Home on the Hill

We got the shop's garage door up and working! It sure makes getting things, like the skidsteer, in and out of the shop a whole lot easier! We've had the blue plastic on so long it is startling to look out the window and realize that it's not there anymore. The inside appears to have grown: Before: After: It has been very cold lately. Like -1 in Fraser Lake. The local potato grower in the valley below us has lost his entire spud crop. We've had to light a fire in the small upstairs heater a couple of times now. And we've had to put coats and hats on to go on the morning walk. But the garden grows. We had a feast of baby Turnip greens last night. The latest flowers to come up are Columbine and Camomile. And the Doggies are managing to walk through a herd of cows without any chasing.. Tonight I'm off to a bit of a celebration in town. There will be cake.. Life is good.

Among other things. When ever I mention that I am building an underground greenhouse I get the strangest looks. Its just the walls that are underground. The roof is transparent and lets the light in. It's based on the idea of a walipini , first used in Bolivia I believe. Kind of a low tech method of getting some plants growing in inhospitable growing areas. Such as our 2b. Any way all good fun. I picked a site on the side of a south facing hill North of our Re-Tired garden to give ours a try. It's right where the excavator is digging. Far enough that there is no shade near it and close enough that I can power it. Mine will be a little different in that I am berming it with tires that will have packed clay in them before I put the dirt back. I haven't decided on using green house plastic or the corrugated type for the roof. Probably the latter as it will have to carry a snow load. And I need to figure out how to insulate the roof during the cold times. Some type o...

Snow melt water is gurgling in the bottom creek near the lower cattle guard. I have been waiting a week for it to happen. This temporary brook was the one we got water from to fight the fire a neighbor had set last year. It carries quite a bit of water, draining the whole top side of the bottom eighty acres. It will continue until early summer, passing through a culvert across Savory road and down a steep grass and Poplar lined gully eventually ending up in the Pacific ocean via the Nechako and Fraser rivers. The snow is rapidly disappearing around the yard revealing all the winter lost toys, bottles and other doggie strewn play paraphernalia. When It dries a little more we can get into the spring ritual. Cleaning up the yard. I suspect Jo-Ann's Marmot is rising from it's winter bed to greet the Spring . Cleo was very interested in the burned out pile of fallen Poplar that was the Marmot's domicile. Much more attention than she would give a paltry vole. The small up...

Time to start some gardening. Well, OK, time to start thinking about the garden. I plowed an access path to the tire garden so that I can just bring all the tops in for repair on a pallet. Can hardly wait for that first salad. The tires with plastic on top and even the undamaged agricultural cloth are warming up nicely. It shouldn't be too much longer. I will put a thermometer in a couple of tires and see how they are doing. I can use a remote station and pick up the signal in the shop. The number one rule in plowing snow is: don't get stuck. Here I am forgetting that rule. I will need to bring the Cat over to pull the skidsteer out. Or wait until I am back from the coast and the snow has melted a little more. Playing " blue ball" with the girls. The trick is to throw both balls, simultaneously, in opposite directions. This was after a chunder down the still frozen driveway to Savory Road. The dogs love the walk. The snow has melted and then frozen so the...

We changed the plastic that was on the tires to horticultural cloth. It doesn't get as warm as the plastic, as it lets air circulate, and water through. We still have to take the covers off when we water - which is every day now. The second radish (road rash) crop is up, with the first rapidly dissapearing. Today we are waiting for a couple of truck loads of sand to spread over the clay to start getting the "big garden" going. If we can get it planted by June we should be ok. I might still use the tire method in the garden. Just use one tire, right on the garden soil, and keep it covered while the cuttings start. The tires really help keep the heat in. We will use row covers for the cabbages and turnips. On a 'nother topic. I think my dog may have a drinking problem. She's starting to think the world revolves around her and the other day we found her in a stupor among the tires: