Spuds Are Planted ...

April 22, 2015

The weather has been so incredibly warm ...

couldn't resist getting out to the garden to plant the potatoes ...

The square foot gardening suggests to put 2 potatoes in one square ...

 but after lasts years growing season ...

I decided to plant only one this year ... 

The strawberry bed was also cleaned up ...

and the supports were put in place ...

these help to keep the strawberries up off the ground ...

The netting was also put over the tubes ...

so the birds do not peck at the berries ... !!!

The next vegetable to be planted...

was beets ...

once again with the square foot gardening ...

9 beet seeds were planted ...

no need to worry about thinning them out as they grow ...

Nine onions to a square were also planted ... 

on the other end of the same raised garden bed as the potatoes ...

Growing a  total of eight squares of onions ...

In one of the other raised garden beds ...

radishes, carrots, parsnips, and lettuce were planted ...

I still had one last garden bed to finish with ...

 measuring and cutting the 4x4 grids ...

to fit into the beds instead of them resting on the frame ...

Now this raised garden bed is ready to be planted as well ... !!!

Need Larger Pots ...

April 13, 2015

The vegetables have out grown the AeroGarden ... 

was time too put them into larger grow pots ...

April 28, 2015

Fifteen days later ...

this is how much my Cherry Tomatoe plants have grown ...

It won't be long now before we will be enjoying ...

 the taste of ripened Cherry Tomatoes ...

Once the weather is warm enough ...

a few of the plants will be ...

transplanted into the garden ... !!!

Mayook Clean-Up Crew ...

April 12, 2015

It was that time of year to clean up the Schoolhouse grounds...

bucking up and splitting trees that had been knocked down by the strong winds ...

each of us having a job to do ...

Gathering all the twigs... branches and debris ...

then starting small fires to burn it all up ...

of course stopping for a quick bite to eat ...

roasting hot dogs over an open fire ... 

A crew still raking ... and keeping an eye on the fires ...

 while the others started stacking all the splint firewood ... 

End of the day ...

sitting around the campfire ...

enjoying the company and having a few sociables ... (beer) ...

A job well done ...

the Schoolhouse grounds look great ... !!!

Garden Work ...

April 11, 2015

I decided to add another layer of frame ...

on my rhubarb raised garden bed ...

Felt it needed more soil for it to have room to grow ...

Headed down to the garden with the newly constructed boards ...

I soon realized that the newer one was a different size ...

that meant tearing out the older one ...

and replacing the whole thing with the newer one ...

Once the frame was in place ...

another wheelbarrow of fresh soil, peat moss and compost ...

were mixed together ...

then added to the new raised garden bed ...

Raspberry plants are bursting with buds ...

Love being in my garden ... !!!

My New Toy ...

 April 9, 2015

Spring is here and it is time to get the raised garden beds ready ...

I decided to get a little 2 Cycle Mini Tiller ...

to mix in the peat moss and compost into the soil ...

instead of hand bombing it ...

It was just the perfect size for me to handle ... 

light and easy to start ...

Amazing how quickly it went thru the beds ...

it only took 4 strips to complete the job ...

One bed completed ... look at that beautiful soil ...

 moving on to the other ones ...

they'll be done in no time ... 

O happy day ... !!!

Although it is still early to be planting anything ...

I am really itching to get started ...

it won't be long before my seedlings can be planted ... 

A Family Outing ...

An outing for the family ... 

having homemade ice-cream and throwing coins into the water fountain at the Vintage ...

Nixon sitting by the fountain being a dinosaur ... too cute ...

then out having fun at Berryhill with daddy ...

apparently daddy was having fun too ... with his Coronaritas ... !!!

Looks like the picture of the Coronarita was more important than seeing Kendall ...

Last of all, Daigen hanging out at Berryhill ...

eating his chips and playing with his trains ...

A great day for all of them ... love seeing all the happy faces ... !!!

This is a picture of a few of Grandpas gifts ...

he received from the family ...

with a couple gifts tucked in for Grandma as well ... 

Thank you so much for everything ... love the pictures ... !!!

The Bet ...

April 7, 2015

The bet was on that James could not be quiet for 5 minutes ... for five dollars ...

he suggested taping his mouth shut ...

Grandpa had some duct tape to do the job ...

the timer was set ...

tic ... tic ... tic ...

and lo and behold ... it actually worked ...

although, there were a few giggles during that time ... !!!

The rush was on ...

to complete another puzzle ...

before it was time to head back to Alberta ...

The "Floor of Puzzles" ... in my kitchen ... !!!

AND 

Yes ... they did help to put every one of them away ... 

ready again for the next time ... !!!

They love doing puzzles at Grandmas house ... 

Let's Play While We Wait ...

April 7, 2015

While the hot tub water was heating ...

the grandchildren were hungry  ... and wanted lunch ...

they wanted to have roast hot dogs over an open fire ...

wood was gathered and a fire started in the pit ...

More sticks were needed to cook the hot dogs ...

Grandpa and Ella went to get more willow sticks ...

then the kids spent the time whittling them a sharp point ...

After lunch ...

the games were on ... badminton to start ...

then 

Katie brought out her golf clubs ...

and hit a few balls ...

then Craig was given some instructions on his golf swing ...

 James and Ella figured it was time to try out the hot tub ...

and they insisted that Grandpa join them ...

Once Craig was finished his golf lesson ...

he went to the hot tub and stuck his feet in ... not enough time for him to go in ...

as they were going into town to meet Nathan for dinner ...

I ended up going in the hot tub once they had gone ...

It felt good after raking out the gravel ...

that Mike had dumped along the pathway ...

All the gravel was spread ...

the gang arrived home ...

and the first thing they wanted to do ...

was to hop in the hot tub ...

they loved all the different colours illuminating from the light ...

in the dark night ... !!!

There will be many more days and nights ...

 that the hot tub will be enjoyed ... !!!

Hot Tub Delivered ...

April 7, 2015

It was an exciting day for our family ...

we were ready for the hot tub to be delivered ...

The guys put the hot tub in place ...

they were impressed that the site was so well planned out ...

no adjustments needed to level it ...

they attached the motor ...

and I started to fill the tub with water ...

At last it was time to install the cover ...

and for Nathan to hook up the electrical ...

to get this hot tub started up ... !!!

A few hours of treatment and it would be ready to jump in and relax ... !!!

Going To The Movies ...

It was a cloudy day ... periods of rain ... 

we needed a break from working so hard ...

so it was decided for all of us to go into town ...

and see the movie "Home" 

Spending time in the arcades before and after the movie ...

It was a really cute movie ... enjoyed by all of us ... !!! 

I later learned that Daigen and Nixon went to the movie ...

to see "Home" as well ...

Glad that they were able to have some family time together ... !!!

Working The Backhoe ...

Craig had approached Grandpa ...

to teach him how to work the backhoe ...

There was an area that Mike wanted to level out a bit ...

so it was the perfect place for Craig to try it out ...

James had been riding the dirt bike around ...

he soon stopped to see what was going on  ... 

and just like his brother ...

he wanted to try running the backhoe as well ...

It wasn't long before Ella had come around on her quad ...

stopping to have a look as well ...

She was so excited to have a turn ... !!!

All three of them took to it like fish to water ...

they loved it ...

Amazing how well they did handling the levers ...

understanding which ones to use ...

to lower ... scoop up ... move and dump ... !!!

So proud of them ... !!!

(Can't wait for Daigen and Nixon to try it out too ...)

Moving Patio Blocks ...

It was time to move the patio blocks out of the way ...

all three of the grandchildren ...

were lending a hand in helping Grandpa ...

Each of them taking turns lifting up the slabs ... with a crowbar ...

for Grandpa to pick them up ... stack a few and haul the extras away ...

Gravel and sand were hauled in ...

Mike spreading it to make a level base ...

to place the patio blocks ...

for a solid foundation ...

James and Ella figured it was time for a break ...

they wanted a bonfire to roast marshmallows ...

Nathan helped Mike install the new cable ...

thru the ceiling of the house ...

 from one end to the other ...

Mike under part of the deck installing the GFI box ...

getting everything ready to terminate for power ...

Craig and James working hard at playing ...

on the old Apple II GS ...

They just love that old computer in the shop ... !!!