A Plan or a Pipe Dream

I don’t like flying, so travelling by air always entails quite a lot of angst and second thoughts, but road trips have always appealed to me.

Maybe I come by it naturally. We had a couple of uncles who were well-known for hitting the road and heading off by themselves, camping along the way.

Although I am not really much of a traveller, there are places I would like to see.  Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan, Waterton Lakes National Park, Hay River and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, and the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, just to name a few.

A road trip seems the best way to get there, and the idea of camping along the way appeals.

I have a truck and a canopy, but the canopy leaks and isn’t very secure.  A camper is just too big and cumbersome.  The perfect solution seemed like a camperette, so I have been keeping my eye out for one.

Well the other day the perfect one turned up.  Just what I wanted and within my price range.

So I bought it, and brought it home.

It fits quite nicely on the back of my truck, and isn’t too much bigger than my canopy.  It even came with this handy foot stool.

A nice size bed that makes up in to a table.

A little furnace for those cool times, lights, a fan and a few cupboards,

and even a little ice box fridge.

So there it is…if I really want to take a camping road trip, I can.

I have the winter to think about it.  To see if I have the courage to actually make a plan and head out on the road like my uncles.

Or maybe it’s just a pipe dream, and there will be a nice little camperette coming for sale next spring.

Only time will tell…

 

Hoarding?

“Compulsive hoarding, also known as hoarding disorder, is a pattern of behaviour that is characterized by excessive acquisition and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment.” (Definition provided by Wikipedia)

I have never thought of myself as a hoarder. I have no problem getting rid of things I don’t need.  Sometimes I am too quick to dispose of something, and later find myself wishing I had kept it.

There is one area of my life though, I am beginning to suspect, might fit the definition of hoarding.

It all began when I moved to Morris Brook Farm, and the fateful day I brought my first sheep home.

That wonderful woolly creature. No, I am not hoarding sheep.  I have no problem getting rid of the lambs as they grow, or even the ewes if they aren’t working out.

It is the wool.

I love the wool.  I love everything about it.

I love it when it is growing on their backs out in the summer fields.

I love to see it coming off in huge fleeces when the shearer is here.

I love spreading the fleeces out in the spring sunshine and picking all the burrs, weeds and nasty bits out.

This year I even drove it out to the Custom Woolen Mill in Alberta to have it washed, carded and made into rovings and batts.

The smell of the steamy wet wool as I toured the mill brought tears of joy to my eyes.

The other day I received the call from the bus station.  There was a parcel for me.

It was like Christmas morning, even though I knew exactly what I would find in that big package.

Wool.  Lots and lots of wool.

More wool…exactly like all the rest of the wool stored in my house.

The loft storage space is full,

and the living room is collecting its share too.

Bags and bags of wonderful wool!  I just can’t seem to bring myself to say “enough”.  I have sufficient rovings to keep me spinning and knitting and felting for years.  I have sufficient batts for numerous pillows and quilts.

Yet every year when the sheep are sheared, I send the wool away to be processed so I can add it to my collection.

So am I becoming a wool hoarder?  Or is it too late, and I am already there.

I fit the “excessive acquisition and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home” part of the definition, but it does not yet “cause significant distress or impairment”.

So for now I will carry on, enjoying the sheep and all their wool until my home begins to look like…

the storage room at the Custom Woolen Mill.

Then I might have to seriously consider the question again.

 

 

The End of August

Here it is, the end of August.  Summer is coming to an close and the signs are everywhere.

The flower pots around my deck are starting to look very tired.

Or maybe it is just me that is getting tired of watering them.

The garden has received some good rains so the flowers there are still doing well.

A bed of bachelor buttons,

echinacea,

hollyhocks,

and a sure sign of the end of August,

sunflowers.

The vegetables are still doing well too.  I have been enjoying potatoes, carrots and swiss chard.

The beans will be ready to pick any day now.

They are late this year because the first planting froze out.

I also have some new lettuce that is almost ready to eat.

Whether or not I will be able to enjoy all these vegetables depends on not getting caught by a sudden frost.  That is a very real possibility.

The trees and shrubs are starting to turn color.

It is very noticeable on our walks.

The green isn’t as bright and has a yellow tinge to it.

The sheep are still enjoying the fields though.

Another sure sign is the sight of smoke across the field on the cooler mornings.  Not from a forest fire, thank goodness, but from a wood stove taking the chill off the cabin.

Such a good idea I had to try it myself.

Now that is a welcome sight and feel.

I am sure there are still some warm summer days ahead, but the end of August always feels like a turning point.

Get ready for fall…it’s on its way.

The Three Dudes (or is it four?)

Morris Brook Farm was pretty lively the past two days.  Three great-nephews arrived for a sleep-over and it was not-stop activity.

It started yesterday with a trip to a local creek.  Grab the gold pans and start shovelling the sand in.

Then down to the creek to add some water,

and start swirling and looking for gold.

Once all the gold was found, it was time for the three Dudes (or is that four?) to build a dam across the creek.

The water rises as the dam goes up.  I don’t think those boots are going to keep the water out!

So what do you do once your boots are full?

That’s right.  Sit on the ground, raise your leg and let the water run out your boot, and all over your pants and shirt.

That didn’t stop the others from doing the same thing…first one…

and then the other.

So now your shirt is wet and doesn’t feel so nice.

Might as well take it off!

That feels better, now you can really enjoy the water.

Oh oh, looks like we have one hold out.  Come on take that shirt off!

That’s more like it, three shirtless dudes enjoying the creek.

Today brought a whole new bunch of adventures.  An early morning walk with a little rock climbing thrown in.

Wait a minute…some one else likes to climb rocks too!

Now what could possibly be so interesting?

You probably can’t see it, but it is a helicopter drone.  I tried to get pictures of it in flight but wasn’t very successful.

Pictures or not, the three dudes spent some time flying (and crashing) the helicopter.

The three dudes (or is it four?) then headed off to the cabin across the field.  I didn’t find out until later what they were doing over there.

Check it out!

What do you think? A future in the music industry?

Then it was off to the sand pit.

Dump trucks, loaders and shovels.

What to do when your shoes fill up with sand?

Take them off, of course.  I think he would be pretty good at the tree pose in yoga.  No problem standing on one foot!

Bare feet work so much better in the sand.

All that shovelling and road building worked up a bit of an appetite.

Time for the three (or is that four?) dudes to have a break and a snack.

Pretty scary looking bunch!

Last of all, a visit to Morris Brook Farm wouldn’t be complete without a quad ride.

Don’t worry, the fourth Dude was driving!

And that ended the visit…the three Dudes went home to their Moms and Dads with lots of stories to tell.

A great time was had by all…we’ll have to do it again soon!

An August Day

Today was a day for puttering in the garden.  Time to start bringing in some of the harvest.

I pulled the garlic, and strung it up in the wood shed to dry.  Just over 60 bulbs, enough to replant this fall and still have lots to cook with.

I picked a batch of mint and put it in the herb dryer.  Can’t have too much mint tea in the winter.

This year I planted sweat peas in the garden, and they have done quite well.

This bouquet is for you, Sister Mary.  I just wish there was a way to send the scent over the internet.

While I was working in the garden I heard the Sandhill Cranes.  There they were, down in the field for the first time this summer.

I also picked the black currants today.

I washed them and put them in jars with some of the leaves.  Filled the jars with vodka, and set it away in a cool, dark place until December.

Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur).  This is all that is left of the batch from last year.  It’s a good thing there will be a new batch soon.

So delicious. A perfect end to a day celebrating the garden’s bounty, and no better place to enjoy it than on my deck.

I hope you had a wonderful August day too!

A Taste of What’s to Come

When I awoke this morning, I thought I had slept for a month or two.

The hot August days were over, and the cool grey days of October were here.

The sun was hidden beneath a blanket of fog? smoke? mist? I think it was a mixture of all three.

It had rained most of the night, and the grass and bush was soaked.

The walk with the dogs promised to be a wet one.  A perfect time to try out my new hiking boots and see if they really were waterproof.

The lake was quiet, no birds singing.

It was a quiet, cool, grey walk in the woods.

I think Buck enjoyed the change in the weather.

Throughout the walk my boots and pants got wetter and wetter.  I kept waiting for the moisture to soak into my socks.  Surely these boots weren’t actually waterproof?  How many times have I bought boots claiming to be, and I was always disappointed.

When I arrived back home, my pants were soaked from the bottoms to above my knees.

The boots were soaked too,

on the outside.  On the inside my socks and feet were perfectly dry.

Tomorrow when I wake up it will be August again.  The sun will be out, drying the grass and bush, and sending Buck and Emma into the ponds and creeks to cool off.

Today was a just a taste of what’s to come in the months ahead, cooler and wetter weather, and dry feet in my new hiking boots.

 

Mini Road Trip

I just got back yesterday from a mini road trip.

Sister Mary has guests visiting from Japan, and she wanted to take them to see Mount Robson in the Rockies.  I tagged along.

The first stop was in Clearwater for a picnic lunch.

Then off to Valemount, where we met our friend Dawne.  She had volunteered to be our guide.

The gates to the park.

The weather was hot, and it would have been lovely and clear, except for the smoke from the forest fires burning around the province.

It was hard to get a good picture of Mount Robson, but at least it wasn’t hidden in clouds.

The flowers were beautiful.

Then it was off to see some waterfalls.

First was Overlander Falls.

There were lots of pictures taken.

We timed it just right.  When we arrived there were kayakers, preparing to go over the falls. Quite something to watch, not for the faint of heart.

Then it was on to Rearguard Falls.

Our Japanese friends were very impressed!

After a full day we headed back to Valemount and our very comfortable accommodations at Willow Burl Cabins.

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast we headed back towards Clearwater and Wells Gray Park.  Off to see more waterfalls.

Spahats Creek Falls,

Dawson Falls,

and last but not least, Helmcken Falls.

You can still see the hazy blue smoke hovering everywhere.

Two more stops, first at Dairy Queen for ice cream, and then at a fruit stand and we were on our way home.

It was a great mini road trip, and fun to be a tourist in our own backyard.