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Tuesday ~ September 8th
Lately, I've been spending a lot of my time in the yard ~ weeding, mowing & watering. I'm surrounded by trees, flowers & birds, but in essence, it just doesn't cut it when it comes to that feeling you get when you're in the heart of nature. After all, I can still hear dogs barking & buses going by & I can see the neighbor's outdoor furniture & stare off at telephone lines in the alley, all of which isn't quite "natural"...
So during a really beautiful stretch of weather last week, I asked my mom if she wanted to go for a walk in the woods, and she agreed. She took her camera & sent me the photos from our outing, here are some of them below:
This is in Whitemud park, which has an abundance of beaver dams.
Oh, and beavers! Cool, eh? (*I feel so Canadian when I see one*).
And the bird life in this park is phenomenal. We saw downy woodpeckers, chickadees, ducks, blue jays, a hawk, nuthatches... And we got to watch a giant Pileated Woodpecker work out a big, white grub from this poplar tree:
Isn't he just stunning!?
Just incase you really don't get how beautiful he is, here's another picture:
What a magnificent bird to watch!
And below, a picture of the creek:
The park has many different types of environments. Every bend you turn, the surroundings seem to transform.
I love this one section below because it makes you feel like a small dwarf among very large Spruce trees:
And because it's so fitting, a wonderful song. I hope you enjoy.
* By the way, I'm back to a regular schedule (sort of) so I'll be updating more frequently. Thanks for hanging in there, have a great week. |
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Tuesday ~ September 15th
A wonderful customer of mine & super jewelry maker, Midge, sent me this photo of a bracelet she made incorporating some of my beads from the last sale. It's stunning Midge ~ thank you for sharing!
I'm sure you would like to see more beads here. Actually, I started back to the torch this week but my fan broke down (the exhaust fan that takes away all the bad stuff that floats around when you melt silver & glass). This is a relatively new fan so it seems strange that it's not working. Chris is going to look at it tonight & see if he can fix it. If not, I'll be out shopping for a new one tomorrow.
This is for you bunny. |
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Tuesday ~ September 22nd
Before & After Yard Photos...
I've been going through all the yard renovation photos from the past 5 years since we moved in & narrowing them down so that I can give you a photo journal of the work we've been doing on the yard since we moved in.
Let's start with the back yard:
Above: (April 2004) The west side of the house shortly after we moved in. The previous owners used it as a dog run.
Above: (Summer 2006) While we were renovating the yard, we used this area as a place to store junk & boy was it junky!
Above: (August 2009) We are almost finished in this area now. Last year Chris built a garden shed for me & this year I added top soil, sod & paving stones.
The ladder is there so that you can climb up to see the roof garden! Would you like to see the roof garden?
Above: Here it is, we'll see what plants survive the winter & plant more next year. Can you spot the bowl of water? That's incase a bird flies by & is thirsty.
Above: (July 2009) And here is Chris watering the roof garden (this picture is taken from the front of the house).
Let's move on to another area...
Above: (April 2004) This is the view towards the west backyard. There wasn't much going on here when we first moved in. It was a quack grassy area with an old, rusty swing set & some scraggly bushes but we felt it had potential.
Above: (August 2009) This is that same shot 5 years later. We put up a new fence that gives more privacy, trenched all the overhead wires, regraded & put new sod in, carved out a curvy garden bed on the side & filled it with good soil, shrubs, perennials, a bird bath & feeder & put in a fire pit at the back.
O.k. moving on...
Above: (April 2004) Looking straight on from the back door was a small garage, car port, little shed & a tree growing out of the garage. What a mess!
Above: (July 2009) Now we have a big garage for 2 cars & storage, a deck for visiting with friends & raised gardens... for me. (There's a magpie squawking on the tippy-top of the garage!)
Above: (April 2004) Just east of the garage was another area of grass, a good view of the neighbor's garage & a concrete pad, which is covered in snow in this picture.
Above: (Aug 2009) Same area 5 years later. We took out the concrete & replaced it with paving stones, raised the area, added fresh sod & a paving stone walk way, put in more garden beds (I'll be adding plants that attract hummingbirds & butterflies to this area next year). There's also a waterfall, which you can see better below:
Above: (August 2009) The rock waterfall trickles down into a little pond. If you look really closely, you can see a wee chickadee on the top of the waterfall having a sip of water.
Above: (April/May 2004) This was the area you saw when you first walked into the back yard & then turn around. Again, not a lot going on but, personally, I like the plastic bag hanging in the scruffy old lilac bush - haha.
Above: (August 2009) Same area but now we have a pergola, which Chris built this year. He rocks! We are growing hops up it so hopefully next year it will be covered in vines!
Above: (April 2004) When we first walked around the house, this is what you saw as you approached the back door. My family wasn't very impressed when we showed them - heh.
Above: (August 2009) This is now what you see as you approach the back door. And just past the pergola is the upper deck:
This is where the hot tub is & therefore, is my very favorite part of the yard. Best purchase ever. Do you see Miss Maggie having a little snooze on the chair?
Above: (April 2004) The back of the house when we first moved in (wish I had a better shot but I don't...). Notice the seedling trees growing randomly & the wires that a really tall person could accidentally decapitate on? Well, o.k. maybe not, but they sure did hang low!
Above: (September 2007) In the middle of progress. This is a shot of the house being resided.
Above: (August 2009) This is the back of the house now, taken from the fire pit area. No wires anywhere, yippee! We added the patio door & in that room is my studio so I can look out into the yard at the flowers & birds all day long while I work.
Well maybe that's enough for now, eh? I'll show the other side of the house & the front yard renos another time. It's really beautiful outside & I need to go & enjoy the yard now. Hope you had enjoyed the little tour. |
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Monday ~ September 28th
Cranberries ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Despite the enormous amount of work that lies ahead, I'm still finding time to enjoy the souvenirs of the season. I've been walking through the woods with my mom, who has been capturing all the beauty we discover:
Like...
the stunning markings on these birch trees highlighted by a backdrop of yellow leaves.
And a Ruffed Grouse that stood by the side of the road for minutes wondering if it should cross to the other side.
A young coyote wandering along a trail.
And an animated Richardson's Ground Squirrel.
This magnificent Bison, a throw back to prehistoric days.
Look at this guys head, it's just incredible!
And these beautiful, ripe chokecherries. |
