Feast or famine

It seems like I either have nothing to blog about or far too much to blog about.  Right now, the latter situation applies.  Renos, garden, dogs, flowers, bugs, birds, local characters, blackberries, walks, interesting photography opportunities, old boats, funny thoughts.  The photos and stories are piling up.  And up.  And up.  I'm just too lazy to post them.  So I will keep today's post to just a few, and save some more for another day.  Without any new material, I think I have enough to post every day for the next month or so.

The renos are supposed to be done, but testing out the new range hood resulted in a clang-clang-clang that could be heard from here to Timbuctoo.  (Yes, readers in Timbuctoo, that WAS a range hood fan you heard clanging!).  And the stackable washer and dryer which needed highly technical modifications that only the appliance dealer could do, has now been stacked by them with - ready for this? - duct tape!  Yes, that is all that is holding the dryer to the top of the washer.  And a foot of aluminium foil ductwork is protruding from the top of the dryer to the ceiling of my new kitchen, in plain view like a messy closet door left open.   I am not a happy camper and this is not satisfactory. I can honestly say there are NO good businesses on Vancouver Island. The lack of professionalism and pride in one's work here is my one pet peeve about where I live (well, that and the people who don't pick up their dog poop!).

So, in the interest of maintaining my sanity, I have been playing with the cameras.  Here's a few of my recent favs with no particular story behind them:

Yellow flowers raise their faces to the clear blue sky

An unusual spider hangs from the flower basket on the back deck

Young pole beans through a sprinkler in the morning light

Grasshopper on a stucco wall

Mighty big, rather scary Ten-Striped June Bug

The garden grows

 And I think these next two are my favourites for this batch:

Harvest from my garden
The corn was AMAZING!

Octogenarian, fig-growing, harmonica-playing George.
One of our colorful Crofton characters,
Often found on the Sea Walk or near the ferry terminal.
A great guy to chat with!

And speaking of photos, if you are heading through Crofton on your way to Salt Spring Island, or just live around here, check out the galleria at Lito's Cafe.  You'll find my photo cards on sale there now - all proceeds to the Cowichan and District SPCA.  At the moment, I've limited it to images of Crofton,  as others are offering shots of animals and flowers but none focused on our beautiful piece of paradise.

Beautiful Piece of Paradise.  Well, except for that Bad Business thing.  And I take that back - the people at Lito's Cafe are awesome. So is the food and coffee.

Okay, okay, I know it's been over a week!

Sometimes when you just know you will EXPLODE if you start blogging, it is best to remain silent.  No, the renos are not finished.  I'm not going to tell you about the unstackable stacking washer/dryer, the two hours at the library reading up on BC's building code in order to prove that the installers didn't need to cut the fancy chimney off the fancy range hood, the flooded kitchen from the dishwasher, the reversed hookup on the washer, the MIA roofer who is needed not needed needed to do the vents, or any of the rest of this "I'm gonna run away and be a hermit"  exercise in frustration.

So, we'll continue with diversionary tactics.

Yesterday, Eddie, Margaret and I took a lovely walk in Echo Heights, a forested area in nearby Chemainus. Echo Heights has been the subject of a great deal of controversy between developers, the municipal government, and the local citizens.  I've been hearing about it ever since I moved here, but had not hiked in the 52 acre forest myself.  Margaret, familiar with its trails, suggested we go together.

It is beautiful.  Follow me!

Here's the trail!  

What a perfect day for a walk in the woods!

The ferns are lush and verdant.

Look, here's a trillium seed pod!

Awww, what a wonderful idea!

The swamp - eerily beautiful.

Almost surreal.

  

A bear tree?  Looks like it is almost ready to topple!

Birds were singing everywhere.

Indian Pipe - one of the few plants without chlorophyll

Feathers on a decaying log

Happy, happy Eddie!

Thanks for joining us - let's go back again soon!

Allie's post

GET THESE *&!!*$% 
KITCHEN RENO PEOPLE 
OUTTA HERE!

The deconstruction of a reconstruction

or.....a day-by-day description of my kitchen renovations.

This is week two of the gut-and-rebuild of my little kitchen.  I have disliked this kitchen ever since I first saw the house.  For years I lived with farm kitchens where the kitchen table becomes the gathering place, and getting used to a teeny 1970s galley kitchen/laundry room took some doing.

Before

And while I have lived without a dishwasher for the past 7 years, I confess that my hatred of dirty dishes piled on the counter (and of washing them by hand) was a huge motivating factor in deciding to go for a reno.  While I may have some handywoman skills at building fences and fixing barns, they do not extend to kitchen renos so I hired people.

Week one was very slow.  V e r y   S l o w .  V e r y    V e r y  S l o w.

Day One:  They removed the cabinets.
Two and one half hours.
And yes, that is mold on the back wall (yuck!)

Day Two:  They removed two pieces of drywall
Twenty minutes.

Day Three:  They removed another piece of drywall
and cut the pass-through.
Forty-five minutes.

Day Four:  Electrician came to do some rewiring....
and discovered my electrical system is archaic.
Five hours, and I've added another project 
('Have all electrical fixtures replaced') to my 'to do' list.
Home ownership doesn't come cheap.

Day Five:  Electrician came again and cut hole for new potlight
as well as replacing some (archaic) boxes etc.
Three hours.

Meanwhile, during the same week, I finished making my boxes for my Square Foot Gardening;  painted an old ladder red to make something pretty to attach the squashes and cukes to (for vertical growth);   painted a bunch of old tires red and yellow, ready for growing lots and lots of potatoes (when the tops get a few inches above the tire, you pile on another tire, fill it with dirt until the tops just show,  and repeat and repeat.).

Square Foot Gardening,
with a splash of colour!

I fertilized the flowers, mowed the very-fast-growing new back yard lawn, built the sides and end pieces for the 10' long planter that will go at the end of the new patio (I had ordered two five-foot ones from the nursery, until half the order came in and the price was more than double what I'd been quoted - now over $500!-  for about $50 of material and a few hours of labour - so I'm making it myself.).

Spruce side and end pieces ready for staining
Ten feet x two feet x two feet

I hiked with Eddie, picked up the new-to-me dishwasher, did home visits for two rescues, and finished the front garden, changing it from this:

BEFORE (last year)

to this:

AFTER:  A few plants salvaged, some new plants added,
and river rock and stones over landscape fabric to keep
the weeds away

I made some more of my photo notecards and matted photos for a couple of fundraisers, prepped some display materials for a Hearts on Noses information booth, and delivered them to a farm where two Hearts on Noses piggies are being fostered (and thanks, Kimberly, for taking care of the booth in Victoria this weekend!).

Kimberly chats with fosters Piggy Sue and Sophie Lyn

Two sweet farm dogs

The ducks discuss the stranger with the camera

I get my Piggy Fix!

Hmmmm.....What Eddie would look like with a red mask?

Eddie:  How about wiv a red meaty bone?

Oh, and I played around with the new camera, practising with the macro setting and various lenses.

And now we are on week two of kitchen renos - a four day week due to the Canada Day holiday Monday. 


Stay tuned.....the reno is supposed to be finished July 9th ....13th ....16th.  


Meanwhile, we survive with a microwave, a coffee pot, and paper plates in the mudroom.......  


And I'm finding out that's all I really need!  Sooooooo.......


I'm doing a $15,000 kitchen reno WHY?