Heaven.

What I think Heaven should look like!

A soft bed, tons of books and a sweet

landscape outside my window. Oh, but

wait. This is what I have now for real!

~ Chy

August Garden.

We're about half way thru the Summer and I'm loving how lovely our garden has grown this year. Each year, we try to add more perennials, with the idea in time that we'll have just a few pots, but mostly a garden that grows itself. We're almost there! Still working on what will be the back gardens and the sides as well. Last year was the rock patio and the front. This year is this the side paths that will also be rock and then we can start to fill in with dirt, plants and cedar chips. One day, it will be all done. Or will it be? I've had many gardeners tell me it's never, ever quite done. Plants do well one year, and not well the next, some need to be moved and replaced. I can see that now. We moved our Delpheniums from a spot that did well last year, but this year, they are taller and we needed to find a spot where they could be better supported. So we put them where our old Clematis was, as it didn't come back this year and the arbor is there to hold up the stems. So far, they seem to be doing okay with the move. Finally starting to feel like a gardener! It's taken a long time but I'm there now. Honored.

How did your garden do this Summer?

~ Chy

Filling Pots.

We have been slowly filling up our pots

for the decks and the front veranda. It's

a long process to get it all done but now

that our fires are contained, we can grow!

~ Chy

Our Baby Fern!

About 2 years ago at this time, I brought home some tiny plants for our kitchen. I had found this sweet yellow vintage oval pot that had been at the antique mall forever. I would walk past it, admire it, and put it down. The price was decent (less that $20) but there was a chip on the back corner. However, one rainy day, as we browsed through the store, it was still there and I felt like I just had to rescue it! So home it came and a few days later, I brought a collection of plants home. No one can see the chip because between the moss and the plants, it's well covered. This tiny fern was maybe 2 inches tall (or shorter) and maybe 2 inches in diameter (or smaller) but look at it now! I recently found a large black pot with pretty roses in the clay. Black is not my color, so I painted it our light sage green and now the roses on the side "pop" out. I'll repot the fern soon and let the other smaller plants under the fern thrive now that they'll get more sunlight. Once it's settled, I'll post more photos.

It's Easter Weekend here in Canada and after a very, very difficult couple of months, I'm so grateful for the 5 days off I'm taking. Yesterday, I did some work in the morning, after a nice sleep in, then a long shower, did our laundry and off to town we went in the afternoon. I dropped dh off at our local greenhouse so he could set up for the Farmer's Market, then headed over to visit a friend in her new home, then picked up dd to take her home, went back to town to the bank, then another bank (we're transitioning all our financials so it's work right now), then picked up some food to eat while we talked to community members about our upcoming Music Festival in June. When we got home, we settled in to watch a few shows we had taped. Late night, long day, but it was a lovely relaxing time. Today, no big plans other than catching up on a few things, dinner with our girls later and maybe a movie. Tomorrow, we're planning a trek into the big city to visit the Antique Mall, then back to our community to pick up some groceries, then home to watch hockey in the afternoon. Easter dinner on Sunday, and no plans on Monday. Trying very hard to just be in the moment and taking in all of Spring's warmth.

Wishing you and your family

a beautiful Easter weekend!

~ Chy

Indoor Garden.

Not all our indoor plants but a few that we've been

cultivating since they were tiny plants from our local

greenhouse OR from cuttings I've acquired over the

last little bit. I call them my "indoor garden babies."

~ Chy

Cottage Life.

Cottage life is very eclectic. I imagine if someone lived in a modern mansion, everything would match and be very sterile looking. Or a home filled with minimalists may be quite stark and very open. I personally love a very comfy environment, one with items that suggests that we love our home but we also live in it. It's always tidy as I have pretty high standards. Except for the garage and the art studio. Those are always in a state of "projects are happening here" mode. I suppose it would look quite strange to have these two spots absolutely spotless. I would love them to be tidier than they are but can live with it if the rest of the cottage and the acreage are tidy and in order. Cottage living means soft colors that complement each other, lace curtains, framed photos, a variety of plants, doilies to soften furniture, birdhouses, lots of tiny lamps, soft couches and overstuffed chairs, wood floors and area rugs, colored cabinets, vintage stoves and hidden fridges, antiques gifted and antiques found, projects in progress, books everywhere and the sound of music and laughter. Cozy quilts, warm fireplaces, many windows of different shapes, big verandas and long hammocks. Green gardens, singing chickadees, croaking frogs and buzzing bees. Warm cookies cooling on the counter. Lemonade chilling in the fridge. Laundry drying in the sun. Blooming flowers and gravel paths. Cottage living.

Can you imagine it all? 

Or do you live in a cottage too?

Namaste.

~ Chy

New Plants.

I'm almost done planting all our pots.

I have 4 more to do after today. I did

pot these 2 on Friday. We went to the

tiny greenhouse I posted about earlier

and came across these black petunias.

Aren't they amazing? I added in some

pink and then the trailing vine as well.

I'm super happy with this arrangement

and truly can't wait to get the last 4 pots

done. Then we can sit back and enjoy.

Are you done all your planting for now?

~ Chy

Heat Warning.

We are currently under a heat warning that started on Monday and goes until sometime late tomorrow. I'm so very thankful that our cottage has air conditioning, my little car too and our hospice has a cooling system as well. The sun is out, things are growing but it's far too hot to sit outside or do any true gardening. For now, in the morning, when it's cooler, we put our potted plants out on the back deck for a short time, I water them and deadhead, then let them sit until the water has dried on the leaves. Takes at least a solid hour, so off to work I go and then dh brings them in and lines them up on the nook floor on mats. This gives them sun each day and water but they aren't sitting in the extreme heat and wilting. Lots of work bringing them in and out but worth the effort to keep them looking so amazing! I love walking through the garden in the morning, when it's just me and the birds, gathering water from the rain barrel and making sure all the green sprouts are well watered before it gets too hot. I'm happy we're almost done this heat wave and hope we don't have too many this Summer. Always scares me that fires will become an issue.

My to do list was huge today and I'm happy with my accomplishments. I have one more email to send and then I'm shutting everything down so I can get back to my book. Everyone else is happily settled in their own spaces, away from the heat and it's quiet in our cottage tonight. I love nights like this, where contentment reigns, and life is good. Dh is doing his show for the night and then we'll likely watch a taped show, then off to bed once the cottage is cooler. So thankful for a house that doesn't hold the heat too much, and even more thankful we can turn on the AC for about 20 minutes, then shut it down and leave the system fan on to circulate the cool air. I have a friend who leaves her AC all day and all night. That would be way too cold for me. I don't like to be overly hot but cold is not good either. Tomorrow will be better and then we can get more work down outside again. Our neighbor came over with his small tractor on the weekend and he was amazing in moving some dirt down to the spot we want to build our new shed. Now we need more dirt. Hoping to order that tomorrow so we have it for the weekend. Weeding, moving some plants, building the deck and then getting the patio stones ordered are our focus the next week or so. At some point, painting the deck will be next, then the front veranda. It's all coming together. Can't wait for it to be all completed, but at the end of the day, will the landscaping ever be completely finished?

All for today. Hope

yours was amazing.

~ Chy

Suntanning.

Look at my sweet babies enjoying the sun and working on their tans! Yesterday was sunny at times and then cloudy, so when the sun was out, these guys must have been singing inside. We have another couple of great sunny days and then, thankfully and finally, we're supposed to have 3 days of rain starting on Friday. It's quite dry right now and fires have started popping up around the region. A good soak will calm the threat down I'm sure. And turn everything green again. Our trees are full of buds that are just about to open. We've been poking around a bit to see what plants will be back this year (so far, so good) but we haven't moved anything as the recommendation is to let the little critters who nest in the leaves, compost, etc. have a few more weeks of cover. Our seedlings we've started inside are doing well and once the nights are warmer, we'll move those out to the greenhouse. I so hope this all works this year for us. 

Our neighbor popped over yesterday to look at our ideas for placing our new shed, which is currently in 2 boxes in our garage, waiting to be put together. We had 4 options and I think we have it down to 2 now. He has a tractor that can level where we want to put it and then we can build the base. Bought the wood last week so we're ready to go. It'll be nice to have more space in the garage as we'll use the shed to store big items like the wood for the rink, the snowblower, the wood chipper, etc. So thankful that our neighbor can do this for us and that we have a couple of good spots to consider. Then it's on to more landscaping this Summer. We now have a plan for where the rink sits in the Winter so it's lovely in the Summer. Won't share that just yet as it does involve finding the right contractors to carry it out. A bit beyond a DIY project for us! Updates to come.

On the agenda today: after we listen to our grandson's radio show at 9:30, then I'm doing my workout, showering and I have some tidying to do. A quick vacuum, a load of laundry in to the washer, lunch, some writing, outside work if we feel like doing more (did lots yesterday) or just chilling on the deck, then our board meeting for our music festival at 4, dinner together, tidy up, then a relaxing evening of watching a few of our favorite shows. Nothing too pressing this week other than I have a grant to finish up that is due on Friday, and paperwork for my hospice position. We hope to hear back from the landscaping companies we've contacted so we can get our project started. Would be nice to have this big chunk done this year. Next weekend when it rains, I'll work on some of our indoor projects. We have painted the board and batten in the lower level but now we have to start up the stairs. Good rainy day projects. Bring on the rain!

All for today. Have an amazing

day my blogging buddies. Namaste.

~ Chy

Plant Sanctuary.

With the Polar Vortex still in effect, I moved many (but not all) of our plants away from windows and doors so they don't get chilled. They seem pretty happy there so far. Some are even a darker green then usual. It's a low light area for the first part of the  morning and then the sun hits and it's pretty sunny for the rest of the afternoon. I may keep them here for the rest of the Winter, though I do love plants scattered through the house. "Eric" our big fig is still in his spot in the kitchen nook. Figs don't like to be moved I'm told, so hoping he'll be fine to stay there for now. 

The sun is out again and today it's a balmy -30 C before the windchills, which puts it at - 40 something. We're doing just fine, the cottage is cozy and warm, and as long as the sun shines, it doesn't seem too bad. The one saving grace is we have not had any snow, so that is not a big concern. We are working away with our jobs from home and take breaks through the day to ensure there is no ice build up on any of our exhausts. Thankfully, they are all on the south side of the cottage, so I think the sun is helping to keep them fairly clear. Busses are cancelled as they are too dangerous to be on the road when it's this cold. Dgs had Monday off but we have been driving him to school each day since. Pantry, fridge and freezer are full and there is no reason to go anywhere except school drop off. I hope to drive in tomorrow with dh as the Valentine's gift I ordered for him is ready for pick up. It is going to start warming up over the weekend and by next week, we could be looking at a very lovely - 4 C. Almost bikini weather! Looking forward to it.

Today I have counselling sessions, then a bit of a break before a Board Meeting tonight. I may work on my puzzle or finish the baseboards in the mini bakery. Can't decide but will know once I get there which one I'll feel like doing. Tomorrow is our day off from work, though I still check in and answer emails and calls for a bit so things don't get backlogged. Then our drive in to town, back in time for lunch, our radio show and then I think that's all I'm going to plan. An afternoon and evening off would be lovely before my work day on Saturday. This weekend is a long weekend called "Family Day" on Monday. Because I work on Saturdays, technically I would normally take Tuesday off. But we have rounds that morning so I'll figure out where to take this extra day down the road.

Hope your day is warm and bright! Stay warm. Be safe.

X Chy

Spider Plants.

I'm growing Spider Plants from this

original plant for my new office. So

far, there are 2 larger pots and then 4

small pots that will need to be placed

into dirt soon. It's far too cold to take

these in to the big city where my new

office is, so I'll keep growing at home.

Once they are there, I'll take a photo. 

~ Chy