Of all the things I've been trying to work on, my blog entries are not faring so well, so here is an update on what's been going on on our little homestead since the last time I wrote ...
We have been working hard through the early days of February, battling the cold, rain and hail to get a jump start on our big plans for the backyard so that the new vegetable beds will be done in time for planting. The vegetable garden overhaul is just one step of the entire #backyardrenobywright plans.
It almost seems to early to be thinking of spring cleaning, but with cabin fever settling in I have found myself unable to relax. So for the majority of these first three weeks of 2016 we have been doing a MAJOR clean out. Not just tidying, but taking organization to a-whole-nother level for us. (Preparing ourselves for a successful, less stressful year ahead.) We have made two trips to the landfill already and a third one planned this weekend, bags and boxes full of trinkets, clothes, shoes and the "I'll get to that" projects have been carted down to our local thrift stores and the remaining items are being sorted, organized, cleaned and labeled and it feels so good.
When we moved into our home 3 years ago, we had successfully managed to accumulate around 15 plastic totes of "stuff", a combination of things we each had when we moved in together as well as things given to us after both C's parents and grandparents sold their homes. Just imagine the array of cra .... ahem .... "things" we had in our basement. So during our recent purge, we limited ourselves to one plastic tote each for keepsake items such as the Easter cookie jar I got when I was a child and C's junior ice hockey trophies. We sorted and condensed most of those boxes down into our one each and had 6 (!!!) empty totes left over. It was a great few hours spent in our basement, reminiscing over the things that had traveled around from apartment, to cottage, to apartment, to house with us over the last 7 years, and it was so great to see so much of what we didn't need be dropped off at the thrift shop to potentially be used by someone who really could use it. One of my obsessions is old trunks. It's their history and the mystery (look at me rhyming) behind them that has me so intrigued with them. Needless to say I have quite a few, so the obvious thing to use trunks for is storage. Except they're also a place just to throw things you'd rather not find a home for right this minute. So I have sorted through all most all of the trunks we have and designated them as specific homes for certain things, particularly mementos or items that I want to keep but can't always have out on display. For instance I now have a wedding memories trunk, a book shelf trunk & a horse tack trunk. I think that is an important note to take, if an item doesn't have a designated home, either find it one or get rid of it. Implementing this guideline into our home has really help me keep things organized. It doesn't necessarily mean that the item can't be moved around or kept somewhere else but when it comes time to tidy up and clear your space, does that vase have a cupboard to live in until it can be filled with flowers again? Does that blanket on the couch have a spot to go until its used for the next nap? Keeping our home tidy & minimal doesn't mean we can't have "stuff", it just means that the things we do have might have more than one use, that its presence doesn't stress us out because its over bearing or in the way. An organized space creates a sense of calm, providing more energy to be spent on creativity, other daily chores and relaxation. I find that when my house is tidy, I am able to hit my "reset" button, ground myself and in general that sets me up for a successful day. These are all things that are so important in the strive to a simpler life. If you had asked me a few weeks ago how my summer was going I would have told you "Busy". Busy with work, busy with the garden, busy with always bettering our home. But now if you ask me how my summer was, I have to stop and think and my answer would be "I can't remember". This summer has gone by so quickly and in the fleeting days of long, lingering hot afternoons I am saddened and guilty for always rushing. It has been such a process for me to put in to practice what I feel is so vital to living a simply happy life, every day striving to maintain a positive attitude while still holding onto dreams that some days really don't seem like they will ever come to fruition. But for now I can only forge ahead, hold tight to positive thoughts and tighter still to my dreams for our future. It's not always easy, but it will be worth it.
It seems spring is finally here in the South Okanagan. The cold weather veggies are well on their way and the inside started seeds are growing like crazy.
We have lots planned this spring and summer and every day we add more things to our to do list. Some of the things on our list for this year are renovating our mud/dog room, building a greenhouse, giving our garden shed a makeover and endless details around the house. C gave me a new camera for my birthday so along with all our plans for updates and projects on our little homestead I plan to photograph and blog more about all of them. For now I'm off to make pizza for dinner, hey I think I'll do a blog on that too!! We've had an unusually warm spring out here in the PNW, and although I am not sure what that means for our crops later this year I do know it means its been warm enough to start the garden.
This week I painted up the vegetable garden fence and gate and put the first of the seeds in; Red Onions, Sweet Onions, Spinach and Snap Peas. This is my third year of vegetable gardening, last year I yielded an excellent crop of spinach through the colder season. (I plant 2 new rows every 2 weeks to ensure a bounty of spinach for as long as possible before the heat arrives.) I wish I could say the same for the snap peas, they didn't fare too well, so fingers crossed for this year! This weekend I am working on my 2 potato towers, a veg I haven't tried yet! From what I've read I should be able to yield about 60ish pounds between the two towers for minimal cost. And that my friends sounds like Heaven! Tutorial to follow. I will try my hand at growing more tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, ground cherries, corn, spaghetti squash, lettuce, peppers and carrots! What are you growing in your gardens this year? |