Lamb

Lamb

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Summer at the farm

Hello dear friends!  It is hard to believe that I have been retired for a year already!  As I was winding down my career I had a list of things I wanted to focus on in retirement...walking every day, reading, staying on top of housework, journaling, sketching and painting, photographing our farm activities and posting them on my blog weekly...and I have not managed to accomplish any of them!

So thank you to those of you that were wondering what happened.  We are all well and here I am at long last to share some of our activities.

We have had a strange summer in terms of weather.  We haven't really had the prolonged heat waves we can experience here in our region and we haven't needed our portable air conditioning units although we did set them up for Lucy (more on that below!).  We have had a lot of rain although much of it is what we refer to as nuisance rain (5 mm or less) which is not enough to soak the gardens but enough to make a mess of plans to paint or cut hay.   In general though it has been warm enough to allow us to enjoy our outdoor seating areas.




We refer to this as our "breakfast deck" but I think we should rename it the "morning deck".  We like to have coffee here in the mornings.  This veranda receives full sun in the morning and we installed bamboo blinds to provide a bit of shade.  We added an outdoor rug and there is an old table that has been in use to hold some of the many plants we started from seed.


This veranda is at the front of the house.  We added two more outdoor rugs to this area as well.  (The dog beds and dog toys are always on hand).  The area in the forefront is the "afternoon deck" and the other area is the "wine deck".  The afternoon deck has shade early afternoon and the wine deck has shade just in time for happy hour.



This is the kitchen deck.  Earlier this year we developed an addiction to facebook marketplace and this is one of the many purchases we made!  This is a very comfortable set of Hauser furniture that we purchased from a lovely lady whose parents had passed away.  




Lake Ophelia is still a work in progress.  We have a heron that makes frequent visits and is no doubt eating our frogs and fish.


We were so upset earlier this year when we discovered that all of our koi had been eaten!  We have had fish in our koi pond for about 8 years and they were a constant source of delight for us.  After some investigation we believe that a mink paid a visit to our pond and ate them all.  We have since purchased other gold fish but of course they are much smaller.  We have a shade over the pond as the big ash tree that had provided shade has sadly succumbed to the ash borer and is now dead.  We are debating what to do with the dead tree and are thinking of leaving parts of it standing and growing climbing hydrangea up the truck.


I purchased a number of little concrete statues including this little bird which I have added to a bird bath.


Another facebook marketplace purchase was coloured glass vases which we have hung in some of the trees.




More garden views....



I decided to add a garden in front of the chicken coop.  It is a work in progress.


My assistant Abby is checking for soil temperature and consistency.



Dear old Lucy has given us some worry this year.  She is 13 1/5 years old and struggled with some health issues but after many vet visits seems to be stable.  She has been struggling with hot and humid weather as well as the poor air quality we had earlier this summer due to forest fires.  She seems to be feeling better now.



We haven't had much use of the firepit this year.  Earlier this summer many parts of our province experienced wildfires and the smoke traveled to our area.   We didn't  want to have a fire when the air quality was already so poor and then for whatever reason we just haven't gone back to enjoying evenings around the fire.  Maybe tomorrow!


Bailey's garden is waiting to have mulch spread.


I always dread hay season.  We need the weather to cooperate (which has not happened this year).  We need the equipment to operate properly.  And the work is physically very hard and as I get older I find it harder and harder to help my husband with this task.  He does most of the work and I just complain about it!



Another view of our fire pit with Lake Ophelia in the distance.


Lucy is very happy about a stuffed purple fish that arrived from Auntie Brenda!


Abby is resting with her stuffed dog!


And of course Vera is preparing to destuff and desqueak her stuffie.  (And all of the other stuffies as well)


We have been thinking a lot about gardening for the pollinators and have some plans!  The echinops is popular.



We grew some hyssop from seed this year and it is a great plant for pollinators.


We always seem to have something happening here at the farm. This year we are having a garage built!  It is going to be a 2 car garage with a loft that I will be able to use as a quilting and craft room.  I am so excited!



The excavation is just being done so stay tuned!

Thank you for visiting and wishing everyone a great weekend.
 

Monday, March 27, 2023

Waiting For Spring

Hello dear friends, I am stopping by after a rather long absence to let everyone know all is well at the farm!  I have been adjusting to the lack of structure that can accompany retirement and as a result I don't know where the time has gone.  I had a very long (mental) list of things that I wanted to accomplish over the winter months but did not manage to strike any of them off of my list.  We are now officially into spring so it is time for me to get my act together!

Our winter has been relatively mild with most of the snow coming during March.  We had several snowstorms a week apart and the birds have appreciated the well stocked feeders.  The squirrels have enjoyed the feeders more and are a bit of a nuisance.  Still, the feeder outside the kitchen window has had a great selection of junkos, chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, a nuthatch and lots of sparrows.



The chicken coop nestled in snow in the distance.  And for those that are wondering that is my garden fork which spent the winter in the red maple garden!



Rose Cottage is also blanketed in snow.  We are looking forward to spending some time there over the summer, perhaps with a book or magazine and a cup of tea.


Vera is the newest addition to our fur family and has fit it very well.  She turned 1 year old in January and is a (mostly) welcome playmate for Abby.


Abby is now 5 years old.  She is a momma's girl and likes to be outside if I am outside.  If I am inside she much prefers the comfort of the furniture.


A view down the driveway towards the barn.  My husband built this gate last year and named it "Kodiak Gate" after a very special boy that passed away a few years ago.  We used to refer to Kodiak as the farm manager.

Two of the three musketeers.



A snowy view of our firepit this morning after last night's snow fall.  We optimistically moved these chairs to the fire pit last Friday and enjoyed a glass of wine there before coming in for dinner.



Dear old Lucy turned 13 years old last week!  She looks like a polar bear and still likes doing her solitary farm exploration walks.


A view towards our house this morning.  Yesterday was sunny and I am quite sure the grass was turning green.  Our weather for this spring is predicted to be cool and wet.



This little gazebo is mostly decorative.  In the winter I add a Christmas tree.  Last summer we turned it into an impromptu bar for a party and liked it so well that we will do it again this year.


We have so many projects under way.  Our old kitchen in being converted into a laundry room.  The woodwork in our dining room is finished and installed and ready to be painted.  Painting our upstairs hall is on the agenda as is painting our kitchen.  And of course we have already been busy dreaming about our gardens and starting seeds.

I hope everyone is well.  Thank you for visiting!

 

Friday, November 11, 2022

Saying Good Bye To Our Mother

Hello dear friends, I must say that my retirement has not started the way I expected!  After my last post in which I shared plans for my birthday/retirement/anniversary party in August my mother unexpectedly ended up in hospital.  I had intended to post about the party but it just seemed so frivolous and unimportant at the time and I was occupied with visiting her every day and following her doctor's recommendations to start looking into long term care homes.  In the end however her condition deteriorated quickly and my mother passed away in hospital October 1st.

My parents were married in Holland in 1958 and moved to Canada in 1960.  When clearing out my mother's things we came across their wedding photo album which I cant recall having seen before.  My brother and I quite enjoyed looking at the old photos.  Such a different way of life!  Not just because it was over 60 years ago but life in Europe was so different than what we are used to here in Canada.

It is ironic that in this age where we all seem to take hundreds of pictures on our phones I wasn't able to find a great current picture of my mother.  We had many pictures but I was not happy with using any of them.  (Note to self: if I want to take photos of someone I need to make sure that it is either a shot that I would be proud to share or just delete it.)




My father passed away 4 years ago.  It was his wish to not have a service and although I wasn't able to have that same conversation with my mother I was confident that she would want something very modest. We decided to bury my mother's ashes with my father's here at our farm and I invited our family and a couple of close family friends to join us.  I reached out to my cousins in Holland and asked them to send me a memory that I could share with our guests.



We put the memories in a crystal jar and my brother and I took turns reading them at our little service.  It seems that our cousins' fondest memories of visiting us in Canada had to do with picnics with Kentucky Fried Chicken!  And it seems my mother also liked to drink a Tom Collins.  And so many references to how much my mother and aunt liked to talk on the phone and talk and laugh and talk and laugh...My mother only had one younger sister who passed away several years ago.  My cousins spoke of how much happier my aunt was when she was with my mother.  Their upbringing was so different than ours.  Born in Indonesia, spending the war in a Japanese concentration camp and then ultimately being sent to Holland to be raised by an aunt and uncle so that they could go to school.  They had a very special bond and shared history that many of us will never fully understand.



We held our little service October 22nd.  We had invited my mother's 97 year old friend with whom she spent time daily working on jigsaw  puzzles as well as the elderly parents of my brother's childhood friend.  I fretted over the weather...would it rain, be too cold?  But in keeping with my mother's spirit we had a glorious 22 degree day.  We all gathered at the fire pit to hear the memories, have a toast, and enjoy some wonderful appetizers prepared by my sister in law.  We had a lovely afternoon.


We didnt take many photos.  Afterwards I realized we could or should have asked someone to take photos but although I had thought of it at the time it didn't happen.  Fortunately my husband and sister in law were able to take a few pictures that I was able to share with my cousins in Holland.  We were amused afterwards to see that our German Shepherd Abby inserted herself into many pictures!


My brother and I scattered the ashes under the same tulip tree we had planted to honour my father.  We expanded the garden, added some irises and a hydrangea and planted more red tulips.


Afterwards I was so pleased to see our guests enjoying themselves and remembering my mother.  It was heartwarming to hear how fondly she was remembered.  My husband made some last minute changes to the fire pit area that we had revised for our August party and added steps so that we could go directly from the seating area to the tulip tree garden.


I didnt realize that cardinals are often a symbol of someone that has passed away.  My girlfriend and I found this sign at a lovely shop so I purchased it to add to the tulip tree garden.



I also purchased two small cardinals to hang in the tulip tree.





When I retired I had received a very generous gift card to spend at a beautiful garden centre.  I used the gift card towards the purchase of a statue that resembles a Dutch couple.  We added it to the tulip tree garden.

We also bought this bench.  



So there you have it.  I have reflected much on my mother's unexpected passing and the lesson I have learned is that we must all take ownership of our health.  For those of us that have aging parents, we need to be their champions and their advocates.  In hindsight I believe that my mother's health had been deteriorating for some time but that she had no real symptoms.  After a fall in May her health took a marked decline for the worse and what was attributed to pain from the fall and edema was actually a symptom of something much more serious. It is frustrating to know that she had spent some weeks in discomfort because her condition was incorrectly diagnosed.  It wasn't until she was admitted to hospital that the correct diagnosis was made.  Unfortunately though it was too late to help her.   I am grateful for the care that she received at our local hospital and I am also thankful that ultimately her passing was comfortable and peaceful. 

I will miss her dearly.  Now I wish I had asked her more about the history of a particular lamp which is now in our entry, or how she came to have such a collection of embroidered handkerchiefs, or where did the shawl with the satin lining and pearls come from.  Later I will do a post sharing the antique silver and crystal items as well as the old linens that will find proper places in our old house.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and reflect with me on the passing of my mother.






 

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Flowers for a party


Hello dear friends, it has been a whirlwind last few weeks for me!  On August 19th I was able to retire which also happens to be my birthday.  So to celebrate those two big events and our wedding anniversary my husband planned a little party,



We were up early to finish preparations for the day.  My sister in law had already arrived from Montreal and was ready to help.  The morning was glorious and the weather held all day.



Another sister in law was not able to attend but sent us masses of flowers that I could arrange as I liked.



So much fun arranging them.  Next year I am resolved to have a cutting garden so that we can enjoy fresh flowers throughout the season.





We set up 2 tables for dining on our kitchen deck.


We used a third table for serving.


I love to prowl around thrift shops for old silver.  Some of the old tea pots have broken lids but I love to put flowers in them.


We set up one of the drinks tables on our lower deck with wines and glasses, and used the little gazebo to store cold drinks in coolers.  


In addition to silver tea pots I have a small collection of silver trays.



The flower delivery included hydrangeas, dahlias, lilies, chrysanthemums, roses and lots of greenery.


We had a great selection of wines including a lovely sparkling rose.


I see Lucy lounging on the sofa in the background.


We have 3 different seating areas on the verandas with Adirondack chairs and I had enough flowers to make little arrangements for each table.





We had a lovely time visiting with family including a sister in law and her husband that have never visiting our farm.  In the next couple of days I will share photos of the dinner and the amazing cake we enjoyed at the fire pit!

Thank you for visiting my blog and have a great week!