My little tiny crabapple tree went crazy with fruit this year. Most years I have enough to make some crabapple jelly, some spicy jelly, some applesauce. But this year I am inundated with fruit. I’ve made all the crabapple jelly I can store in the crowded shelves of my pantry. Frozen as much applesauce as will fit in my freezer, but now it is full. I have stored boxes of crabapples in the workshop where the temperature stays moderately low but doesn’t freeze. I haven’t been doing much writing, because most of my time has been taken in the kitchen. … Continue reading ..read more

The tomatoes are coming fast this year. They grew so strong in the early summer that most of them pulled the tomato cages over or crumpled them onto the ground. Some of the plants were more than five feet tall. Not that we had a great summer, started cool, hot for about 3 weeks in July, then cool and rainy for another three weeks. Yet here they are, ripening like crazy. I buy most of the plants from a very kind man who grows and sells tomatoes every spring. I always promise to bring the pots back, because that saves … Continue reading ..read more

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The Martin Mars water bomber was stationed at Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island, but now is destined for the Aeronautical Museum near the Victoria airport. This is it’s last flight, down the east coast of Vancouver Island, over Salt Spring and other islands and over the city of Victoria. Click on the picture to see the flyover. Canada has a lot of forests. This is the largest water bomber in Canada, used to fight forest fires through the years. The Snowbirds escorted it along the way. We waited with thousands of other people on the hills below the airport to … Continue reading ..read more

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The new buds on the branches of the fir trees are bright green this year. That’s not always the case, but it has been a slow spring, still very cool. It is 6 to 8 C degrees/ 43 F in the morning, rising seldom past 10 C/ 50 F in the afternoon. All the colours seem more vibrant. Even the azaleas are stunning in their intensity. I don’t know if it is the cool weather or what is affecting it. What is it like where you are ..read more

Voice of encouragement at break of day: “Pickup your pack, O Pilgrim, and away!” This doth the voice of Home each new dawn say. Those who go daily forth are blessed by her, feeling their spirits rise, their pulses stir, for Home is both a magnet and a spur. She sends us forth each morn with strength to fight, yet draws us to her loving arms at night. O Home! thou art the temple of delight. Thou art the very heart of beauteous life, a fortress armed against invading strife, love’s citadel for children, husband, wife. Thou art a garden, … Continue reading ..read more

Well, I have finally finished this memoir, the cover was created from an old family photo of our homestead house. It took quite a while to write it, going back and forth between what I remembered and what I wanted to share. And now that I’ve declared it finished, I still feel compelled to go back and rewrite many parts of it. I guess it will never be perfect and I’ll just have to live with that. ? It won’t be published for a few months. Back blurb: This is the story of my family’s adventure. We left the Canadian … Continue reading ..read more

I developed a sciatica problem in October, and have been fighting it ever since. My GP gave me pain meds, and after 4 visits I managed to twist his arm enough to get an X-ray. The bones in my back were severely compressed. Too many car accidents? Maybe. At any rate, I gave up on physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments after 15 such sessions. Now I’ve got acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and an inversion table. Have you ever seen one? I hadn’t either until we did some research. Here’s what mine looks like. You just strap yourself in and turn the table … Continue reading ..read more

As we approach the New Year (can you believe it?) I’m looking forward with excitement and gratitude to what it might bring. I wish you all great things in 2024 ..read more