Search This Blog

...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The word....

And in the beginning was the word.
And the word was basil.
And garlic.
And parmesean.
And olive oil.
And cashews.
And the faithful servants asked Him..."What shall we do with the word?"
And He replied..."Go forth to Regina's and maketh PESTO!"
And the servants along with the beasts replied....YES!!
And so they went to the humble home of Regina and Jim...
And OH how they made PESTO!!
And rejoiced with the bounty of Regina's sangria...
And all was well in the peaceable kingdom of Katrina...
Amen.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Song for Friday...Coombs Bluegrass Festival


There's a great bluegrass festival less than two hours away...
It's next weekend...
Sun, smiling faces, goats on the roof of the market, camping,  great music...
Anyone want to go?...
 There's something special about a band that dresses up in their Sunday best...
Just that 'old time country gentlemen' look that drives a girl wild!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Number 7....or 63...

Today is Griffin's 7th birthday....
Or 63 in big dog years....
He's been my true companion...
We've walked hundreds of miles together...
Happy Birthday bud...
P.S For those of you who know the addage of multiplying a dogs years by 7...apparently for big dogs like Griffin who weighs 108 lbs, you multiply by 9...

Remember when....

The house is quiet now...
The nieces and nephews gone back home...
I hope their hearts are filled with those kind of memories which come back again and again...
".....oh yes, in the summer we used to go visit my aunt and uncle in the country...
we'd have picnics in the orchard..."
"....and then we would pile into the van and head down to the lake...."
Even the little ones, braving the jump off the wobbly wharf!
I've been there since the day they were all born and now I see them growing up...
It's a rare occasion for them to see each other but time knows no boundary's for cousins...
Getting along like a house on fire!
Chattering and giggling all along the way...
Already making plans for the next time they are together...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Introducing.....

The other day, my friend Wysti gave me this incredible moth which she found...
It's name is Antheraea polyphemus and it is a giant wild silk moth.
Have a close look...this guy is incredible...first of all, the size of it. They can get as long as 5 1/2" long.
At first it was just so pretty to look at and then I started researching the life of these moths.
They coccoon all winter and then hatch out in the spring....looking for love.
Unfortunately he had lost one of his antennae but aren't they lovely? Like a tiny furry fern...
This moth, when it hatches into the adult form only lives for a week and doesn't eat during this time.
It's only purpose is to find a female and reproduce. 
Sometimes flying for miles just to find her...
I find it ever so humbling to discover these other layers of life which go on around us.
Most of us oblivious to these small wonders...
His body fur reminded me of a Highland cow...
 I imagine him fluttering about at night...
for a week...
looking for that mate...
somewhere out there..

"I lingered around them, under the benign sky;
watched the moths fluttering among the heath and hare-bells;
listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; 
and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth."
Emily Jane Bronte
  Wuthering Heights

Monday, July 19, 2010

Room with a view...

Chickens are interesting animals.
The term 'pecking order' certainly comes from the delicate hierarchy of the chicken world.
When introducing new chicks into the flock, care must be taken to do it slowly.
These chicks were brought home as 3 week old balls of fluff and are now what you might think of as teenagers...
They spent some time in the brooder under a heat lamp and when they were old enough, they were sent out into the big world...
They've now found their place in the flock but keep in their own little gang.
They use to roost in the far corner of the hen house but have since decided they prefer a room with a view...
...and so they settle in for the night...
All is well in hen land.