Sunday, November 24, 2013

Where did a year and a half go ??

The paradox about aging is that time flies by faster every year, just when your ability to actually do things is diminishing. That's likely why I havent found a minute for this blog in sooo long, I am forever in catch-up mode..
Highlights of the last 18 months....We gained a border collie puppy, Ryn, who seemed to grow up overnight, we love her very much. My youngest son and my older brother both got married, my brother (in another country) gave us a weeks notice but we made it. Son and bride are far off in the NWT making a wonderful life, I am so envious of the great big fish they are catching but they can keep the long cold dark winters.

 Here are my son and I looking tres elegante in our wedding outfits.

The strangest thing happened at my brother's wedding in Connecticut...I painted this picture for him of both of us on a load of hay as kids in 1958 in Nova Scotia. We went a couple miles from his house to get apple cider and there behind the shop was the identical model and year of the old tractor we remember so fondly! What are the chances of that ?

The grandchildren from out west were here for the wedding and I had a wonderful time watching them hunting for fairies. When they discovered the fairy house in the woods they opened the little door to find the four Flower Fairies series of little books which they promptly sat down to read, oblivious of the adults.

I didn't get much painting done all those months, this one is my favorite, a crow on the beach called "Watchful".

    Over the winter the Communiteers was formed in our village and we began volunteering at the school teaching the kids about healthy food and gardening. We did a dried apple project which involved every student (we have 96 from K-8) They loved using the hand crank apple peelers and sampling the dried apple treats the next day. In march every kid started a tomato plant under lights in the school and class by class they hiked the 15 minutes to the brand new school -community garden where they set out their plants and also seeded peas, beans, cukes, carrots, and potatoes.
The harvest in the fall was amazing! Over 4 days all the kids were involved in either gathering, digging, pulling veggies, washing, chopping, cooking a beautiful garden soup, making rolls, table setting, and serving. Seed to plate, full circle.

An exhausting week but full of great memories for both volunteers and kids.

So today was our first bit of snow that stayed on the ground and I'm eating the last of the tomatoes from the greenhouse. The freezers are full of veggies and our home raised meat chickens, basement stocked with potatoes, onions, leeks and carrots. Time to take stock of goals and plans for next season, time to take time for a book by the fire...
time to figure out what goes and what stays with advancing years, bad back and hip. This will likely be the end of my market gardening, time to turn a page and do what's manageable.... I wont have time to look in often on this blog there's a retirement house to build and if anyone wants to have a look at that its the next exciting thing on the horizon for us... http://www.ourseasongcottage.blogspot.ca


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