Please check out my diary about my countrylife in Ontario.
"Dairy of My Country Life: http://diarycountrylife.blogspot.com/
Aug 23, 2011
Jun 2, 2011
Living Among Nature
One of the reasons why I am so very happy to be living where we are now is that I have the time and the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, right at my own backyard so to speak. The other day I talked my husband into taking time on his day off to put down his "to do" list and come with me on a bike ride.
Everyone around here knows the bridge is closed at the end of our road. You can still cross the road on foot but no cars are allowed to pass on it. It has been this way for over four years the locals say. I have no problem with that because it is a beautiful nature trail to the river that runs out to the bay of Lake Erie near Long Point.
Just to give you a little bit of insight to the area we live in, it is known as the Carolinian region where native trees (Sassafras, Cucumber Magnolia, Tulip-tree, Black Walnut, Pawpa) a distinctly southern character and has one-third of Canada’s rare and endangered plants and animals living here. It is hot and humid, on some days I've thought to myself how much it reminds me of the tropics but then again I've never been to South or North Carolina so I have nothing to compare it to.
Here are some of the photos and a video I took that day. It was just as muggy and humid as it might look but the river was so peaceful and so many birds were singing everywhere. It was like something out of a movie.
In my backyard along my garden path, I found this little creature helping control the insect population, in which there is plenty around here.
We are currently experiencing an invasion of Midges, which happens annually about this time of the year. We are dealing with them as best we can. They have said this has been the worst year so far. Wouldn't you know it and its our first year here.
Midges resemble mosquitoes with fuzzy antennae but aren't suppose to bite or transmit any diseases. The black, shifting swarms in the sky looked like a Biblical plaque! I'm not kidding you! It is very eerie near Lake Erie (pun intended). They disappear within a couple of weeks or so because the life cycle of the adults only last a few weeks. When they are swarming in the skies, they are actually mating. After mating in the air, the females drop back down to lakes and waterways to lay eggs just so we can be annoyed by them again next spring.
What I hate about it is how they coat the side of your house, doors, screens, vehicles and are all over the yard and in the bushes...you get swarmed by them every time you go outside and they try to get inside where your lights are on. They are just an annoyance but they won't hurt you.
Tip: Since I swallowed a few the other day when I was running around like a wild woman flailing my hands in the air to shoo them away, I recommend keeping your head down with your mouth and eyes shut if you can make it through the insect gauntlet to or from your vehicle.
What's next? We already know...mosquitoes are on their way so at least the Midges have gotten us to be prepared. ...ah, the joys of summer!
Everyone around here knows the bridge is closed at the end of our road. You can still cross the road on foot but no cars are allowed to pass on it. It has been this way for over four years the locals say. I have no problem with that because it is a beautiful nature trail to the river that runs out to the bay of Lake Erie near Long Point.
Just to give you a little bit of insight to the area we live in, it is known as the Carolinian region where native trees (Sassafras, Cucumber Magnolia, Tulip-tree, Black Walnut, Pawpa) a distinctly southern character and has one-third of Canada’s rare and endangered plants and animals living here. It is hot and humid, on some days I've thought to myself how much it reminds me of the tropics but then again I've never been to South or North Carolina so I have nothing to compare it to.
Here are some of the photos and a video I took that day. It was just as muggy and humid as it might look but the river was so peaceful and so many birds were singing everywhere. It was like something out of a movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqrkb4iW5-Q
In my backyard along my garden path, I found this little creature helping control the insect population, in which there is plenty around here.
We are currently experiencing an invasion of Midges, which happens annually about this time of the year. We are dealing with them as best we can. They have said this has been the worst year so far. Wouldn't you know it and its our first year here.
Midges resemble mosquitoes with fuzzy antennae but aren't suppose to bite or transmit any diseases. The black, shifting swarms in the sky looked like a Biblical plaque! I'm not kidding you! It is very eerie near Lake Erie (pun intended). They disappear within a couple of weeks or so because the life cycle of the adults only last a few weeks. When they are swarming in the skies, they are actually mating. After mating in the air, the females drop back down to lakes and waterways to lay eggs just so we can be annoyed by them again next spring.
What I hate about it is how they coat the side of your house, doors, screens, vehicles and are all over the yard and in the bushes...you get swarmed by them every time you go outside and they try to get inside where your lights are on. They are just an annoyance but they won't hurt you.
Tip: Since I swallowed a few the other day when I was running around like a wild woman flailing my hands in the air to shoo them away, I recommend keeping your head down with your mouth and eyes shut if you can make it through the insect gauntlet to or from your vehicle.
What's next? We already know...mosquitoes are on their way so at least the Midges have gotten us to be prepared. ...ah, the joys of summer!
May 27, 2011
Farmer Char
I've been a little slack in my blogging lately but with good reason. I built 8 square foot garden boxes and planted a garden. A good friend of mine, Christy Jarvis, told me a few years ago about Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening technique. I knew that when I was ready to plant my veggie garden one day that I would use this method.
Most gardens are planted in long rows separated by three foot aisles. This means that 80% of your garden that you water, weed and fertilize grows nothing. You just walk on it. The square foot method eliminates 80% of your garden that you don't use by planting blocks.
So, because my husband has the skills and tools I asked him to build eight 4' x 4' boxes for me. I'm no dummy -- a nice breakfast was included in this deal.
The next thing was to lay them out in the old garden spot out behind our shop. This is the same spot that I cleaned out a month ago. My husband had a smart idea (he gets those every now and then) that I could save time by tilling only the ground inside the boxes instead of the entire garden plot. Sounds good, right? I looked at him and said, "You mean you can't just throw some good top soil in each box?". Duh....no! Okay so I guess I'm going to have to get to work.
I was imagining a lot of hoeing but then my smart husband had even a better idea yet (he was on a role). He said, "Use the Claw". The Garden Claw is a blue, one-piece tool that's light and stands about 39" tall. It is looks like handlebars on a pole with a metal clawed on the other end. There are four 6" long steel tines and two little short 3" ones that make up the clawed end. If the ground is moist (we've had a lot of rain) you can stick it in the ground and give it a twist. Weeds come right out with a clump of soil still attached but the rest of the ground can be easily tilled up too. It works great.
While I was tilling the ground inside the boxes, my husband made two trips to pick up and deliver 2 cubic yards of Black Triple Mix topsoil at $40.00 (including tax) per cubic yard. By picking it up ourselves we saved an extra $80 in delivery charges over and above the cost of the soil, which totaled $80.00 plus our gas. I helped shovel out the dirt into the boxes and got a lot of exercise in just prepping the garden.
You are suppose to section sixteen 1 foot squares separated by lattice or strips of wood. Using the square foot gardening method, you divide a 4′ x 4′ box into sixteen 1 foot square gardens. You then can plant a different crop in each of the squares. For example, you might plant 16 carrots in one box, four beans in another, and one cabbage in another. That leaves you with 13 other boxes to fill! You shouldn't have to do any weeding but if you do, the soil is light and loose enough to pull them right out. You don't need as much space, you shouldn't get hardly any weeds and you don't have to waste crops -- only plant what you need.
I took a a bit of a shortcut by just sectioning off them up with colored string and then just used a ruler to divide four 1' squares in each of my special sections.
Now before I started planting my garden, I drew up a diagram of WHAT and WHERE I wanted to plant..
In case you are wondering why I planted "marigolds" in my garden (and yes, I noticed that I misspelled them in my diagram). According to the book, these plants discourage certain pests and critters from gnawing on your plants. We'll see if it works. I may have to build a scarecrow to keep the birds from eating my seeds. They've been out there poking around for worms I reckon but they could be after the seeds. Either way I don't want them messing around in my garden.
I've been watering this garden using the hose from the rain barrel and by hand using a watering can. The rain has helped a lot but one night a storm came up with a little hail. I have since put up some trellis for my beans and peas. I've also put some little cages around the plants that were transplanted (tomatoes and herbs).
Keep watching for updates. I would love to see your comments.
Most gardens are planted in long rows separated by three foot aisles. This means that 80% of your garden that you water, weed and fertilize grows nothing. You just walk on it. The square foot method eliminates 80% of your garden that you don't use by planting blocks.
So, because my husband has the skills and tools I asked him to build eight 4' x 4' boxes for me. I'm no dummy -- a nice breakfast was included in this deal.
The next thing was to lay them out in the old garden spot out behind our shop. This is the same spot that I cleaned out a month ago. My husband had a smart idea (he gets those every now and then) that I could save time by tilling only the ground inside the boxes instead of the entire garden plot. Sounds good, right? I looked at him and said, "You mean you can't just throw some good top soil in each box?". Duh....no! Okay so I guess I'm going to have to get to work.
I was imagining a lot of hoeing but then my smart husband had even a better idea yet (he was on a role). He said, "Use the Claw". The Garden Claw is a blue, one-piece tool that's light and stands about 39" tall. It is looks like handlebars on a pole with a metal clawed on the other end. There are four 6" long steel tines and two little short 3" ones that make up the clawed end. If the ground is moist (we've had a lot of rain) you can stick it in the ground and give it a twist. Weeds come right out with a clump of soil still attached but the rest of the ground can be easily tilled up too. It works great.
While I was tilling the ground inside the boxes, my husband made two trips to pick up and deliver 2 cubic yards of Black Triple Mix topsoil at $40.00 (including tax) per cubic yard. By picking it up ourselves we saved an extra $80 in delivery charges over and above the cost of the soil, which totaled $80.00 plus our gas. I helped shovel out the dirt into the boxes and got a lot of exercise in just prepping the garden.
Teddi enjoyed just being outdoors where we were. The grass is growing so fast we can hardly keep up with it. We've got to hurry up getting the gardens ready so we can find the time to mow the grass again.
You are suppose to section sixteen 1 foot squares separated by lattice or strips of wood. Using the square foot gardening method, you divide a 4′ x 4′ box into sixteen 1 foot square gardens. You then can plant a different crop in each of the squares. For example, you might plant 16 carrots in one box, four beans in another, and one cabbage in another. That leaves you with 13 other boxes to fill! You shouldn't have to do any weeding but if you do, the soil is light and loose enough to pull them right out. You don't need as much space, you shouldn't get hardly any weeds and you don't have to waste crops -- only plant what you need.
I took a a bit of a shortcut by just sectioning off them up with colored string and then just used a ruler to divide four 1' squares in each of my special sections.
Now before I started planting my garden, I drew up a diagram of WHAT and WHERE I wanted to plant..
I've been watering this garden using the hose from the rain barrel and by hand using a watering can. The rain has helped a lot but one night a storm came up with a little hail. I have since put up some trellis for my beans and peas. I've also put some little cages around the plants that were transplanted (tomatoes and herbs).
Keep watching for updates. I would love to see your comments.
May 19, 2011
Charlotte's Web
One thing I love about living here at 'Green Acres' is it is never boring!!! Each new day unveils something to take note of. This morning I woke up to find a damp, foggy day, which I prefer to a rainy day. For one thing, the fog doesn't last and gives a great backdrop for taking photos.
This morning I discovered spider webs on our front porch, one or two in every corner. Most people know I don't care much for spiders but these webs were so beautiful with the droplets of water hanging on them. I was mesmerized by the details. Just like the story of "Charlotte's Web", (but in this case I'm not talking about Wilbur) the webs were "RADIANT".
The gardens were even more beautiful the last couple of days because of the moisture we've had. Both the trees and the gardens seem to be growing speedily. The chestnut tree right in front of our walkway has become sort of an umbrella of shade and protection from the rain. It is so beautiful. Mr. and Mrs. Robbin have new additions -- the 3 eggs at the corner of the porch have now hatched and we see them busy about feeding their new arrivals.
Our bright green, newly mowed lawn only a day or two ago, now looks as though it has yellow measles as it is covered with yellow polka dots. We've decided this year we cannot afford the cost of controlling these particular weeds so we have to just keep them mowed down and let nature rule.
I figured out why the barn swallows sit outside our bedroom window on the wires that go from the house to the yard light. They have built a mud nest at the peak of our house, which is right above our bedroom window. I hear them early in the morning when the window is open. They swoop though the air feeding on insects in mid-flight. Between all the birds around here and the spiders, we will hopefully have a small reduction in the insect population.
The flower gardens are a surprising joy to me. I love to see what is coming up and how quickly they change from plants to blossoming flowers. The last two weeks have certainly made a difference.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
May 16, 2011
The Great Outdoors
This is my friend, Antonina "Toni" Penner who lives at the next house up the road. She is a beautiful person with a heart that loves God. The other day we went exploring the countryside on our bikes just like kids.
We found an interesting, old abandoned house along the way.
There was even an antique stove in there. I have to say I thought it was cool.
I liked the handmade patio shelter someone made. It gave me some ideas of my own.
Then we explored the wind turbines up close and personal.
Now that the grass is growing so fast with all the rain we've been getting lately, it was time to finally get ourselves a new lawn tractor. After several weeks of research and looking at a lot of lawn tractors, we finally selected one from a Husqvarna dealer in Simcoe. It was delivered one morning and not too soon. Although we had borrowed a neighbors lawn tractor to mow a week ago, the new growth was gaining speed. So Walpole Lawn & Garden Equipment delivered our new lawn tractor. Of course I don't have all the details listed but since mostly women read my blog, I don't think its important. A picture is worth a thousand words anyway.
Next on the list of busy deliverys.....our new truck. Well, technically it is used. I took Brian into town to pick it up from the mechanic we had looking it over and doing a few minor repairs. We got it for $2,200 plus when Brian went to Simcoe to buy the tags, he had to pay HST on it too. Dang it, you can't get away with anything these days. So now we have a truck and that means we have a second vehicle. THAT IS A HUGE RELIEF. We had to dip into our line of credit but it was an absolute necessity and an awesome deal.
So now I want to talk about the beauty of nature around our acreage. The Orioles and the Hummingbirds...what a great story. They are completely different birds but both like the sweet nectar feeders. I bought a feeder that is a two in one use. It feeds both the Hummingbirds and the Orioles. So now I'm out to get shots of the Baltimore Orioles....beautiful birds!!!!
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The Baltimore oriole inhabits Maryland and eastern US only in the summer months. They are also found, less commonly, in the central U.S. and Canada. This just goes to show you the special and unique area we live in near Long Point's Biosphere. Maryland's official state bird and namesake of the state's professional baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. Male orioles have brilliant orange-golden underparts and shoulder patches, with black wings and a black head. Females are not as brightly colored. Though they are partially orange, they also have and brownish-olive plumage. |
Baltimore Orioles, attractive woodland birds that eat caterpillars and insects, supplemented by fruits and berries. This should help control the bug problem a little bit around our place. It says they are drawn by fruits (oranges), nectars or peanut butter. Each spring the female constructs a hanging nest although I have not yet found one around here yet. They are usually built at the end of a tree branch. When the birds hatch they have 2 weeks to be cared for by both the male and female. I sure hope I can find the nest and get some photos of these babies.
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| Baltimore Oriole |
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| Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting in the bush near our front porch. I am absolutely amazed by this petite bird. These little treasures with high metabolism are my new role-models. An adult ruby-throated hummingbird may eat twice its body weight in food each day, which it burns up with the high metabolism necessary to sustain its "humming" rapid wing beat (of 53 times per second) and energetic movements. The male ruby-throated hummingbird has a striking red throat, though the female of the species does not. They hover and also fly upside down and backwards while they seek out flowers, nectar and sap. These hummingbirds have extremely short legs, so they cannot walk or even hop with any efficiency. They owe it all to their wings to get them around. |
My feeder is very popular! The Oriole and The Hummingbird both love it!
My beautiful, blessed gardens.
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