Long time no see

I received a request for an update. I haven't written in quite a while and my public misses me LOLOL...

What have we been doing? Well we started our Keto lifestyle on December 1st. We have each lost approx 30 lbs so far (he a bit more and I a bit less)... we are loving the keto life. We get to eat all kinds of delicious treats which we never used to eat before, we were not dessert people. Now I make cheesecake 'fat bombs'... as our diet is 5% Carbs, 25% proteins and 70% fats there is plenty of room for what we would have previously considered 'junk' food (desserts). I make peanut butter cups, keto pizza... tons of delicious recipes all of which are popular with our friends. For anyone considering the Keto Lifestyle, I personally recommend using 'The Carb Manager' app, just put in your details and the system will create a meal plan, grocery list and gives you excellent recipes. We have not found a recipe we didn't like on the app, and that says a lot! 

We spent about 5 days in Jasper doing a dog sit in about February, I think. It was nice to get a change of scenery and the 2 dogs were very well behaved. All 3 dogs got along great.

Stacey is planning a trip out here likely in May and Meg will be coming out again sometime soon, although nothing definitive.

(don't tell her I put this here ;) )

My garden starts are doing fabulous and are just waiting for the weather to stabilize. We were in double digits last week but yesterday we got an inch or so of snow again.

What else? I dunno, just playing Pickleball, going to Cards, volunteering for catering events at the club...

I have begun to expand my Reiki thing, I wouldn't call it a 'business' but I am expanding it so that people anywhere in the world can book a personalized online session with me. 

Also, I have always wanted to do Pottery and so I have begun teaching myself how and Brad picked up a large craft table for me just yesterday.

Robbie is doing great. His cataracts were quite bad and as I know that Castor Oil works well for human cataracts I decided to use a dropper and try it on him, there was really nothing to lose as his eyesight was so terribly poor. It has made a huge difference for him (* not medical or veterinary advise), his eyes have mostly cleared up and he can see so much better now. His hearing however.... well, he takes after his father.

Our Granddaughter was in the Edmonton Cheer competition this past weekend and so we went to the big city for that. Her team placed 5th of sooo many teams. It was a fun day for her.

I think that about sums it up. Just day to day winter doldrums really for the past few months. Super excited to have Spring springing.

Rain, TruLocal and Google Chrome

You may have heard... we got a bit of rain in parts of Alberta...

My 6 deck planters were overflowing and my poor flowers were drowning so I moved the planters into the garage and drilled holes in the sides for drainage. The next day I reset the plants and they appear to be holding their own now.

The first 1.5 days... this pic shows just under 4" but Brad took this pic, I went out about 20 min later to empty it because we were going out for the evening and I didn't want to miss any. It was exactly 4" at that time.

After emptying the rain gauge at 4" we then received another 1.5" for a total of 5.5" of rain! Wowzers. Several people around town had water in their basements we have heard but we were fortunate and our walls held up.

The front right flower bed where I put the pansies not long ago was overflowing with water and Brad went out to drill some holes on the driveway side to relieve the water pressure on them. They are now doing well once again.

From wildfire evacuations to flooding evacuations now in Alberta.

I'm sure I mentioned it but can't seem to find a label... anyway, we order our meats from TruLocal and its amazing. (Not a plug for them, just saying, and its products are local to your province) The normal bacon you get from TruLocal is as thick as the thick cut you can get in the stores but their thick bacon??! Wowzers...

Alberta Natural Thick Cut Bacon

from TruLocal

Its thick!!!

So a while back I was having trouble with my internet and I thought I had fixed it, perhaps you recall... Anyway it went wonky on me again. This morning while trying to write this post I got so frustrated with it (Norton was a previous solution) that I uninstalled Google Chrome and reinstalled it. Now it works at lightning speed. It even keeps up with my typing! Night and Day. 

Yay!

PS We have some new flowers and hanging baskets in the backyard now so I will endeavor to take some new pics of the backyard for my next post.

All gardens are planted except...

By the way, we were allowed back home a while ago I just forgot to mention it. Our community was saved by the many firefighters and other responders. Much love to them all.

We have finally planted our gardens, and there are a lot of them...

Backyard herb/flower garden

Zinnia, Hollyhock, Marigold, Lemon Balm, Oregano, Dill, Thyme, Tarragon, Rosemary, Calendula, Cilantro, Nasturtium and Red Basil

There may be more.

Raised Bed #1 

Strawberries and Grapes

Raised Bed #2

Amish Paste Tomatoes, Stevia and Basil

Raised Bed #3

Amish Paste Tomatoes, Stevia and Basil

Raised Bed #4

Montana Slicing Tomatoes, Stevia and Basil

Raised Bed #5

Romaine, Kale and Chives

Raised Bed #6

Bell, Jalapeno and Chili Peppers

Bee Balm

There are 4 Elderberry bushes (one not doing so well)

Crimson Sweet Watermelon

Fruit orchard

Raspberry

Blueberry

Cherry

In ground garden

Celery

Zucchini

Garlic and Onions

Cucumbers

Potatoes

Still have to find a place for the pansies

The 'finger' garden, this is Brad's flower bed, yet to be planted

Front yard, Left Garden: Comfrey, Borage, Yarrow, Echinacea, Peppermint, Beets, Thyme, and other stuff I don't remember

Front yard, Right garden: Asparagus, Lavender, Yarrow, Daisies, Sage, and other stuff I don't remember

No sooner had we finished when a threatening storm began spitting large droplets... we got inside the house and the skies opened up as the door was closing....

It came down in buckets! 

And then it hailed... 

When the storm had passed we checked everything... fortunately, we had left the smaller tomato and pepper plants until after the storm. All the plants survived the downpour except perhaps the Daisies... if they don't pull through then I will have found my spot for the Pansies... Not a lot of room left for the Pansies but I'll find a spot or create a new patch for them.

Rain is coming?! Rain is coming!?

'They who never get it right' tell us that there are heavy rains on the way in the coming days. Local oldtimers tell us that it often snows around the May 24 holiday... perhaps 'they' will get it right this time?!

Its been fairly good being here. The town has been fantastic, the meals are much welcome and the local shops are offering discounts to Evacuees - nice touch.

Joan and I went and did some much needed retail therapy. She is having trouble processing what is happening so I think the distraction helps her a lot.

Yesterday, we went to see our Dr about my foot (baby toe, specifically). While I didn't get a prescription for it, she did show me a picture of the sandals I need to get and Brad overheard the convo (which always helps when spending money on shoes). She is sending me for a bone scan because she thinks I may have a hairline crack in the small (Metatarsal) bone portion of my foot.

Today Joan and I are going to shop again for the sandals I tried on yesterday morning which were the very same ones the Dr told me to get (solid wrap around big toe instead of just the sticky-inny-bit that rubs)... go figure. Also there is a local farmer's market and we will throw in a load at the laundromat to do its thing while we shop.

Last night some other friends invited the 4 of us out to their RV park south of town for a game of cards, it was great fun!

Hoping that other than a little bit of shopping there will be no other running around to do and we can relax a little, distractions are good in times like this but its also tiring especially with the stress in the back of your mind.

So far our little community is doing well, fires appear to be diminishing according to the NASA website with satellite imaging, and with the rains on the way, we hope to be home early to mid next week.... fingers crossed.

Sod this, I'm Preparing for Spring

The advantage to a cold winter is that Spring looks all the better. 

Happy New Year everyone, by the way.

I refuse to acknowledge this cold wave we're having (we get a reprieve today (Jan 1) and tomorrow then after another week of mid -20s (Celsius) those who never get it right are giving everyone hope by saying it will be in the range of 0C (32F) for about a week -- I'll believe it when I see it.

Good news for the chickens though, I will leave their coop door open today and tomorrow for some much needed fresh air. I've had to keep them cooped up (pun intended) due to the extreme -40C temps. (-40C is also -40F for anyone who doesn't know -- also known as 'Damn Cold')

We decided to start planning our garden...

So because we want to learn to save our own seeds, I ordered this book which comes highly recommended by numerous homesteading peeps.

We need this book because every veg/plant, etc has different times/ways to save the seeds, for some the seeds are saved early in the growth and for others you let a few of them grow long past picking before saving the seeds.

Seed to Seed

We have 1 of these standing storage racks but to ensure it is the same size as the other I have ordered 2 of them to snug side by side.

Storage rack for seed trays

(I noted the price increased $5 since I ordered them yesterday)

And a lesson learned from last year when I started all our starts but then had to buy a bunch of starts because they didn't get strong enough even with the greenhouse.... this year, grow lights!

Full spectrum LED grow lights

As for the seeds, as you may know - if you plan to save seeds you need heirloom seeds (ie non-gmo) as the gmo seeds are sprayed and processed in such a way that they do not propagate well. By buying only heirloom seeds we ensure the heritage of the seeds, 'Purebred' seeds if you will.

Here in Alberta, there are a few heirloom seed companies and I chose to order from Heirloom Seed Vault and Wildrose Heritage Seed Company.

It is also worth noting that when buying seeds, you should always try to buy locally because by way of example, tomatoe seeds sold in Alabama will not be as hearty as those sold in Alberta, not to mention the much shorter growing season here.

Everyone should try to grow something, even if its just a few small herbs in the kitchen window, or a single tomatoe plant on the veranda. It gives you a sense of something.... I can't quite put my finger on, but suffice to say it makes you feel warm and fuzzy. A huge garden like we tend to do is not necessary for everyone but having a plant growing somewhere just, well... feels right for us. And many typical house plants are edible too... multi purpose. Not to mention the many many that are just growing wild outside your door, yes YOUR door, every door, free for the taking, and often medicinal.

May your next salad be wild! 

Eggs, Blizzard and Fire Cider

Farm fresh eggs ready for freeze drying

I do 18 per tray.

I also freeze dry the egg shells and add to oatmeal etc for the chickens which obviously aids in egg production

Brought in what we hope will be enough hay and straw for winter

2 Hay, 6 Straw

Ladies are happy and providing a full meal deal of 15 eggs/day

Not too shabby for 15 chickens! In winter!

The rabbit cages are ready for pickup, but....

We had a blizzard!

8" of snow in 14 hours

Baby its cold outside

The snow sure looks magical on the trees, though. The bows are hanging low and heavy. We had trouble getting the new snow blower going, Brad had to disassemble and fix it which took up a lot of the day yesterday. It propels itself along, which is fantastic!

I had to shovel a small path from the back door down to the rest of the garden as the deep snow and incline was too much to get that thing up to the back steps. 

I also had to shovel a small area beside the back door where Robbie is trained to do his business, he doesn't like to get snow on his underbelly and likes to have something tall to lift his leg against so I just made a higher wall with the moved snow and voila.

I cleared a path in front of the chicken coop and put down a bunch of straw along it so the birds have an outdoor space without burying their whole bodies in the snow as it was taller than most of them. I haven't taken a picture of it yet, sorry.

This morning I strained a 'Fire Cider' that I made - well, 6 weeks ago and so I am taking the strained bits out to the chickens for a treat... have to remember to add a bit of eggshell to it first.... (I did run it under water for a few seconds and strained it just so it isn't soooo strong for the chickens).

For the chickens

I've been keeping a stash of our used glass bottles and I thought this one was fitting for the Fire Cider. I did show it to Brad and advised that he not confuse the two!!! 

HAHAHAHA

Once we get the cages, we have to complete the rabbitry area to make arrangements for their highly acidic urine and to separate the poop as we will use it for the garden. Free this year, last year we bought it from a local I found who was willing to sell it, not cheap either. 

Then we can get the rabbits!