How did we not notice this?

Sweetie McPie and I were on the back porch Monday, just chatting; we can't remember what exactly we were doing out there - I think the rain had stopped and the sun had come out and we were inspecting "the grounds" (all our plant life).

Now, our back porch and back door is actually our "front" door, in that it's the one we used. (The interior of the house is oriented such that from the inside, the back door IS the front door. The main foyer is attached to the back door...)

Ok, I haven't even started my story, and I'm already digressing. So, back porch, where all the action happens. We're out there, hanging out... and we notice the following elaborate construction, not six inches from the door that is in constant use by a family of four (including regular slams by a 7 year old):



In previous weeks, the light was behaving sketchily - sometimes it turned on, sometimes not, and Ken had said somewhat idly that maybe a bird was building a nest in it. I saw no evidence of this (but didn't really investigate) so didn't take him seriously. Suddenly, we have definite nest action.

Very curious, we tried to see inside, but the top is about five inches from the ceiling of the porch, so we had no vantage point. I stuck my camera up there and took a picture of the inside. It looks like this:


That's a lot of bird spit, frankly.

So, no eggs yet. We're wondering how that will go, and also wondering whether or not to draw the children's attention to this miracle of nature. It will be hard not too. Also, we have determined that it's not a robin's nest, though those are the birds we see around most. At night, we can see the nest from inside our back door, and we saw the bird in there - it's butt-end only, and while we couldn't tell what it was, we could see it didn't have a red (or even slightly pink) breast.

While I'm feeling all pastoral, I'll indulge in regaling you with image from my garden. (You know you're old and lame when...)

Remember that brown patch in the midst of the beige area of non-grass? Ta-da!



Okay, the grass still patchy, but at least it's green! That's swiss chard on the left, beans on the right, and carrots at the back. The front non-growing patch was going to be for tomatoes, until we realized there's not nearly enough sun for those there, and we never got around to deciding what to put in alternatively.

Next up, the cutest little basil seedlings on earth. These are McPie's project. Come fall, we're going to have a shitload of hostess gifts in the form of basil plants. So, invite us to dinner, 'kay?



Finally, the part I'm most excited about:


See that tiny little flower? One day soon, that will be a tomato. And there's nothing more savoury in this world than a fresh summer tomato.

Day in the life

I spent the morning in meetings where I repeated the list of things I had to complete this week, in the order in which I planned to do them. The list is long; there was some incredulity. The meetings in no way helped me work towards completing the items on my list.

“How are you going to get all those things done this week?”
(Being left alone to actually DO the work would be an excellent start.)

“Can anyone help you?”
(There really is nobody else. Still. Thus the long list that belongs solely to me.)

“And you’re on vacation next week?”
(Yes, for the 10th time, yes! Oh, are you waiting for me to volunteer to stay home from my vacation? Which I booked in March, well before a deadline for this project was ever mentioned?)

“Ok, let’s meet tomorrow and talk about how you are planning to get all this stuff done.”
(Or, we could NOT meet so I can actually DO the work. As mentioned previously.)

* * *

Man, am I ever looking forward to my frisbee game tonight. Running around as fast as possible for an hour an a half sure has its place in my world. (Also, we are going out afterward to eat at the Best Kept Secret in Ottawa.)

Not what I should be doing

But in an effort to get back into a routine, here I am.

It's my day "off", but I have too much work (the salaried kind) to do, so this is just is just a brief interlude. Easier to do on a rainy day; those sunny ones are so tempting I inevitably end up mowing the lawn, putzing around the garden (not that there's much to do there... you can only get so many weeds in an 8' x 6' patch), walking to the grocery store, going for a run in the park, or partaking in even more leisurely/luxurious activities such as sipping coffee on the front porch. (Ok, that last one I've really only done once.)

I promised a picture of the veggie garden, and I did take one on Friday, but after a weekend of rain, the patch has sprouted another several inches, so I will hold off until this afternoon, and take another one that will truly impress.

Now, back to the more lucrative writing... Sigh.

Bloomin' summer

Our unkempt and unruly rose bush has begun to bloom (several weeks behind our neighbours, but that's somehow unsurprising). Sweetie McPie brought this in yesterday morning:


It's as pungent as it is beautiful, totally deodorizing our kitchen.

It's been so long since I posted, I keep thinking I need to post something dramatic, or at least important. Alas. Frisbee season is getting the better of me, timewise, and I've got nothin. And it may be awhile until I'm back to regular. (It's going well, btw, the frisbee. The training this winter is paying off - at least in the sense that I could actually sorta run pretty fast, which doesn't usually kick in until early-mid July, after a long winter's hibernation.)

Anyway, I promised news of the garden. I diligently took daily progress pictures early on, but the thing has busted loose, so I'll make a long story short.

I planted early, end of April. Yes, it's as tiny as it looks. That's why there are only three vegetables planted in it. And yes, it's taking up the middle of our little yard. The kids don't use the yard much; I put into action the old proverb use it or lose it.



So it took a few weeks for the first shoots to show.





Handmade signs, courtesy of Ms. Constance.

Not shown: asparagus, rhubarb, herbs, tomatos (all in separate patches or pots around the property).

Now, we're all green, despite the leaf miners in my swiss chard. But darn it all - thought I had a recent shot of it - but I don't. However, I won't let that stop me from posting. I'll add the final shot later. Sorry to keep you in suspense! But you'll be really impressed!

This summer is experimental, and I doubt I'll get much of a yield. But next year, when I roll in the compost that I've created in my new, handmade composter... Then we'll be livin' off the land.



McPie taught me how to drive nails for this baby. A skill that will come in handy in future puttering endeavours, I'm sure. (This picture is from April. The thing is like 1/3 full already! Also, it now has a lid.)