it's summer...

jambaoney here!

it's summer!!

Well it has been a LONG while since i posted anything here. i was really caught up in work over the winter and into the spring... then there was a TON of garden related stuff to do.

also, i didn't really know what to post about... more fish pictures, more dirt, rocks etc... and although i suppose these things are entertaining to a degree - they lack a sense of purpose, which made me feel like i was just posting pictures

so i decided to add some "lessons  learned" stuff to my posts and not in a "look at me i am so smart" way, but "this could save someone a lot of grief" way... i feel good these days and there are some practical reasons for this so i feel like it would be good to share what i have learned since moving here that might help people

because this year is different...at last all of a sudden things aren't so challenging. or at least it seems that way... the homestead work was more familiar and challenges weren't so challenging it is just a matter of remembering what works and to help this along, i stopped doing something i have always done (and it drove kymber crazy! ;-) and that was..

i stopped making job lists...

i was religious about it, daily, seasonal, large projects...etc. i would put everything for the day on them, laundry, berkey filter, empty dishwasher, our planned meal..etc. etc. etc.

as it turns out, it is unnecessary  and can be a harmful diatraction, you will remember what needs to be done anyway.. and you won't have this thing screaming at you how much is left to do so you will make better choices about what to do next based on weather,  how you are feeling, what HAS to be done etc.  and you will be less stressed, work smarter, and use your memory as a list - which is great mental exercise..

anyway it worked wonders for me - if you rely on a jobs list, try going without.. shopping list are completely different and necessary!!!

okay now pictures and stuff..

i did get some fishing in...here is the river at 7:00 Am - look how high the sun is this time of year!!

out in the canoe..

and trout for sweet sandy!!

this is the trail back up from the river.. you can see where the ATV used to go..

more..

our road is pretty overgrown..

that will change this year...

cuz one project i am doing is clearing the back road!

looks better already ;-)

another theme i will post about is being frugal in the right places... in this example - the BEST trout creel for me is an old kitty litter bucket - fits behind me in the canoe, i fill it with river water, and put all the trout i keep in there - they are always super fresh when i get back and clean them...7 year cost? zero - this is a great example of cost savings ...i will share some whopper mistakes with you - no worries!

here is a rare view of our house (well, part of it) while going fishing - i am across the road and down the hill at strachen's brook..

the trout i caught that night

and finally - my weakness - old spinning reels and ebay - more on that later too!

i hope you are all having a great summer so far - happy july 4th to all our american friends!!!

we interrupt your regularly scheduled program....

...in order to bring you this "sad and pathetic, its been about 3 months since we last posted" post.

but isn't this beautiful - this is what we look at while working at the kitchen table/counter and we also see the same view from our comfy chairs in the living room.

this is out back - just as beautiful and where jambaloney builds all the different projects and i run around and chase cats! jambaloney has been using the tractor to fix our road to the river - woohoo!

jambaloney built a new cat-scratching stand that stays on the deck (old tattered one to the left. new one on the right)

ahhhhh. my 2 greenhouses. they are a dream. built by jambaloney.

here's the new indestructable pea bed.

here's a side view.

" ye olde awesome washing station" is back in place. 

it's a little bit ugly but it does it's job just fine! the sink is actually a pre-molded shower base that someone threw in the garbage that jambaloney scarfed 5 years ago!!!

this is greenhouse #2 stuffed to the gills with tomatoes and strawberries.

greenhouse #1 is filled with new peppers and a variety of other things. and yes, we still have jambaloney's step-dad's seeding tray that he gave to us back in the city that we used to start seeds and protect plants every spring/summer.



another side of greenhouse #1 with various-sized peppers.



lots of trays of lettuce on the other side.



and what can i say about these amazing strawberries that i harvested today except that they are gorgeous, sweet and delicious and there's a ton more like this. soon we'll be eating strawberries every day!!!

those strawberries were then quickly turned into this awesome afternoon snack:

fresh-picked berries drizzled with raw honey, coconut milk, a ton of freshly-cracked black pepper and fresh mint from our garden - deelish!

we are very sorry that we haven't been posting regularly but sometimes life gets in the way. we really got a headstart on the gardening this year. i'll have further posts about the method we use to start seeds indoors, let them get them get big enough and then out to the greenhouse they go. our cucumbers, melons, and squashes are currently living in the greenhouse in the house and will be moved out soon. we'll plant our carrots in a few days and i am finally working on flowers while jambaloney is working on fixing the beds, digging and leveling areas and although the yard looks like a mess - heck it's our mess. but because we had the 2 greenhouses to move the plants to - we are feeling a little bit ahead this year (*knocks on head*). that means we can spend plenty of time making the yard a little neater. we are looking forward to that!

jambaloney also works on his contract pretty much everyday on top of all of the stuff he builds, fixes and all kinds of different stuff. he's been trout fishing and we have already had some beautiful, delicious fresh-caught trout meals for breakfast, dinner and supper.

we are looking forward to river days, boating down to the ocean, and this year we promised each other to do some sight-seeing trips around the island. i will take many pics when we go out on our adventures. right now is one of the best springs we have ever had. we are planning to enjoy it and then summer will arrive. we have a ton of plans and we think it's going to be a pretty good and long spring, summer, and autumn this year. and one last thing before we sign out:

fresh-caught trout with fried potatoes and a yummy salad.

we're sending love to all of you and hoping that you are all having a wonderful spring!!!!

we now return you to your regularly scheduled program (while i go and catch up with your blogs!)

Welcome March 1, 2018

we know that we have 30 more days of potential storms, lots of snow, power outages, etc., but when march 1 looks like this, we are more than pleased!

that's out front looking at stracchan's brook, and here's out back looking at our river.

the river is making it's strange river sounds with the ice breaking up. even "the rats" approved (btw, that's his happy face - you don't want him to turn "the stink eye" on you!!!)

folks around these parts have a name for such a glorious day (and by "folks" i mean me and jabaloney and "around these parts" means Framboise Manor in all of it's glory.  those folks call it "Hottub Day" - woohoo!
isn't she a beaut?



we were in and out all day and will be in and out all evening!

we went for a walkabout and checked out the greenhouses - oregano made it through the winter and is coming back fast!

the rosemary also made it through the winter as did the parsley which is also coming in strong!

our sage plant, i should say tree, also made it through!

i would show you the 5 catnip plants that made it through the winter but if i even type that word - 5 cats will come screaming from every direction!!!

our kale and swiss chard is trying to make a comeback. no worries - more will be planted soon.

the alpine strawberries thrived during the winter and are already sending out shoots!

and here is our scraggly pond and Ted's bench that we love!

the other day i started a beef bone and meat broth - all scraps and bones that we save to make our broths from.

i usually cook mine for 5 or 6 days by spending the day bringing it to a boil for 15 mins and then simmering it. i do this 5 or 6 times a day adding water as needed. this is going to be a very strong broth!

i also made some croutons.

deelish! we put them in salads but mostly just eat a handful watching netflix. they are soooo deelishous and we love them!

some interesting stuff going on around the house - we overwinter our best pepper producers and every winter we get a little surprise. peppers actually growing in the house over winter?

here's another.

and another.

which end up in jambaloney's never-ending jar of hot pickled peppers. these will last for a short while and then i will start a whole new jar for him when the summer comes and we are getting loads of peppers.

 

i strained some of the beef broth and made a heavenly beef and kidney and veg stew with doughboys (Rain will probably be the only one that knows what a doughboy is!). they are kind of like dumplings but not really, and they are kinda like tea biscuits but not really. you drop spoonfuls of the dough on top of your stew to cook the doughboys.

the stew was deevine and gave me a chance to see how strong the broth is (it's super strong and delicious!). whenever i make stew i make a big giant pot, some for jambaloney's work lunches but mostly to make this:

steak and kidney and veg meat pie!

it was absolutely deelish! i use the same pate brissee crust all the time and it is always so flaky and buttery!

so back to today march 1, 2018. i had my normal yoghurt with berries (rasberries and blueberries that we pick and freeze immedietely! jambaloney had his cereal and berries. we ran out of our blackberries a while back but we ate a whole bunch on the days we were picking them. we had re-heated meat pie for our dinner.

such a gorgeous march 1 deserved a gorgeous meal of jambaloney's fresh striped bass that he caught in november and he cleaned and filleted them and then we put them in vaccuum-sealed bags. it tasted like he caught it today.



we also had some wild rice blend and a stirfry with bok choi, broccoli and asparagus. it was soooo good!

now it's nighttime and the moon looked so beautiful and lit up the hottub area in "bathing" light (pun intended!).



we welcome you march 1 - thank you for being such a glorious day! now it's hottub time!