Ann’s Weblog

Am through with another Friday at the farmer’s market in McBride. I’m tired, but I had a lot of fun visiting and selling spanakopita, cappuchino cheesecake, jams & jellies, perennial plants… and some good used household items. As usual, I’ll leave the truck “packed up” for tomorrow’s Market in Dunster, which is about 30 km. from home. I don’t make as much money there, but have a LOT of fun socializing.

The gal who organized the Farmer’s Markets in McBride in the first place, some 5 or more years ago, usually visits at the very beginning and the very end of each market day. I overheard her asking other vendors if they had had a good selling day today, and she said that she didn’t want to ask ANN because she always says (and this was quipped in a silly falsetto-type voice…) “Oh, it was great!”. When my “friend” looked over her shoulder and saw that I had heard her, I responded, “Yeah, don’t ya just hate those Pollyanna types?”. If the market days were not good for me, I’d say so, but I’d been telling that gal the truth when she asked. I’m supposing that if I’d thought for several moments and analyzed the afternoon hour-by-hour, she’d have thought me more sincere in the past. (shrugs) Ah well, I can find so many things to fret about.

Remember when I felt so sorry for myself that my long-time friend Connie got “the other groomer” to clip her dogs? Well… I’ve said nothing that I’d regret about that, and Connie asked me to feed and water dogs at her house and check on hanging baskets, etc. for a few days last weekend. Last night, she phoned and asked when I could groom her dogs! I’m very glad that I never did say anything hurtful or “sour-grape-ish” over the situation; now I have Connie’s business at least for the moment, and I’ll do my best as usual.

I’ve had a really busy couple of weeks with both grooming and boarding. Several times per week, I make some kind of jam or jelly to try to keep some variety on my selling table. In between, I try to weed some gardens, pick and give away bouquets, and otherwise find some shenanigans to keep busy.

Next week on Friday and Saturday, we are going to journey down to Vernon to see a play that our dear friend has written and produced. Gosh, we have such talented acquaintances. I will miss two farmer’s market days, but this is the time frame in which my daughter Susan can come with us. I regret missing the markets, but we have someone we’re comfortable with to take care of our place and the animals, so I’ll just go and have fun. It will just be Gary and Susan and I, and a nice break.

Suddenly I’m so drowsy that I think the sofa is actually calling to me.

Take care, everyone. Thanks for checking in with me.

~Ann

There seems to be too much to do every day, but I don’t want to let anything go. I’ll just keep doin’ what I’m doin’ for the time being. I haven’t been posting for the last week because our Internet was “down”; as usual, the provider lied to us about the cause of it, but eventually did let his technician restore our service.

We have every kennel occupied outside, and one indoor dog in the house. Some dogs go home tomorrow and others will come. I have three dogs to groom tomorrow also. The day after tomorrow IS, of course, Thursday, and I start baking cheesecake and otherwise getting ready for the Farmer’s Market in McBride on Friday.

I told my stepmother that I make up to $200 at the markets on Fridays, and she replied, “Of course, that is the gross amount, isn’t it?”. Myrtle was an astute business woman in her career days, and she brings up a good point. I DO enjoy producing and offering “stuff” for the Farmer’s Markets in both McBride and Dunster, but I’d be kidding myself if I believed I come out more than a few dollars ahead, and a person really can’t “count” their time. It is still, to me, for the time being, worth doing. I SHOULD also be gathering up some lovely “garage sale” type items to offer for sale.

Have been harvesting for us and giving away huge bouquets of lilies and so on. The gardens are beautiful, despite the frequent rain and overcast days. Summer will be over and we’ll feel terribly short-changed as far as the weather is concerned: it has been so miserable. And though we don’t harvest HAY ourselves, we know many farmers who are terribly frustrated this season. We need a few hundred bales from SOMEWHERE (Gary usually earns it by working for a haying friend) to feed to our two horses.

Again I’m too tired to write much of substance. Hope you are well, dear reader, and I will try harder to post regularly.

~ Ann

I just can’t believe how fast the weeks go by. Seems like no matter how crappy the weather, we find enough to do and the time just vanishes.

I’ve been intending to post more regularly to this blog, but “oh, my goodness”, I’m usually too busy or too tired. I’ve been chatting in the Garden Room almost every night, but often not for very long. Last night I “came to” in front of the computer, and realized I’d been asleep for about 20 minutes, head lolling and neck getting a kink!

The Farmer’s Market in McBride on Friday was well enough attended considering that there was a very strong, cold wind almost the entire 3 hours! Just as we vendors were “packing up” and there were no more brave customers, the weather settled a bit. The gusts were so strong through our market pavilion that we were retrieving flying serviettes, bags, and even merchandise that had wafted onto the floors. Something got knocked over on my table, which hit my display of preserves… and I lost a jar of “Four Berry Jam” onto the concrete floor! I was fuming as I picked up glass and cleaned the purple mess up, frustrated with the elements and having no one to blame, but perhaps, myself.

At EACH of the markets in McBride and then on Saturday at Dunster, I managed to sell cheesecake by-the-slice, a few perennial plants, and about a dozen jars of jam. Therefore, as I have been for about three years, I’m “hooked” on participating in the farmer’s markets. We’ll have produce for me to peddle in a couple of weeks; I do take salad greens to the Bistro every week, but the market mornings are already too busy to be picking and washing.

We had 9 dogs boarding at the kennel this weekend. I didn’t get around to taking pictures of the guests, which is too bad, since several of them might have appreciated the on-line portrait.

I’m going to quit writing so that I can read a little of a book I bought at a garage sale: Ann Rule’s “The End of the Dream” or some such. I have to go out to the truck to get it. Funny thing, I know I’ve read it already, but I don’t mind reading it again.

Thank you for stopping by, dear readers. Take care of yourselves. ~Ann

Good grief. It’s raining again today… buckets! It started coming down in sheets when I was picking a bouquet for the Bistro which features my cheesecake, spanakopita and preserves. I kept gathering flowers but got soaked, of course. It was worth it, as the gals running the restaurant were thrilled. ,/p>

At the kennels, we have a full house. Almost MORE than a full house. There are ten dogs and a budgie bird, and it’s not even a long weekend; in fact many are staying more than a few days. YIPPEE. I’m blessed to have this work, this patronage, and the company of pets. Even on rainy days, I can groom some of the boarding dogs, as their owners have requested in some cases.

I am troubled today because of a conflict that my brother-in-law has with my mother-in-law. Steve has done his utmost to maintain a family cottage, and nothing he does is ever good enough for the mother. She is always abusing him and lying about him (these mammoth false tales have been overheard often) and he is full of anxiety, frustration and rage as a result. The cottage belongs to the widowed mother, of course, but also the three sons in the family. My hubby is one of these grown men affected by the whole uproar, but only the youngest son and his family live in the same city as MOTHER and near the cottage. The situation is “coming to a head” and I’m afraid that it might be best for ALL the sons to give up on what SHOULD HAVE BEEN a wonderful legacy, but what has become a nasty burden because of the games that the mother has played. My heart feels like it is developing “cracks” every time I hear about a hurtful new incident with that mean, deceitful lady. Almost ALL exchanges with her by anyone have been fraught with peril and deception lately: SHE who cannot be believed.

It is time to go attend to dogs again. At least most of them have the sense most of the time to stay in their dog houses. I like to reassure them and feed them treats in midday no matter what the weather.

Thank you for stopping by. Perhaps I’ll take my camera out in the rain to take pictures, taking care NOT to leave it out here, lol.

~Ann

Yesterday I put the memory card and the batteries back into my digital camera: it WORKS!! On one level it’s a small thing, but now I can put aside that “small” shame until the next dumb mistake.

We, in the Robson Valley, participated in an “Ice Cream Social ” on Saturday. The event is held annually as a fundraiser for the community of “Dunster”: their hall and their school. Most locals bring pies or cakes, and we all pay $6 for all-you-can-eat ice cream, and those other goodies. Several hundred people came to this function. There is a dance afterward, which we didn’t stay for, but is fun and burns calories. I believe the calories went directly to my hips.

We had Sunday breakfast with our friend Dale, whose wife usually comes but who was away for the weekend, and my friend whose feelings I stepped on three weeks ago (see previous entry). I was quite self conscious and nervous about my sensitive friend’s potential for taking anything I say in the wrong way. I replayed “tapes” in my mind all the rest of the day, believing I might have offended my friend again, just by saying “Oh?” to something she said. It’s the truth; she seemed to think that, when I said “Oh?” she had to defend and justify a statement she had just made about how much money she spends locally. She did NOT have to justify anything, and I was genuinely interested in all she had to say. My friend seemed agitated and I sensed some kind of “danger”.

Then, last night Gary and I went to the home of friends in Dunster (who wouldn’t want to be named). We had an awesome meal of Swiss steak, rice, garden peas, salad, and fruit salad for dessert. We ALWAYS have a delightful dinner and visit at that place, and typically I get a bit giddy on wine and interrupt my husband (and probably others) too much. He forgives me, it seems.

Today I don’t have dogs to groom, but I’ve noticed that a small patch of WILD raspberries can be picked. Perhaps some red currants are ready as well. How FAST the summer is flying by, and I’m not sure, but it seems like the berries are ahead of their usual time. I don’t keep that kind of diary faithfully enough to have for reference. I’m surprised if anything IS ahead, because we had only two days in June where it didn’t rain at least a bit, so, not much sunshine either.

I’ll just keep making preserves and working in the gardens and kennels as needed.

There are six dogs and a budgie who are guests here.

Take care, everyone.

~Ann

The first McBride Community Market was held this July 1st, Friday. That was also CANADA DAY, and in general all vendors and visitors (locals and tourists) were in a cheerful mood.

For the market, I baked vanilla cheesecake to serve with a fresh strawberry sauce, and spanakopita (greek spinach pie in phyllo). I had made some Strawberry Lavender Jam from our own berries, and Blueberry Jam from frozen berries from the health food store. As usual, I took all the perennial plants that I could load, the last three apple trees, and a few lilac bushes. Then I took the two siamese-coloured kittens in a little travel kennel.

Part of my jubilant mood about the market was a result of selling the two kittens to an “older couple” who take excellent care of their pets. The little ones went together to a home, and that was delightful. I just have one little kitten left: I didn’t take all three to the market because I didn’t have the heart to leave the mother cat with no kittens so suddenly.

Sales were brisk at first and eventually I sold most of the food and a few perennial plants and one apple tree. I would go to the market just to visit, but the bit of revenue I generate is helpful too.

I was fairly frustrated and unhappy when a long-time friend approached me at the market and told me that she’d been avoiding me for three weeks. I had THOUGHT she’d given me the cold shoulder on another occasion, but then had put it out of my mind. In a conversation last month, my friend thought, when I debated a point she was making, that I was “calling her a liar”. I did in NO way call her a liar; people are sometimes mistaken about things and I had been trying to make a statement of fact. This has ended up in a debate about what was said and when and seems very complex. I reminded my friend that I would never have intentionally hurt her. I think the conversation of that day ended in a “stalemate” and both our feelings were bruised. I am troubled.

Gary is ready to take me out for breakfast, so I’ll continue later.

Thank you for stopping in!

~Ann