~Framboise Manor~: winter winter winter!!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

winter winter winter!!

jambaloney here.. miss me? ;-)

i know most of you have been suffering this winter - in truth we haven't had it THAT bad as, being canadian, we are accustomed to severe/cold weather, still, we are getting sick of this (pretty tho' it may be)

so what to do? how about attending an ice fishing derby yesterday - a window of nice weather sandwiched between storms...

after a couple of hours a beer is in order ;-)

kymber and our friend c came for a visit - it wasn't as exciting as they might have thought ;-) here they are, hiding in front of our friend d's ice fishing tent.

here i am using the 5-hook rig that our friend wildflower sent us - i only caught 4 smelt as the sun went down, but there was only other guy who caught any fish - the rest got SKUNKED! i learned a LOT of valuable info and had a great time - next up - DOZENS OF SMELT FOR KYMBER!!!!!!

back at the ranch this afternoon, wind is a brewing... we had rain this AM and a massive rainstorm friday - most of the snow has melted again and you can see where work halted dec 6 - been iced in place since - i am NOT very proud of the chaos, but hey, blogging is all about sharing, right?? (greenhouse is mint though ;-)

yep, carnage - that is overturned furniture on the berm.

and 1/2 finished shelves behind vandura

honestly, i pack better than this but i thought i had all of dec to tidy the yard before spring...

lost the bbq cover friday, no clue how far in the woods it went..

my lumber yard cover is finally ripping apart..

some free stuff from the fire hall buried in snow..

more rubber hose - woot!

today was another episode of what i call "the curse of the plastic porch repair". after a couple of years, the sun has taken is toll and the plastic gets brittle and the wind does it's thing and rips it, i have been patching piecemeal - this spring a full replacement... EVERY time i go out to fix it, the wind picks up and it starts raining - today was no exception... the instant i walked out with plastic wind went form 20 to 60 km/hr and it started snowing...

today's addition - uuuuuugleee isn't it?

hey a bonus form lobsterrus - they we ditching some old pvc - free for the taking - it will make nice hoop-house support!!!

wind is gusting to 80 now... brrrr!

winter isn't all bad, i leave you with these pics from the inside of the greenhouse about a month ago when the temp dropped and the condensation made art..

sweet!

every one is different!

pictures of leaves..

and art deco fractal patterns!

these look like ferns!!

these look like moss..

the whole interior was a temporary art gallery

i leave you with a tease of the ongoing work - nasty stuff... back to the crawlspace!!!

cheers all !!!!

btw - kymber has fired up the good eats again, here is her latest and MAN was it divine - i am a lucky man ;-))))

19 comments:

Gorges SmytheFebruary 16, 2014 at 6:00 PM
One thing about craw spaces in the winter - no snakes or spiders!
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JaneofVirginiaFebruary 16, 2014 at 6:20 PM
I feel closer to you both already. I have the same amount of snow !
Fondly,
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PioneerPreppyFebruary 16, 2014 at 6:29 PM
It's amazing how stuff get's blown around and then just kinda stays there as long as the snow stays isn't it? I have a bunch of aluminum gutters that I been saying I was gonna pick up for weeks and remember when my rain barrel took a half mile walk?

Winter's almost over hang on!!!

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Sandy LivesayFebruary 16, 2014 at 6:52 PM
Jambaloney,

Hey there my friend, you did good with smelt fishing. Kymber will be very happy with those 4 fish you caught. Speaking of fishing, we've been out fishing the last two mornings and caught some really nice looking trout. Were thinking about going again in the morning. :-)

Everything at your place looks just fine. It's winter, now when spring comes around that's when you get busy doing things on the property.

I so love the greenhouse you made for Sweet Kymber. This ice forming on the windows made for some great looking art work :-)

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed yourself smelt fishing, stay warm you two!!!
Spring will be here before you know it.

Sending love to you both.
Your Friend,
Sandy
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RobFebruary 16, 2014 at 7:10 PM
Jam, Are you as ready for spring as we are in Minnesota?? The photos are great. Big hug to ms k. The place looks good. Be safe under the house.
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Harry FlashmanFebruary 16, 2014 at 7:47 PM
Hey, I think I saw a devil face in the green house art! I hope you are blocking up that beam with more than one jack. Looks like that would squash you flat if the jack slipped, and what would become of Kymber then?

I'm ready for spring. I will never, ever say I wish it was winter again.
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tana50February 17, 2014 at 12:33 PM
I didn't know they had ice fishing tents, but sounds like a great idea. I haven't been fishing since I was pregnant with my youngest and she will be 35 this summer. I have never been ice fishing. Something to try one day! I love all your pictures of your home. You have done so much work on it! But it is amazing how much can accumulate during the winter! Come spring there is always so much to do. Hope you don't find your BBQ lid up high in a tree. But don't trip over it on the ground under the snow. Have a good week you two.
Tana
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MaxFebruary 17, 2014 at 12:51 PM
Pass on the ice fishing, one of us doesn't handle the cold very well and gets sad when I catch all the fish.
I'm working on a green house for this year. Nothing as big as yours but just something to give myself a month head start (and save kitchen counter space). I wanted something big and awesome but I got knocked down a few notches. I'm often too big for my britches!
Glad you are both well!
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AnonymousFebruary 18, 2014 at 12:42 PM
It looks absolutely fantastic! I am sorry it is such a nuisance :( I would love to go ice fishing! Not sure if that is ever possible here....The Dutch are good in ice skating but we haven't seen any ice or snow this winter, they even predict that we save 30% on our gas bill this year. Just enjoy, I do love your pictures and stories
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kymber here and talking about jambaloney.

i've always called him my angel. my rock. my best half. the best part of what i have always wanted to become.

he has a soul as big as the biggest mountain, he is strong, he is in incredible physical condition, he is 51 and yet most people think he is under 40. he is humble and modest, charming, gorgeous and will help anyone with anything at anytime. he never grumbles and only every now and again complains or is a tiny bit cranky (nothing that a hug can't fix!). he can cut both sides out of 70 tires in minutes, build raised beds from scrap wood that he drags out of the forest, weedwhack 800ft of our road down to the river, and haul more wheelbarrows of dirt, mulch, rocks and seaweed than is probably medically-advised. he's learned how to braid, make bread and no one makes better rice - not even the chinese. he supports my every, crazy endevour. he went 44 years without a driver's license and got his license after being trained by my crazily-wonderful french canadian friend in 2 weeks. she never stopped talking the whole time. in french.

he has biked everywhere his entire life, at one job he biked 24km EACH WAY. that's to and from! 24km to work AND 24km from work! oh and just accidentally has an honours degree in philosophy.

i believe that he is Our Lord's most beautiful and perfect creation. but i might be biased. he can very accurately shoot a ben pearson cougar re-curve from both the left and right. and his aim is dead on.

he is bow-legged and only 5'7", but has the most incredible eyes. and a tiny mole on his upper lip. he writes the most romantic "insta-poems". he tells me he loves me several times a day. he calls me "babe" and "honey". and he means it.
he loves hot sauce and spicey things like cayenne and banana peppers, he buys (or now picks) me flowers, he left a lucrative, high-paying IT job and his family to follow me here to this remote little island. he builds me shelves and washes all of our laundry with me by hand.

oh and he was baptized Anglican. and was an alter boy. sheesh. somehow, through my intervention, i am turning him into a pagan-christian-fundamentalist-confuscian. look, even i can't figure that out!

the name jambaloney is a nickname that i gave him over 10 years ago. he still uses it. he can be reached at "jambaloney@gmail.com". he loves comments or emails. and he loves me.

if i were given the opportunity to wish one thing for the world - i would wish that every woman on the planet had a jambaloney. i know that i could save the world this way. i have friends who have asked me to clone him. i am trying. believe me, i am trying. one day i will perfect the science involved, and when that happens, i promise all of you a jambaloney.

i love him more than...breathing, lobster, boiled dinner, fresh bread out of the oven, bugging out, singing back up for Madonna (ok...i made that one up!), fresh sheets on the bed, a glass of red wine after a long day, sunflower seeds, lavender, growing my own potatoes, T.S. Eliot, dancing, my babies (who are really just cranky old cats!) and the Bible.

i love him more than i love Framboise Manor. and i really love Framboise Manor.

About kymber

(this pic might seem odd. trust me, it's not. 20 yrs ago kymber went shopping with a girlfriend from the military and bought this dress. then she hooked up with that girlfriend recently. they caught up through email and one day kymberz friend mentioned that specific dress. kymber said she still had it (kymber still has her prom gown for crying out loud!). the friend did not believe it. so we had to take a pic of kymber wearing the 20yr old dress for her friend. kymber always likes to add accessories...and well, we had the bunny ears laying around. ya know, cuz everyone always has pink bunny ears laying around. ok, that's it...i am out of here! jambaloney)

what can i say about kymber?? A LOT!! most of it will have to wait for blog entries ‘cuz i just don’t have enough space here to do her justice…

so i’ll have to do my best… first and foremost, kymber is my partner and i will love her forever. she is the best partner anyone could ever have, i am one lucky guy!! she is 46, she is sweet as can be, smart as a whip, super cute, exceptionally feminine, strong as an ox, honest, kind, empathetic, wise, an amazing dancer, a master wit in speaking and writing….i could go on..i will!

at 5’ 1’’ she packs a wallop – a true force of nature - she is a master gardener and chef and spent 10 years in the Canadian Military – she has done 2 tours of Alert (the north bloody-cold pole). she is a UN-certified Korean linguist and spoils our 2 cats rotten. she also spent 12yrs working in the federal government, as a communications analyst at SolGen (now PSEPC) and Fintrac. she loves nature in the true sense of the phrase..the wildflowers, insects and birds here at framboise manor keep her entranced and captivated for hours.

anyone who is her friend knows that she will stop at nothing to help and heal, dedication and loyalty are an integral part of who she is and she is dead serious about anything she puts her mind to. yet she maintains the most delicate touch and a smile on her face always, never afraid to live and love no matter where and when.

she is the most genuine human being i have ever met! and she has encouraged me to embark on the most crazy and exciting adventure i could imagine… thank you babe - i sooo love you!!!

(and she can be reached at kymberzmail@gmail.com)