Ann's Weblog

Usually I don't schedule grooming for Saturdays and Sundays, other than for the dogs who are boarding here. However, today I have little Brandy, in addition to two guests, to groom. We ended up with a very full house again, despite that some went home yesterday. Staying here are Bourbon & Sadie, Missy, Chester & Beowolf, Timo, Ranger, Annie, Molson, Pritchard, Jade, Sophie and Teddy. They are all great dogs and seem quite content.

Yesterday Gary and I both worked hard outside. Gary's garlic is several inches tall already, and it looks like every clove sprouted! Last year we sold so much, therefore he planted twice as much for this year, and we have some orders for 10 pounds here, and 5 pounds there... garlic "keeps" so well.

Yesterday after the pet chores were done and I'd visited with you who read my blog, I tried to make a list of all the new perennials, trees and shrubs, and then I would have added all I have left from last year. I had planned to post that list on the internet somewhere, so that potential customers and other friends could see what was available. Perhaps I've lost what's left of my mind, because I could NOT get along with old familiar word programs or the newest incarnations of programs, in order to make a simple web page with those lists. I remember the basics of HTML, and I have quite a few "templates" of my own design that should have required few changes. However, I just seemed unable to build such a page for the Internet, and will tackle this another day. It is very quiet around here at the moment, but I'm too fatigued to attempt the task this morning. Perhaps it will simply occur to me what I'm doing wrong there.

All is quiet outside the house, also, so I'm going to try to have a little power nap before Brandy gets here. Evidently, no amount of coffee is going to "wake me up" today!

See you later today, or tomorrow. ~ Ann

Yesterday I went on a road trip by myself to the wholesale nursery, as my trees and shrubs were ready for pickup. The trip was 1200 km. (about 740 miles), and by leaving before dawn, I made only a day project out of it. I had no problems even though I had some anxiety over handling even a small trailer... I didn't want to get into any difficult parking or maneuvering situations. The traffic in the Okanagan is dreadful by any standards.

As I drove all those hours, I listened to such disparate artists as Paul Potts, Nickleback, John Hammond, John Reichman and a local sweetheart, folk singer Arlene Charlton. I have a 10 disc changer in my truck, so I can drive many hours without hearing the same song and without swapping CDs in the machine. I just enjoyed the scenery and had all that "thinking time", ate cheese and crackers and didn't spend time or money at a restaurant. Part of the reason for picking up nursery stock was to save on freight... last year the same amount was delivered for $650, and yesterday the fuel cost me less than $300. Also, I was able to obtain the goodies at my "own" time instead of waiting anxiously for a truck to show up here. It's funny how, now that we can afford it, we're more careful with the dollars than ever.

I didn't visit (apologies to my chat friends, family members and other friends) or shop (didn't have room left anyway) and today it seems like the trip happened in a dream. But here's the result:

Gary and I agree that it doesn't appear to be "that much" even though both the trailer and the truck bed were packed solid. There are another few dozen plants that I unloaded into the greenhouse, so they're not visible. I have several dozen trees and shrubs and quite a few perennials that I still have to dig up from the vegetable garden where they have overwintered. It'll be a nice variety when everything is brought out, and I'm now SO excited that Spring is here.

It was good that I didn't spend much time getting the new stock for the garden centre. We already had almost a "full house" at the Pet Hostel, and several more are arriving today. By this afternoon we'll have Missy, Foxy & Morag, Beowulf & Chester, Roxie, Molson, Pritchard, Timber, Jade, Sophie, Ranger & Annie, Kimo, Teddy & Bud. All of these dogs are great friends and many are repeat customers, some from quite far away.

So today, other than unload the truck and trailer, I have done nothing but feed, water and walk the canine guests, and now I'm drinking coffee with YOU. Love, Ann

Now it is finally beginning to feel, look and smell like spring. It even SOUNDS like spring, as the chickadees are singing their spring tune, and the robins have arrived.

Have spent several hours every day in the last few days trying to clean up perennial flower beds, and feeling almost defeated. It's already too much, too much, too much. I don't know how the quack grass gets so rampant so quickly. I'm going from practically hibernating to pushing myself, but I get frustrated that I feel so weary when the day is still young. I'll just keep digging away at it, literally. It's hard to be blue, however, when the flowers start blooming. The pulmonaria and crocusses are both showing themselves:






Yesterday I worked down in the vegetable garden, which is where I sunk dozens of pots of perennials and shrubs last fall. I'm thrilled to see that almost everything has survived... it's a head start before I receive the perennial roots and pot those up. This week I'm going to venture down to the wholesale nursery (7 hour drive each way) for my order of new trees and shrubs, and that will add to the variety which has overwintered in the ground here at home.

Some friends who sell annuals have collaborated with me on our "opening day" for the season. They really just have a one day sale, but we felt that people would get in their vehicles and visit both places on the same weekend. Opening day is early this year, and I'm nervous about plants looking good enough in their pots by then, but I'm excited too. This year I have the second greenhouse, and it will be helpful in getting things lush in due time.

It has been an interesting week. On Monday I landed a little "jam" contract... a tourism business wants the assurance of a supply for their guests who come here for helihiking and heliskiing. They've already been buying jams and jellies from the Beanery, and lucky for me, their favourites are the easiest for me to have available.

Yesterday was odd on a couple of levels. While I was taking care of dogs, I devoted an extra bit of attention to our elderly American Eskimo dog. He seemed to have a matt on this neck, so I took him into the grooming shop to investigate. Under his thick fur, I found an ugly lesion that was like an overgrown mole on a narrow "stem". I phoned the vet right away, and made an appointment for two hours hence. I put little Buddy back in his kennel, and when I returned to check on him, he had completely scratched the growth off, leaving a small, flat wound which, I decided, didn't need any veterinary intervention!

Earlier in the day, I drove to town to attend a couple of garage sales. It turned out that I was one day late for one sale, and a whole week early for another! That might have saved me some money. En route, I drove past what I believed was a black cat dead on the highway. When I returned home, it was no longer there.

While I worked in the gardens, I started thinking about the body on the road, and was convinced it was MY dark tortoiseshell cat named Fiona. She had spent the whole winter in our snug hay shed, and I had seen her on some days, since the snow left , hunting in the fields. I got back in the truck, drove to the dark splotch on the asphalt, and searched the ditches. All I found was what appeared to be.... GROUSE feathers. Had I seen a dead cat or NOT?

For the rest of the day, evening and most of today, I frequently checked the hay shed for Fiona, and gave up. I was about to write a "farewell" to her in this blog. However, Gary just came inside from feeding the horses and called to me... Fiona is back in the shed, purring away and 100% well. Evidently, at 90 km. per hour, I can't tell a flattened grouse from a flat cat, after all!



Other things are just as they should be. We have boarders Ryder, a yellow lab, Jade, a Pyrenese cross, Pritchard, Molson, Roxie and Bodhi. My "blue" mood that I've had all week is lifting.

Hope you are all well, my friends. Thanks for stopping to read this blog. ~ Ann