Monday, June 11, 2012

it's my blog and i'll post as many boring sky pics as i want to! and a mason bee update!

woops - the pics came up out of order and i just can't be bothered to re-arrange them. oh well. here's the other night's supper - deelish. spaghetti and meat sauce with mushrooms (i fry them in butter before adding them to the sauce), fresh oregano, thyme and rosemary, garlic, olive oil and vinegar with the Mother in it. add a few red pepper flakes, fresh parmesan and a sprig of oregano - we pigged out on several plates full during the evening after a long day working in the yard. and then moaned and groaned all evening, splayed on the couch from eating waaaaay too much! we had the rest for breakfast - we're crazy like that - teehee!



so update on the mason bees. well at first, i was thrilled. several times a day i checked on them after we set up the bee house and i always saw little bees waking up and sitting in the sun to warm themselves. then for several weeks, i didn't see any except for the occasional little gal. then i worried that the robins had eaten them. then i got really sad thinking that i had done something wrong. then i started to notice them in and around the woods - apparently since they prefer holes in wood to build their nests, i surmised that they may have all left the little home and gone to the woods. which is fine - i just want these little pollinators living in my yard and pollinating all of our food. and then today - look what i saw! it's hard to see and i promise to take a better picture but one of the holes in the house is filled with mud! woohoo - we have bees!


although both jambaloney and i have both noticed that we have waaaaay more bees flying around so far this year than we had over the whole summer last year. we think it is because it didn't rain non-stop through all of april, may, june and july like it did last year. plus, with so many sunny days as we have been having, there is a ton more flowers this year than last. i am so happy. we need all of those bees!

of course, up next, the obligatory sky pics for my friend Helga. Helga hurry up and move here! my friends Sandy, Jane, PracticalP and Jennifer also say that they like the sky pics. they might just be blowing sunshine up my u-no-where but hey, that's what friends are for! this is out back this morning looking towards the river:

 

this is out front - notice that all of the trees on the ridge are filled in? so beautiful and such a pretty shade of green this time of year. they will get greener and greener as the weeks go by. and look at those floaty clouds. our skies always look like this. and there is never any humidity. i hated the humidity back in the city!



one last one of the back. i just love those clouds. and honestly - if you guys are sick of the sky pics - just say so. but you should actually be thanking me for only posting 3 or 4 every 3 or 4 days - i actually want to post 2,000 pics of the sky each day. your welcome!



woohoo! i left some onions in their beds to over-winter hoping that they would bolt in early summer in order to get their seeds. this guy is way ahead of everyone else!


i did the same with the brussel sprouts - woohoo! this guy bolted and threw out beautiful flowers! can you say - bags and bags of my own heirloom seeds - woohoo!


the clover is starting to come up all over the yard - the bees, bunnies and birds love this stuff! i love it too! the flower heads make a delicious tea and are beautiful in bath salts when dried! nothing like having a bath with a cup of epsom salt and a cup of dried clover flowers!


here is my anise hyssop which i left in the ground over the winter. it never really actually died over the winter and i am expecting it to bolt and flower soon!




oh ya - i forgot that we had re-arranged our deck - also known as an additional room to this cramped little cottage. we love this deck and we love the new layout!



(1st Man - take a gander at the candle sconces on each side of the window. i would send those to you in a heartbeat if they didn't weigh 6 million pounds each!!!)

please don't anyone notice the messy porch! it's hard to keep that porch clean when we use it as a collection room for everything!

well that's it for this sunny monday. tomorrow is supposed to be even sunnier and warmer - woohoo!

33 comments:

  1. You can post all the sky pictures you want..though I do get jealous. The Grey Knight and I were dream shopping for property yesterday...someday. I had a question for you floating around in my head for days, of course now I have herefor disease. What was I here for?

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    1. oh Beth...thanks for saying that...and please be jealous - these skies are to die for. every single day! sometimes i just think that they can't be more beautiful and then they are! i am so glad that you and Grey Knight are dream property shopping...i looked for ours for 8 years! it will come sweetheart - i promise you that the right one and the right circumstances will come!

      bahahahahahah! whenever you remember your question - just yell! you have the email address! lots of love to you, GK, and the Bear! xoxoxox

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  2. You can post pictures of the Nova Scotia sky anytime you like, all day and all night if you wish. I can assure you that I, and I would imagine most of our other readers don't tire of them at all. Funny that your spaghetti looks so much more delicious to me, than mine does to me. I think the porch on the back of the house looks fantastic.

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    1. Jane - you are only saying that because you want to be a member of the Cape Breton Liberation Army, save beached whales and drink tons of Tim Horton's - bahahahahahah! but hon, since you can't be at our/your/your Dad's/ Daniel's special dream place - then the least i can do is take a few pics for you! Daniel comes to my mind whenever i stop whatever i am doing and run for the camera to take a pic of the sky...i don't know why? jambaloney loves you for saying that you think the porch is fantastic! always love to you and yours eh? xoxoxoxo

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    2. How did you know I am a Tim Horton's addict ? I ate my last three meals in NS at Tim Hortons near the airport. I love their chili. It has so little fat, and is mildly spiced with good meat, and I don't even mind picking out the huge slices of mushroom which I dutifully share with my husband. I also like their hard rolls. They had great looking do-nuts, but I was too full to enjoy them. I am sure Daniel romps by the sea with my Dad. Sometime I will post pictures of the sea there, and of the little house that waits for us to come again. I would love to be part of the Cape Breton Liberation Army. Do you think they will hold against me the fact that I asked a sea lion to leave the front steps at the house in NS ? Love to you and Jam.

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  3. Sweet Kymber,
    Your spaghetti dinner and breakfast looks delicious. Do you put vinegar in it for flavor and (medicinal purposes) or for cutting the acid from the tomatoes? Every time I read your blog you’re making something that just makes me so darn hungry. Now I need to make Italian food . I use a little sugar or wine to cut the acid in my sauce.
    I love your cloud pictures. I would never blow sunshine or air, up your U-KNOW-WHAT …..Bahahahaha…..keep taking pictures and posting them girlfriend!!!! I’m a cloud lover and a sky watcher ;-)
    I’m so glad to see the mud on the wood home for the bee’s. They have to be settling down there if their placing mud on the wood.
    You are going to have seeds galore when you’re done with the garlic, Brussels sprouts and anise. Do you store your seeds in an air tight container in a dark place?
    Great deck with Jacuzzi, hmmmm….I can see it now. You and Jambaloney enjoying lobster and skinny dipping in the Jacuzzi. Then sun bathing next to your wind block (I’m jealous)……

    Take care and have a great night.
    Your Friends, Sandy

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    1. Dear Sandy - i love your sky/cloud pics as well! you have got some great ones on your blog! and i enjoy every single one of them! i put the vinegar in for medicinal purposes, although, as you mentioned it does cut the acidity of the tomatoes...and i find that adding fresh garlic adds a lovely sweetness! i am soooo glad to hear that you would never blow anything up my U-NO-WHERE - bahahahahahha! that one killed me, Sandy! and yes - if the bees are filling the little tunnels with mud - it means that they are laying eggs - woohoo! Sandy - i plan to let one of everything planted this year go to seed - the firstest and bestest, of course - and then build up our seed bank even bigger than it is! i looooove saving seeds! i store the seeds in little bags and then wrap those bags in brown paper bags and then store them in a little cabinet - totally dark! we love the hot tub and we love it in its new position - that part of the deck gets shady in the earliest part of the day - meaning we can get in the hot tub at about 4 or 5 - a perfect time to end the day! oh and i can rent jambaloney out for just a couple of bucks an hour and he can build you your own crappy-made-out-of-junk windbreak - bahahahahah! you have a great night yourself, sweet friend! xoxoxoxo

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  4. Hey sis - I agree with the ladies above - post all the pics of the sky you'd like. It warms our hearts to see such beauty from our screens. We are looking at real estate as you know - speed it up hon - find us some good ones !

    And Kymber - spaghetti with meat sauce is tops on my favorite foods list - yours looks yummeh ! The deck really looks inviting - good job ! Happy about the bees too !

    Love You Always ... Helga xoxoxo

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    1. hey sweet sis - i know that you like all the pics of the sky - it's why i take them - for you! but you gotta get your butt out here so that you can see these skies for yourself! hon - i will do my best to find out some more real estate listings for you!

      oh if you love spaghetti - oh i will make you tons! i also do the most fantastic meatballs - guess what i make them out of? MEAT!!!! just meat - no filler! we love us some good meatballs around here! i will also make you gnochi, lasagna, canneloni and manicotti if you like!

      love you always, my dear sweet sister! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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    2. Dang nabitt sis - do you have to make it so darn tempting !?!?! You're workin your magic - I feel the faerie dust hitting me.

      Tell me we'll eat slimy eel, oven roasted eyeballs - and turd cake for dessert! Bahaha !!

      Love you even more my darlin ... xoxoxo

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  5. The spaghetti looks wonderful!!

    I enjoy the sky photos, sitting in a small office at the crash pad after work, with just a couple little windows, it is a breath of fresh air.

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    1. thank you so much Brigid - i would love to make some spaghetti for you! i am glad that you enjoy the pics of the sky - and trust me - the fresh air is to die for - even if it's only virtual fresh air! thanks for stopping in hon!

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  6. At least people keep talking to you when you post sky pics. Everyone seems to hide from me.

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    1. huh? what you talkin' 'bout Willis, i mean Phelan? i certainly don't hide from you....and you know what i mean gurl!

      jambaloney says: oh goodness, do i have to write this? he says : huzzah!

      *banging head off keyboard. thanks Phelan*

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    2. Lol, his Huzzah has brightened my day. I like sky and land photos as well. Hence why I take them. You have a lot more trees then we do. And yes, your food is making me hungry.

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  7. OH MY! Love all the pics. You know I often take pics of the sky the land etc and then I worry about posting them and having people go "why is he showing us this?" Of course I come to a blog like yours and I realize how much "I" LOVE seeing other parts of the world and how different things look, and see that maybe people feel the same. I"m going to post some of those this week! You inspired me!

    You're so sweet to say that about the sconces! Hey, send that hot tub down here if you can, LOL! That's on our 'future' list too. Way too much other stuff in the mean time, ha. I'll find some more cool sconces, that's for sure. It's funny now that I'm looking for them I'm seeing more and more. Just have to find the "right" ones.

    Keep the pics coming and check my blog later this week, I'll post some random property/sky pics too!

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    1. teeheehee- i am so glad that you love the sky and land pics - please take more of your own - as i really love them! no worries about people getting bored - i would never get bored of seeing your beautiful land! i love seeing what other people's land and sky looks like!

      honestly, 1st MAN - i have been carrying those wall sconces around for years and they really do weigh 6 million pounds each. if they were lighter - they would be yours. and you could request whatever colour you wanted them to be and i would paint them for you. but then - you don't seem to be hurting for wall sconces.

      about the hot tub - hands off mister! we gave away our last one to our step-dad and he is relishing it! we are glad tho! honestly, if there is one thing that we would like to give to all of our friends - it would be a hot tub - it is so good for re-energizing physical, mental and emotional well-being! please get one as soon as you can. you will note that we got one before we got a washing machine - teeheehee. that should speak to the health benefits.

      i am always on top of your new posts - i can't wait for sky/land pics from you in a place that is so different from ours. but keep the spider pics to yourself - yer causin' me nightmares, buddy! xoxo

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  8. With all the rain we have had some blue sky photos are very welcome. No rain yet, but its coming.

    You keep talking about things with the Mother in it, so what do you do with the Father ?? Or is Jamie the only male allowed??

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    1. oh Rob, buddy - you always kill me with your comments!!!! apple cider vinegar has microbial bacteria in it that is referred to as the Mother....sorry, there is no father. this bothers jambaloney, too! as for the Manor, jambaloney is the only male for me - bahahahahah! other males are welcome but he is the head man - if you know what i mean - teeheehee. oh and buddy - you and yours are always welcome here.

      i am glad that you enjoy our blue skies. amny shamwows are currently being sent to you - you know what mean! lots of love to my buddy in his bunker and all of his, always!

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    2. So at what point do you stop calling it "with the mother, and start calling it with the grandmother?" How old does it need to be, and what about great grandmother??

      caution never read my replies with liquid in your mouth. hahaha. so if Jamie is the only male, is he the pirate king??

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  9. Back home in Indiana, I was the only one who encouraged dandelions to grow. Oh, the great salads!! Now, we have to answer to an HOA and keep Florida's damn crabgrass weed free. (They don't even know that crabgrass IS a weed) But it's the only thing that will grow here.

    With all the readers you have, maybe I should take a photo of our bean soup....just sayin'.

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    1. oh lotta joy - we love our dandelions around here! salads and great for herbal teas, whether hot or cold, and also a great addition to bath salts! xox

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  10. have looked at your blog from time to time

    like the theme of two making it work right

    and enjoying their efforts

    live long and be free!

    Wildflower

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    1. Wildflower - i have loved your comments at Craig/Mayberry's blog for some time now - i am honoured that you check our blog out from time to time - thank you! you nailed our theme for us - that IS exactly what we are trying to do! i hope to see you here again as i have appreciated and enjoyed your insights at Craig's!

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    2. thank you

      Wildflower

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  11. I'm sorry. Did you say something after that first picture? I got hungry and had a squirrel! Moment. Spaghetti is my favorite comfort food...EVER. It's the first full meal I learned to cook when I was a kid.

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    1. oh Shepherd - i loved the movie "UP" - bahahahahah! squirrel, squirrel, squirrel!!! too funny! buddy - if yer ever up, i will make spaghetti for you! make sure to hide it from Helga tho or she will rip the bowl right out of your hands - bahahahah!

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  12. Everything was fine. Looking at your pictures. Then, you go and ruin it with them Brussels Sprouts. You need to be careful. Haven't you heard of Zombie sprouts. They are making their way north very slowly. I'll try and get a picture of one, for you.

    Love your pictures.

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    1. sorry Flier, buddy....my bad for wrecking it for you! i'll be careful, buddy. can't wait for the pic - bahahahah! oh and thanks for saying that you love the pictures - i do too. thanks buddy!

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  13. swanky! Move a baby grand piano out there and maybe Elton John will show up! hehe..seriously looks great, I need a deck like that..soon. Hey, don't worry..as long as you have 1 place to store junk and things you keep the clutter out of everywhere else..My shed is a disorganized disaster! take care!

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    1. egb - i was more hoping for Pink Floyd as when we turn the lights on in the hot-tub it gets pretty psychedelic out on the deck! that deck wasn't hard to build at all - you and *A could get it done in a day or two - we love the extra space! and you know it buddy - that porch is a collecting ground for everything right now - hopefully we'll finish organizing ourselves soon and find a proper place for everything. hey - in your next post you should take pics of your shed so that me and jambaloney can laugh and say "egb's shed is waaay less of a disaster than ours!". you take care, too buddy!

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  14. I love the decking, but I hate mushrooms. :D

    Btw. I don't love all rap and hip hop, like any music some of it is great, some of it isn't. ;)

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  15. I like the bees and the pics and I even like both brussle sprouts and mushrooms:)

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