Ann's Weblog

One of my friends who reads this blog, is collecting "frugal" links. Here's one for you! Cooking With Campbells . "M'm! M'm! Good!"

We are still getting wet, cool weather. Gary is anxious to plant the garlic (we sold 70 pounds this summer so we're planning to put in even more). I should get some perennials moved from where they stayed all season in the vegetable garden to where they'll be out of the way. Then I'll have to sink the "leftovers" of the nursery stock in rows in the same garden. I think I can forget weeding and dividing and cleaning up the actual flower beds.

Somehow I arrived back at the decision (determination!) to buy a small house in McBride. I feel like I can't talk about specifics, wondering if I'd "jinx" myself. I want this for an investment. I'm focused on doing this "all by myself" (what am I? three years old?) because dear hubby is starting to build a shop and woodshed here at home. For all my talk, the potential deal might fall flat on its face, as some dreams do, but I'm proceeding with optimism. If this works out, I'm not sure whether I'll rent it for awhile, make jam in it, wash clothes in it, and just rent sleeping quarters, or what. Major improvements will have to wait until later.

The purchase of an Atco kitchen trailer, or converting the dog grooming shop to a kitchen and then grooming in another trailer, didn't make sense after all, at least not for now. We have potability issues with our water (we haul drinking/cooking water since we lost our mountain spring supply and installed a well). Another consideration is that it would be difficult to merge a grey water system from a trailer into the existing septic system. Some day, this might be revisited. Of COURSE it would be worth investing money in securing a new source for water, installing filters, and and so on.

That has been the focus of my days and half the nights.

A customer is at the door, and I have much work to do. Will report back here at the earliest opportunity. I'm grateful for your interest in my blog.

~ Ann

Although where we live, in the Robson Valley (the vicinity of Mount Robson and the headwaters of the Fraser River), is not QUITE as spectacular as the Banff-Jasper Parkway, I'm so glad to be home, and appreciative as ever. After fighting traffic even for just a few days in Calgary, I'm overjoyed all over again, to be back in the country.

We're having autumn in earnest again... cool, damp weather and fall colours and frost at night. I'm not melancholy... that's just the way it is. However there is so much to do before freeze-up. I did get some pictures yesterday:

Last weekend I had a yard sale here. I sold books, craft supplies, household goods, knicknacks and more. I had two very good days with nice weather and lots of people out. I sold a whack of plants and nursery stock at 20% off, which is a "loss" in some cases, but means I have less to overwinter.

Yesterday in and around McBride, there were THREE yard sales. I was an "early bird" at the first location, but there were twenty vehicles there with people packing off all the goodies already! I purchased two large steel shelving units and a stainless steel "prep" table; the sellers had run a restaurant in our town, briefly. I left my "finds" there for later pickup because on them, there were many smaller things still to be sold. At the other sales, I bought a sturdy wooden chair for $5 and a few vases to give away bouquets in.

I'm such a dufous. In the afternoon, at the time I'd said I'd return for the metal shelving and the table, there was nobody around. Then someone else came back to that sale to pick up what they couldn't load earlier, so we helped each other. I thought my treasures were secure in the back of my truck.

On my way home, only about 1/2 mile from the house and driving blithely down the highway (congratulating myself on scoring the stuff!), I heard a faint thump and glaced in the rear view mirror in time to see one heavy shelving unit tip out of the truck. The second thing I noticed was that NOBODY was following me on the highway THANK GOODNESS, and by the time I got my truck stopped, the OTHER unit had bailed out! I realized that both items had bounced off the road and were no longer a danger to traffic, and I was well over onto the shoulder also.

To make a long story short (too late, I realize), the shelving that I'd needed help to load had to be reloaded by me alone, in order to finish the trip. I got it done, and travelled at a considerably slower rate until I landed at home, with relief. I haven't inspected my "things" again, but all that seemed broken (all that I picked up off the asphalt) were a couple of plastic parts that support the weight of the individual shelves, and I'm sure I can add pipe clamps or wire (or duct tape!), in order to fix that. Thank goodness nobody got hurt during this escapade! I guess I'll have to confess all of this to Gary before he reads my blog.

It's high time I got the boarding dogs taken care of. I'm so glad to visit with you folks again. Take care, everyone. ~ Ann

I'm sitting at my stepmother's home watching morning television at a volume that is making my head throb. Myrtle needs the T.V. loud in order to hear it at all, so if I'm going to keep her company, I have to endure. Otherwise it has been a good visit; I find her interesting and lucid this time.

So far, I have seen two of my three darling daughters while in the city; they are all so very busy with school and work and personal life. I haven't planned any "shenanigans" for this trip, as I'm interested in seeing family only. As I drove down on the Banff/Jasper parkway (through the Rocky Mountains), I thought about buying a concession or cook trailer or an office trailer, appliances and such, and perhaps a flatdeck utility trailer for Gary. Now that I'm here, I don't want to drive around finding addresses, or I can't find what I thought I wanted... I feel "stalled".

Today I'm waiting with Myrtle for the "gas company" to visit her tenant's side of the duplex. I have to let them in and then lock up after they're here. The same company is going to inspect Myrtle's furnace, etc. tomorrow, but she says I don't have to be here for that. Despite the fact that I'm just "hanging out" and visiting with Myrtle, I feel like my time is wasted.

I took my stepmom to a CT scan appointment yesterday, and there was a lot of waiting associated with that, but it went smoothly and these things are "labours of love". The only eventful thing was assisting Myrtle, now an elderly, frail lady, into the cab of my 4x4 truck; I can't quite lift her, and it was a difficult process. At least I didn't let her fall. Even finding a parking space in the lots at the hospital is daunting, but I was patient. I had planned to return to Calgary to accompany Myrtle to some more procedures in November, but her tenant is insistant about taking her to those, so I guess I'll just go home and hole up for the winter. I'm not indispensible! My daughters remind me that I can still come back to Calgary if I WANT to.

The drive down through the Park was spectacular! For almost the whole day, the skies were bright and clear: the glaciers and snow on the mountains sparkled, Bow Lake was as brilliant turquoise as I ever remember, and the colours of the foliage was amazing.

That's as much as I have to say today. Thanks for checking in on me. ~ Ann

I deleted the post with the YouTube video of the puppy on it... for some reason it makes the iMac work very hard (the fans and hard drive make more noise). Next time I find a cute clip, I'll just post the URL for it.

Have had a good week. It's quieter in all of our businesses these days. The kennels aren't as busy, garden has been mostly harvested, nursery stock is looking seedy and very autumn-like. There are some fall colours on the mountainsides and snow on the peaks! How fast summer goes by.

Last Friday in McBride was our last Farmer's Market of the season. The two Market days at the end were very chilly and windy, so we "regulars" (vendors who have participated several or all of the eleven years that the Market has run) are firm about our decision regarding the duration of the Market.

This year, however, I felt rather unsatisfied about the end of the Markets. Usually I'm so burned out that I welcome the change in routine, the finish of the garden and harvest, and so on. Yesterday I went out to Dunster (a community in which I lived and raised our children with my first husband) for THEIR Farmer's Market, which goes until the end of September, on Saturdays. (Dunster has a different kind of gathering on weekends during the winter which involves few "vendors", but at which people gather for lunch and visiting.) I sold another couple dozen jars of jam and jelly, which left me completely stoked about THAT hobby and more excited about the Markets than ever. I've sold more than 350 jars of preserves this year.

A relative in Vancouver feels that if she takes a sample of my jam to a friend of hers who is a buyer for a "whole foods market", I will have orders for many more jars, at a higher price than I get locally. I have spent some restless nights mulling ideas over about whether I can get even more serious about my craft, about the feasibility of this as a business and so on.

I do this to myself from time to time. An idea gets into my head and I'm like a terrier with a toy... grab it, shake it, toss it high in the air and ravage it again, never letting it go completely. I was so enthused that I thought I should buy a house in McBride in which to certify a kitchen and perhaps have a little store front, and immerse myself in jam making. One of the factors in providing such food for the public is to have POTABLE water, which is something we haul from town for ourselves at this acreage. If I had a little "jam factory" in town, I would have no shortage of WATER, the inspected facility, easier access for "deliveries", and so on. The house that I converted would be an INVESTMENT, I reasoned, when such time came that the work of living in the country was too much for us. Or we could sell it later.

Although real estate IS often a sound investment, I think I have come to my senses. Ten years ago you could buy a habitable home in McBride for less than you'd spend on a brand new truck. However, in the last few months, housing prices have soared, and now you can't buy a town LOT for that. Even though I told myself I just wanted a "shack" that I could convert, there are just no bargains left that I can find. If only I had forseen the future. Really, I DID have a similar idea, but I had debts to address before buying a second property. I make myself sound like quite the high roller, but you know, it's all relative!

After speaking with a good and long time friend who has a catering business, I'm convinced that it would be better to have a "kitchen trailer" on our own property. Perhaps the time to produce jam in town will come later. We will still have to haul water or treat our well water, but at least my facility will be handy and inspectable. I'm so enthused, but such units as an Atco trailer are not available very locally, so I might have to start sleeping again and wait until spring to implement my plan.

That's the synopsis of what's gone on in my head all week. I've worked at both grooming dogs and the outdoor chores, but I'm preoccupied. I've done this to myself before with schemes for anything from selling Tupperware to U-pick strawberry farm, but SOME of the business ideas and life changes HAVE come to pass and been valid for at least me, sometimes those around me. The whole kennel and grooming idea was one such plan, and it has worked out well for me... it used to pay big bills on the farm, and now is my primary livelihood; I won't give that up! Some ideas did not pan out, like the strawberry farm (Gary and I worked on that together), the Wizardry shop, Tupperware ... they turned out to be learning experiences instead of "livings". topic for another blog entry, or not.

Follow your heart, follow a dream, do what you can to stay excited about life! ~ Ann

I started this entry last night and then got sidetracked.

Today seems "easier" indeed, but yesterday, after I said goodbye ("See ya later", really) to one of my daughters who was visiting for several days, I fought tears until I went to sleep for the night. When I started this blog post, I thought of many things to say about this, and they all either escape me now or sound too whiney. Suffice to say, I, like most mothers I'm sure, feel that my beautiful children represent the investment of my whole being, not simply a span of time since I gave birth in my twenties.

An elderly relative of an elderly relative once said to me, "Having children destines you to a lifetime of worry.". At the time, I reflected on how treasured my own were and that they had protected me, occasionally, from undue stress by keeping secret some details about risks that they took or troubles that they'd had (at least until long after the fact). I felt rather defensive about the remark, interpreting it to mean that one's child was "a burden"; now I know she didn't mean it that way.

Although I see my adult children more often than some parents see theirs, I'm taken aback at how much grief I feel when separated from them after a short visit or a longer one. A beloved uncle once said about his own daughter, "Her leaving creates a vacuum.". I absolutely understand that perception. All we can do is "suck it up" and carry on, knowing that our family will keep in touch, and we will continue to have our own busy lives while we think of them daily.

While I was writing all of that, I realized that I hadn't phoned my own stepmother for some weeks, so I took a few moments to do so. It's "high time" I went to visit, and will make that trip sometime this month.

After I hung up the phone my friend (who is one of our Sunday "breakfast club") called to say she'd be a few minutes late. I also will be, if I don't get up and leave now... so thank you for reading my weblog and I hope you have a good day!

~ Ann