Reno Update....

Things have come a long way since my last post with the mudroom reno. It's such a relief to have this near completion. We feared the attached garage wouldn't make it through another winter. During the course of the demo, it was discovered that the posts on the north wall that the structure sat on were just pounded into the ground without any cement footings. Any wonder it was sinking, rotting from the ground up and prone to some serious frost heaves! 

Stairs to the cellar... where I don't need to go!

Looking at the north wall

New shingle on mud room & back of house next year

Entrance on west side

Looking at the east wall. Skirting to come to keep rodents out.

Coming along... lattice will go and hardy board skirting added

Temporary stairs. Wrap around deck next summer?

A deck will cover the ugly, old cement garage floor

Skirting being added to keep rodents out

Our new mudroom is built with 2 x 6 lumber, up off the ground on post techs that go about 8 ft into the ground. The floor is insulated and under that is fine wire mesh to keep the rodents out. We're almost there... needing some exterior finish work and then interior insulation, drywall and floors to do. Such a big improvement!

Summer's Bounty and Reno's....

The expression "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" have taken on new meaning for me this year. It's certainly been crazy. The hazy is how I could describe my thoughts as I try to process all I need or want to do, and the lazy is how I feel but can't afford the luxury of such for more than a few hours, even on weekends.


We have a reno underway and this is a huge undertaking for just one person - my hubs. Our attached garage is done. We fear it won't make it through another winter so hubs has torn it down, saving an 8 ft section of the roof which is where our new mudroom will be. It will be nice to have a proper place to store winter gear and also a place to put my treadmill and gym which will mean I am out of excuses for not using them.


Housework waits for no one and I have two floors to contend with along with two dogs and a long-haired cat who shed like crazy and track in reno refuse. Our gentle Mike has been coming home lately covered in something very stinky so everything stops while he gets yet another bath. And dealing with the financial end of our reno job with a bank on the other side of the country, plus the discovery that hub's Visa card has a damaged chip while he's some 40 km away purchasing things needed for the reno has had me on the phone for what feels like hours at a time. It's been stressful trying to sort these gliches out over the phone, being put on hold each time I have to call back. Perhaps time to move the bank account - but I don't want to. I like my Vancouver account a lot and despite the inconvenience at this time, they are wonderful to deal with.

Support beams for the outside wall.
Everything to the left is torn down.

These techno posts are 8 ft down.
B'bye frost heaves.

A sorry site of what is soon to be history.

Progress of the demolition.

The sad cement floor will be covered with a deck.

We've done good on our red currants this year and we were able to cash in on the wild blueberries in the back field. It was a good year for the blueberries and I make freezer jam in small jars to last till next season (and I like to give some away as well). 

We also used some of the red currants to make a liquor which will be ready the end of October. Since I had purchased a rather large bottle of vodka, we decided to use the small amount of black currants from our young bush to make a black currant liquor and when our blackberries are ready, I think we'll do up some liquor from those as I don't do much baking and they'll get forgotten in the freezer. These are not big batches of liquor so I think I'll find pretty jars to store them in and save for a cold winter day where they'll be used to warm cold toes and noses.

Just before our chive flowers were finished, hubs came across a blog showing chive flower infused vinegar. It's a pretty pink, although you can't really see that in this photo but it makes a great salad dressing. We enjoyed some on a salad with freshly picked sugar snap peas, cucumbers and dill from our garden. Despite the horrid summer weather, our garden has manage to reward us with a variety of lovely things. 

Vintage Ads from 1950

Quite some time ago, I dug out my 1950 Life Magazine and proceeded to take photos of several ads. I couldn't scan them as my scanner bed (and patience) was too small and tiling them was too much like work. Every so often, I'll remember I have these images so I think it's time they reside here. I do wish the pages had sat flat as I clicked away but, at the same time, I don't care to manhandle the pages more than necessary. You know, I was born halfway through this particular decade so the styles of this era are not so far from some of my earliest memories.

Those earrings! So trendy.

Whiskey and a squirrel with nuts?

14 kt. and just $71.50!
I'll take two.

Roy Rogers & the Indian Princess

I wouldn't change a thing on this.

When ads for 'undergarments' were modest

I loved Art Linkletter!

Good old Campbell's Soup.

When smoking was cool.

Well... that's a tiny waistline!

Aunt Jemima! I miss you.

Wouldn't you love to know the prices?

Price is roughly 10x more today?

Mmmm... salt on everything!

This is pure vintage!

Somehow, the brown shoes
aren't working.

Bob Hope as I remember him
when I was a young girl.

I'd love a fridge like this. 

Oh, deer!

It's not often I get to see a couple of young deer come down to the river's edge and swim across. That's not to say wildlife here is in short supply. It certainly is not!


A couple of years back, hubs was in back of the shed, doing finishing touches and standing on a ladder. There is an approximate 12 foot space to the neighbour's gazebo and a deer came bounding through, brushing against the ladder and hub's legs and startling both of them. I mean, we're in the country with a smattering of homes in a tiny village.


Deer sightings are common. Just not by me so much. And didn't they bound across the road in front of pick up? Fortunately, the driver saw them before they scooted out in front of him.


Sorry for the blurry in the first two shots.... it was a stretch for my camera to zoom that far and through the branches at the road's edge. In the last photo, one deer is looking over this way because we had barking Blind Guy safely behind our locked screened door who knew something was going on. Letting him loose would be a disaster as he just goes after something like a mad dog. Gentle Mike started to give chase but he could see they were much bigger than him.

Hummingbirds at the feeders

This little video was taken on the morning of May 26th, a time when it was quite the feeding frenzy. I believe the females were preparing for the time they'll spend in their nests caring for their young. 


We've been enjoying these amazing birds for several years now and I've learned the females will be back at the feeders in droves before summer's end to fatten up for their migration south. They will be smaller than their babies who have left the nest and we'll be busy keeping the feeders filled at that time. Right now, it's a bit quieter at the feeders. We have one particular hummingbird who is quite territorial and perches himself in the chain of the hanging basket, keeping watch over HIS feeder and going after all others.


The second video shows how crazy it got at the feeders. They prefer this particular one. Sorry about the TV going on in the background, I was amazed at how many were flocking to that feeder and I just grabbed my camera to capture all the activity.

Backyard Delights

On Friday, I bought hubs a birthday present - a Virginia Creeper, thinking it was the next best thing to Boston Ivy which is what he really prefers. Wrong! I had to take it back after learning how invasive they are and "just where is it supposed to go?", he asks. Doh! 

So, back to the nursery I went on Saturday, exchanging the Creeper for these Rodgersias, only to learn after I got home that they are hard to grow and prefer a wet, bog type soil. Oops! "Don't you read the tags on these things?", he asks. Um, my glasses were in the car. We chose a spot that gets dappled shade and less chance of drying out. We shall see how they manage and after 24 hrs of being transplanted, I see no signs of stress. They are wonderfully fragrant.

Since I had my camera out, I snapped a few shots of other pretty things growing in our yard.

Johnny-Jump-Ups 

Bumble bees enjoying the chive flowers.

Flowers on the pom pom tree

Black current

Red current