Splitting Firewood

What did I learn this week? I CAN USE AN AXE!!

When my parents were here in the fall my dad took me out and we bought an axe and a wedge to split firewood. I was unsuccessful in using either of these tools. Then in December when my brother and sister in law came, I tried again - also with very limited success. My fires have been lacking in heat, intensity, and I have a hard time keeping them lit! I figured a combination of wet wood and wood that is too large were causing these difficulties. The wood is wet, not because it was from a living tree, but because it has been in the wet, snowy elements. As I have mentioned in other posts, I am constantly cutting down firewood. I did not have enough stashed at the beginning of the season and I refuse to buy any having about 20 acres of wood to forage (and I'm frugal!!).

Problem #1. Wood to wet. I have developed a pain in the butt, time consuming, yet successful process for my wood. I bring it in from outside and let it sit in the unheated, freezing garage. then I move it to the basement with the dehumidifier and furnace heat to dry out. Then I have built a rack in the living room were the wood comes up and sits for one-three days finishing the drying process. This has been working well in providing me with drier wood, even though I am lugging wood every day through this three step process.

Problem #2. Wood to big. I didn't want to spend the money buying a splitter at this point in time, and I didn't think renting one would work as I don't have all my wood ready
 to be split at this time. So I got out the axe and tried again. And it worked!! I am guessing the wood was dead and dry enough that it made the process so much easier, but regardless I was so proud of myself and feel encouraged again that if I just stick with something, I can do it!!

Slow January

I know I have said before how beautiful our property and surrounding area is. Now you don't just have to take my word for it, someone else agrees. Saturday morning at 10:30am (while still in my pyjamas of course...ugh) there is a knock on the door. It is a gentleman who introduces himself as a local artist. He is asking my permission to use my property as his vantage point to paint the magnificent view that I am fortunate enough to see everyday!! I said yes of course. But unfortunately I wasn't thinking fast enough and did not get his name or any information that would give me viewing access to his work when he completes it. I am very disappointed with myself but will keep my eyes open and if I see him working, I will approach and ask!

Our life has been very slow. We spend the mornings with the puppy and are loving the cuddles while we still can. I 'm thinking at the rate she is growing, we will not be able to cuddle like this for much longer! In the afternoon we go for a long walk with Dixie and work on training. Then we get about two hours of work time for the den or firewood before it gets dark and we are ready for supper. It is quite a change from the go go go of before Christmas.

I am starting "my book". My parents gave me a beautiful journal for Christmas and in it I am recording the suggestions I have researched for farm projects. So for example, this morning I wrote out my maple syrup instructions. I leave extra pages so each year I can add notes and corrections as we see what works and what doesn't. I also did the fruit tree pruning section today. Still to work on are the chicken and goat/sheep research that I have accumulated (I'm still unsure which animal it will be, so I'm researching both). The tough part of this research, is I have found so much conflicting information. I am trying to focus on what makes sense to me and seems low maintenance. But with writing my plans down and leaving lots of extra pages I can add and change over the years as I discover what really does work for us. Of course there will also be sections for my garden, what I grew under the lights, what transplanted well, which plants were in which garden so I can rotate appropriately etc. This section is so huge, I find it a bit daunting. But if I just start at the beginning it will flow (I hope!).

Spring

After four days or cold weather alerts and snow storms causing cancellations across the province, today we had spring! It was a balmy 12degrees and Zoe and I jumped into spring mode.

We had noticed a lot of discarded items over the edge of one of our property lines and decided today would be a good day to clean some of it up. We worked in stunned silence as we uncovered what amounted to a car. There was a dodge hood in one spot, a windshield in another, a steering wheel, four tires, floor mats, a rear view mirror and a burned license plate. It made us more than a little curious about why a dismantled vehicle was hidden in amongst the trees. We unfortunately barely made a dent in clean up, there is so much refuse in the area we were in, I think it will take us through the real spring and into summer to get it cleaned up. We both found it rather distressing as we have so much wildlife in the area that has had to navigate around this garbage.

I also decided to tackle another section of overgrown roses. The section I chose had rose "stem" the size of a tree and covered an area the size of our living room! Needless to say, I didn't get very far in its removal either, but it felt so good to be able to do the work outside!

Finally, the feeling of spring got me online ordering my vegetable seeds! After some research and contemplation I decided to order from a company called Veseys. They originated in Prince Edward Island and I believe that means they sell varieties that are proven to grow well in the Atlantic Provinces. I also planned the layout of my vegetable garden and did a first draft of which plants will be planted together. I have even found a supplier for the wood for my raised beds as well as a supplier for the posts that will create the fence surrounding my garden. I know losing some of my vegetables to the local wildlife would cause me much stress, so I have decided to remove the stress and fence the garden.

As a last note, to my friend Greg, the winds were strong today helping your mother fly home.

Storm Week

A good winter storm, both here and in Ontario I understand is all people have been talking about this week. I watched the news and talked to Brandon and Aunt Judy yesterday while Niagara was being snow and iced in. Today we have had snow, freezing rain, and wild winds and are waiting for the, approximately, 50mm of rain to start to fall any minute now (according to the TriCounty Weather Service!)

In the mean time we have had a good week. Our friend Jennifer King recommended a good chiropractor. While she uses very different methods than Zoe and I are accustomed to, she seems very good and, as an added bonus,  she is a lovely person. 

We got Zoe registered for school!! We moved here after the start of first semester in September, and after much discussion with the guidance counsellor Zoe decided to do a correspondence course and start Digby High School second semester. While she is anxious about the newness of it, she is hoping to meet more people and expand her social life. 

We also have found a veterinarian recommended again by Jennifer (what would do without you!!) So now we have a vet, an orthodontist, a chiropractor, and a pharmacist. We are on the registry list for a family doctor, and are contacting a dentist next week. Very slowing we are settling in to the community and making the contacts that are necessary.

As a final note...it has been fun (stressful at times) watching the cat and dog try to figure each other out and decide who is "the boss". This morning we got one step closer to friendship as Charlie the cat allowed Dixie the dog onto the island with him, then very calmly swatted Dixie across the face. We'll try again tomorrow.

Settling in For Winter

Before Christmas, Zoe and I had found a great routine to our day. Mixing work with pleasure, getting things accomplished while not wearing ourselves out. Since our return after the holidays, regaining any routine has been very difficult. Between the weather not being as reliable for the outdoor work, and Dixie needing constant supervision, it has been challenging to complete anything.

One task that has continued to be a necessity is bringing in firewood. This is very weather dependant so when I have the chance I have to go for it. I have found a goldmine of dead wood (yes some rot, but a lot that is great for burning) and have cut a path through the briar to access it. I also purchased a toboggan to help bring the wood out of the forest and have been thrilled with how that has made my job so much easier.

We have been working with Marketplace on Facebook and Kijiji selling some of our home crafted items as well as other items we have to sell. This is going surprisingly well and while not the job I need, it is giving us a bit of income until I do find a job.

Earlier this week when Zoe was walking Dixie, she came across this fight scene. It appears that a mouse or other small rodent was running circles until the bird sweep down on it. See the feather brushing on the lower left corner. We have seen many interesting tracks and paths and while we have identified some, I look forward to my dad's arrival in February to teach us more!

We are trying to focus our indoor energy to finally finishing the den. We have made some progress, we needed one new wall which is now up and on the third coat of putty. The floor is prepared for sanding, as is the trim and door!

Dixie

Day 1

On August 10, 2018 we celebrated Zoe's 17th birthday. I gave her a non gift - I gave Zoe the promise of a dog. Since we were homeless at the time, then we were tearing out carpet that smelled like previous dog, then Zoe returned to Ontario for a month, then we both went to Ontario for Christmas, the timing had never been right to bring a dog home. We had, however,  been looking in different rescue organizations and put our name on "the list" for some of these. But gradually our minds began to change and we thought more and more about having a dog we could breed. This led us to the puppy of a pure bred border collie mom (what more perfect dog is there for a farm with animals) and a dad who is a border collie / black lab cross (what better dog for a loving, loyal family member). Between the two parents I also couldn't think of a more intelligent pup.

With Teddy that Zoe sewed for her

Favourite sleeping position

Friday January 4th we drove out to the farm and picked up our "black collar female" puppy who will furthermore be known as Dixie. I have always been a cat person, but I cannot tell you how quickly this little lady has stolen my heart. Zoe was a goner from the start, spoiling, loving and playing with her. She lives up to her breeds description and is a super cuddly, loving, very smart dog who loves to chew! She sleeps through the night,  learned her first command "sit" on the first day, and has since learned four other commands. (Yes I am a super proud grandma - ugh - Zoe insists on calling me grandma!)

First day in the snow

We are absolutely thrilled to have our first "farm" animal and are so happy that we waited for this perfect addition to our family. While I am sure I will mention her,

Dixie

I promise I will not go on and on in future posts about our fantastic, adorable, brilliant, loving dog, but just know she is here and making us complete!

Christmas Gifts

Now that Christmas is over, I can finally reveal the gifts that Zoe and I made for friends and family.

We had so much fun creating and we're really pleased with the outcome. We are going to continue with these ideas and more for our marketplace sales when it gets up and running!

This first one was made with tongue and groove boards that were in a built in shelving unit that we removed from Zoe's bedroom. The boards had 100 years of soot built up on them, but after cleaning and varathaning them they are beautiful.

We made two of these tool box style crates and filled one with Nova Scotian beer and one with Nova Scotian barbecue sauces.

Picture Courtesy of Sandra Risi

Zoe went out into the forest and found two birch trees to cut down. After letting them dry out she cut them in different lengths, drilled holes in the top, placed tea light candles in the top, arranged them in sets of three, tied them together with twine and voila! Beautiful!

While I made my chocolates, that are nothing new, I have been making them every year since university, Zoe decided to try her hand at soaps and bath bombs with wonderful success.

Overall we really enjoyed gift giving for the first time in many years, and got some great ideas for the marketplace.

Holidays

Hello! Welcome back to Two Girls and a Dream. We hope you all enjoyed your time with family and friends and had a chance to reflect back on 2018 to appreciate all the things that made you smile.

We enjoyed our Christmas holidays with family in Ontario. Neither Zoe or I wanted to leave our new home. We love it here, but we were also enjoying our new routine, feeling like we were accomplishing things and it was very difficult to interrupt that flow.

But, I could not imagine a Christmas where I was not with my son, my parents and my Aunt Judy. We arranged for our lovely, kind, neighbour to check in on the cat while we were away, packed up a truck full of gifts, and headed to Ontario. The drive was easy. It is probably the first year ever I have appreciated having a green Christmas!

We spent a week visiting family and friends, (Sandi Risi, Laura Blais, Ann-Marie Raos, Samantha Clowes-loved seeing you crazy ladies). We ate good food, drank "Shannon" wine (just the adults - not Zoe), and went boxing day shopping! An interesting fact - the closest mall is one hour away from Barton, Nova Scotia, but the closest good mall is two and a half hours away. Needless to say, we took advantage of the convenience of shopping while at my brothers house in London.


Zoe and I said our goodbyes and headed home on the 29th after a week of busy, busy, busy! We spent a quiet evening in front of the fire for New Years eating ribs and chocolate fondue! It was a bit of a let down as midnight struck and we wanted to celebrate with Brandon only to remember in Ontario you are an hour behind.  The effect was not quite the same celebrating 11pm!

One year ago I never could have predicted that Zoe and I would have left our lives in Ontario and forged ahead to a new farm life in Nova Scotia. It has been a whirlwind of change and tears and joy and no regrets! I am very excited to see what 2019 brings our way!