Ann’s Weblog

There is new snow on the mountains. Tons of leaves have fallen just in the last couple of days. The scent in the air is that of autumn: decomposing vegetation, rain, and a few brave late flowers.

The peas are all finished. I had left them for an extra couple of weeks past their peak yield, for one thing because one daughter would be visiting and might enjoy “grazing”, and there were still immature peas on the vine, and even a few blossums… still! However, with all of our cold wet weather, some mature peas were just getting old and starchy, while the flat pods and blooms were not maturing. At any rate, I’m satisfied to have the job done. We’ll shell them tonight in front of the “idiot box”, of course.

Today I cleared out half of our small greenhouse and put 2 tables in there for my bulb sale. So, in spite of the fact that it has rained most of today, I got the packages priced and set out for the sale tomorrow and Saturday. I haven’t made signs (I’ve only had a YEAR to do this since the LAST Fall Bulb sale that I didn’t make signs for!), but somehow I feel complacent. Many people have seen my ads in the local paper or posters on the store windows, so I hope there’s a good turnout. Compared to last year, I bought only about a third of the wholesale bulbs: I had many left over in November (when I came home from Dad’s funeral), and many were given away or stored in the fridge for “forcing”.

My friend from The Beanery, where I sell the cheesecakes, phoned today to ask me to restock my small display of jams & jellies. So although I haven’t really generated much revenue THIS week, delivering a dozen jars of preserves to the coffee shop helped.

I just added potatos, carrots and onions to the pot roast. It smells so good! I made a thick slurry of dried onion soup, grated horseradish, hot pepper paste, “basil ketchup” and garlic powder, and spread that on all sides of the cross-rib roast. It has been cooking on low heat all afternoon, and we’re getting very hungry!

Thanks for checking in with me. It has been a very good day. Stay well, everyone! ~~ Ann

I’m gearing up for my fall bulb and perennial sale, but it’s pouring rain AGAIN. The sale is Friday and Saturday.

Gary bought a horse trailer last Friday.. did I tell you? He needs my “big” truck to pull it of course, so he’s getting the truck’s trailer wiring and a suitable plug taken care of this week. Perhaps he can go on more rides with friends now, which he’d enjoy.

Brenda M. was exclaiming to me what beautiful lilies I had sold her this spring, so that was an uplifting conversation of the last trip to town.

Okay.. well, the rain is no excuse for not working, as the bulbs are all out in the grooming shop and it’ll be perfectly comfortable to price them there. I thought of making this sale a “Yard Sale” as well, but just THINKING about that exhausts me. I might at least put out some good stuff that is already priced and in boxes.

Last night in the Garden Chat room, the gal who has lost her home because of Hurrican Katrina was describing her feelings, and her plans for the future. I can’t imagine many of our chatting group could sit there with dry eyes; I certainly couldn’t. We made “Bonsilene” promise to give some of us her mailing address when she gets relocated in Baton Rouge, so that we can send care packages. Surely helping just ONE hurricane victim (at least) will ease our consciences and feed our souls; Bonsilene will pass onto others any items that she doesn’t need.

I got an email from my eldest daughter: there are pets being rescued and brought to Calgary and Vancouver. I’m of mixed minds… I surely have room at our place and in my heart for another dog, but my OWN dogs do not get enough attention as it is. Also, I do not know the cost of adopting these pets, and that would make a difference to me. I will mull it over and consult with Gary. Or maybe not, what could Gary say other than to point out that my dogs don’t get much attention?

This was a day during which, in town and at home, I was happy with everyone and they seemed to enjoy me too. I need those days and think everyone MUST, whether they are troubled by an inferiority complex or not. When depression hovers around me, I try to focus on tasks, “doing good for others”, and my many blessings. It helps; I manage, have endured significant challenge and have thrived.

So, stay well, my friends. Will talk to you again soon.

~Ann

Yesterday, the weather was balmy… for HALF the day. The whole summer, we just don’t seem to have got more than a few half-days of decent weather.

An acquaintance and I were chatting in downtown McBride about the crappy weather we’ve had, and she sighed, saying, “At least we don’t have hurricanes and floods!”. I agreed, adding, “Nor earthquakes, poisonous spiders, venomous snakes, or BUSH for our President.”.

This lady went on to say that at least “they” (American people) had a leader who “isn’t afraid to PRAY in public, and isn’t afraid to make a decision to do something, even if it’s the WRONG thing.” I was dumbfounded: what does praying to a Christian god say to peoples of other faiths, and what is right about making a decision to do a wrong thing? Now, I’m pretty much unarmed for a political debate, but I’d rather see Michael Moore for president of the U.S. than George W. Bush. This reflection would have been wasted on the gal I was having the discussion with, so I told her that I didn’t think that Bush was good for the country or the WORLD. And, too, I’m just self-serving; I wanted this person to come to my Fall Bulb Sale next weekend, because she always spends money, so I didn’t want to argue to someone whose mind was totally made up on all things political.

I’ll have to get back to this later… must run away to do laundry, shopping, etc.

Have a good day, my friends !!

Just this morning, I got a phonecall from the place from which I buy bulbs and perennials. They said that they had shipped the product yesterday at noon. Of course I thanked them, and then figured I’d get bulbs by… Monday. But wow, I passed the freight truck in the driveway here, after Farmer’s Market! Seems like there really IS “overnight freight” for our Valley at least SOME of the time! So I’ll have my Fall Bulb & Perennial Sale next weekend.

I’ve had a great “last day of the season” farmer’s market. It was very grey and windy, and felt like SNOW. But I sold all the spanakopita and cheesecake, beans and peas that I took, and a bunch of jam & jelly.

A bunch of women belonging to the “Red Hat Society” arrived on the train today at Farmer’s Market time, and I handed out peacock feathers free, as these ladies tuck feathers in their hat bands or jackets, and generally enjoy a certain garishness in their apparel and demeanor. As near as I can tell, these are gals of at least 50 who wear purple clothing and red hats -sometimes-, celebrating a certain AGE and joie de vivre. Anyone can “join” and it has become a global club. These women seemed like a fun bunch, and I’m not sure I feel I need to join, at least not yet, but I’ll wear purple (and red hat) if I WANT to!

Last night Zev, Sharon, Benoit, Andy and Nick were here for dinner. I made something that I referred to as “African Turkey”, which I think I told you about. The recipe called for OSTRICH THIGH, but I used a large skinless turkey breast, and marinated it in the spice mixture (ginger, garlic, pepper paste, lime) and then grilled it “whole” on the barbeque. It was delicious, served with couscous, a vegetable casserole topped with “Rosie’s Cheese”, red cabbage slaw, and spicy green beans. That was after the hummous and pita bread, and BEFORE the Mango/Cointreau cheesecake. We were all QUITE full, and groaning.

I must go process some food now: I bought 3 pounds of hot peppers from someone who had ordered a half case but has tired of dealing with them. I’m going to freeze the rest of our onions from the garden, and still have beans and peas to freeze over the next few days.

Take care, dear reader. ~ Ann

I just drove my “middle” daughter back to Vancouver for university; she had been in Jasper working for the summer. We chose the route which takes us through the “Fraser Canyon” which follows that river after the North Thompson joins it, and it courses down to Vancouver area (what we call the Lower Mainland). I don’t wish to be cliché, but the views are breathtaking and majestic.

There was another reason to travel that way, rather than “going down the Coquihalla” (which is a freeway through a different canyon, basically): my daughter rode her BICYCLE that route, last year. So I was able to see where she camped, and see what she saw, and hear of her struggles up certain long climbs in her mountainous journey. I was able to “worry” in retrospect, knowing more of what she experienced, and that is a mother’s prerogative; however, I also wish that I had had such an adventure in my youth! It makes me recall some of the smaller adventures and misadventures that I DID have, but today is not the day for writing about those.

I’m going to paste part of a letter that I’ve just written to my daughter, in order to SHARE more quickly; I need to get going with some tasks around this home and garden.

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(excerpt) … It was my honour to drive you to school. I was talking with Shelly on the phone last night and expressed regret that I hadn’t done more for her or for Kim during their days of moving-back-and-forth-from-college. Seems like they always DID find, and HAD TO find, their own solutions because of my lack of funds mainly. It all swims into a blur in my memory, but bothers me, though Shelly said not to give it another thought.

Because I took the Coquihalla back, it takes a concerted effort to drive INTO Merritt, and I found myself bypassing the town. I thought to myself “… oh, well, I’m still in great shape/ wide awake…”. So I drove to Kamloops, intending to stop at one of the “nice” Rest Areas, not really remembering where each one was. Shame on me… I was nodding off while driving at that point (2 AM), and stopped at a Husky service station just on the north side of Kamloops, and slept in the truck under the bright yard lights, with the semis idling nearby all night. I was comfortable, you know, but extremely cold after awhile; I started the truck in order to warm up about 5 AM, then shut the engine off and slept for almost 2 more hours.

By that time I felt very refreshed and fueled the truck, bought coffee, and headed out. Guess where I had a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast? At the Flower Meadows Bakery in Clearwater! It was every bit as charming as people described to me (gives me a FLASH of something I could see myself building/ DOING with my life and what the Beanery in McBride SHOULD HAVE been). However, it was NOT hard to find, except that I tried a number of obscure back roads FIRST, since people had implied it was down “little-used” roads, etc.. Turns out it was about a city block …. from the INFO centre !! Geesh. Not hidden or difficult to find.

I had intended to go into Kamloops to shop in clothing consignment stores or even Aberdeen Mall, but I decided that I didn’t want to wait over 2 hours more for stores to open. I’m getting so “bushed” in a way, Susan… everything I need is right here in the Robson Valley. I probably wouldn’t have even said that before we had INTERNET, but now that makes the world seem a smaller place, and there’s eBay, email, Sears online, etc.. One day perhaps, I’ll make a big adventure day to Prince George for some things I need for the kennels, and I MUST make a pilgrimmage to Calgary this fall, also.

I wanted to let you know something that Shelly mentioned: this is something I must have ONCE known but had forgotten. Your grandparents Cousineau MET AT THE COLDWATER HOTEL in Merritt. That would’ve been 50 years ago. Had you even been told that? I kind of knew the basic scenario of their meeting, but not the name of the hotel. I was probably TOLD this, but when I first heard the story, the whole of central B.C. was mostly unfamiliar to me. ANYwayyyy, that might be a conversation starter for a future visit with Granny, eh ?

I should run. It was just nice to share that time with you. I love you like crazy.

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Time to get on with my day. Thank you, my readers, for popping in. I wish I could serve coffee and cheesecake to you all, or my best effort of a MEAL. Perhaps ONE day !

~Ann

Well… tonight my hubby checked the oil in my truck, and there was almost not enough to register on the dipstick. By the time the POINT about keeping up to date on oil changes and CHECKING the oil was made, I felt like 2¢… again. No excuse is really good enough; even if I argue (with MYSELF, not hubby) that I’ve been so busy, blah blah, nothing would compensate for ruining the motor in my truck. I just HAVE to do better and be more “with it”.

Now one thing I believe is that there was a wee bit more oil in the truck than we first believed. It was STILL seriously low, but two litres was enough to fill it right up again. The truck was parked on a bit of a SLANT you see. After I get back from Vancouver where my daughter Susan is going back to college, I must get the vehicle in for a proper oil change. Maybe I can take care of it WHILE on the road somewhere… Kamloops perhaps.

I’m concentrating on building myself up: I’ve been in such a slump lately. I DO count my blessings while being so sad about the folks in the southern states affected by hurricane Katrina. I’m incensed to hear that Pres. Bush has declined help from our government and our armed forces, that arrogant bastard.

What’s my problem? Indeed, nothing I can really put my finger on. I’ve been plagued by feelings of inferiority for as long as I can remember having feelings. There is a tape that loops endlessly in my mind, “Not good enough, not good enough, not good enough.”. During the good days or even weeks, I can tell myself, “Yes you are, yes you are !”. I have so many blessings, so I must keep talking to myself: and if only I could TAPE OVER THE TAPE !

I sure have mixed feelings about this time of year. The work of harvesting, participation in Farmer’s Markets (where I make welcome income and also positive affirmation), flower gardening, and a certain rhythm of dog boarding… all slow down. However, it seems like we have had so little in the way of sunshine this summer. I can’t believe how fast the months disappear!

Well, I’m going to check into the Yahoo Garden Chat rooms and hope there’s not too much animosity in the air there.

Thanks for reading; please be aware that I’m not so depressed that I’m in any danger. *Sigh* Tomorrow is another day.

~ Ann