Week ending October 1, 2006.
Its that time! Sandals and shorts are still appropriate during the day, but mornings are becoming very chilly. Its time to start the wood burning stove.
Many of you city folk don't appreciate the necessity of a clean chimney, but when burning wood, its essential. A chimney fire is not only terrifying, it can be disastrous.
Herman, the local chimney cleaner on the island, has been away all summer cruising on his sailboat. I wanted his attention quickly when he returned. So I prepared a greeting card, complete with a picture of the house and chimney, inviting him to our chimney cleaning party; BYOB (Bring Your Own Brush) and other welcoming phrases. It was a professional job. Herman was confused at first when he finally arrived home and found the card slipped under his door. But it worked; we were his first customer of the season on Monday morning.
Yes, times are changing. Marit called me from the garden Friday morning to witness the end of another landmark. The ferry dock across the water at Buckley Bay has been renovated with a new dock and loading ramp. Its a low profile "state of the art" concrete mechanism. The old landing with its huge creosoted pilings, cables, and gears was being removed. And the wharf was being dismantled. Marit called me to see its departure; two barges loaded with the dismembered pieces of the old landing was finally being towed away.
Glancing over at Buckley Bay (below, left) the ferry landing appears very different; sleek and tidy, but lacking character. Nostalgic? Sentimental?... Heck no! Get a life! I'm just wondering what happened to the dozens of pigeons that nested on the beams under the old dock. Where will they find a new communal home? I hope they don't flock over to Denman.
Incidentally, for a "state of the art" structure, the approach the new ramp seems poorly designed. No matter what the tide level, there always seems to be a major bump on the top, and it slows the unloading of the ferry. If it was merely intended as a speed bump there are better methods to accomplish that.
Last Monday Marit went to see out local doctor. Her cold hadn't improved after 12 days; it actually worsened a bit. The diagnosis; bronchitis. The prescribed medication has certainly improved her cough. We're just hoping that all traces of the bronchial infection can be swiftly eliminated. This is an inappropriate time for illness.
YOu see, after being on a waiting list for over two years, Marit is scheduled for a partial knee replacement at the UBC hospital in less than two weeks. And she has to be healthy, or she'll be put back on the list. If all goes well, she'll become a bionic woman at the end of next week.
Meanwhile, we've started our fall gardening chores. Marit has been rearranging her plants, moving some and eliminating others. I've even had to mow the lawn.
Some of our plants were very stressed during the summer drought and now seem to be totally confused by the autumn conditions. One of our daintier rhododendrons has decided to flower now. Very attractive but I'd prefer the complete show in the springtime.
The tomato vine have developed a few of those small black botches on the stems, a telltale sign of the arrival of late blight. So I've harvested all the remaining tomatoes and will let them ripen in boxes indoors. The cherry tomatoes I've left on the vine and will continue to snack on them as long as they continue to mature.
Cantaloupe doesn't seem to like these colder single digit morning temperatures, and the vines all withered. However the melons all seem to have ripened so we're eating cantaloupe as often as we can.
The rest of the garden is still producing; a cauliflower and a cabbage were brought in today. And the broccoli are still producing an overabundance of side shoots, although they are starting to get very small. (Our meals are really heavily into the brassica family).
But we've obviously slackened on the weeding. This year we made an effort to eliminate the California poppies that were aggressively taking over everywhere. Somehow we missed this patch by the root cellar, and I think we'll let it stay.
Week ending October 7, 2006. (Saturday Update)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Yes, for any Americans reading this site, Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada in October, not November. It seems fitting; our harvest is completed earlier here in the North. Despite the large flock of turkeys roaming wild in this area, our bird came plastic wrapped from the supermarket. On Denman Island there is such a large number of vegetarians that I think we are in the minority. I wonder what "those others" eat for Thanksgiving dinner. (No wonder the turkey flock survives). We're celebrating Thanksgiving a couple days early. Today is the last full day of a visit by Erik and we wanted to share this time with him. It may be his last Thanksgiving for many years. They don't have this holiday or custom in Norway.
It was rather sudden, but Erik has decided to move to Norway. His employer in Vancouver was sorry to lose him, but couldn't entice Erik enough to change his mind. Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll drive Erik back to Vancouver and stay to take him to the airport on Monday. On Wednesday, suffering the full effects of jet-lag, he'll report to his new job in Oslo.
Is the world turning faster, or am I just slowing down in my old age?
There was another sad loss on Denman this week. A friend, and long time resident, Bob Andor died Wednesday night. It was rather sudden, less than a month after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. His entire family, as well as the Denman medical and home support system has rallied around him during his final days at home.
Somehow, other mundane happenings this week don't seem so very significant. The days are getting cooler; it was only 4 degrees this morning. There have been a few clouds, but no rain for some weeks now.
Update Sunday morning; Rain. I was awakened at midnight last night by the sound of rain pounding heavily on the roof
These two pictures show different views of the Beaufort Mountains across from us. On the left, the sun is setting behind the clouds two days ago. Below right, the moon is setting this morning. It was the Harvest Moon; a very bright full moon.
Next week, the update MAY be a little late.
On Wednesday, Marit and I will be traveling again to Vancouver. On Thursday she has a series of consultations at the Vancouver General Hospital. And if all is well, she'll undergo a partial knee replacement operation at the UBC Medical Hospital (University of B.C.). We're fortunate that Lise and Gary have offered their guest room for her convalescence. Thanks Lise, we're lucky you're there. When she'll be well enough to endure the rigors of the 5 hours trip back, by car and ferry, we don't know.
But she's a tough viking. I suspect she'll grit her teeth and come home early. The next update shouldn't be too late.
Well son, good luck on your new ventures in Norway. I know I'm going to miss you just as much as mom will.
Thanks for coming up and spending the past few days with us. Let's keep the computer communications active. Maybe I should get a web cam.
Now I don't want to be nosy, or insensitive, but did you really mean it when you said there was no young lady being pursued this time? Just wondering.
Week (& 1/2) ending October 17, 2006.
She's back! Roll up the scatter rugs!
Last week we drove to Vancouver for Marit's knee replacement. Most of Thursday was spent at the Vancouver General Hospital undergoing pre-operative examination and counseling. Then bright and early, 6:30 AM on Friday 13th, we reported to the hospital at the University of British Columbia.
Marit chose to have a spinal injection to avoid the complications of anaesthesia. During the operation she was awake and aware of the "carpenter" sawing, hammering' and chiselling on her leg. (Fortunately she wasn't allowed to watch on a television monitor.)
Later in the recovery room, she was sick. Avoiding anaesthesia hadn't helped. Nausea ad nauseum! And for two hours after the operation she was paralyzed from the waist down. She felt great relief when finally she was able to wiggle her toes. (I think the nurse and medical staff who were encouraging her were relieved too.)
Sleeping was difficult the first night; every hour she was awakened to have her pulse and blood pressure monitored. But the heavy dosage of Dramamine given to control the nausea helped her to get a few naps between the checks.
Friday evening while Marit suffered in recovery, I was close by. I was just down the road at the nearby Chan Centre where the Vancouver Symphony was performing "Bach & Beyond" (Bach contata No. 51, Hayden Symphony No. 64, and Mozart Symphony No. 40). I'm sure this splendid concert was fated to be nearby just to divert my concern that evening.
The next day at the hospital, the physiotherapy staff showed Marit the exercises she should regularly perform during the coming weeks; some of them are excruciatingly painful. They taught her how to walk with crutches, how to manage stairs, how to inject herself with a hypodermic needle for the next 8 days, and even arranged for follow-on therapy in Courtenay. On Sunday, two days after the operation, she was discharged.
Staying with Lise, our daughter, was great. She and Gary were very attentive and hospitable. Such pleasant surroundings help the recovery cycle. Still. she was eager to get home and Tuesday morning we headed for the ferry and drove back to Denman.
She's mobile, and needs anything removed that may cause her to trip or slip (like small rugs). So far she's controlling the pain with Extra Strength Tylenol but has stronger pills available if necessary. On Thursday she reports to physiotherapy in Courtenay for her first session.
I expect her recovery will be relatively rapid. But I also realize the following weeks will be rather a hell of a time for her. Movement is slow and painful. Twisting into comfortable sleeping positions is impossible. Baths will not only be difficult, they are forbidden until the staples are removed in a couple weeks. She's prohibited from driving for the next six weeks, so I'll be chauffeur, butler, and handyman for a while. Someday she may look back and joke about this, but probably not this year.
Last week before we left, we noticed a very light frost on the ground. So I harvested most of out butternut squash and brought it into our kitchen storage area. Most still had a faint line of green at the top but I think they're sufficiently ripe to store well. I hope.
Coming home we find many of the garden plants are displaying their fall colouration, but the vines have not all succumbed to frost. I could have left them longer.
In our absence there was approximately 1/2 an inch of rain; nothing like the deluge that fell on Vancouver last weekend but enough to keep the plants well watered.
Well, tomorrow I'll have to check around the homestead and see what changes have occurred on the island. At least something new must have washed up on the beach.
Week ending October 22, 2006.
She's a terrible patient! Instead of healing gracefully by lounging and allowing her "butler" to serve her every whim, Marit insists on hobbling around on crutches, doing things for herself, pushing her activity as much as she can tolerate, and sometimes just getting in the way. Stubborn viking. But at least she lets me cook and claims to enjoy the food.
For anyone who didn't catch my mid-week update, Marit had knee replacement surgery on Friday 13th. Today is day 9 of her recovery. Her movement is slowly improving but her pain remains undiminished.
In spite of her impatience and restlessness, she is forced to spend most of her time quietly with her leg elevated. That's why we were forced to miss the "Lark for the Park Gala" at the community hall Friday evening; a fund raising event for the Denman Conservancy Association. All reports indicate it was well attended, highly entertaining, and very successful.
The fall season is definitely upon us. A fire in the stove is needed every morning to warm up the house. Outdoors, the surviving plants have taken on a new appearance. Some of our exotic garden plants are strikingly colourful. But in the natural landscape our local foliage is quite drab compared to the brilliance that occurs in the east. The golden colours of maple trees on the hillside are the most we can expect.
This distant photo of a Buckley Bay hillside was intended to highlight the two boats, not the tree colouration. New aquaculture leases have been granted out in the water on the far shore. Rows of oyster cages are suspended near the shoreline. (Oysters grow very rapidly when they can constantly feed and are protected from predators). The only surface structures on the water are supposed to be inconspicuous floats. But in reality, I see that each lease has large aluminum skiffs constantly working the area all day. The far shore is becoming very industrialized.
Back on Denman we're still struggling to retain our "natural" spaces. Yesterday the Denman Conservancy led a walk through one of the properties that they are imminently acquiring as a result of settlement of a lawsuit with the logging company that ravaged much of the island several years ago.
Everyone was enthusiastic, despite the cold foggy conditions that have been prevalent the past couple of days. The wetland areas are particularly treasured. The marsh below will soon shelter some trumpeter swans. Its a great area for winter birding. (Click on that picture for an enlargement; its really an enchanting area).
Most of the area was clearcut 5 - 6 years ago but it is showing signs of young seedlings regenerating. I expect to remain alive on this island for enough years to watch them grow into sizable trees
Next Saturday, a similar walk is planned for the Railway Marsh area at the north end of the island.
At home in the garden I've planted my garlic cloves. In this area, October is THE month to plant garlic. They survive our winters well and have a headstart early next spring.
I've also had a delivery of several yards of equine manure and I'm mixing it with garden wastes making large piles of compost.
Or to express it more simply; I've been playing with horse shit and garden garbage, magically transforming it into magnificent garden soil. I hope.
And tomorrow, Marit continues her twice a week, six weeks of physiotherapy, in Courtenay; her faithful chauffeur accompanying her.
Week ending October 29, 2006.
The staples were removed on Friday.
Instead of stitches, Marit's knee was stapled together after the operation. When she left the UBC Hospital she was given a "staple remover" since many doctors don't have the appropriate device. Last Friday (exactly two weeks after the operation) she hobbled into our doctor's office, gave him the remover, and had it done. There was a small amount of bleeding so she had to wait until Saturday for the luxury of soaking in a warm bath.
She is improving. She said her exercises are getting better. And she's decreasing the use of pain medication. Her mobility is definitely increasing, both indoors and outdoor. She's even managed to bake two pies, apple today and pumpkin earlier. She's hoping, and expecting, that the therapist will allow her to progress to using just one crutch soon.
Me? I'm doing just fine; thanks for asking. But I'll admit that all this meal preparation and dish washing seems to be taking up a lot of my day. I'm hoping she's able (and willing) to take over by Christmas.
The weather has been a bit mixed. We've missed most of the storms and rain that have approached the coast. Even todays strong winds and cold front was slow in arriving. But finally it came late in the morning and stirred up the waters of Baynes Sound. I took this photo a few hours ago at the foot of our stairs.
Despite the havoc that occurred nearby in Comox, we didn't lose power. Our trees must be getting stronger. The power loss a few weeks ago was apparently caused by inappropriate use of a chain saw.
Saturday morning the Denman Conservancy led another of its walks through the natural areas of the island. This time we explored an area known as Railway Marsh. The name originated from the old railway that used to run through the area. The railway has been gone long ago but the original bed is still very much in evidence as a steady grade cutting through the landscape.
Its strange to think that there were a number of railways operating on little Denman Island less than 100 years ago. This one was the largest, meandering across the northern width of the island. Its function was to move the large logs of the original forest to the dumping site on the coast. Logs were then boomed together and floated to the sawmills.
This area is particularly significant. As a result of a lawsuit instigated earlier by the Denman Conservancy, this area is in the process of being protected by a covenant against development or disturbance. Damage inflicted by recent logging incursions will heal over time and this sensitive wetland will survive.
The group completed a circumnavigation of the wetland areas via the original railway grade and a series of logging roads; about a 5 kilometer trek. Along the way quite a number of interesting sightings were made by the youngest member of the group. A young girl spotted a beaver swimming nearby keeping a watch of us. She was the one who found the black cricket in the sand, the water bug on an isolated puddle, and the odd mushrooms on the side of a log. Every hike should bring along such a keen observer.
I was particularly happy that the foliage along the way was now dry. On Friday I assisted the leader of the walk, John Millen, clearing part of the trail. We used bow saws to cut fallen trees and wrestled the logs off to the side. I'm sure John was as soaked as I was.
Last Monday a new visitor made a brief stop on the top of our cedrus deodara. (Sorry, I don't know a common name for the tree). It was very patient; it waited while I ran back to the house for binoculars, ran back again for the camera, and again for the camera card. It was the first Western Meadowlark I can recall seeing. Apparently it is uncommon but is known to appear in this area (the Comox Valley) in winter. After allowing me a single picture he disdainfully turned his back to watch something more interesting, and soon flew off.
The annual Trumpeter Swan count starts again next Tuesday; (an interesting way celebrate Halloween). So I can look forward to a winter full of Tuesday mornings trudging off to the marshes.
Tomorrow I'll have to get up a little early. Not just because Marit has to go to physiotherapy again, but because I'll have to get the house heated. The first cold spell is forecast, down to -3 C tonight. I hope the rhododendrons aren't taken by surprise.
Week ending November 5, 2006.
Well, its November. What else would we expect.
The week began with the first hard frost of the season. Its strange; something so white turns other things so black. Plants such as the dahlias instantly blackened and died. The garden has taken on a completely changed complexion.
But the nights of -5 degrees centigrade didn't stay. By mid week, a stream of air from Manila brought warmth of +15. It also brought the remnants of Typhoon Cimaron, a powerful storm that killed 15 people in the Philippines. We've had winds and rain; my rain gauge is currently at 62 mm, and worse is forecast for tonight.
Apparently Cimaron means "wild ox" in the Philippine language. I'm not familiar enough with the animal to know if thats an appropriate name for the storm.
Marit is continuing her recuperation. She's weaned off the pain pills, and is progressing to use just one crutch. She can manage to flex her knee for the complete revolution when exercising on the stationary bicycle. But the movements are still just as painful
Its just over three weeks since she had the knee replacement operation, but she feels she's not progressing as well and as quickly as she expected. She's a bit discouraged. Others, who have seen or experienced the knee operation, tell her she's progressing really well. I'll bet there will be a world of difference in another three weeks.
Meanwhile, we'll continue tomorrow morning with another trip to the physiotherapist in Courtenay.
A lot of eagles have returned to the area after a brief absence. (I understand they were holidaying down near the Harrison Lake resort.) The pairs are sometimes very noisy when they're calling; screaming actually.
I took this picture earlier this week of two eagles having a discussion in a tree just behind our house. Despite my progressive hearing loss, I felt that some of their calls were downright painful; so loud and shrill.
For the smaller birds, I finally put out my feeders. The winter smorgasbord is now being served in the Birkeland backyard. There's one change this year; I took a tip from a friend on the island and built a circle of wire mesh around the ground feeder. Most birds have no problems slipping through the 2 inch (5 cm) openings and they're safe from the neighbourhood cats and other predators. It keeps out the crows too.
All the old friends came back so quickly that I suspect they were just waiting for me to get off my butt and feed them. Even my "special guest", the white-crowned sparrow made an early appearance. I was surprised to see the lone California quail, (probably the only one on the island), had survived the year and showed up for his feeding too. Unfortunately he couldn't get through the wire mesh to eat the cracked corn. So I've provided a separate container outside containing "chicken scratch", a blend of larger grains for bigger birds. Looks like the smaller golden-crowned sparrows are very fond of it too.
On the first day of the swan count, I wasn't surprised to find that my assigned marsh was empty of swans. Only Mallard ducks were swimming on the pond. The Trumpeter swans have started arriving though and we've seen a few flocks flying over. Four swans flew overhead today, appearing to be searching for suitable habitat. These recent rains will probably improve the marshes and provide a much more inviting environment.
This morning we had an unusual visitor. A sleek dark animal with short legs was running around on our deck. I was away walking with a neighbour, so Marit ran for the camera. Well, she hobbled quickly. Unfortunately I never did familiarize her with the telescopic zoom lens so the animal was rather small on the photos. We've had to rely on cropping and expansion to see the creature. But it is obviously a mink peering from the edge of the deck.
I'm quite familiar with mink; used to raise them. And I know they aren't interested in bird food. Birds maybe. (Especially chickens). Good thing I have the wire mesh around the feeder.
One last note: on Marit's suggestion, I took my "prize winning" pumpkins up to the local school on Halloween for the kids to carve. The pumpkins were grown for their size, not their taste. So "jack-o-lanterns" were their destiny. They were well received. And in carrying them (one at a time) from the car into the school I realized how large and heavy they had grown. I don't think I'll grow that variety next year; too hard on the back.
Week ending November 12, 2006.
Typical November.
Oh, there are breaks between storms but rain and wind is the predominant weather pattern. The record warmth of last week has given way to more normal temperatures; single digits just above freezing. The previous storm gave the Beaufort Mountains their first coating of snow. The winter scene is almost complete outside our picture windows.
I've lost count. This is either the 5th or 6th storm in a series that is causing pelting rain down on us right now. Strong winds are due to arrive later tonight and remain into tomorrow. Another is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. When I finally remembered to empty the rain gauge this morning I found it was overflowing. Over 135 mm has fallen during the past 10 days.
Not that I'm complaining. Its all great. The rivers, forests, and marshes all need this desperately. This (right) is a section of Middle Marsh where I visit every Tuesday counting Trumpeter Swans. Once again there were no swans at the marsh, only mallards, buffleheads, and scaup. But as I stood quietly and scanned the waters I was entertained by resident beavers.
I watched two beavers eat while floating in the water. They used their hands,.. I mean front paws, just like we do when eating a cob of corn. No, I couldn't see what delicacy they were dining on. Possibly it was water lily roots which are a staple of their winter diet in these waters. (There's not much willow in the area).
In previous years they were very intolerant of my presence. Perhaps they're becoming accustomed to visitors. They knew I was there; one beaver made some spectacular splashes while sounding the alarm. But still they ignored me while they swam slowly past. I think this fellow just wanted his picture taken. Just think; this magical spot is within walking distance of my home.
Today was another bird count; the monthly waterfowl survey. It was challenging. The rain was very light, but the water was choppy. Its difficult to see the ducks when they're hidden by a wall of waves. Even with the spotting scope our vision was limited to about 400 meters and the count was very marginal. Conditions degraded throughout the count as the wind increased and we only managed to spot a fraction of the birds that were out in the water. Still, there was a remarkable diversity among the several hundred that we did find. All three varieties of scoters were present; black, white-winged, and surf. There were lots of harlequin ducks and buffleheads scattered everywhere. And we even found a long-tailed duck (previously called "Old Squaw" before the politicaly-correct language police forced a name change).
Last month I was truant from this count; Marit's knee surgery in Vancouver took precedence. Mike was forced to recruit his wife to accompany him and record his findngs.
Now, four weeks into her recovery, Marit has become more mobile. Her knee does not require constant elevation and she can sit in the passenger seat while being driven. She even manages to do some food preparation, and has been really active in pie baking. Her mantra is "she has to do what she can". Personally, I think she really likes to mess up pots and bowels knowing that I still have to wash them.
Unfortunately any bending of the knee is still acutely painful, as is any twisting. And to regain the flexibility to walk, she has to continue the painful exercises of bending, stretching, and flexing. She still requires one crutch and is dissatisfied with her progress. I think there's still several weeks to go before significant improvement can be expected.
These last pictures were taken this week looking at the hillside across the water. They are "controlled burns" by the logging company. After logging an area, all the waste wood was stacked in numerous piles. Now when the rains have made it safe, these piles are burned. The picture (upper right) was taken Wednesday afternoon. It's just behind Fanny Bay, south of the ferry. On Thursday evening we were treated to this sight (left) higher on the mountain side. I couldn't help but wonder if it was wise; winds up to 80k were forecast for later that evening. But the fires had burned down significantly before the storm and winds hit that night.
Sometimes the view from our deck is more interesting than usual.
One last report: Our electricity service has been excellent throughout all these November storms. We've maintained power while many other areas have gone dark. Today BC Hydro purposely cut the power to Denman and Hornby. (They warned us first). The explanation for the four hour outage, from 8:00 AM to 1:00PM, was "testing". Maybe they wanted to find out why our service has been so reliable?
Week ending November 19, 2006.
I retract my final comments of last weeks report.
Our electricity supply has been lousy. We've had many outages, many times a day, many hours at a time. I can't remember a single day this week with continual power.
Oh, we've had storms. Today, according to the TV weather reporter, we endured our ninth storm of the month. Winds were only 80k this time, but when they switched to strong westerlies the power failed again. Today's rain was only 20 mm, but that brings the months total to over 280 mm at our house. But these continual storms and deluges are not our only problem.
The power to Denman, and subsequently to Hornby, is supplied by four underwater cables; three operational and one backup. They're old; past 50; near the end of their life. On Monday, (After the outage for testing on Sunday), one of these cables faulted. Power was later restored by energizing the backup cable. Later that day a second cable faulted. All week the two islands have been running "crippled" on single phase power.
This Monday (Nov. 20), BC Hydro plans to begin layinging new submarine cables, installing new equipment, and removing the old underwater gear. After a period of gradual conversion, approximately one to two weeks, we should be back to normal three-phase operation. The cables will have greater capacity, and the equipment will be more reliable. All will be goodness.
But for the next couple of weeks we may have power going up and down like a yo-yo.
I took these pictures a few hours ago to show the current conditions. The first (top, left) was merely to show we're "still standing" and haven't been washed or blown away. (Although some of our belongings had to be rescued. And the ripped-off latches on the gate will require repairs).
Water from the heavy rains are rushing out onto the beaches to rejoin the ocean. The gully shown on the left, about 150 meters north of us, is normally almost dry. And the ocean seemed to be galloping up to greet the new streams. The waves were quite impressive for the protected waters of Baynes Sound.
On the other side of Denman, the waters of Lambert Channel became too rough for the ferry to safely travel from Hornby Island. Twice this week that ferry was cancelled. On our side, the waters were not stormy enough to cause cancellation of the ferry to Buckley Bay. But we've watched floats of equipment broken away from "oyster farms" go sailing past. And a large aluminum skiff sank at its moorage across the water at Fanny Bay. It belonged to the shellfish operators. The boat can be retrieved of course but its huge outboard engines may be ruined by submersion in salt water.
I've been cleaning up the debris that lands on our beach. The aquaculture industry is the source of most of the garbage, including the plastic trays, the sections of nylon rope, and the mesh sacks. I used to think it was mostly of local Baynes Sound origin, but I found one piece tagged from "Amorous Oysters" down in Samsum Narrows. I find it alarming to realize that the entire coastal area may be fouled by as much debris from that industry.
Its also that time of the year when salmon carcasses are washed from their spawning streams, and occasionally are deposited on the beach. These are the lucky ones. They successfully completed there life cycle. All part of nature.
The rains seem to have benefited another of natures cycles. I found that Middle Marsh had more water this week, and two swans were feeding on its southern shore. These were the first two I have been able to report in our weekly inventory of Trumpeter Swans.
Right beside a picture of a dead fish may be wrong place to report this, but Marit continues to improve. Her therapist advised her that she's free to do anything if she can endure the pain. Unfortunately the pain is still quite limiting but she's walking with, and sometimes without, a cane. She drove the car on Denman Island once this week, and plans to drive to Courtenay soon. Next week she'll have her 6 week checkup in Vancouver and should get a better understanding of her recovery and progress.
One last report for those of you living outside of Canada, (or Canadians living under a rock). The BC Lions just won the Grey Cup, the championship of Canadian Football. Yea! Go Lions, Go!
Week ending November 26, 2006.
What a difference a day makes.
We awoke this morning to 20 cm. (8 inches) of snow on the ground, and no electricity. Instead of a leisurely coffee, I started the day shovelling the driveway; just enough to be able to back out the car and position my generator in the garage. Feeding the birds was only my second priority.
I wasn't aware that Marit was taking pictures when I cleaned of the bird feeder stations. (No, those aren't ear muffs for warmth, they're hearing protectors for the noise of the generator.) The birds were manic, almost pushing me aside in their rush for the seeds.
Yesterday morning at this time, the sun was just hitting Buckley Bay across the water and the world looked very different, even though the snow loomed ominously close in the Beaufort Mountains.
This morning, well, the picture below says it all. Temperatures are barely above freezing. Monday and Tuesday nights are forecast to reach -10 and -11 degrees Centigrade. And strong north-westerly winds are expected this afternoon. Fair warning for those Californians planning on coming up for their winter holidays.
Marit was extremely fortunate. After a 3 day trip to Vancouver for her 6-week knee checkup, she arrived home yesterday afternoon just minutes before the first snowflakes started falling. Her checkup was excellent. She was told her recovery was "better than good", and her difficulties were caused by inflammation and fluid in the knee, which was to be expected. She can expect this to heal over the next 3 months, and next summer she can expect to participate in all physical activities that she had previously enjoyed. (Except marathon running).
Maybe the assurance from the doctor helped, because she is now walking far better and is much more mobile. But when I commented on that, she expressed surprise because it was much more painful today that it has been in previous days.
Power outages have been a regular occurrence this past week. B.C. Hydro has been retrieving the old underwater cables that supply these islands, laying new submarine cables, and gradually cutting over operations onto the new equipment. Since this operation is accomplished from a specially equipped barge, progress is partially dependent on water conditions. Earlier this week on Baynes Sound I took this picture of the barge in action. (I can't tell whether its laying out or gathering in).
The cables previously terminated on the beach and were spliced there into the island overhead distribution system. However the site was at the base of a high bluff and was not accessible by truck. Maintenance was difficult. The new cables are being brought up the bluff (buried in a hand-dug trench) and terminated at the end of Kelsey Road. A large crew (below) has been assembled to prepare the cutover site..
Ironically, another of the scheduled power outages had been scheduled for 10:00 AM today. But I doubt that the crew will take advantage of this extended situation. They're probably far too busy with other panic situations in the area.
As to the mundane activities of country life; all the outside water taps have been turned off and the pipes drained in preparation for the winter freeze. The rutabagas and the winter beets were covered with old straw (and some seaweed when I ran out of straw), to keep them accessible throughout the winter months. And the broccoli plants were finally all removed. (The florettes kept budding, but the rest of the plant was deteriorating in a disgusting manner).
Before I quit, I have to mention this important event: Marit considers in THE MOST Important event. Next weekend is the Denman Island Christmas Craft Fair. On Saturday Dec.2, the doors are open from 10:00 to 4:00. On Sunday, from 10:00 to 3:00.
Yes, I know there are lots of craft fairs around Christmas, but this one on Denman Island is a "notch above"; widely known and respected. Both the Community Hall and the Seniors Hall are open to house the offerings. Marit is working feverishly on the finishing touches of her wares which will be at the Spinners and Weavers booth. Make a day of it and come by for the experience. Great crafts, and lots of good foods too.
Now, I'm done. When Telus, our telephone company, restores our ADSL service, I'll download this. Soon, I hope.
Week ending December 3, 2006.
Lets all sing the carol; "Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas."
On Wednesday evening we were ambushed by the weather. The storm waited until dusk to pounce. In the darkness I didn't notice the heavy layer of snow that was falling, and I was wondering why the ferry found it necessary to use its fog horn for navigation. At 8:30, the lights went out. By now we shouldn't be surprised by power failures, but this one was not scheduled. TV was supposed to be available all evening. Oh well. We chose an early bed time.
At early dawn on Thursday, this was the scene from our kitchen door. Very Christmasy, but very noisy due to the roar of my generator. Power was restored at our house by 11:00AM. We were lucky; other isolated households waited days.
Another indication of the approaching season was the annual Denman Island Christmas Craft Fair that just ended a few hours ago. All weekend the two large halls on the island have been filled with the hand crafts of local artisans. And crowds of local and off-island shoppers poured through the buildings both days. The picture on the right shows a section of the Seniors Hall taken at opening time this morning.
Just a short walk away, the Community Centre was similarly filled with vendors. And both halls served food; hot meals and desserts donated by a large segment of Denman's households.
Marit was actively involved at the Spinners and Weavers booth. Many of the guild members sold articles they have woven or knitted during the past year. For some reason, scarves and wool hats sold particularly well.
The picture to the left was taken this morning. The table is a little bare after yesterday's sales. Attendance appeared to be a little smaller than last year, due probably to the icy roads, and unplowed driveways. But sales appeared to be as brisk as ever. Marit's handworks sold well.
Incidentally, Marit has a tall stool hidden behind that coat rack. She can sit and rest her knee while still participating in the sales. Her flexibility and walking continues to improve. She even survived a trip over one of the floor power cables. But she still finds me useful as a porter and a labourer.
Fortunately the power remained on throughout the Craft Fair. Despite the Wednesday/Thursday failure, the electricity was still shut off for the scheduled outage on Friday afternoon. We understand that BC Hydro has now finished laying new underwater cables to the island and has completed the cutover of our circuits to full three-phase operation. But now they have to finish burying the cables on the shore. Its a manual operation and has to be done at periods of low tide. So tomorrow evening, starting at 8:00PM it will be cut off again. And Tuesday, and Wednesday, progressively later. Each night until its finished.
So how do we watch the hockey game tomorrow? This generator in my garage is rated at 7000 watts, but it can accommodate the heavier temporary surge when our deep-well pump starts operation. The unit has the convenience of push-button start. Both the computer and the television will be operating tomorrow evening. Really I don't know why more residents don't have similar equipment. We're prone to storms on this island, and there are lots of trees to fall across power lines.
But then again, some people would probably question my lack of a snow-blower since this is already the second big snowstorm of the season. Somehow the simple technology of a snow shovel seems appropriate. On Thursday I started out with a simple path to the road. And eventually I again completed the driveway and turn-around area. It IS less that 100 meters, although it feels like a lot more. The worst part is digging through the wall of ice and packed snow that is left at the road side by the passing snowplow. (And my serenity is really tested when the plow returns later to widen the cleared area).
Before finishing I want to express that I have great sympathy for the linemen that have been putting in long overtime shifts in miserable conditions to restore our service. When I think of the income tax bracket these fellows will have reached by year end, my heart really goes out to them.
We've been very fortunate. Despite the appearance of thin ice on Baynes Sound, the temperature wasn't so cold. We reached -8, but worse was expected. And the occassional days of sunshine feel almost balmy.
But I sometimes remind myself; this is still really only autumn and will continue to be for another three weeks. I wonder what winter will be like when it finally arrives?
Week ending December 10, 2006.
What a difference a week makes.
Temperatures have risen, sometimes as high as 10 degrees. Mid-week there was even a bit of sunshine. But most days have consisted of cloud and rain; just the way our west coast winters are supposed to be.
The snow of last week has largely melted. The picture on the left was taken this morning. By tomorrow the only remaining snow will be the piles at the side of roads and driveways.
Our trees had minor snow damage; the only casualties were some branches that snapped off and fell onto our garden. On Friday, at Marit's urging, I removed these from the garden shrubs and left them on the lawn until the weather improves. When I looked over at my roof I noticed how well the snow guards had worked to prevent an avalanche of snow, (and how well insulated the roof was).
My neighbour's trees suffered more. I'll have to go over soon and help Nick cut and remove a pear tree that split and a pine that snapped off at mid-height. I wonder how the pioneers survived without chain saws?
With the ground once again bare, the mob of birds at the feeder has diminished. During the snowfall, this fellow has been a regular visitor for his share. And for the past two days I've noticed his mate nearby when I went out to refill the buffet. That was a surprise because I thought all the female pheasants had been taken by the Coopers Hawk.
But speaking of hawks, earlier this week a Peregrine falcon paid a visit. It sat on a branch only 30-35 meters down the slope and leisurely tore apart and ate its victim. With binoculars I could easily watch from the frontroom window. (But I couldn't identify who had been invited to dinner).
I neglected to photograph the falcon, but when this big bird settled on the roadside wires moments ago I grabbed the camera. How many of you have wild turkeys perching outside your window? With the wires bent and touching, shouldn't this bird have been electrocuted? (I understand that makes the feathers really easy to pluck. It could have been Christmas dinner).
No, we've had enough power failure lately. Again this week, the electricity was shut off three nights in a row; (only for four hours each night, and scheduled for low tide). But now the upgrade and repairs have been completed. We're now problem free? Let's see tomorrow morning if the lights are on; there's a wind warning posted for 70k winds around midnight.
Its always interesting to watch the activities outside our windows. Last Monday, Marit called my attention to these structures being barged in the direction of Comox. I trust the owner has a suitable destination; from our viewpoint they didn't appear to be prestigious residences.
Other activities on the island are now primarily associated with Christmas. Next Saturday is the Seniors Christmas Dinner and Dance, put on by the Seniors Association. I'm certainly in that category. Marit and I bought tickets and plan to attend this year.
This will be followed a day later by the Denman Community Dinner; an annual affair at the community hall. This is truly remarkable; a free dinner for everyone on the island. There's a "pot luck" table of salad and dessert, voluntarily contributed. But the main course of turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, and vegetables will be provided by the community. I understand there will even be a tofu turkey available for vegan crowd. And finally Santa Clause will bring a toy for each youngster. (Readers, be warned: next week's update may be delayed while I recover from two days of excess gluttony).
This afternoon a benefit show was held for the food bank. Author Des Kennedy, who is a Denman resident, gave two readings; one from his new book "The Ardent Gardener", and another describing the community of Denman 30 years ago, in 1976. Both were hilarious. The event was well attended; standing room only for late comers. And Des received a standing ovation at the end.
Incidentally, Des Kennedy's new book would make a great Christmas present for any gardener. Its in most bookstores. I might even buy myself a copy after Christmas. (If I have to; hint, hint).
Week ending December 17, 2006. It was a dark and stormy night!
Yes, I know; that's the stalest opening line known in English literature. But its so appropriately descriptive.
The storm I mentioned last Sunday night was a few hours late arriving. But mid-day on Monday, the power failed again. This picture on the left shows the scene from our window at 4:00PM; the trees and the water reacting violently to the gusting winds. The wind continued to increase, and in the fading light we watched as thick showers of broken branches blew past. Many hit the house. It was like the opening scene from "Wizard of Oz"; I expected to see Dorothy and Toto flying past the window.
The next day we began to see the magnitude of the storm damage. All of Denman and Hornby were without power, but so were 190,000 other households in this corner of B.C. These roadside scenes show only a couple minor incidents on Denman Road. The scene on the right is situated just west of the fire hall. Before the tops were cut off for traffic safety, I had to cautiously drive on the far shoulder to pass.
In Fillongley Park I found many large trees laying with their roots in the air. One tree scored a direct hit on the park outhouse. Totally flattened! But more serious damage had occurred. Many home had been hit by falling trees. One owner claimed her home was completely destroyed. (Incidentally I just learned she will be temporarily renting at the end of our street).
There are many horror stories of this storm; at least one for every resident. But miraculously no one was killed. According to a newspaper report, Chrome Island (at the southern tip of Denman) recorded a wind gust of 175 km/hour. There are speculations of a small tornado. In any event, the southern part of Denman was the most damaged. One resident told of trees crossing every 10 feet on McFarlane road. I tried, but access by car was impossible on Lacon Road (the west coastline of Denman).
Due to the magnitude of the damage on Vancouver Island, no repair crews made their way to Denman until Wednesday morning. At 9:15 electricity was restored to the General Store and other establishments in Downtown Denman. (I understand it was too late to save the ice cream inventory). Repair crews proceeded slowly down Lacon Road to McFarlane cutting fallen trees and restoring power lines. The priority then was to proceed down McFarlane Road and restore the main feeder route to Hornby Island. Despite the additional crews and the long hours of work, the fallen trees and lines shown in the top pictures still hadn't been touched by Thursday morning.
A second storm struck Wednesday night. More trees fell, and more damage was incurred. But somehow this was a non-event; barely noticed in the general havoc. We were lucky. A crew dispatched into our area cleared the two trees and repaired the line on Northwest Road, and restored power by 2:00PM. The neighbourhood rejoiced. And even though we had a generator, the hot water tank was not supported. That first shower felt wonderful.
Damage was also substantial on the water. The aquaculture industry, especially oyster and scallop operations using floating pens, were decimated. We watched as broken parts of their structures were driven be the wind past our house. The litter is all along the western shore of Denman.
This morning I participated in the Christmas Bird Count on the northern end of the island. As we returned along the shoreline from "the spit", I began counting the black plastic oyster trays. I reached 167 before fallen trees forced us off the beach back to an inland trail. Apparently the aquaculture industry is pleading for financial help from the government. If it does receive assistance, I sincerely hope any financial aid is subject to the industry completely cleaning up their debris first.
Oops, I digressed. Back to our weather report. By strange coincidence, just as power was restored in our neighbourhood, snow started falling. Big wet flakes. And it didn't stop. Within two hours this was the scene on the side of our house. Take a good look, because that scene no longer exists. The owner of the next door property came up from Vancouver to check for damage, and decided that two trees posed a danger to his house. The two leftmost trees in the picture have now been topped; topped halfway down. It may no longer be as picturesque, but it does leave a clear line of access for my TV sattelite dish.
Speaking of sattelite dishes; another storm occured that most residents didn't even notice. Severe solar flares caused an electromagnetic radiation storm in the atmosphere worldwide on December 14th. It caused our satellite reception to sporadically drop. The interruptions were so frequent that using the TV was impossible. It cleared up after a day. Oops, another digression.
But Storms! Two weren't enough! A third was forecast for Friday; more powerful than the others. In fact it was forecast to be THE storm of the season. And it was! But fortunately it veered south JUST sparing Denman Island. It hammered Vancouver and smashed Victoria. But we escaped. If it hit with strong west winds as forecast, Denman would have been overpowered. Maybe there is some fairness in the world after all.
So Denman continues to clean up. This was the scene yesterday at one house on south Lacon Road. Fallen trees surrounded the house, but the only damage was to an outside storage tank. Yes, for those who know her, that's Jenny Balke playing the role of lumberjack, helping her neighbour clear off the storm damage, and even trucking away the cut up logs.
Electricity was restored to most of the island by last night. But after a full week, there are still isolated pockets that have not yet been reconnected. BC Hydro has been working as rapidly as it can with all the resources available. But the job has been immense.
In spite of conditions, the Senior's Christmas Party was held successfully on Saturday night. And the Denman Island Christmas Dinner was just held earlier this evening. From the size of the food lineup, I think most of Denman participated. I can attest that the food at both events was great. Great enough to cost me another belt notch.
And finally, in just a few days, winter starts.
Week ending December 24, 2006.
Merry Christmas everyone, from Marit, Harold, and Lise.
Yes, family together at Christmas is a special blessing, and we're thankful that Lise was able to spend this time with us. Erik, we miss you this year and appreciate your telephone call earlier this morning from Norway.
All the snow from earlier cold snaps has now completely melted. But fresh snow on the Beaufort Mountains is close enough to provide a wintry background to Christmas. Its very scenic when the clouds lift and the sun shines low on the horizon.
Today Lise was able to enjoy the new feature of this area; Storm watching. Like the Wikininish Inn on Long Beach, we are able to watch the fury of winter storms from the comfort of our living room. Its quite a sight as the waves build on Baynes Sound, and the large trees bend unbelievably low in the wind. It could become a tourist attraction since it now occurs so regularly, (about every three days).
Yes, the storms hit again today causing more havoc in the Comox Valley. The electricity faltered many times but only failed for a few seconds at a time; (enough to disrupt computer operations). But the electric stoves all kept working; answering the prayers from all of us on the island who celebrate with their main dinner on Christmas Eve.
We put up our Christmas lights this week, but were very unsure if we would be able to use them. The electrical supply has been very tenuous for the past two months. But perhaps everything that can fall or fail has already done so. In any event, we seem to be the small minority (only one) that seems to have Christmas lights shining this week.
Early in the week several friends joined us for dinner. It was great to have them for the evening, but the next day Marit came down with a very bad cold. We sincerely hope that no virus was spread to our guests that evening. Marit had a couple rough days, but is now improving.
So despite the storms, and the news broadcasts that have publicized our problems, we've had a good Christmas. In spite of her lingering ailment, Marit cooked a delicious traditional meal of roast pork and spiced cabbage. (I said traditional; vikings didn't have turkeys). And we carnivores are pleasantly stuffed.
After the dishes were washed and the table cleared, we exchanged gifts and opened the presents from friends and relatives that couldn't be with us tonight. Thank you one and all for your thoughts and your caring. And we wish everyone the best of the season in these final days of 2006.
Merry Christmas everyone from the survivors on Denman.
Week ending December 31, 2006.
Happy New Year!
Calm and grey. A perfect ending for the year after the excitement and anxiety of the earlier series of storms.
Unfortunately I expect at least one more power failure on the island soon. I noticed one large tree that is trying very hard to fall. Its temporarily hung up on the branches of its neighbour, but another good breeze should shake it loose, right onto the power lines below. (That large dead tree in the centre of the picture will eventually fall too).
I suspect the B.C. Hydro maintenance crews are aware of this situation because they haven't yet replaced the pole below it that was toppled in the first storm. It'll be easy to find on our main road, just west of the fire hall.
In the house, Marit is in no hurry to take down the Christmas decorations. "Isn't the custom supposed to be 12 days of Christmas?" Marit does such a wonderful job of decorating the house for the holidays that I have to agree with her. Its cozy, and I'll miss ornamentation.
Some of these pieces have special memories. The little fellow in the group holding the candle was present every Christmas at my parent's house when I was young. The small leftmost figure, built of stones glued together, was scavenged by Marit's father over half a century ago. However I have mixed feelings about the figure, lower right. The Norwegian word on top translates as "Welcome". But Santa strung up by his thumbs? That'll teach him for bringing the wrong presents!
During the week, the only notable activity was the annual Deep Bay Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 28th. The southern part of Denman Island lies within the responsibility of the Deep Bay count and the invitation was extended to assist. To my surprise, I was the only one to show up. So I spent the entire day with the coordinator, Jenny Balke, touring the island counting and identifying birds. We did well, failing only find any of the usual woodpeckers.
It was an interesting day. But it was also dismaying to discover that I was sometimes surrounded by flocks of small birds calling loudly in high-pitched chirps; and I couldn't hear anything! I wonder what else I'm failing to hear and appreciate? Probably many of the rich harmonics and overtones of fine music.
Fortunately vegetables make no demands on my auditory system. And they're my biggest activity throughout the year. We're still eating fresh from the garden. Yesterday Marit made stew, and all vegetables were home grown; fresh carrots, winter cabbage, and turnips, and potatoes from our storage. Delicious; the good life.
Tonight we'll have a quiet evening at home seeing in the New Year. There's a big party at the Community Hall, but even if we were so inclined, Marit's knee is in no shape for dancing. Her cold is still hanging on too with a persistent cough. So we'll do our usual thing: I'll watch the 12:00 o'clock countdown on TV to make sure I've survived another year, then try not to wake up Marit when I tiptoe to bed.
Once again, Happy New Year everyone.
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