So what we have here, my dears, is a drive-shed. For our three vehicles. Two electric bikes and my good old standard Oversized Trek bike, which I love so much. 

 We got the sides on and thought about a roof, but...ya know!

 Then we moved in.

 And so did some barnswallows! Boy, those birds are quick!

Anyhow, have a good look at our garlic. They really are quite big! 126 juicy, crunchy delicious bulbs, all divided up for one single bulb given to us by our good friend Jackie, thanks Jackie! When we saw how well that one  bulb did, we decided to see whether we could grow it to sell at the Milford Market Square, looks like a go, but for next year.
More later when we around to a roof on the drive/woodshed.

We "took off" our   first cut of mint last week.

Then hung the bundles to dry from the rafters in the Mini House. The place smells very, very fresh. I have dreams of brushing my teeth!!!
I am always surprised at how one can enjoy fresh mint. One gentleman buys a bundle every week from me at the Milford Market, just for the aroma. I like a sprig muddled up in my water.  A few handfuls chopped up in whatever cooked/sprouted grain makes a beatiful salad beginning. We have a few varieties to blend together for a delightful tea, but I won't think about tea weather yet...it'll come soon enough.

Sprummer is here!

Yeah, spring and summer sorta amalgamated. And here we are. Hot.
But we are here, home from our latest sailing adventure. After selling the boat en route (!), we UHauled everything home from North Carolina and settled back  into the mini house. The spring showed up in a hurry and gave way to summery conditions, hence my new term, sprummer.
Seeing how we did get home early, we decided to plant a market garden and see what would happen. Well! The first thing to come up was the grand rapids leaf lettuce. The rhubarb and aspargus didn't need any help, they do their own thing. But then we got two or three nights of frost, that spoiled whatever had come up, but the good news is that we are now getting subsequent stalks and they are tasty.
The red leaf lettuce and spinach seeds didn't sprout, time to renew the seed stock! The beets and chard are looking good, though, and we are doing a rain-dance that will be a sure hit with the weather gods!
So Greenbush Greens will ride again, literally, delivered by bike to the Milford Market Square, which runs every Saturday from 9-2pm.

Fair Pilger, we wish you and your new daddy calm waters and fun new cruising in Texan waters.
It's good to be home and not lose the tan we got during our Bahamian winter!

We Have New Neighbors!

Well, Pilger does, anyhow! We have moved her to a new anchorage; Black River. Just down from the cheese factory. A little tricky to come into, but if you have been shown the expanse of rock shelf just under the surface, you can slowly move in. It seems to be a bit windy, and a rather long row, but there really is nothing to hit. Picton harbour is just too busy, plus you need to keep the anchor rode short-scoped so you don't swing and take someone's 20,00$$$ paint job off. Jeez! Why do people spend so much dough making their stuff pretty when it only drives the cost of insurance and become prohibitive to other plain folks? We rather LIKE out Trem-Clad! Touches up quite nicely and even looks "shippy". Oh well.
More pikkies to come when we get back from our next cruise, hopefully to Kingston.

The Hoop-Houses do it again!

Jim will be providing lettuces, green onions and whatever else pops up, to the Regent cafe. Here they are, the wee dickens! Started indoors March 7, transplanted April 1 (no foolin'!), they are going gangbusters! The plastic covers help the soil hold whatever heat it collects, keeps bunnies out too.
That top photo shows the hoop-covers off right right now. They are easy to get on and off, depending on how you design them. The supports are made by cutting lengths of some old strong pole-like stuff (in our case, some lawn chairs with the seats rotted off) and some poly-water pipe. Hammer the poles as far as they can go, then bend the pipe over to get the right shape, allowing enough length to not blow off in a wind. Get some 4mil plastic, attach it to 2x4 pine the same length as your raised bed. Roll on, roll off. Enjoy!

Wow, Spring Didn't "Spring", no, it got squirted out of the ground!

What beautiful weather we've had! We've been enjoying our forest walk, seeing all the junipers greening-up and hearing all sorts of song birds. There are some trilliums getting ready to join these wee snowdrops. Jim has been busy with the covered garden beds, transplanting some lettuces already! Green romaine and cimmeron (a tender, red-speckled romaine) destined for The Regent Cafe, if all goes well. We would also like to be able to supply the Milford Farmer's Market, but we'll see how the yield goes.

This handsome thing is a warm-frame.

It will eventually house our tomato and pepper seedlings, which will enjoy the stable temperatures afforded by the insulation. The weather has been so warm, and is forecasted to continue intil June, Jim is thinking of planting these seedlings early. If anyone has any insight, please let me know!!! I'm trying not to plant my herb-seedlings early!

Grow a garden, save yourself!

No pikkies this time, just me, blabbing away. I was at a meeting at a friend's house, when I saw the cutest wee bag made from a pair of pink corduroy pants, previously sported by a very fashionable 6 year old. It was a zen moment. Handy. Lots of pockets. Great never-slip-off-even-when-you're-chasing-boys strap.
Here's the thing: I have had a mini-pile of recyclable pants and some bits of fabric just waiting for some innovative designs to burst from my head. The wait was on! No head burst! I chopped, picked out stitches, even sewed sweater-to-blue-jean panels, but could never decide how to finish them. No inspiration. So the pile just sat there, eventually finding its way into a rubbermaid tote, which made it official that I had just begun a Fabric Stash. In my mini house. But no Coco Chanel moments. Then the Pink Pant Purse.
They chopped the legs off, sewed a bottom seam along the, well, along the bottom, then made a strap out of the legs. Duh! No buckles, pewter zipper-pulls or other adornments. My product line will be rolling off the table promptly! With these pants, I will save the world!
You see, this meeting was an idea-gathering session for the Communityy Action Prince Edward County/Quinte. They are putting a presentation & workshop together to take it to the streets: we can all do something to lessen our carbon footprint. It's fun, we get to work together and it is more meaningful than simply buying energy-efficient light bulbs.
If any of you have heard of Transition Towns, you'll know what I am talking about. (The rest of you can visit http://www.transitiontown.org/ and have a better look.) The Community Action group has the same idea.
What it all comes down to is this: People get overwhelmed by the news that our planet is slowly beginning to overheat due to excessive carbon dioxide(and other greenhouse gasses) and this will cause climate and weather to change: More unstable weather events, fiercer storms. People become unnerved when they hear that the extraction rate of fossil fuels will soon peak, then decline, then become a very expensive commodity/way of life indeed. The biggest unknown is...when?
The Community Action Group, and Transition Towns, want you to know that there is a way to build resilience to these things in your community. A few ways to do this include:
1. Plant a garden: fresher food will contain more of its nutrients and require far less fossil fuel to deliver it to you. Plan a community garden in your neighborhood. Save your own seed and be less reliant on genetically modified seeds.
2. Support local businesses selling locally produced goods and items. Keep the money in your own community to support your own families, cut gas emissions by allowing them to commute less and by yourself NOT jumping into the car to have a fun trip to Walmart.
3. Whatever your heart's desire, get it into action! James and I have a passion for growing our own food, saving seed and sharing with others so we planned for a Seedy Saturday (seed and info exchange) right here in Picton. We are also going to be producing lettuce and some veggies for The Regent Cafe. Our friend David wants to be able to walk with his wee son to get fresh veggies so he is working towards establishing a farmer's market for downtown Picton. You get the picture, just do it!
4. Of course, turn off your computer when not in use, lights too, plan to drive your car less, make a trip count for a few errands, take the bus.

And make a Pink Pant Purse. reduce. re-use. recycle. But do get started.