Monday, June 18, 2012

Houston - we have lift off! (no 1st Man this is not a post about you! bahahahah!)



please don't be alarmed. i know that the above picture looks like some kind of strange, nuclear, biological, chemical weapon - but they are not!

they are tomatoe tires wrapped in plastic - ingenious eh? ya, that's what i think - bahahahah! our tomatoe plants lived on the porch for a month and grew to 6-8 inches during that time. we buried them sideways in order to develop a really strong root system - and they love the seaweed that lines the bottom of every tire. like loooooove the seaweed! have yourselves a little look-see:



is there anything in the world more beautiful than potatoes???? i think not!




and some yummy breakfast - trouts, fried, left-over smashed potatoes - yummeh! and artichoke hearts:




here are some beautiful ferns already going to seed - these are all over our property!


lots of peppers on this tiny little plant - i love this guy!


hmmm - some shrimps marinating in olive oil, garlic, vinegar (with the Mother in it - not the Grandmother Rob, buddy!) and salt and pepper - hmmmmm???


oh ya baby - grilled shrimp, pasta with olive oil, butter, fresh parsley, salt and pepper - divine! and some cucumber with fresh mint!


some beautiful yellow and orange flowers that seem to be of the same type - just different coloured. no matter, i love them!


close-up of the orange guy - so pretty!


just so that you don't think that we always eat healthily - we looooove junk food! it's just that our junk food might be different than most. when i want junk food - i want EGG SALAD SANDWICHES ON CRAPPY, STORE-BOUGHT WHITE BREAD! oh ya baby - yer darn tootin's i cut off my crusts and give them to jambaloney! jambaloney's plate is on the left - mine is on the right - i looooove junk food! i also love our fresh picked lettuce on my egg salad sandwich - jambaloney is not crazy about it so i leave it off on his!


more junk food - we are junk food addicts. hotdogs below - bahahahhaah!


obligatory pic of the sky for my dearest and sweetest friend Helga! i have many dear and sweet friends, some in person and some on the internet. some of my internet friends are so lovely and i appreciate all of you. but Helga has my heart...and always will. here's another sky pic for you Helga - move yer butt here!


my friend Wendy put up a post with a pic of her lupins. i told her that we had lupins all along our road but none on our land. i lied. theses pink lupins self-seeded themsleves on our driveway - woohoo!


these purple lupins did the same. you just know i am letting them all go to seed, gathering the seeds and planting them where i want them to be next year - oh i love collecting seeds!






 look at this beautiful red clover - oh so much yummy tea and lemonade to be made!



presenting - dah-dah-da: the tallest butter cups ever recorded in North America - yes, we are in the Guinness Book of World Records:

 
and here is the traditional korean kimchi that i made the other day. agirlandhergun - the recipe is on it's way!


check out the cleared off, and almost tidy, porch!!! all of the pots on the right hand side of the porch are pots full of a variety of lettuces - woohoo!


lastly - and i really hate to brag and show off - i mean we live in a crap-ass cottage that is cramped and needs A LOT of work! being that we live on a small, fixed income - you may think that having a hot tub is extravagant. we think it is necessary for our daily mental, emotional and physical well-being.

but yes - you are right. do we really need to spend money on a pool when we have a river and the ocean steps away from our property.

YER DARN TOOTINS WE DO!!!!

take a gander and drool at the Framboise Manor Pool...also known as kymberz pool:
 

oh ya - that's an old shower curtain used as a pool cover. i hate to brag again - but we don't do anything by halves - no sirreee!

it's awesome isn't it? oh man....could we possibly be any richer??? well, if you all wanted to send any extra money you had our way - sure, we could be richer - teeeheeheeeheee!

honest to goodness - i don't think we could ever be richer!!! and we are so thankful! and you are all welcome to come and hang out at our new pool. don't thank me - it will just make me blush. your welcome!

54 comments:

  1. nice pool......dang it.....wished I had one too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Warlock, buddy - save your pennies. these kinds of pools are expensive - but we figured that it was an investment - bahahahahahha! here's hoping the cats don't puncture it!

      Delete
  2. Ha, I like that blog post title, you made me laugh out loud!

    I take it the cover is to keep out snakes? At least that's what I've been told down here by friends when I suggested some sort of pool. "Oh you'll be fighting the snakes for that!". Um, a cover seems like the perfect solution, I should show them your snake cover (lol, maybe that's not exactly what it's for but it looks like that would be perfect here!)

    As for the other parts of the post, wow, yummy, delish, beautiful, all rolled up into one, ha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1st Man - i am glad that i made you laugh! but as soon as i said "Houstan" (in my head), i thought of you!

      bahahahahahahahah! jambaloney near fell out of the chair laughing at your snake comment! the only snakes we have around here are little, sweet garter, green and redbelly snakes none of which get any bigger than 2ft - they are all so cute! the cover is to keep bugs out and to prevent them from dying.

      thanks for stopping in buddy! bahahahah- you always make me laugh! xox

      Delete
  3. Yellow /orange flowers are indian paintbrushes (indian blanket flowers) good for dying things.

    Dumb questions that I'm amazed I'm the first one to ask? Why did you do that to your tomatoes? Wind break or predators?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i thought that they were indian paintbrushes Beth - thanks for confirming!!! as for why we wrapped the tomatoes - it serves as both a windbreak and makes a little greenhouse while still allowing pollinators to get to the tomatoes! xox

      Delete
  4. Rob said he would dress up like a cabana boy with a palm frond fan while you are in the pool. Really he did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PioneerP - thanks for passing on the info - i can always count on you for that - yer an awesome bud!

      Yo Rob, buddy - where are you? i need another margarita! get yer butt in gear! Yo Rob - where are you????

      Delete
  5. Hey sis - Holy crap a doodle !!!!!!!!!!!!! Does EVERYTHING have to look so darn beautiful !?!? Where are the ugly pictures - bahahaha !

    You're making this extremely difficult to not get my butt there - and soon. Without getting too flowery again - I have to tell all your blog buddies - that Kymber is the most precious friend that anyone could ever have. Of course you all know that - and love her too. Isn't she amazing - her talents are endless, her heart is as big as the sky, and her love for life can brighten even the darkest of days .... Crap - ass cottage or not - it's inhabited with beautiful people !

    We'll have to beat Matt to vandura looks like. Love, love , love the pictures ! Thanks for the blue sky and your remarkable friendship !

    Email coming soon . By the way - your pool is deserving of a gypsy princess !

    Love Always - Helga xoxoxox

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helga, honey - i have been sharing ugly pictures, too - honestly!!! and ya - you better get your butt here soon! naw, jus' teasin witchya - you come when it's the proper time...and you will! thank you for saying i am a precious friend - so are you. which is why i always take a pic of the sky for you - it's a little present for my dear, sweetest, friend - i love you and you know it! and i always will!

      uh-oh. Matt's pretty tough to beat buddy - but maybe with your months of training in the sandpit - you might be able to take him - bahahahahahah!

      the pool is pretty snazzy, i must admit. cost a pretty penny too. we saved for months!!! but i want only the best - bahahahahahah! i imagine me and you sitting in the pool cooling off with Rob fanning us -

      Yo Rob, buddy - where are you????

      love always to my sweet sis...love you so much Helga! xoxoxoxo

      Delete
  6. Sweet Kymber, I like your nuclear tomatoe site, lol....the plastic is a great idea to keep the wind down and help keep a little heat in. This will help the tomatoes grow. Scratching my head hmmmmm....., why didn't I think of that???
    Wow, do you know that those ferns cost good money here in the U.S.? I wanted to buy one and hang it in my bathroom because they like humidity. Right now, I have a small bamboo plant growing in the bathroom, he likes the humidity too. Your version of junk food is not the typical junk food. It's still on the healthy side, except maybe the hotdog. I just finished eating dinner and read your blog and viewed the pictures.....Now I'm hungry for shrimp and fish.....darn you!!!!! LOL.....
    I hope your lettuce produces a very large harvest for you. Ours did, and I ate salad on top of salad. Then decided to juice the lettuce with an apple, cucumber and ginger.
    Have a wonderful evening and give Jambaloney a hug.
    Your Friend, Sandy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dear Sandy - it was jambaloney's mom and stepdad that got us thinking about the windbreak/greenhouse thing for the tomatoes! they worked out fantastically last year - so we expect a super harvest this year - can't wait! Sandy - those ferns are growing all over our property and i can get some seeds for you if you would like - just let me know. and yes - the ferns love the humidity - we had some in our bathroom back in the city too! sorry for making you hungry buddy - i guess it's payback for your homemade baguette and lasagna - bahahahah! we are eating a bit of lettuce daily and i am succession planting it as we eat a pot - it's working out great! oh great idea about juicing with the lettuce - we aren't there yet but if i have too much and we are saladed out - that's what i will do.

      jambaloney sends a virtual hug back to you! xoxoxoxo

      Delete
  7. Love, love, LOVE your tomato cages!! Now why didn't I think of that?

    Clover lemonade? Recipe, please!

    The porch looks much bigger from the inside than in your previous pics.

    Congrats on the lupins! Very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wendy - we have been using tomatoe cages for years - we have found that if you plant 4 tomatoes per tire and wrap them in a cage then you don't have to stake them as they all grow into each other and up the cage and get enough support that way - it really works wonders! as for clover lemonade - i make a regular sugar syrup, squeeze as many lemons in to taste, shake the bugs out of the clover heads, rinse them and drop them in the lemonade. let the lemonade sit out in the sun for a few hours - pop it in the freezer or fridge, add ice cubes - and yer good to go. i can type out the recipe properly and email it to you if you want.

      the porch looks bigger because we moved a pile of stuff out - it was pretty crowded for a while!!! i was pretty jealous of your lupins but as i said they were all over our road last year. i figured i would just go steal some seeds but jambaloney mentioned we had some growing in the front of our driveway and i was thrilled to find them!!! xoxox

      Delete
  8. How I wish you supplied recipes. But you seem to cook with sensuality and not just love, and you can't put that into a recipe. I'm so proud to have your blog to visit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lotta joy - we have a recipe blog that i have been neglecting for months - you can check it out on the right hand side of the blog page near the top. but my prob is - most of my recipes contain "a blob of this", "a dollop of that" - so i think you get it - not so much recipes as just figuring out how much of anything and adjusting accordingly. i do plan to get back to the recipe blog though.

      i can't believe you said that - i feel the same way of being proud being able to visit your blog - thank you!

      Delete
  9. hey its only grandma if the bottle is older. bhaha. I thought those were jamie's playpens for when he is a bad boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yo buddy - where the heck are you? there's a bunch of us in the pool and we need refills on the margaritas!!!! get yer butt in gear buddy! bahahahahahah!

      Delete
  10. have seen a "hot tub" using an inflatable pool heated by a "mr coffeee" using auto hoses to "termally circulate cold water into hot" for indoor winter use

    Wildflower

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wildflower - that sounds awesome!!! we have a hot tub on our deck and now we have a pool....but what you are describing might be jambaloney's next project - bahahahahahah!

      Delete
    2. oh, what is a good sauce with canadians?

      Wildflower

      Delete
    3. Wildflower - i would say plain 'ol beef gravey - bahahahahahah!

      Delete
  11. Those wildflowers look like indian paintbrushes. They were all over the fields in New Hampshire.

    damn, I scrolled up and someone beat me to it.

    I think your talents are endless as well, everything is looking sharp. I like your choice in plates!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Max - yep - yer right - indian paintbrushes!!!!! and oh i love New Hampshire! thanks buddy - and i love those plates too!

      Delete
  12. This post made me hungry. Now I want to eat and sit by your pool. All we have is stock tanks around here other wise known as ponds. I am 10 to 15 minutes away from Lake O' the Pine though. - Genevieve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sorry to make you hungry Genevieve! but you are always welcome at the pool! if you go out to Lake ' the Pine - make sure to take pics k?

      Delete
  13. The setting as always, looks lovely. We don't have yummy food like that here. We had a ground beef Shepherd's pie tonight. It was not bad, but not up to "Manor fare" with fresh fish, and mint and artichokes....and I am hungry now. I toxic waste styled containers may keep others out of your food ! Fond wishes to you both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ooooh Jane - i loooooove Shepherd's pie...so does jambaloney! and i am glad that it was not too bad - i bet it was deelish! sorry to make you hungry, dear friend! fond wishes always to you and yours! xoxoxo

      Delete
    2. My speedy typing made some errors above. I think I meant to say that the toxic waste style containers would keep others away, as they may not be sure what is in them. Must be hypoglycemia from seeing all your great food !
      We make Shepherd's Pie in different ways about once a week. Everyone here loves it. I think we have about 35 recipe variations for it.

      Delete
  14. Ha ha! I love the pool (and the cover!). Down here that arrangement really would be a hot tub by 6 PM or thereabouts. A can of refried beans would provide the jet bubble action : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bahahaha - i gotta admit it's a pretty sexy pool! you are always welcome to come for a dip in it - but only if you haven't eaten any beans!!!

      Delete
  15. I could see myself coming over to your place for a visit and sitting by the pool, dangling my feet in the water and sipping hot tea from a dainty cup with my little finger extended.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bahahahahahahahaha! oh Duke buddy - you killed me with that one - bahahahahhah!

      Delete
  16. We had a pool just like it. My little one (age two at time?) bit it, and it had a slow leak from that point on. I think we have one know, but it hasn't been consistently hot enough for us to pull it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Russell - i have always had a kiddie pool, every summer for the past 10 yrs - i love them! it's a good place to go and cool off on a hot day when working in the yard. we'll see how long this one lasts as the cats have a tendency to claw things.

      Delete
  17. That is my kind of junk food. I know we have talked about it before, but I don't have a sweet tooth. Junk food for me is almos always something savory.

    Looking forward to the kimchi. Gonna whip me up a batch. I thought of you as I was laying around watching Jamie Oliver. He made a kind of quick coleslaw/kimchi side dish for steaks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. me and you both agirl! i love savoury stuff as junk food too! i'll type up the recipe for you this eve - i don't really follow recipes so it's hard sometimes to get them written down. that coleslaw/kimchi sounds interesting.

      Delete
  18. Oh, my! You crack me up, girlie! lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that's awesome Sue! i like making you chuckle! xoxo

      Delete
    2. Oh, you do make me chuckle alright :-)

      I forgot to say that we used to call those orange and yellow flowers Indian Paint Brushes when I was a kid. I don't suppose that would be politically correct any more, but we loved to pick little bouquets of them for my mom when we went picnicking. I still love them.

      Delete
  19. I know a black lab that would be your Cabana (Down) Boy for that pool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brigid - i know that Barkley would make a great cabana boy - that's if i could get him out of the pool - bahahahahaha! he's got himself a nice new pool too!

      Delete
  20. Your plastic wrapped tomatoes have been done before and one step better involving water filled plastic. My mom uses these down on the farm for her tomatoes and they work well.

    http://www.wall-o-water.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed - i have seen those before and the people who use them rave about them. the thing about ours that is better is that it is junk plastic that we saved when moving and keep re-using it every year. speaking of moving - good luck with yours!

      Delete
  21. I was gonna ask if there is a purpose for the ferns. Are they good for anything other than looking at? But then I noticed there are already 42 freekin' comments and now I wonder if you'll even see this one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OJD - the ferns are just native to the area...i wondered if they were edible as the fiddlehead ferns that we had back in Ontario were edible. it's hard to find foraging information around here as it has not ever really been documented. and bahahahahha! i always try to stay on top of the comments. i figure if someone has taken the time out of their day to read our little posts, and then take the time to comment - the least i can do is make sure to catch all of the comments. thanks for yours!

      Delete
  22. haha..we have a ghetto pool just like yours! hehe..any port in a storm I say! A* lived in Korea for a year and we like kmichi and kimbop..Korean food is yummy!

    And I love hotdogs..in college I survived on hotdogs and peanutbutter sandwiches!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. egb - who you callin' ghetto buddy?!?!? that pool is, as my friend MDR would say - "high cotton" - bahahahhah! can *A speak Korean? pretty much the only thing i miss about ottawa is the korean restaurants and markets. korean food is deelish and i need to learn to make more of it!!! oh to have some bulgogi right now!!!!

      in college i lived on minute rice and mushroom soup - bahahahah!

      Delete
  23. OMG! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the kiddie pool! ha ha.... about your shrimp...i do that too all the time, marinate it in olive oil and garlic, then I sautee it up and pour all that mix over grits...YUUUMMMMY.

    Planting the tomatoes sideways? Everytime I do them down here, the mockingbirds tear them up...so when Senior builds my raised beds this weekend I need an ingenious way to keep those pesky birds out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bahahahahaha - thanks JUGM - you and me must have the same taste in pools - bahahahahah! ya know what? i don't think i have ever had grits??? i have certainly heard of them but i don't think they are very common up here in canada. i should try some!

      i learned from jambaloney's mom to plant them sideways so that you bury their stalk right up to the leaves - this ensures that a real nice rootball will grow. you are going to need to need to put posts on the 4 corners of your raised bed and then cover it with bird netting.

      Delete
  24. Kymber, is that kimchi fermented vegetables? If so please email me with all the details!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue - yes - the traditional kind that i made is made with nappa cabbage, bok choi, green onion and regular onion. but you can make it with any combination of veg - turnip, carrot, radish, beet, etc. recipe coming hon!

      Delete
    2. Thanks a bunch. On Tuesday I decided that I want to learn how to ferment veggies. I'd love help from someone who is experienced. I will have some questions :-)

      Delete
    3. no probs Sue! i am slowly typing out the recipe while checking in at Phelan's every half hour....it's slow going but i will get it to you!

      Delete