The heirloom garlic we moved, the small trees we've planted, the incremental improvements to our space, the adventures. So. Check these out.

Cranberries from our bog (preserved as salsa and fruit leathers)

We are halfway finished this job:

Garlic planted (I've lapsed for two years)

Last of the garden harvested

Good raspberry year (bad apple year)

Bread in my only oven (tiny convection oven purchased from classified ads for $10)

Tearing off the barn roof under floodlights on a  Sunday night (nice outfit)

Outside Fire

Inside Fire

I AM VERY GLAD OCTOBER IS FINISHED

The Darcys "The River".

Best explanation of DoubleThink ever.

Thug Notes on youtube.

The land of Bjork and volcanoes

Glasser's Shape video from youtube.



Iceland in 9 days: We are bringing a tent, waterproof insulated boots, waterproof insulated jackets, renting a vehicle large enough to sleep in, some Cliff bars and a grand sense of adventure. We will attempt to visit the thermal pool outside of Akuyreri, the Western fjords and the southern areas near the National Park.

vacation update: camp around iceland end of Sept?

...yeahhhhh, might have to rethink that plan:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/200-300-meters-of-snow-above-sea-level-expected-in-northern-iceland/11854/

Mesmerizing

We are in the market for an apple cider press. It took just the hintest whiff of dialogue in this video to recognize they were filming in France. I wonder if I could import such a monstrously amazing machine over the Atlantic?

Oh? Good thing you mentioned it.

Doing my research for car rental possibilities on our upcoming trip to Iceland, I came across this video:

 


 The host's title? "Female Automotive Expert". Guess she did a good job....for a girl.

 (salt on the wound: an advert for Walmart back to school meant solely for the moms in the crowd.)

blown up and away

It's Friday. Petra Glynt, song #3 "of this land" is my favourite

Chicken Free

Last year, we started the summer with a flock of ten. Two roosters, eight hens. We lost five (four hens and a rooster). This year we started the summer with five chickens, and now we have none. And no wonder - when they made hay on the field across the street, all the displaced field mice were getting chased by FOUR foxes. That's only 1.25 chickens per fox.

It's been too long

Read this kick-ass first-person account: http://thehairpin.com/2013/07/sugar-ray-and-me

I'm going to the U-Pick (only live ones allowed)

Board of Canada - Reach for the Dead

The Banjo Life Soundtrack

My garden is planted:

transplant watch-dog

garden gnome helper artfully blurred out

expanding the front bed with perennials

Spending quality time outdoors with quality people:

Impressive beach knots

Stealing stones for the garden 

Napping 

Rinsing my campfire dishes

National Park-ing

Swimming in the falls

Rural driving

Hiking on the mud flats to cool old stone towers

Diving in the Atlantic

Relaxing on the rocks

The Modern Grass - The River

The Modern Grass - The River - Analog Songs from The Picture House on Vimeo.

for when the stars come out

This could be your anthem by Cam Penner from Kootenay



Finish Round by Data Romance from Vancouver

Better late than never

Like I mentioned three weeks ago, and update of my operating system made my iPhone + work computer not want to play anymore. I've only recently gotten around to uploading photos on the home computer (which is looking a bit worse for wear with sawdust jammed between the keys, a giant crack in the trackpad and a stickingspacebar). Spring came & went quickly. It was an AWESOME maple syrup season so the better half spent weeks in the bush helping family friends with their camp.

The dog was in her element (that is to say: mud)

 
 Eating french toast created with homemade bread + eggs from the coop, with maple syrup drizzled over of course!

 


 Then summer arrived - we've had brilliant weather for a few weeks. I'm biking to work instead of taking the scooter in an attempt to get healthier. Our strawberry patch has a dozen blooms already, our garden remains untilled because of a broken tiller, the ground cherries from last year appear to have self-seeded, the garlic is garbage but the chives and mint and raspberries are all verdant & lovely. Guests have been making good use the house...in the span of two weeks we will have three sets of guests stay (a visiting researcher, a friend from the coast + friends currently living in New Mexico.)

This is the view about 10 minute walk from the front door:

 This is the view about 30 seconds walk from the front door, unfortunately:

Looks like something is eating our trees. We are loosing them:

 

Behind the pile of downed trees is a pile of gravel, hanging out all winter killing the grass. We managed to move about half the pile to make a car parking pad/wood delivery area near the compost but the rest remains. Killing the grass softly.

The workshop is also getting improvements, although I don't have nicely lit pictures of the tool space. New plywood cabinets, new lighting and new roofing (yet to be installed) to make the space more useful. We've got to pour our concrete countertops soon, so this is the space we will use.

Eventually we will install the cedar shingles all stored in the barn currently. The recent trip to Cape Cod area just hardened my resolve for/increased my love for grey houses. Rows and rows of grey houses with white trim. Sigh. 

View from our rental car window:

And inside the house? Installed the fancy pocket doors finally:

 And decided to tear down a wall between door bedrooms upstairs to make a master bedroom with giant walk-in-closet. RRowwwwrrrrr...

 The plan:

 The reality:

Montreal Tunes

Dirty Beaches song Night Walk.


Dirty Beaches song Elli.

no photo update

My work computer, where I usually post photos from, has stopped recognizing my iPhone. That means a few more steps to uploading the pictures from the house I've been taking the last few weeks.

Tiding over with this apartment therapy post on rustic family farmhouse decor.

Science!

I have an affinity for astronaut Chris Hadfield

Lady Lamb the Bee Keeper

From Brunswick Maine, playing with Neko Case next month. "Crane your neck"

Boy

Song Boris by band Boy

WHY IS THIS SO HARD?

I WANT THIS THING AND I HAVE MONEY> PLEASE TAKE IT.

I am going to the US, but I cannot pay for anything on this website with my Canadian card. I called customer service, he suggested I sign up as an international customer for shipping to my billing address. I did, and IT STILL WON'T SHIP IT TO ME.

bathroom makeover

We had, of course, big plans for our upstairs renovations. Since we were eventually going to tear everything out, it wasn't a priority to pretty it up. Alas, as my house renovation energy wanes, we've decided the upstairs will have to do as it is for a few more years. So I put aside about $250 to make what we had look nicer.

We reused some period lighting we had around the house - adding a much needed second overhead light fixture to illuminate the tiny stand-up shower, removed ugly mirrored medicine cabinets, added cabinetry & shelving made of reclaimed barn board, new curtains from fabric I got at a yard sale years ago and a new mirror from a scrap we've had for ages. Also addressed the crumbling plaster, the holes in the wall from old stovepipe flues and the rusted white metal heater. Basically I tried to make it less like a horror movie location.



       

Of course you'll see I cheated by taking the "before" pictures at night..in fact the same night after I started the demo....and the "after" photos in bright spring sunshine. But trust, the new white paint does have a beautiful brightening effect on the nearly windowless space (yes that is a window that looks out onto the laundry room). I married someone who equates bright white = boring, but I think at least for this bathroom is was the right choice. 

In the end, I think I only spent about $200 on bead board wallpaper (which doesn't really translate to photo but it's under the chair rail), various primers & paints (to go over the almond coloured oil paint), a new bathroom fan (sorely needed), some fancy baskets and new waste bucket. Desperately needs some green plants though.

Since taking these pictures I've rearranged the shelving baskets so they seem a bit more uniform than the rag-tag pile of items in these pics. I may or may not update the photos :) The old ladder came with the house and is temporarily acting like a towel rack until I can get my hands on a nice hook. 

Also new: upstairs laundry! Check it! No more going to the cold porch to do the laundry! Room to put two drying racks! Future planned clothesline right out the second story porch! Hollah!