Dreaming of fresh Catnip

Looking back over my last few blog entries, it seems I have posted quite a few cat pictures - well, I could not resist our big fella dreaming of fresh Catnip... We are all patiently waiting for the snow to disappear, and as a matter of fact, some new Calendula babies have come up in my newly 'renovated' growing rack parked in the workshop we have been working on - amazing anything came up at all considering the cold temperatures.

Hardworking guys and a Happy Mom

When I see the work all the guys are putting into the workshop, I feel as happy as this sunflower - a healthy treat to keep them happy would be something topped perhaps with a touch of chocolate -
Blend 1 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt, 2 TBS honey, and 1/2 tsp. almond extract in small bowl until mixture is smooth. Divide this mixture into two dessert dishes - make sure they are equal! Place raspberries on top, garnish with 1 TBS sliced almonds, and some grated dark chocolate.

Colour popping up everywhere!

Everywhere I look, there are happy colours popping up around the 'Workshop' gardens -from the rose-purple field milkwort and red poppies to yellow evening primrose, yellow meadow parsnip and multi-coloured zinnia's. I had never seen field milkwort before, so the Peterson Field Guide for Wildflowers came in very handy!

Are you looking at me?

Our youngest cat is trying to get my attention as he feels 'mom' has been taking too many pictures lately of baby birds ... how can you not when they are right in front of you in the workshop we are building. Momma bird is back on the nest again for a second 'batch' - she is feeling right at home in this noisy workshop. And speaking of looking, I should have remembered this is a construction site - I tripped last weekend and camera and I hit the cement foundation at the same time with dark bruises and a broken camera lens as a result!

Look what has come up!

Lots of action around the house with gorgeous tulips showing their colours, herbs 'stretching' their green limbs, camper being removed (sold to a happy young couple!), and workshop walls going up at lightning speed with the help of a bunch of teenage boys!

Latest Workshop News...

How do you spell frustration?...Ordering, waiting, then patiently trying to connect furnace stove pipes that are mighty cold to the touch! Better get back in the warm house and watch some more Olympic Games - go Canada go!

Things to do in a small country town

Look what came through our small country town this morning - the torch is off to Beautiful British Columbia - perhaps my dad and sister will get to see it over there... Seeing all the young children made me think of other family wintry activities to do such as:
-watch birds at your birdfeeder,take photo's
-make a 'manifestation' poster for the new year,
-go snowshoeing, skiing, skating
-'force' amarylis bulbs, grow sprouts in a jar
-take a class on healthy eating (such as my Healthy Digestion class in Jan.)
-exchange a smile and open a door for a stranger!

Come into my herb workshop!

The guys put in the four windows in the front, only 3 more to go - and those double doors you see will be the entry of my herb shop - doesn't it look awesome! I met some very friendly people at the craft show this weekend and would love to invite them to the workshop next year...

What just happened on the roof...

The guys have been working real hard to get the forest green metal sheets on, but the project that slowed them down a couple of days was the designing and building of three cupola vents which will support our weathervanes - you can see a couple of them on the photo. What you will not see on the photo is Mike's incident with the roofing air nailer - standing on the roof and hanging on to ropes, he accidently fired a roofing nail into his knee. A quick trip to the hospital, followed by a long wait and various X-rays, the doctor was able to remove most of the nail - so now Mike has been ordered by the doctor to take it easy for a few days...

First things first...

Thought I'd better get a blog in before my birthday...speaking of birthdays, how do you like my Bali Angel my mom bought me in Montreal - isn't she beautiful? Once our herb workshop is built, she will be my 'welcome' angel when you enter my herbal shop - I just love her!

Our youngest son had his first back to school haircut again last week, and our oldest son bought his very own first (used) truck - what excitement! Also, the building inspector came by to do his first inspection on the workshop - we can continue building - yippee!

Mosquito Shop

All the men have been working hard on getting our 'workshop' up - they are now putting up the sheets on the outside - not easy considering the mosquito's and black flies are trying to tickle them! I worked on the back garden area the last couple of days cleaning up areas where old firewood was stored (yucky bugs underneath, not the useful bugs), cutting the grass for the first time, transplanting some mullein and red clover, and I have been talking nice to my herb and veggie babies that are still in their trays waiting to be transplanted in the gardens...the weather has been iffy at night time and even dropping to freezing temperatures - hopefully all my plants will find their new 'homes' this upcoming week!

Blue Chalk on Dog

Well, we've been sooo lucky with the weather the last few days - not only do we have tulips coming up in the front garden (March!) but we started to work on our workshop in the back - my big guys put down the sill and I helped with cleanup and putting down chalkline but accidentally let go too soon and chalked the dog as well - oops! She was pretty good about it and simply 'washed' herself in the muddy pools surrounding the property...

My Ottawa, Ontario area herb farm is a sanctuary of healing for plants, humans, animals, birds, butterflies, and fairies. My husband Mike and our two teenage boys and I are in the process of building a multi-purpose workshop - 'The Herb and Fly Workshop' - where we plan to provide both informative and productive classes that cover topics from medicine making to flytying.

Mike is a fly-tying specialist serving the Ottawa Valley - he teaches fly fishing, fly-tying, and sells materials and tools. He is scheduled to teach 'Fly Fishing made easy' starting April 22-May 20 through the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

You can reach Mike at mikesflyshop@xplornet.com and to receive information about herbal workshops, contact Yvonne at fullerharvest@xplornet.com.

Grow with joy!