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Dexter Destroys!!!
Do you need any excavation done? If so, Dexter could be your man...
We found this blocking our regular walking trail this morning and Dexter seemed to think it looked fun...
Sadly it also looked like they had dug out the beaver dam at the bottom of the hill... Have to wait and see if the beavers return!
Renovations progressing nicely! (Before & After Photos below)
So, we now have a total of 3 baseboard heaters in the house (2 new ones in the 2 rooms that we're finishing off).
It has been a long haul and Duncan has done it all himself! Here's a list:
1) Deciding what size windows to have where - taking into account updated earthquake regulations!
2) Choosing the style of windows and ordering (making sure the sizes are correct!)
3) Then, reframing and adding space for windows/French door and getting it signed off by inspectors.
4) Installing windows and door
5) Deciding where baseboard heaters, lights, switches and electrical sockets will go
6) Installing all electrics and getting it signed off by inspectors.
7) Deciding which type, buying and installing insulation in walls and ceiling.
8) Adding vapour barrier and sign-off by inspectors (he said Duncan got 10 gold stars!)
9) Deciding how much drywall, buying and bringing home (it's really heavy and snaps easily!)
10) Cutting and installing drywall - especially hard upstairs in the gabled roof-space
11) And where we're up to now - mudding and taping the drywall seams!! (see photo of Duncan and friend Paul - who is a bit nifty at mudding and taping).
Next steps are priming the drywall and getting the final electrical inspection done.
I keep wondering where all the time has gone. Well now I know! Soon we can paint and I'm having fun choosing colours at the moment! Hopefully this room (will be Dining room and my office) will be ready for Christmas.
Poisonous Newts!!!
Well, we found a rough-skinned newt on our walk today. Very cute (it's the second one we've found in the road and moved so it doesn't get run over).
I had no idea - but it's apparently RIDICULOUSLY POISONOUS!!
Which has its advantages - no-one wants to eat it - and that's why it moves so slowly. Only one animal preys on this newt: The Common Garter Snake. Other snakes will die if they eat a Rough-skinned Newt, often before the newt dies! The Common Garter Snake merely loses muscle control for a few hours.
Imagine a lethally poisonous rabbit. Rather than sprinting to its destination, it could saunter at the speed of a Rough-skinned Newt - the most poisonous salamander on the planet - found right here in BC! One Rough-skinned Newt on the West Coast was found to contain enough poison to kill 25,000 mice. Needless to say, mice are not one of its predators.
From the eNature website:
Warning The skin secretions of the Newts of the genus Taricha contain toxins similar to those found in pufferfish liver. These are among the deadliest natural toxins yet discovered. A healthy adult will die from eating just one Newt. Care should be taken to wash hands thoroughly after handling Newts.
Alcohol update!
So, to make our alcohol budget go a little further we thought we would make some of our own - starting with blackberry wine. But we seem to have got a bit carried away...
This is a list of the alcohol currently in progress:
That's nearly 25 gallons of alcohol! But this weekend, we didn't have any alcohol to drink with dinner...
Party anyone???
Can you believe that last week, November 6th to be precise, I picked a punnet of fresh blackberries from our 'garden'. Wow - that is one mild Fall!
So, today we picked a few of the remaining apples on the tree and Duncan has just finished baking many apple & blackberry goodies!
And of course that reminded me of the fun I had had earlier in the Summer with our friend Darryl's youngest children - Hunter and Danica. First we all went out and picked blackberries, then we mushed them in a pot (by hand - see the photo!) and then we made blackberry jam which the kids took home with them.
The best thing for me was helping Hunter and Danica (both under 10) see where real 'food' comes from and how it's made. For a while there, cooking with me was actually more interesting than the TV... And apparently they were keen to help Grandma with cooking when they got home.
This is what I'd like to do more of here on Salt Spring - inspiring people of all ages to grow, eat and cook 'real' food and to appreciate nature and all that is has to offer!
Namaste!
Well, no big surprise there - we never have had any! In fact THIS is (currently) our heating for the whole house ------>
Well, a stove and one very small baseboard heater. Both in a Sun Room that is not fully insulated...
And yet somehow this house is substantially warmer than our previous suburban house in North Vancouver - even when we get up in the morning and the stove has been out for hours!! This house - although it looks old - was built in 1994 and our North Van home in 1993. So far equal. I guess the major difference might be the number of windows (larger and more of them in North Van) and of course the house sizes... North Van was 3500 sq ft with a basement and this place is currently 700 sq ft (soon to be 1100 sq ft when we complete the two rooms in the extension).
Although living in 700 sq ft is a bit of a squeeze at the moment (mainly storage space/cupboards) I can't recommend a smaller house enough! It takes less than an hour for 2 people to clean top to bottom, it's cosy, warmer and obviously environmentally better as it uses less energy. And a small home really limits the amount of 'stuff' you can have...
Of course it's easy to recommend smaller having had the luxury of an enormous home for 4 years AND having no children.
But I am still flabbergasted at how WARM this house is. I used to wear 5+ layers, have the central heating on and a small heater pointed at my feet and was still cold! Now I wear 3-4 layers and yes, I use the small heater on my feet, but even though it's November sometimes we don't have ANY heat on during the day! I LOVE it!
And soon we'll have baseboard heaters in the finished rooms - just in time for when it gets REALLY cold!
Iain Banks: The Wasp Factory: A Novel
OK I haven't recently read this - it was a few years ago, but it is a landmark book from a very interesting author. (*****)
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
This is a great example of storytelling. A different (if overplayed at times) angle means Death is narrating the story of Liesel a spunky girl who lives in Germany in the Second World War. I didn't always like the style of prose/writing and it took me a while to get into it, BUT, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and interactions, the way such a difficult time is narrated, the 'human-ness' of it all. Sadness, a childhood interrupted - and yet not. Ultimately thought-provoking and uplifting. (****)
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
For info: This is the import cover design which I MUCH prefer!
The Great Make-up Debate - Part II
So, recently I have had a visit from a local 'Mary Kay' lady. She was very nice - helpful, encouraging and very well dressed (especially for Salt Spring!).
Now I LOVE make-up - it's like art - but on your face. I just wish I LOVED how I look without make-up as much as I love how I look with it, and this of course is what I'm working on. In fact this week I actually went out - to a number of stores - with glasses on AND no make-up! I am getting brave...
So, back to my 'Mary Kay' visit. We had a little pampering session where I tried various lotions, potions and then a little make-up. And so it was that I mentioned she had picked an interesting market - Salt Spring - where so few women actually wear make-up.
Her response was vehement, "And don't they look HORRIBLE!" Goodness. Here I am, trying to learn to love how I look without make-up and a fellow woman is saying how horrible women on Salt Spring look without make-up...
Now, to be fair, this is a bit like going to the hairdresser and expecting them to OK the fact that you only have your hair cut once a year...
Continue reading "The Great Make-up Debate - Part II" »
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