Heaven

Like I said in the previous post,

we went to an orchid show in Wolfville.

Wolfville is approximately 2 hours from our

home. 

The show was at the Acadia university and it was 

all orchids from private collections.

I've got several orchids of my own but nothing like 

the ones I saw.

wow

It was hard to get pictures because it was

 packed so there was no way I could get the names of them. 

I would just stick my phone in the crowd, snap and hope for the best. 

They also had a plant sale. No orchids but houseplants. Guess what..

yes, I bought some.

I'm guilty!

Sue me!

But Dave was no better than I was. We divided and conquered. Some of the plants

I wanted were on opposite sides of the table.

So we separated and dove in. 

One of the plants I wanted only had one for sale.

You know what? I'm evil.

A lady almost had her hand on it and her friend distracted

her, so I swooped in and got it. heh heh.

All's fair in love and plant sales.

Have a Blessed Day!

Lisa

Another weakness...

Hmmmm...

Maybe I should just make a series on 

my weaknesses. Kinda like the blueberry danishes

at the coffee shop called the Perky Owl

in Yarmouth. Oh mylanta!

If you ever get the chance, go eat one!

To die for!

That is where I am at the moment.

Dave is in surgery for a hernia so I have all day to kill.

Grocery shopping is done, drugstore run is done and lunch is done.

I can only wander around for so long. The more I wander around the

more I buy unnecessary stuff.

So I actually thought ahead and 

brought my handy dandy mini computer.

Well I digress..

My weakness...

Farmer's markets!

I love them! 

Ok, enough with the !!!exclamation marks!!!

But honestly,

I love farmer's markets.

We were in Wolfville Saturday for an orchid show

(that's another post)

I don't know what it is about markets.

The smell? All those wonderful smells, 

from coffee, to Indian food, fresh bread,

chocolate? I don't think so. Yes, the smells are part of it

but I don't think that's the only thing. 

I think it's a combination of all different things,

smells, colours, the type of people that go

to farmer's markets, the music. It's everything 

all rolled into a heartwarming experience.

The vendors and buyers have all one thing in common,

fresh, quality produce, crafts etc...at reasonable prices.

We also have the "we want to save the planet one reusable bag

at a time." mentality.

The Wolfville farmers market is one of the best ones I've seen.

Well in a small area anyway. 

The large farmers markets like in St. Jacobs or Kitchener, those are 

a different ball of wax.

So I couldn't help but take pictures of the vendors and some products to share with you guys..

The top is a lemon tart and the bottom creation is a blueberry UFO.

One of the french bakeries

We bought oyster and lion's mane mushroom from this kind lady

mushrooms galore

Goat's milk chocolate!

chocolate

No caption needed

This pretty lady is actually Carol, my master gardener professor!
She's a potter and a gardener. Super talented.
Beneath the boughs

Just because they look delicious

Nova Scotia made candles

New scotland candles

Loving the colours but not liking the plastic so much

I got an awesome hand cream from this lovely gal.

sister lotus

What can I say!

So this is a very small part of the Wolfville farmer's market. If you ever get
a chance to drop in you won't regret it. They're open Wednesdays and on
Saturdays. I'm not sure of the hours, but you can find them on Facebook.

Wolfville Farmers market

Do you like to visit farmer's markets?

What do you like about them?

Have a Blessed day

Lisa

Yes, I have a problem...

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a  problem..

I have a problem...

I'm a plant addict.

Or you can do like I do and  the first step to recovery

is just buying more plants!

And that's what I've been doing.

Buying more houseplants!

This gorgeous  Hellebores isn't new.

I've had it for 3 years.

The first year it bloomed a bit

Last year nada...nothing.

This year I thought I'd go in the backyard and check it out.

Well Hello Mama! I was so happy. 

Needless to say  we've had a very mild winter here.

This was taken yesterday, February 1st!

A mild winter is nice (last year was so windy and it killed a lot of plants)

but not so good for tapping trees.

I'm not sure how the tree tapping and sapping

will  go this year.  It's getting closer.

Last year it was mid March. And we actually had a bit of snow.

Here's hoping  that it gets a bit colder and snowier.

I tried making bread for the first time in my life without 

a bread maker.  It came out well and tasted good

but it was a bit dense.  I'm thinking I didn't knead it enough.

I'll try it another time. Because it was actually fun.

My bird feeders have been very busy. Birds, birds and more birds...

till a hawk showed up.  The feeders were very, very quiet for a few days.

Even though we have a very big black cat, he doesn't bother the birds

and they seem to know that. He'll be on the steps all day watching them 

and he'll never attempt to catch one.

But that hawk scared them. Finally they started showing back up today.

Well it's seed time!

I've done my seed order and already one order has shown up.

My favourite places to order are 

Hope Seeds

and 

Annapolis Seeds

Excellent quality heirloom seeds.

Give them a look.

Have a Blessed evening

Lisa

December 2019

Christmas is over. 

Phew...

Actually it was very quiet.

Jamie came and visited us a few weeks before Christmas for a few days.

He's loving his job and his new life.

That's all a parent can ask for!

Here we are sending him off to Toronto again.

On Christmas eve Dave and I did something kinda different.

Not something everyone has the opportunity to do.

We tracked Santa and gave a play by play 

location to the kiddies listening

to our radio station.  It was fun and we plan to do it

again next year.

Our annual Christmas concert at church.

For the last 25 + years fairies have been decorating the paths behind

the university. It's like a winter wonderland 

(when we can get snow)

and the last several years different

groups have been helping them.

Last year our garden club went

to decorate.

It was so much fun we did it again this year.

When we tell people of this activity people are amazed 

that it's not vandalized. Knock on wood, 

it never has been that I can remember.

I think the reason behind this is that 

even the vandals are proud of their Christmas wonderland.

Here we are heading back in to collect our ornaments. 

Another strange thing is that a few weeks 

after Christmas all the decorations

disappear. Nothing is left over. Every group comes and

cleans up their decorations.

I feel so proud living in this community!

The people are awesome!

Oh and by the way...

Dave got me as far as the pillars you see in the background

and he was done. lol

We are finally getting snow! We were originally supposed to get

something like 25-30cm. We are now getting 5-10cm.

That's Southwest Nova Scotia for you.

Well that's about it for now.

Oh one last thing!

Jamie shared this article about flight attendants.

It's very interesting and everyone should read it.

Just a flight attendant

Have a blessed day!

Lisa

Happy, happy, happy!

I'm a bit leery...

Shhhhhh.....

Don't say it too loud but the last few months things have been going awesome.

The job is great, things are great at home, people seem happy

Jamie is settled in his new job with Air Canada Rouge and loves it.

He calls often to say hello and how things are going...and not usually to

ask for money (like most parents say their kids do). He has not forgotten us in his jet setting

lifestyle. He remembers his old folks.

Once again we are super proud of him!

He called tonight when he got home from Miami. He was tired. It was overnight and like

he said if you don't love the lifestyle you won't stay long.

He said he loves the lifestyle and he's happy. That's all we can ask for!

My nursemaids and lapwarmers

Even though things are going tickety boo I've had a few set backs the last few days.

But it will pass...I know it will.

I was finally on a waiting list for my heel surgery for November 13 or 14.

The secretary called and said the doctor had extra O.R. time and wanted to know if I

wanted the surgery on a definitive date (not just a maybe). Well of

course I said yes! She called last week and the date was November 1st!! 

Ack didn't give a lot of time to get things ready. Oh well I was going!!!

October 31st I was getting ready for our radio station's Trunk or Treat event for the kids.

On the way out of the house carrying the treats I fell down the stairs!! Candy flew everywhere. But we saved it even though it was raining.

I on the other hand did not fare as well at the candy.

After a certain age, one does not bounce as well as one once did!

Well I have reached that certain age.

My left elbow is tender, my back was slightly bruised but...

my tailbone did not fare that well.

The doctor says it's just bruised but it's going to take a very long time 

to heal. Mylanta it hurts like the dickens everytime I cough, breath, move,

have to go to the bathroom etc...

After surgery

But the next day I went for my surgery. I'll know more in two weeks on how that went

but for now I'm chair-ridden. I have crutches which I hate.

I should have gone to the gym for upper body strength. I'm so grateful that we kept

Dave's dad's wheelchair. It's been a Godsend or I would

be stuck in the house. I'm a clutz to start off with (Really!?!?) and those crutches are evil!!!

Then Sunday while eating breakfast I'm not sure what happened, but the only

thing the paramedics can figure out is that I made a reaction to the 

painkillers combined with the coffee. Weird...

I know...but I thought I was dying and that's why

I got Dave to call the ambulance. 

But it looks like things have settled and I can sit back (ok not too back with a painful tailbone)

 and maybe heal a bit.

I sit in my chair and the nursemaids keep me warm (the weiners) and Dave is my chauffeur,

cook and cleaner.

My new footwear

I have learned one thing in the last few days though...

Even when a place says that they are wheelchair accessible...

they're not! If I was alone with my wheelchair I would not 

be able to get into 80% of the places that are supposedly accessible.

People appreciate your legs...even if they're too fat, too skinny, have varicose

veins, too short, achy, sore, tired etc... at least you can use them! 

When you can't use them (even if it's for just a few weeks) you realize what a 

gift from God they are!!

And on a last note...Jamie going to his first flight! He's so snazzy!

Have a Blessed evening!

Lisa

p.s. We got more than that small jar of honey. When Dave checked the hive for the winter our honey super (which is where we would get our honey) had 10 pounds!!! Woohoo!!!

thank you little bees! Don't worry, the bees have more than enough for

themselves to last the winter.

Dog Days of Summer

I'm outside on the veranda typing this because it's beautiful

outside and I have two weenies that want some fresh air.

So while I'm typing this they are traipsing back and forth on the veranda 

like swimmers doing laps in a pool..only without the water.

Then one will stop and lay in the shade and the other in the sun.

It's been a crappy spring and a crappy summer as far as

gardening goes. Wow. Our spring was freezing and wet.

Planting was done very late and it's September first and I still have no ripe tomatoes 

outside in the beds. I did have the hindsight in planting some in

the greenhouse and they are doing very well. 

This year we planted mini cukes in the greenhouse and we will be doing that again next year. 

They are the perfect size. 

The strawberries didn't do well this year. We only had one small crop with double 

the plants we had last year.  We lost our lavender to the winter winds 

so I had to replant some.  We didn't get much snow last year but the winds

never stopped!! Many people lost plants because of this.

The job is going well and I've been busy with that. There's always something 

going on when you run a radio station.  Some ups and some downs.

I had to attend the Wedgeport tuna festival.  Very interesting. I had never gone.  Very big fish and I got to taste some fresh tuna. It was pretty good. I also noticed that a boat came in with seaweed. It's cool how they unload it. 

The crew is great and the rest of the people in 

the building are also. We are all non profit organizations so 

we are pretty much all in the same boat.

We've begun meeting in the communal kitchen once a month for a Nosh and Nag. 

We bring food, eat and whine. It's awesome! Ha Ha

Jamie has graduated high school then went on to flight attendant academy

and before he even graduated from that he already had a job!! 

So September 11th he's moving to Toronto.  Yikes!

He's going to do well. I think we raised him right.

So now begins the empty nest....

Gonna be weird.

Wasn't it only yesterday that he started primary school?

Hey wait...whoa!

Oh and he did graduate from the academy with a 97% average.

So proud of him!

So on to garden talk. 

Here's a few pictures of some of the stuff we gathered this year. 

Most importantly HONEY!

We only have one jar and really we shouldn't even have that.

But we checked the hive and we had to clean some of the combs 

so instead of throwing it away, we strained it and got honey!

 We also got some potatoes!!

I bottled a few jars of yellow beans.

And had an over abundance of parsley so I dried it. BUT!!

I still have even more in the garden. So I'm going to collect it, dry it and give it as gifts to my foodie friends for Christmas....ya I'm weird like that.

As for exercise I haven't been doing much.  I've gained soooo much weight.  All because of my heel.

I'm waiting for the call to go for surgery. Then I'll be off my feet for 6 weeks and then a walking cast for another 6-8 weeks.  Lovely. But if it can stop the pain of the heel spur I'll 

do anything.  I have tried everything there is but after 13 years it's just getting worse. 

At least with the job I have now I can still do it. If I would have had my other job then it would

have been impossible to do the surgery.

Well that's it for now. 

Have a Blessed evening!

Lisa

Long lost soul!

Things have been crazy busy around here the last year.

I didn't think it possible.

I'm not sure where to begin so I'll probably jump back and forth 

and here and there. Hopefully I won't confuse any of you.

First of all I no longer work at Home Hardware.  I had been working there 

for 13 years!! Wow!

It was very hard to leave because I loved the people that 

I worked with.  Yes, we got on each other's nerves

but that's what families do. And after 13  years of spending 

most of your waking hours with someone that's how 

you start to think of them.

But it was time to go. My health was getting worse. My heel spurs 

from standing for long periods of time and my tennis elbow

from doing repetitive movement (plus other physical issues I had that I won't mention) were getting worse and worse. The doctor didn't want me to lift

more than 15 pounds and that was my job!

I started looking for work.  I prayed on it a lot! and I wanted 

the perfect job if there was something possible.

In early November my manager at the radio station was moving.

I thought to myself..."hmmm...can I do that?"

So I thought, what the heck! I love the station, I love my community

I love being Acadian and all that it stands for and I had

more ideas in my brain than I knew what to do with!

So I applied...

and I got the job!

I am now general manager of Radio CIFA  104,1FM (check it out online)

Who would have thunk it?!

I love it! I meet new people constantly, always on the go shmoozing,

thinking up of new plans, radio shows etc...

BUT...all jobs have their down sides and this one has them 

also. Like the stress of keeping up a non profit community

radio station going and other things.

But no job is perfect. As long as the goods outweigh the bads

then it's all good!

The funny thing is that when I was told I had the job all I could think of

was Mr. Carlson the general manager of WKRP. Remember that

show?  The turkey drop?

As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly!

Well I promise never to drop turkeys out of a helicopter. 

What a weird thing to think of.

I'm done my third semester of the master gardener. Only one more to go.

Phew! I'm still writing gardening articles for the provincial french

newspaper. Dave and I are busy in the garden club.

Dave and I have also been asked to help a family of refugees

from Burma plant a garden this summer. 

Needless to say, I don't have part-time jobs like I did the last few years.

One is enough!

But I did start volunteering with Eastlink Community TV. 

I interviewed the cast and crew in a play.And they're thinking of having a 

french talk show and I'd be the host. 

How cool is that! It's volunteer, but it's so much fun!

On the farm things are going well. I have a few bantie hens and a rooster.

Just a few. I missed my hens but I didn't really want

an entire big flock, so these are really just pets, but they lay well.

I have always wanted to tap trees for maple syrup but we didn't have trees

on our property. Well we bought a piece of land on a tax

sale last year and it's full of maple trees. So for the last 2 weeks

we've been collecting sap and boiling sap. We only

tapped 19 trees, but we ended up with almost 13 liters. 

I'd say that's pretty good. I was hoping for a liter or two.

Our stash!

I'm now getting my beehive ready.  I gave it a coat of primer tonight and

I'll paint it tomorrow. The bees are ordered and expected in May.

Soon they'll be here and it's not

something you can just put on the shelf

till you're ready.

Can you believe that this young whipper snapper is graduating this year!

Well I think that's enough for now.

Have a blessed evening!

Lisa