Home on the Hill

That's the latest buzz word around here. Seems some forward thinkers have been pondering what to do with the Bug Killed Pine which covers 80% of the provinces mature pine forests. Why not grind it all up and turn it into BioFuel. I am not sure how I feel about that. I think it just lets us prop up the Auto industry which needs to be put out of its misery. In this day and age we can only use so many buggy whips. On the other hand that just may be a poor analogy. Maybe we need more. I love the techno-babble and politics that go with the crisis. Government propaganda at selected road side sites proclaim how the bug kill is a "natural occurring phenomenon", that couldn't have been prevented. Of course planting huge tracts of the same species, because that's what industry wanted, and not burning the outbreak when it first occurred in Tweedsmuir park - because we didn't want to upset the tree huggers. Let's not talk about that. We don't even burn wo...

A comment popped out of my brain this morning and bounced around the kitchen table. One of those things that after they are said my brain goes: "DOH..did that come out of my mouth." What I said was: " You know it dawned on me that advertising is only talking to my ego." Well duh. Jo-Ann pointed out that's why it doesn't have to be real or even make any logical sense. It can be blatantly false, totally unrealistic but wholly effective. If that's the kind of food my ego eats I think I had better get on a different diet. We've put off the wood gathering venture for today as its pouring rain. This mornings walk down to Savory road will be using 'brollies. And then a cat door in the shop, and the installation of two six volt, deep cycle, gel cells in the Boler. Yesterday we paused the wood gathering to take a refreshing "Barb". Sounds vaguely Australian. But it isn't. We named the practice after a friend of ours who enjoyed li...

Ah, I just couldn't resist. My Auntie gave me four Gem Squash and we just had to try them. We had some winter squash with yesterday's supper. Sweet and flavorful. It got me to thinking about pumpkins. Why is it that we always serve pumpkins with sugar and allspice? It's a squash isn't it. Haven't done any research on the topic but if you have a favorite, vegetable rendering recipe that doesn't include sugar or allspice, for pumpkin I would like to hear it. I was thinking of the thousands of pumpkins that lay rotting in the fields in the lush lower mainland right after Halloween. Today we are continuing with getting in the winter's wood. I have a new chain saw filing jig I want to try out before I start falling more of the Beetle killed pine. I want to get the rest of the fir piled near the basement split up so the dogs can rest easy knowing the resident Pack Rat has one less place to hide. You would think it would get the hint.. God I am so gratef...

Well not quite. Still have my Sweetie Pie, six cats, two dogs, eight chickens and a stray pack rat which is driving the dogs to distraction. Yet it feels wonderfully alone. I just spent 5000 kilometers on a road trip with a couple of 80 year olds. A very interesting experience. Got to learn a little more about my family's history. I find it fascinating to listen to people who have lived through the depression and dirty thirty's. An Economic down turn wasn't not being able to afford a big screen T.V. but not being able to afford food. Downsizing wasn't moving to a condo but a granary. Not that I wish that experience on anybody-- but I think it placed them in good stead for today's "economic down turn". They grow veggies and flowers, make nourishing soups and live a self sufficient life that they share with others. I think they should put a college course on. My generation, and our thirty-somethings who are back living at Mom and Dad's could lea...

Well in our case, about six cords. My friend Barb (Bubba) Started to stack the outside wall that will keep the snow off of the pile that will go inside. We're starting to get the winters wood in before the snow flies. Which usually is the end of October. With the help of the skid steer loader and all the dried standing bug killed pine it should only take us a couple of days. We have been building running/snowshoeing trails around the perimeter fence lines. This run is on the West fence line. We've chainsawed all the bigger saplings, followed up with several runs with pruners, and the next job will be to take a swing saw down and clear all the brambles and saskatoon bushes for a couple of feet on either side of the trail. This part of the trail is called "Butt Cruncher Hill", a name coined by R.T. in Prince Rupert for a great hill just in front of his ocean view. What looks like the top isn't. It's still about a half a click away. The Aspen is starting ...