This morning I went out into the garden and saw my first ripe strawberry! Yesterday my wife told me that I should go and pick it before someone or something eats it. So I did. I even ate it straight from the garden. That kind of fresh.
Boy was it delicious. Biting into it and savoring the moment by myself was everything and more. It reminded me of the scene from the tv series “Firefly” where Kaylee enjoys a strawberry. (I really should watch that series again! Best short lived sci-fi series in decades.)
I cannot wait for more fruits and vegetables to start emerging from our garden. Maybe next time a strawberry arrives I’ll share with my family. But not likely. Those are my special treats.
My wife is really enjoying her vegetable garden. Since moving into this house, her success ratio has gone up for growing a variety of plants. However, the one plant she is growing the most of is tomatoes.
This year she has a total of 53 plants on the go! For regular tomatoes that means we will get 18-30 tomatoes on each plant. For some of the cherry tomato and grape tomato plants we expect 3-4 times more. My wife is almost finished using our small greenhouse. The plants are now in bigger pots ready to yield a healthy crop.
My wife has even put out a few red pots along the deck glass to add a pop of colour. It’ll be nice to grab a fresh snack while sitting on the deck this summer.
Now to find recipes that require tomatoes! Salsa and Pico are top of the list at the moment.
The weather as of late has been rather unpleasant. With heavy downpours and chilly winds filling up my world. Even on Saturday, when we were wandering the VanDusen Gardens, it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been. But I still managed to enjoy the blooming plants.
So the other day I bought a potted flower for inside our home. The white lilies have opened up and brought a beautiful bouquet to the air. They fit nicely in our home- radiating an aura of elegance. Having me wish for more flowers in my life.
Hopefully these April Showers bring May Flowers as they say. I’m hoping that on my days off this week I can walk around and see more pops of colour in the world. If not, I may have to buy some more plants for inside our home. Especially ones as beautiful as these lilies.
Darwin turned 19 today, so we asked what they wanted to do to celebrate. Darwin chose to have a family outing at the Sakura Days Japanese Fair. So we made our way into Vancouver to The VanDusen Botanical Garden for the afternoon.
Japadog was delicious!
Unfortunately there was rain and it was rather chilly. But we kept warm by eating hot food from the food trucks and walking through the gardens. We also snuck back to the main entrance and hung out in the building periodically to rest and warm up.
Darwin had a lot of fun striking various poses throughout our walk. This day was all for them! Even in the rain, darwin was producing a smile and filling the day with joy.
Our day was spent catering to their amusement and I really appreciated the slow pace of looking at nature all day. It was very zen like and calming. Until the end. That’s when the real fun came out!
The main reason we came to the event was to see a live performance by a J-Pop group called “Non Sweet”. Darwin met them at a convention recently and wanted us as a family to share in the joy that Darwin has found from them.
First Darwin and I went to a meet and greet where Darwin got their picture with one of the members. Once the show began, Darwin and I sat front and center enjoying the performance! Our drive home also consisted of listening to the music of Non Sweet.
It was a good day and the rain could not dissuade us from enjoying the event. Happy 19th Birthday Darwin! I hope it was one of the most memorable ones you have had!
For my wife and I- daffodils mark the start of spring. In fact today at 2:24pm is the Spring Equinox. I am excited for this season to begin. We even had a small preview this past weekend of beautiful weather.
Before we left for Calgary, our daffodils had begun to sprout up in our gardens. They hadn’t bloomed yet and we were eager to enjoy their bright petals upon our return home a week later.
The daffodils did not disappoint. The bright yellow pop of colour brought my wife and I much joy seeing them around our home. Knowing they don’t last long, does upset me. However, we have a variety of other plants that show up and blossom throughout spring, summer and fall.
So this past weekend, my wife and I took advantage of the warm sunny weather and cleaned up the gardens around our home. We cleared out old, dead growth, leaves, and the fluffed the soil. We also transplanted some plants into new locations that we had discussed last year. Our home is beginning to look pretty post-winter.
We cannot wait for more flowers to start popping up! Bring it on Spring!
As spring quickly approaches, nature is already giving glimpses of things to come.
Outside in our front garden you can see the start of the daffodils coming up through the earth. In a short time they will blossom and bloom a vibrant yellow. Their showcase will only last a short time, but I view it as the start of spring and a precursor to the future flowers that shall grow. Their beauty always makes me smile.
Inside of our home, my wife has begun her yearly planting. Beans, peppers, lettuce, etc have been germinating in small trays under grow lights at our window sill.
This year, my wife has chosen to keep them in our bedroom so she can watch their growth. Because I close our blinds for my sleep after a night shift, her grow light remains on during this time. This set of plants will soon be moved to another pot and the next set shall be planted. This will allow for a various growth of vegetables throughout the summer, keeping us well fed with freshness at our fingertips.
Spring is welcome to show up at any time now. Let the longer sunshiny days commence and a garden to grow!
We love our home. I’m pretty sure I have talked about it a few times in my blog. Since moving in we have made many changes to its curb appeal. I’m happy with our final result. I am also happy with our Halloween and Christmas decorations that we put out. Changing our lights to white was a huge improvement over the colored lights we had our first year at Christmas.
A photo of someone taking a photo of our home.
We have had many people in the neighborhood compliment us on our changes. Even strangers walking by have noticed. At Halloween, I overheard children talking about our Freddy vs Jason banners and at Christmas people pointed out our six foot nutcracker statue. We see them from our windows stopping to look. Today, someone decided to stop in the middle of the street and take a picture of our home while on their walk.
That’s a weird, yet awesome feeling. Thank you stranger for appreciating our hard work. Perhaps they took the photo for inspiration in their yard. Maybe they are stalking our house. It could be they want to come back and sell us some window washing in the spring. Whatever it may be- thanks for taking the time to make our day as we are curious as to why you paused.
As summer is ending, it was time to salvage what we have remaining of our vegetable garden. Surprisingly there is still a ton of pepper and tomato plants- some are still flowering. Lucky for us the weather has been sitting quite warm durning the day, but it looks to be dripping soon enough.
We had purchased a small greenhouse last year. It was set up near the back of the garage for the previous winter. When it got taken down in the spring- it went into storage. Alas- there were no instructions on how to assemble it again. I never built it or disassembled it. That was all my wife and the kids.
So it was off to the Home Depot website to bring up an image of the greenhouse. I found one similar which I believed to be the same brand as the one we own. Quick screenshot, zoom in, lay out the parts- and a bunch of trial and error and the greenhouse got built.
Now it’s erected and placed it on the corner of our deck in hopes to limit any cross wind damage. I also went under the deck and tied it down from the bottom. My wife is planning on moving her plants into it this weekend. She is already excited and began to move them closer to the greenhouse while on her lunch break.
If the greenhouse does well at the location it is in- we may just leave it up all year round. Having a view of fresh vegetables from our deck and pool would not bother me in the slightest. Mmmm homegrown food.
Today I bit the bullet and went to get some river rock delivered for our home. I was surprised that they were able to deliver within a couple of hours of ordering.
I lay some landscape fabric down a few weeks ago. And last week, I had put the garden wall along the property line. The bark mulch garden islands were also completed last week.
I took me about three hours and twenty five wheelbarrows to fill the garden. The neighbors each came by and commented on the improvements and how hard I worked. One neighbor even brought me a beer. It was nice to get acknowledgment and approval from the neighbors.
Of course, I’m really proud of the work done over the past year. I’m also sore from the backbreaking labor- but it was all worthwhile. Now to hit the pool and find some advil.
My wife has taken our son away for another skating meet in Calgary this weekend. And like most times that she is out of town- I GSD. (Get shit done). Like most times when my wife is away, I take on projects out of boredom.
I fixed a rotten board in our deck. This took me a bit as I had to pull up a bunch of boards and remove the handrail. I also had to dig out the old boards that were buried in the dirt- hence why they were rotten. Tomorrow I plan on using some cement against the board in hopes to seal it and keep it sturdy.
I also picked up some flowers and dirt for the flowerbed that I Expanded the other day. With the swimming pool, we are trying to have a contrast of red and yellow flowers. These are perfect as they bloom late summer and required direct sun.
Beyond that, I am working on adding a border to the front garden between our home and the neighbor’s property. I am not quite done as I will need to go get some more stones as I only took what my car could handle. After the border is done, my wife and I will be looking to getting some river rock delivered to cover what was once our lawn. I’m not a fan of grass as I feel it’s a waste of water and energy to keep alive and green. Plants and flowers are so much nicer.
I also plan to get the Halloween decorations out so that our middle can decorate the house and yard. That way when my wife returns- our home will be updated and festive. I know my wife will be happy to see it.
My wife and I decided that we wanted to expand our flower bed in the backyard. So earlier today I went to the local hardware store and picked up some matching retaining wall blocks.
It only took me a couple of hours to dig out the expansion that we wanted. The challenge was having the original wall meet up with my new one and still line up with the patio. All while trying to keep the curves to match up with the other walls.
With summer over, it is time to work on the yard in preparation for spring. In our expanded flowerbed, I’ll be adding some fresh soil and seeds and can’t wait to see the results next spring. Our front garden is going to be the next challenge. The goal is to get rid of the grass and just make a nice garden. It’ll definitely take more than just a couple of hours like today.
Last night I moved our muskoka chairs from our upper deck to the downstairs covered patio. I also gave them a fresh coat of white paint in order to better protect them from the elements. Their new home allows for better views of the fields and skyline. On our upper deck, the handrail was at eye level and prevented us from fully utilizing these chairs.
This morning my wife and I sat out on our lower patio and enjoyed a cup of coffee together. We talked about plans for the back garden and the changes we want to make prior to winter. After our coffee, we began some gardening in the backyard- with an occasional break on the chairs admiring the view.
As we stared off in the distance, the birds were chirping from the large cedar tree in the green space behind our property. The trolley gave its toot-toot off in the distance. All-in-all it was a serene and quiet morning- the perfect way to relax on a warm autumn day.
Honestly, this weather can stay for a bit longer. I have no complaints.
Today was a bit hazy and hot out. My wife decided that it was a perfect day to harvest some of her tomatoes and peppers. That way she could work in the kitchen preparing ways to preserve them.
She began by cutting up her banana peppers into rings. She kept the colours of the peppers separated once sliced up. While she was doing this, she had a vinegar brine solution simmering on the stovetop. I stirred it up occasionally. (I’m helpful!)
We currently have three jars of pickled peppers on our counter. Even though I’m not a big fan of pickled food, they sure did smell good. I have a feeling we will be enjoying these over the next couple of months in a variety of ways.
My wife took a break from doing anything with the tomatoes today. As the sky began to clear up, and the smoke rolled away- we hit the swimming pool for a little Sunday relaxation.
We spent hours in the pool. At one point before dinner, our 16 year old and 18 year old also hit the pool. It was a nice afternoon of using the water to cool off. Summer sure doesn’t feel like it’s over. But nature is sometimes pushing to get autumn onto our doorstep.
We can tell by the fruits and vegetables from our garden being ripe and ready to consume.
With the beautiful summer weather, it makes one want to feel young and carefree. And what better way but to go blonde.
I’m talking about the lawn going blonde.
Honestly, I have always felt that lawns are drain on resources. People waste so much time and effort trying to keep them green. Not only that, but people water them unnecessarily as well. With droughts and water shortages throughout North America there is no need to waste it frivolously on watering a lawn. Grass stays healthy and is designed to look dry and discolored during the summer.
I know what you’re thinking. But Joe, don’t you have a pool? Yes we do. But we don’t drain it or have to add gallons of water due to evaporation because we take care of it. We are very conscientious about our water consumption and usage.
We do however have a garden. Many bushes and flowers grow bringing beauty to our landscape. We use water in the early morning and late evening to grow herbs, fruits and vegetables. Yesterday I enjoyed a cherry tomato right off the vine. No pesticides or chemicals on it. Just as natural and as fresh as you could imagine.
I honestly think we as a society need to do away with lawns. Or at least the obsession with having them green all the time. People also need to respect watering restrictions as well. I see too many of my neighbors ignoring the laws, wasting water and having green lawns during a heat wave. Water should be used to keep hydrated and refreshed. Not to make grass grow.
Since we bought a home that has limited trees compared to our last home, I have been enjoying the sunshine. I have taken a few hundred photos of the landscape, sky and the sun. I have enjoyed it immensely.
But we have little to no shade in the yard. So we bought a patio umbrella last summer. We also assembled a Gazebo back in March and placed a patio set underneath for socializing.
But our dog has found solace under a bush we have near the pool. It’s funny because I trimmed it just yesterday. She loves the shade and spent hours laying there this afternoon. Even with my music playing next to her- she hardly stirred.
Sure, I write about finding shade, yet local weather has been far from normal these days. But as summer slowly approaches- I know that the family (pets included) will need these spaces to cool off from the summer sun.
Do your pets try and find shade in unique places, perhaps your kids do. Let me know in the comments how you keep cool in the summer. (When it arrives…)
I’ve always been appreciative of flowers. I have favorites- like roses and birds if paradise. Some other ones we have owned and planted that are among my favorites are lilies, daffodils and rhododendrons. Whenever they bloom, I know the spring and summer seasons are at hand.
Our new home has a couple of peony plants that were already in the garden. I had never heard of them. Seeing them grow was interesting. Little balls on the end of stalks. Tons of ants crawling around on them. And suddenly- BLOOM!
These things just POP. I am absolutely enthralled with the colour and the size of the blooms. My wife trimmed a couple of them and brought those inside for a vase to set on our countertop.
They look beautiful. I never knew that I’d like these. But then again, I never knew about them before this house.
The sun appears briefly and I want the warm weather to be here. Sure, there was a Wind Storm the other day, but come on- spring is here… yet I want summer weather!
Our patio is slowly getting set up for visitors and entertaining. We removed the dining sets and loungers from winter storage. Now we are in the process of deciding the best layout, while keeping it looking spacious.
The Gazebo went up three weeks ago and has proven to be sturdy as well as keeping the furniture dry. That is a great feeling. I have been out on the patio set now at least two to three times a week. Even on an overcast day like today. I am imagining what it will be like in a month once we open the pool!
Gardening has also commenced. The front is looking spectacular (patting myself on the back). That curb appeal is really something now. Periodic mowing, watering and weeding is all that’s needed now.
Soon I’ll share about the vegetable and herb gardening. That’s more my wife’s project. But I am totally going to benefit from the fruits of her labor!
Are you as impatient about summer arriving as I am?
As the weather gets nicer, people are out working on their yards. My wife and I have spent a lot of time, elbow grease, and money on creating beautiful curb appeal. There is still more to come, but for the most part I’d say it’s looking great.
Before and After
As I said, we aren’t the only ones working on their yards. I have seen the neighbors out on a regular basis tending to their lawns and gardens. My wife and I chose to keep up with the similarities of our neighborhood yards, not just because it looks good, but it also showed us which plants thrive in this general location. I also took the time to discuss with neighbors about their yards and experiences as the seasons change.
As for our backyard, since it is mostly a lounging location for us, the garden aspect is limited. Most of the edge gardens is established and we just need to trim back on occasion. My wife has been working on vegetables to be grown in a few planters around the backyard. So currently inside our home, the seedlings are beginning to sprout. Within a few weeks, they will be replanted outside as we await tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to begin growing.
As wonderful as all of this sounds, there is a bit more chaos going on in our next door neighbors’s places. Both the house next to us and the one next to that are digging up their backyards. Next to us they are planning on adding a swim spa and the house next to that is wanting a pond. The crew that was hired is doing both at the same time and work began months ago. Now that the weather is nicer- they are working on it more frequently. I am looking forward to when the work is completed, not just because the noise will be over, but I want to admire the final results. I think the three of us will have outstanding backyards that we will enjoy for years to come.
Do you have big plans for your yard this year? Let me know in the comments and feel free to share previous work you are proud of!
Daffodils have started to sprout in our gardens. They are a lovely sight and we haven’t had these flowers at our previous home. We did have daffodils around a Sakura tree at our first house.
The flowers are vibrant, as I’m sure you know. Even though we are still in winter- I love that the bright yellow is a foreshadow to spring. Unfortunately, the flowers also make me sad.
The flowers at our first home were planted to remember my father. He had died from cancer. Daffodils are a symbol of hope for those suffering the effects of cancer.
Now that I am seeing daffodils in our current garden, I think of my father. I’d like to think he’d be proud of who I’ve become. Perhaps he would admire my parenting skills or career path. But that’s not the case. Cancer took him away in the year 2000. My children never had an opportunity to meet their grandfather.
As I walk around our home for the next few months, I will be thinking of my father in a positive way. The daffodils bring a new lease on life, and I love the yellow.
The weather was sunny and the temperature was decent, so we decided to take advantage of it. My wife and I went for a 5km walk at the Tynehead Park. It’s a short drive away from our home, so it was nice to wander an area that wasn’t quite at home. Since it’s autumn, the leaves have mostly left the trees and the bare bones of the park remains.
Later in the afternoon as the sun crested over our house, my son and I ventured into our backyard to wrap our palm trees. We used some burlap and created a blanket around the trunk. It was easy enough to do, and I know it is better to do this while it’s nice instead of when the cold snap hits. Hopefully the winter is mild and doesn’t hurt the palm trees.
After wrapping the trees, my son helped to run an extension cord under our back deck so that we could spin some rope lights around the trees. Besides a fun look, this will also keep them warm in the winter months as required.
Next spring it’ll be nice to see everything come back to life and spread some colour in the world. For now, gardening isn’t over- that’s a wrap.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working hard at creating “curb appeal” for our home. Most of the summer was too hot to do manual labor in the front yard. During that time, we enjoyed our backyard immensely, and who wouldn’t?
But it finally came time to start with landscaping the front. I would be lying if I didn’t say I had “Yard Envy” of our neighbors. They all had a decade to creat beautiful landscapes. The home we bought- the previous owners put the time and money into the backyard. The gave my wife and I pretty much a blank canvas to do what we want in the front.
All summer we talked and planned. We drew ideas, hit some nurseries, and finally started in the purchasing of plants and such. A few bushes, trees, dirt, cement slabs, and stones have arrived. It has been back breaking work, quite literally. I pushed myself too hard last week and felt it.
After that, my wife put our two youngest to work helping out. I utilized our middle for quite a bit of the work. So naturally I paid her afterwards- much to her surprise. Today, my wife also took a few minutes to assist me. (Do I need to pay her also?)
Here are some of the before pictures of what we have done thus far. We decided to add a stone path along the driveway that leads past the front garden and towards our back gate. I did this all the right way, so I won’t have to try and fix it later on. We dug up the grass, leveled it off, lay down landscape fabric, put in a border, spread some sand, put down the slabs and shoveled the tiny stones all around.
Last week we planted a few of the bushes where we want them to be the centerpieces once we finish pulling up the lawn and adding some garden islands. In fact, we are hoping to remove the entire lawn to create a beautiful, low maintenance garden. That will likely happen next spring.
Today was a delivery of the stones and it only took about two hours to spread it out. The final look of the pathway is amazing. I’m really satisfied with how it turned out. I always love a sense of accomplishment when finishing a project. Now on to the next one!
As summer comes to a close, enjoying a weekend in the sun is a luxury. After a few days of rain, it was nice that our Saturday was filled sunshine.
As the summer comes to a close, my wife and I started to plan our gardens. Sales at the garden centers are starting to come up. Today we planted some late summer/ autumn plants by the pool. They will add a splash of red and yellow the the back yard.
We also moved our tomato plants into a small green house in order to protect them from blight. They are so close to being edible that it would be a shame to lose them this far into the season.
Finally, we are gathering up junipers and cedars for our front garden. These will be planted over the next few weeks as we try and figure out a layout that won’t involve lawn.
Hopefully the sun peaks it’s head out on my days off. That’ll make it so much easier to plant.
We started our final day in Victoria by walking around Canada’s oldest Chinatown. There were the typical shops filled with cheap knickknacks. It was most fun to just squeeze down the narrow alleyways and admire the brickwork of the buildings.
We tooled around the tourist part of downtown Victoria and stopped in at a bookstore followed by a macaron shoppe. Both places were greeted by our kids with enthusiasm.
On our drive back to the ferry terminal- we stopped at The Butchart Gardens. I always wanted to visit this place, but never made the time to do so. Unfortunately, because it is autumn- the garden was rather lackluster. I’m sure it is far more vibrant and lovely in the spring and summer when the rose garden is in full bloom.
I did enjoy walking through the Japanese Garden and the Italian Garden. The time of year was good for the fact that it wasn’t crowded. Perhaps one day I shall see it in the spring time. But it has taken me until ages 44 to go my first time, so there may not be a second time. Especially since there is so much more of the world to explore.
At the end of the day we got lucky and made it on a ferry an hour earlier than planned. All of our walking had made us very tired, so that hour made all the difference in our trip. I do look forward to visiting Victoria once again some day. I have always enjoyed traveling there.
Last year when I Built a set of doors, I had removed the old sliding glass door and set it aside. It was pretty massive, with each panel being four feet wide. Today I finally began to do something about them. I made a mini greenhouse.
I had my son as a helper once more as we measured out some boards for the frame. I figured we could make a TARDIS shaped greenhouse. Just the right size to get some of the plants started.
These boards came from our old deck that was in front of the old sliding glass door. We ripped that deck out in 2014. Many of these board have been used for projects such as an Axe Throwing Target. I kept the long ones just in case. Today they became the frame of the mini greenhouse. I also added an old busted sliding window for the roof. That way it can be opened to allow airflow.
All that’s left is adding a door and maybe some painting of the boards. If I can find a small can of blue paint- you know I’ll be making a TARDIS door! It’s fun being a Whovian. Pretty sure my wife will be okay with that idea.
I think she will also appreciate this Great Glass Elevator in our garden.
When we first moved into our home, I hated the ferns we had growing everywhere. In fact during the first year or so, my lawnmower found them attractive. I chopped them right down to the roots. You know what happened next? They grew back.
I gave in and accepted that ferns are pretty dang hearty plants. I’ve even dug them up and transplanted them and they’ve thrived happily. Over a decade later, I’m satisfied with the ease at which these plants are to maintain.
Ferns have this amazing ability to just keep living. What I do now is wait until mid spring and cut off the old or dead leaves. It’s easy to figure out because the new one stems have sprouted and are a vibrant healthy green color.
After a quick trim- these plants look good as new. If I forget to water them, no big deal- they could live through a drought of a few weeks. Ferns grow exponentially without being trimmed as well. For us, ferns add the splash of greenery to our garden that we get to enjoy during the beautiful weather.
Making It Up As I Go 