September

Week ending Sept 8, 2002

Finally this morning, some rain. Not much, but an indication that the summer drought is over. This is our view of the world from the kitchen door at 4:00 PM today. There's not much green left in the lawn, except for the few stripes outlining the septic field.

A lot of the garden in the background has been harvested. And the tomatoes have been covered with plastic in an attempt to avoid the blight that the September rains usually bring. The two packages of marigold seeds I started this spring have really been successful in adding a splash of colour throughout the yard.

A few days ago, this was the view of a the south east corner of the property. It's not usually visited nor seen even though it's toward the roadside. This is a temporary holding area where things have been planted to keep them alive through the season. The dahlias were gifts. Daylilies, artemisia, and coriopsis are intended for other areas when sites are ready. Other gifts and remnants from our previous home are hidden behind. It's sort of my personal "secret garden" area. Even the blue spruce in the back has it's unique history. It was one of thousands of tiny seedlings handed out to attendees at a Home and Garden Show in Vancouver about 20 years ago. It was the first transplant on this property and survived years of neglect.

The only fertilizer I allow on this property is of a natural organic source. Seaweed is the most common thing I supply.

Last week we had some strong westerly winds that blew a good supply of seaweed up on the shore. Here's one of the truck loads that my old '78 Dodge pickup brought back from the beach.

While I'm on this tangent about gardens, I should mention that Marit has filled the freezer with produce and is now canning salsa, relish, and just plain tomatoes. She really is keeping busy in the kitchen.

Next Wednesday I will be bringing my mother up for approximately one week. We're currently rearranging the things in the house to accommodate her limited mobility. We're not sure how well mom will be this time, but I hope she'll be able to enjoy her stay.

Week ending Sept 15, 2002

Well, the rain of last Sunday was just a teaser; refreshing but not soaking. Summer came back and continued for this week. The lawn, which looked so lush this spring is now very brown on a hard baked surface. (After all, when we are dependent on a well, we don't waste water during a drought by sprinkling the lawn). Fortunately we have enough to keep the flowers as well as the vegetables alive and thriving.

Marit is still groaning regularly as the harvest of tomatoes continues to be brought into her kitchen. (Zucchinis too). Our freezer is full. She has to resort to canning now. And today she harvested hazelnuts; a whole bucket full. Obviously the trees have heard my threats to cut them down. Still, for every nut we harvested, the crows got three. Its difficult to save any of the harvest without netting covering each tree.

My mother is currently visiting. I picked her up last Wednesday at the Normanna rest home. The five hour trip was very tiring for her. She has expressed how much she is enjoying her stay; what a treat this all is for her. And we're delighted she is enjoying herself. But we've noticed that her mobility and motor skills are less functional than previously. She's primarily restricted to wheelchair use here.

Next Tuesday both Marit and I will be taking her back to the rest home and will spend some time setting up her belongings, and stocking up her personal supplies.

Here's a clump of large Maple trees beside the house. The leaves haven't been just changing colour, they withered and died during the summer drought. I'll have to wait and see if new leaves grow again next spring. Or else I have a close supply of great fire wood for the following winter.

The summer seems so continual that I've just built up two more raised beds and seeded them with spinach and arugula. What do you think my chances are of getting a harvest before winter wipes them out?

Today as this week ends, the clouds have come back and temperature has plummeted. But the promised rains haven't yet happened. Here's hoping.

Week ending Sept 22, 2002

Summer just doesn't want to quit. Sunny and warm is the forecast for as far ahead as predictions can be made. Last Wednesday we had a brief storm; rain for a few hours, and very heavy winds. And with the winds,,, power failure. Fortunately B.C. Hydro is very responsive, and had power back on within a few hours.

Loss of power is quite serious here. It means no water, since our well has an electric pump. And no drainage, since our septic effluent has to be pumped to a higher elevation for the dispersal field. In other words, no water, and no toilet.

We are now especially dependent on power, because I've just finished dismantling the outhouse that stood at the side of the yard. Here (above) is how the north side of the yard now appears (with the dismantled material leaning against the fence). The bare ground is part of the area that's been dug and planted in fall rye. I'm now watering it 4 times a day in an attempt to have the rye sprout and start growing.

Autumn is approaching. In fact it's only hours away as I write this on Sunday evening. And the garden is changing. Here's some fall colours.

Mom enjoyed the garden and the patio while she was here. We drove her back to Normanna on Tuesday and settled her in her room; exhausted from the long journey, and car sick from the driving. But she's since recovered and is happy she was able to have the visit.

The winter birds have started returning. Large flocks of redwing blackbirds are gathering in nearby trees. Golden crowned sparrows are again haunting our blackberry thickets. And the chestnut backed chickadees are now visiting regularly. The crows brought us a present today. They flew over with a ripe pear from a neighbour's tree, and dropped it on our car from about 30 feet.

Here's one of Marit's major activities; she's continuing to paint a second coat on the house. Climbing a ladder is difficult for her with the damaged knee, but she perseveres. Her other major activity is canning tomatoes. The vines keep producing.

Neighbours have had their tomato plants infected with late blight. But so far the plastic hoop covers have kept our plants healthy. And elsewhere in the garden, the spinach and the arugula have sprouted and have started growing. I'm really curious as to the fate of these crops.

But I have to agree with Marit's sentiments this afternoon when she said "I'm really getting fed up with all this sunny hot weather!" (And that's from a Norwegian sun worshiper).

Week ending Sept 29, 2002

The gods of weather continue to tease us. Only a trickle of rain once that was so tiny, it wasn't worth going indoors. As I write this, we can see thunderhead cloud pouring rain on the other side of the water. But the drought continues here.

It's been much cooler, definitely fall temperatures. Soon I'll be starting a fire in the mornings to heat up the house. In preparation, I've split this large pile of kindling from cedar shakes. A neighbour is having a new roof put on his house, and I've taken some of the old shakes that were torn off. Dry cedar; should be great.

After finishing the nail pulling, splitting, and piling, the thought occurred; "I wonder if these shakes had been treated with a fire retardant? It's mandatory in California." Maybe my kindling won't burn. And there's almost half a cord of it.

While the summer drought continues, our well is holding out and we're still able to water the garden. My ground cover of rye has sprouted and is growing. All the rye seeds that is, that the birds didn't find. My yard has become very popular with the feathered community. And the feeder I've put out in the back has only diverted a few chickadees, sparrows, and a red-breasted nuthatch.

Last night I forgot to shut the gate when we went to a concert at the community hall; (the Mark Atkinson Trio). And when we came home, the car headlights showed a deer standing beside the trellis shown in the photo. She left quickly, smashing through a side gate. Fortunately, in the morning light, the only damage found was a slightly pruned "Albertine" rose bush. I'll have to be more careful now as the daylight shortens.

Our squash crop has been very bountiful; these are Marit's favorites; Butternuts. We don't have to eat squash at every meal. But we should have it every second day to use all the stock we have.

We would also have had a two year supply of canned tomatoes. But Marit has refused to process and can any more of them. She's been giving them away to neighbours instead. Those plastic "tents" in the background seem to have worked well this year.

And for our relatives who are reading this; John, my brother-in-law, just had an emergency heart operation, a second angioplasty on the opposite side of the heart from his first one. He's now resting comfortably at home.

Week ending Oct. 6, 2002

The deer have escalated their raids on our property. They boldly walk up on our new deck now and eat our potted plants. Petunias seem to be a favorite; especially the flowers. And we have found some other advice to be wrong; deer WILL walk on wire mesh. They don't seem to be afraid that it will tangle their hooves. That's just a myth. We find they just stomp it down and walk over it.

Marit is now expanding her garden on the slopes INSIDE the deer fence. Even though they're are not supposed to eat heather, she's putting her two dozen plants on the protected side of the barrier. I guess the priority is increasing on the future project to expand that deer fence.

Incidentally, that patch of heather garden should be very interesting next spring. The black rod at the top centre of the picture holds my bird feeder. There's a lot of seed scattered around from exotic sources. Who knows what will be sprouting next season.

Here's my current project; a garden shed. It's off to a great start. That floor is solid 2x6 planks; pressure treated. (Left over from the deck construction). I'll have to get more material for the walls and roof tomorrow.

Fortunately the hot summer weather has finally succumbed to the more seasonal clouds and coolness. Even one night of rain. So far we haven't used the wood stove (or electrical heat). But I expect we'll have to start the fire before the end of this week.

Today a neighbour and I went for a hike on the north end of the island. This picture is facing south in an area known as "Komass Bluffs". This was an interesting walk; since the tide was low we could have continues on the exposed sandbar onto Tree Island (also called Sandy Island). It's a marine park surrounded by a beautiful sandy beach.

Unfortunately our return path took us through a corner of some property that has private communal ownership. One new member of this strata community accosted us and berated us for trespassing. Even Denman Island is not free of jerks.

Incidentally, another animal scourge has appeared in the neighbourhood; guinea fowl. They're slightly smaller than a turkey. I don't know where they came from, but a marauding band of approximately 20 birds has been roaming through my neighbours yards. So far they haven't ventured closer than the top of my driveway. My sentiments are the same as the farmer down the road who said "If they come on my place, they're going in the freezer."

Week ending Oct 13, 2002

Autumn has definitely arrived. This has been the scene at dawn each morning for the past four days. Solid frost. The thermometer beside the door has registered 1 degree centigrade. Our squash plants have shriveled and died, but the tomatoes are struggling on under their protective plastic tents.

The deer have escalated their raids on the neighbourhood. The gate was left open on the yard next door and my neighbour, Bo, lost his entire garden crop. They ate everything. Even the lower branches on his apple tree. At least one deer found a low spot on the fence between our two properties and visited my yard. Fortunately they were so well fed by that time they didn't do any noticeable damage. Just left their tracks around. For some reason a deer had to walk up into my newly created raised garden bed and "deposit" some additional organic material. Just like a cat in a litter box.

My lumber wasn't delivered until yesterday morning, so the garden shed has not progressed much. There's a bit more done than is shown here, but not much. I just realized I should find a window before finishing the wall in which it will be mounted.

One other project has become urgent. The potatoes that were recently stored have started sprouting. The crawl space under the house is too warm. So I have to dig an outside storage area; sort of a "root cellar". Mouse proof, water proof, and frost proof. And quick. Any suggestions?

This Thanksgiving weekend we have guests. Erik and Sara flew in from Toronto on Friday night. And Lise drove on Saturday afternoon. It's been wonderful having the family together on Thanksgiving. We just had a big turkey dinner with all the trimming. Very traditional. And with our organically grown vegetables of course. And very shortly, I'm expecting the pumpkin pie to be served.

Erik and Sara took the boat and went fishing out front of the house. They did very good. Those Kelp Greenling are very tasty.

I've got to take some time off and get back on the water myself.

Week ending Oct 20, 2002

We're well into the autumn now. Earlier this week the fog rolled in to cover the water. I went down to the beach as it drifted in, intending to get a picture of the ferry coming out of the fog bank. The ferry is there; I could hear it passing by. But the fog had become too thick see anything.

Can you imagine what its like in a small boat? Its impossible to tell directions; a completely helpless feeling. Fortunately the ferry has radar and compass; probably a GPS too. But if some object that doesn't reflect radar comes in its path, it could be disastrous.

Today the clouds have been hanging low, just above tree level. Great weather here. Except, no rain! Just a few light showers in the early morning.

Despite it all, these roses keep on blooming. This appears to be an amazing plant. Its a climber called New Dawn. We've only had it since spring, but its already proving to be a real winner.

Marit is back, after five days in Vancouver. The cat has been really confused while she was gone; so many people last weekend, and suddenly the place was almost empty. I think the cat's biggest complaint was about the heat; I didn't bother lighting a fire all week until an hour before Marit arrived back.

And of course, my garden shed. This is how it looked this afternoon. The rafters have been rather challenging. Even at the best of times, I'm prone to making errors in detailed measurements. And I've had to re-do the rafters once to accommodate Marit's "suggestions".

I'm going to blame Marit for a few other "goofs" that I made too. She distracts me with various garden situations that concern her. I lose track of the details I'm working on and start on something else. That's why over half of those rafters have to be trimmed "in place". I forgot to finish squaring and cutting some ends before installing them.

And I never did get out on the water and try for some salmon last week.

Week ending Oct 27, 2002

My current obsession is slowly progressing. The roof and door are finished. I've even put flashing above the door, and between the panel joint. The shelving inside was started today. Very soon I should be able to start emptying my garage.

We desperately need to get our car into the garage. Earlier this week the car was viciously attacked in the driveway! It appears that an army of seagulls targeted the vehicle on a bombing run. It was thickly coated with large droppings; the squadron made direct hits. I just hope they won't resume the challenge now that its washed.

Garden activities are continuing despite the late season. Tomatoes are still being harvested, although the vines are beginning to look a bit decrepit. The young plants in the raised bed shown on the right are spinach. Incidentally, in the background are a few of the compost piles I've created for the developments we'll be doing next year. We made the decision that this will be an "organic" operation; no chemical fertilizer and no pesticides. It entails a bit more work though.

Every morning I get my daily exercise by going down to the beach and gathering all the seaweed I can stuff into two large pails. By the time I carry this up the stairs, my blood is circulating very vigorously.

The plants seem to enjoy this approach.

Storing the produce is another problem. The crawl space in our house is too warm to keep vegetables through the winter. I tried, and the potatoes already started to sprout. So here's our latest attempt. Under these straw bales are containers of potatoes, dug into the hillside. If they stop sprouting; if they don't rot; if the mice don't get into them; we might have potatoes for a long time.

Despite our healthy lifestyle, Marit came back from the city with a flu virus. She hasn't felt so great all week. we're hoping she's started on the mend now.

Just a few more days left of this month. And it looks like this will be the driest October ever on record here. In fact, its been the driest six months, May through October, ever. This is not good!

But at least we're back on standard time now. Even in retirement it's like getting an extra hour of sleep each night. I just wonder how long it will take the cat to adjust to our new schedule. Being blind and almost deaf, she relies on her internal clock and her regular routine.

Week ending Nov 3, 2002

After a very long summer, we now seem to be starting an early winter. Lots of frost, and I understand there have been a couple days of record lows.This is how the home looked at daybreak several times this week.

Incidentally, don't try to expand this picture. Its blurred. I forgot to reset the lens on my camera after taking the next close-up picture of the rose.

We aren't harvesting any more tomatoes. Those plastic tents weren't effective when the temperature dropped so low. I should have picked all the green tomatoes when I heard the forecast of -5 C. Next year I'll be more alert.

But these roses seem to ignore the weather. Even this afternoon, there were fresh blossoms that will probably flower next week. I wonder if I'll be showing these blooms at Christmas.

The rest of the garden is being cleaned, and the plants moved around. The beds had become far too crowded after just one season. Marit spent a long day today digging and transplanting. Despite still suffering from the flu, from which she hasn't yet recovered, she insists on doing her part in building this landscape.

I've been moving a row of Eastern White Cedar trees that were languishing along the shady southern border. They're being re-planted on the north side beside the garden shed. Maybe they'll thrive with more sunlight.

All this transplanting requires thorough watering, because our drought continues. Rain is finally forecast for the middle of next week, but I'll only believe it after it happens.

I also took time this week to extract all the mason bee cocoons and wash them in a weak bleach solution. This is primarily intended to eliminate the mites that accumulate. Wow, there are a lot of bees this year. Hundreds and hundreds. I'll have to spend a few days this winter building more mason bee condominiums. There are a lot of occupants awaiting accommodation.

In the winter months the ocean tides remain quite high during the daytime. (Those working the clam and oyster leases have to work at night, using lights, when the tide is low.)

Here's the view down the final stairway to the beach. There's not much beach. The water is rippling very close to the landing.

That's really interfering with my seaweed collection.

Incidentally, here's a "heads up" to anyone considering joining this island life. Two houses very close to me are expected to be offered for sale early next year. One is a waterfront property. The other is a "water view"; across the road. Let me know if you have any interest, and I can provide more details.

Week ending Nov 10, 2002

FINALLY! The drought is broken. We are back to the weather pattern we are SUPPOSED to have in November; grey skies with clouds hanging low over the water, moderate temperatures, and rain. Lots and lots of rain.

I had actually forgotten about the puddles and the mud, and the wet tree branches that share their water each time we brush by.

And I'd forgotten how slippery those stairs are down to the beach when they're wet and covered with leaves. (Remember last week's picture?). Yes, the above picture was taken this afternoon, from a seated position after bouncing on my derriere down the last flight of stairs. One part of my anatomy still hurts, even more than my pride.

How much has it rained? I don't know but the wheelbarrows were overflowing. Some of the main storms have missed us, passing just to the south and hitting Nanaimo and Vancouver. But we have had our share. And the local forecast depicts rain clouds for as far ahead as can be predicted.

Nobody seems to be complaining.

The high tides have brought another gift. Yesterday I found a plastic 45 gallon barrel, perfect for collecting and storing rain water, washed up on our beach. I've carried it up and will probably put it under the eaves on the garden shed. I guess I'll have to install eave troughs now to fill it.

I've been away for several days because of some unexpected medical tests that my mother required in the Burnaby hospital. Coming home yesterday afternoon, I forgot my usual routine, and left the front gate open all night. Naturally this was quickly discovered by our major local pest; the deer.

The damage hasn't been too extreme. This hedge of Eastern White Cedar that I just transplanted, has been pruned and shortened. And I don't expect to be displaying any more blossoms from that New Dawn rose for quite a while. They also enjoyed the top leaves of the brussel sprouts that are still standing in a raised garden bed.

Oh well. One day, all will be avenged. After all, they are just walking venison.

Week ending Nov 17, 2002

Mission accomplished! The car is now parked in the garage for the first time. And this was accomplished in less than two years; (actually one year, 11 months, and two weeks after moving into the house). This momentous event was made possible because of the new garden shed. All the outdoor equipment and supplies were moved there. And the trunk of the car is packed with material that is to be taken to the regional garbage dump.

The storms and the rains have been continuing. My 6 cu. ft. wheelbarrow had been emptied, and completely filled during the past 6 days.

The winds have been quite severe; up in the range of 70 km per hour. Maybe stronger; strong enough to damage the fastenings on the gate. I've had to re-seat the ground latch, and develop a new heavy duty clasp to keep the two gates together during a strong gale.

More importantly, the winds took out the power in the middle of the night again. That's serious. The only thing that works here without electricity is the wood stove. No plumbing; water or sewer. No lights or television. And no morning coffee!!! Fortunately power was restored mid morning, before we got desperate. Good old B.C. Hydro.

We'll soon have an opportunity to test the gate latch. More storms are on our doorstep. The forecast optimistically offers a few possible sunny periods,... next Thursday.

Still, during the breaks between rain storms, we find the opportunity to get out in the yard. Believe it or not, Marit has managed to weed the rockery, and clean the car.

More time is spent inside. Sitting by the warm fire is one of Ozzie's few pleasures now. She's becoming more disoriented and discomforted recently. We can tell by her manner and appearance that all is not well. She's a very old and disabled lady. At least her bird catching days are over.

Just outside the window, the bird feeders are attracting the old friends from last year; chestnut backed chickadees, song sparrows and golden crowned sparrows, rufous-sided towhees, and dark-eyed juncos. Occasionally a red-breasted nuthatch drops in. And at times an invasion of red-winged blackbirds or pine siskins descend on the feeders.

Sometimes we even socialize with out own species. Last Wednesday evening we attended a big party for our neighbour who turned 65. As a senior, he's now privileged to the perks of island life; free trips on the ferry.

Week ending Nov 24, 2002

The rains have ended. We're back to dryness again; with clear skies, foggy mornings, and frosty nights. The rain that pelted Vancouver for 24 hours at the beginning of this week missed us completely.

The winds didn't though. A large branch snapped off a maple tree and slammed down beside the house. No damage, except that my stately grove of maples is gradually disintegrating. I may have to have them removed soon for safety . Fortunately, they make great firewood.

The hefty latch that I made for the gate worked great during the wind storm. It's so effective that probably none of my neighbours can get in to visit while it's engaged. I doubt that Marit could open it to get out either. Its only used if a wind warning has been issued.

The yard has changed considerably from this summer. The surviving grass is green again. The flower beds are bare; Marit has put a lot of effort into cleaning it up, as well as moving and rearranging the plants. And the areas that teemed with tomatoes, squash, potatoes, beans, and peas are now just fallow ground.

But other areas are still being developed. I've just planted a row of "pink princess" escallonias along the south fence. This is intended to screen part of the neighbouring property. It's replacing the slow growing white cedars that have been moved to the other side of the property.

In the south east corner (by the road) we are preparing an orchard. Six apple trees have been ordered from "Denman Island Heritage Apple Trees". And I'll be replacing two hazelnut shrubs with two plum trees next spring. (The crows don't leave me enough hazelnuts to warrant keeping them.)

Today Marit had to spend a few hours rescuing her strawberry bed from the marauding weeds that have stealthily smothered the inhabitants.

Even at midday the sun is quite low in the horizon. The days are quite short. And more time is spent indoors. Fortunately we have lots of interests, as well as postponed projects, to occupy our time here.

Marit has taken up weaving with the Island Weaving Guild and has been spending some time for several weeks now on a project. I'm looking forward to viewing her results.

And yesterday I finally bought that Bushnell Spacemaster spotting scope for viewing all the waterfowl off the beach. Haven't unpacked and used it yet though.

So we're still having fun. And thriving!

Week ending Nov 29, 2002

This is being posted earlier than usual; friday afternoon. Tomorrow I'm heading into Vancouver and won't be back until Tuesday morning. One purpose of the trip is to attend a Christmas party with my old buddies who are still at the office. I haven't seen most of them for two and a half years, when I took early retirement.

This picture was taken a short while ago, at 3:30 PM. The sun is already setting in the cleft of the mountain to the left. The days are definitely becoming very short now. By the way, the stake with a red flag is only marking the spot of a future apple tree.

Our dry spell is continuing, although with the fog and lower temperatures the ground is remaining moist. I hope all the transplants are not suffering.

This picture on the beach was taken only minutes after the one above. The smell of dead salmon is very noticeable at this level. And no, I haven't been bringing their dead carcasses up to put in my compost piles. (They're a bit too ripe).

There haven't been any storms for a long time, so no seaweed has been deposited on the beach. My exercise is suffering.

This weeks activities have mainly consisted of cutting more firewood with the chainsaw, and chipping up branches with my shredder. The shredded material makes great mulch to suppress weeds under my new plantings.

Marit has completed her first project on the loom. With Christmas in mind, she used festive colours to create this table cloth. The sparkles in the fabric don't show well in this snapshot, but its a striking cloth.

Incidentally, the scene depicted here is our kitchen counter. Not the dining room table.

To my old work mates; I'll see you on Monday morning. I'll try to not be too condescending to you poor people still struggling in the trenches.

Ozzie transcended the status of being a pet. She was a companion, teacher, and family member.

In her latter years she suffered from complications of renal failure; high blood pressure, blindness, and deafness. Finally, due to her increasing discomfort and disorientation, we had the veterinarian administer her final sleep on December 6.

Ozzie did not go quietly. She was a viking. When she sensed the needle, she clearly advised the vet and her assistant that she intended to damage them, and made a strong attempt to do so. A second effort was necessary.

She is interred on our property where she spent many happier days exploring and hunting.

Week ending Dec. 8, 2002

This has been an unusual week, with the emphasis on Friday, Dec. 6. While driving Ozzie to the veterinarian, a rock somehow flew into our windshield and cracked a star in the centre. It was as if we were being punished. And in sympathy, my computer also "died". It would not start in normal mode. Only "safe" mode. And it would not read the A drive at re-boot, making recovery impossible.

I've bought a new PC, An "eMachine" with an 80 gig hard drive, A DVD and a CD-RW, and 256 Meg. memory. But I find the performance disappointing. I'm not sure if its because it is running Windows XP or because it doesn't have auxiliary modules for graphics processing or peripheral buffering. I'd appreciate anybody e-mailing comments. I intend to return it anyway.

Incidentally, my old machine unexpectedly revived after being dismantled, and later resurrected for a final test. I can't explain that either.

Here's the house at 4:15 today. (You may have to click and enlarge it to see). The upper string of Christmas lights has been installed. There's still a string of clear white to be installed at ground level.

Christmas is approaching.

And speaking of Christmas, this weekend was the annual Denman Island Christmas Craft Fair. Its really a very notable event; artisans from Denman and surrounding areas fill both our community halls with their wares. And there are booths and offerings erected in the surrounding outside areas as well. The photo below shows only one section of one hall, but it gives a flavour of the event.

Marit stayed for a couple hours of the fair on Saturday morning before leaving for Vancouver. She's having a weekend with old friends; a Christmas lunch and a concert at the Orpheum Theater.

My jaunt to Vancouver last weekend was very enjoyable. Seeing the old gang at the office Christmas party was a treat; although two close friends, whose names I will not publish, chose to take that day off. That was disappointing; FH and JW, I want an explanation!. But the Vancouver Symphony on Monday night, and the celebration with another group of old friends on Sunday contributed to a memorable weekend. And Lise and Gary, thanks for the hospitality.

Here's hoping the forecast for next week is accurate. Rain is due. According to measurements on the island, Denman has had only 25 inches all year. We normally have twice that.

Week ending Dec15, 2002

This is being written Monday night. So why am I so late? Well, its hard to update a web site when there's no electricity. Computers don't run on candle light.

Last night we were hammered by a major storm, with winds gusting at the Comox Airport up to 120 kph. Hurricane force. Falling trees and even falling power poles caused power outages on most of Vancouver Island. Many major roads were blocked. And ferries were canceled.

Denman Island wasn't spared. The power was out from 7:00 PM until 3:10 today. Fortunately the only wind damage here was the rose trellis. That's the same rose that suffered the indignity of being a deer's dessert earlier this fall. I hope it doesn't sulk next year from all this mistreatment.

This picture to the right shows one of the problems. Just after I passed the fallen tree on my bicycle, a pickup truck tried squeezing by and got completely stuck in the muddy ditch on the side. (It was Wes Michin, the main carpenter who built this house).

This hasn't been the first power failure. We had a similar outage last Tuesday from a previous storm. The worst part of these power failures (beside the coffee maker not working in the morning) is the lack of water (we have a deep well) and the lack of sewage, (effluent is pumped from the septic tank to the drainage field). Its distressing how dependent we are on the power grid.

Sunday was the official Christmas Bird Count on Denman Island. I participated with a group along the south eastern shore of the island. Fortunately the worst of the storm held off until we had completed the count. Due to the high waves, our count was lower than usual. However when all the teams assembled their combined count we still totalled a respectable 60 species.

Back at home Marit has been cleaning the house and transforming the place with a Christmas decor. Over the years she has collected a sizable treasure of Christmas decorations and figurines. And with her craft work, our home develops a very festive seasonal atmosphere.

She's still finding time to pursue her weaving projects. And as I write these last lines, she's busy preparing her traditional pickled herring.

As you can see, we're keeping busy.

Oh, by the way, our drought has ended. We've probably doubled the amount of yearly rain in the past two weeks.

Week ending Dec 22, 2002

Merry Christmas everybody. Here's hoping this season brings serenity and renewed progress in your life's path.

Winter has now officially arrived, but it doesn't appear to be bringing any of the white stuff for Christmas. Just clouds and rain showers. And no wind this week, thank goodness.

Our neighbour were over for afternoon coffee today; shown here are Nick and Karen, with their son and his family who are up from Connecticut. As you can see we finished our Christmas decorating by erecting the tree yesterday afternoon.

Here's another view of our dining nook. Marit has done a great job in transforming the decor for the season.

And on the topic of dining we just came back from the Denman Island Olde Tyme Christmas Dinner. Can you imagine it? Everyone on the island is welcome to a complete Turkey dinner, with dressing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and gravy. For free! People are asked to bring a pot luck salad or dessert to share. And everyone is asked to bring their own utensils (knives, fork, and plate). And that's it. Santa comes at 7:00 PM for the kids. Everything is volunteer. Food is provided by the merchants on the island. And congeniality is shared with all the friends who meet there. Living on a small country island is really great!

Marit made this wreath on our front door.

And she's continuing her hand crafts up to the last minute. Tomorrow she is going back to continue her weaving; working as long as is necessary to finish her Christmas projects.

Believe it or not, I've still been puttering in the garden on occasional spare dry moments; weeding and covering pathways with bark mulch.

We're looking forward to Erik and Sara flying out on Tuesday for Christmas here; and later in the week traveling with them to spend time with Lise and Gary in Port Moody.

Once again, Merry Christmas everyone.

Week ending Dec 29, 2002

Christmas week. We were delighted that Erik and Sara were able to fly in from Toronto and spend Christmas with us. They arrived on Christmas Eve, in time for the traditional dinner of roasted pork and all the trimmings.

After dinner we had the traditional distribution of Christmas gifts. And later that evening towards midnight we experienced another event that has recently become tradition. POWER FAILURE!

Another powerful windstorm brought us our third power outage this month. We awoke to no electricity on Christmas Day! Fortunately I had recently bought a propane camp stove in preparation for these events, so we were able to make coffee. But a Coleman camp stove is not adequate to cook our Christmas turkey.

We had invited some neighbours to join us for Christmas dinner, so we all anxiously waited for the power to be restored. But at 2:00 PM we finally decided to postpone the turkey for a day. After cancelling the event, the power suddenly surged on at 2:30. After a brief fit of indecision we threw the bird in the oven and prepared for late dining.

The rather unflattering picture above shows us at 8:00 PM with our next door neighbour, Bo. The food was delicious. Unfortunately it had become too late in the day for our other intended guests, Rudy and Anne Lehnert. So we had them over the next day for another turkey feast.

Christmas was green. But this was the view on Friday morning. A thin layer of snow had fallen giving the place a festive appearance.

Later that morning traveled to the mainland to spend a couple days with Lise and Gary. We were very thankful we had the foresight to reserve our booking with BC Ferries. The lineup would have been very long.

More exchanging of gifts, and another delicious meal. Both Gary and Lise are great hosts.

Saturday was a busy day. After visiting their Grandma in the morning, there was a "Open House" for our relations to meet Erik's fiancee, Sara.

> They would probably prefer I didn't show the picture on the left, but I'm short on digital pictures today. We took a lot of our shots with traditional film. Here Erik and Sara are learning the capabilities of the new pocket computer that Erik bought her for Christmas. A very neat instrument.

Today after driving them to the airport for the flight back to Toronto, we caught the ferry and headed back to Denman. It has taken some time for the fire to warm up house that has been empty for a few days.

And the current forecast is for snow overnight. And strong winds! Hurricane force on the northern Vancouver Island! I guess I'd better get the camp stove out now, to be ready for tomorrow morning.

Week ending Jan. 5, 2003

The new year has come storming in. Literally! Storm after storm. Winds up to 100 km.

These storms have hit the beaches while tides have been at their highest of the year; over 17 feet, (5.2 meters). The waves have scoured the beaches of driftwood and redistributed it throughout the area.

This picture of the ferry on Wednesday morning gives a hint of the debris that littered the waters Baynes Sound. The logs and debris floating in front of the house appeared much denser. On a trip up to Campbell River yesterday, we saw many waterfront homes with logs and driftwood cast up on the front AND back lawns. It must have been a terrifying experience for the residents.

My stupidity caused a minor tragedy on our waterfront too. My aluminum boat lay by my stairs, on the rocks above high tide. It wasn't high enough, and took a battering. I re-floated it Wednesday morning and pushed it down the beach to a property where I could pull it higher, away from the surf. I'll have to check it closely and see if the damage is too severe for further use.

The rain has also been intense and the ground is now fully saturated. Some minor flooding is occurring in areas that aren't well drained.

Another casualty has been the trees. I watched one large fir drift slowly past with its roots and branches in salute.

The picture on the right shows a clump of three trees that have fallen on the back edge of my neighbour's property. The back deer fence has been crushed under the trunks. Three more from the same clump split an fell in the other direction toward the water.

A couple on my corner fell too (fortunately not on my fence). There's enough to provide at least next years firewood if I get out there soon with my chainsaw. (Always a bright side).

There was one more "bright side". With all the storms earlier in December, all dangers to the power lines in this area had already been blown over. Our electricity kept flowing all week. Hot coffee every morning! (Unlike much of Vancouver, and all the southern Gulf Islands).

And it has been warm with all this left over Hawaiian weather. It was 13 degrees on Wednesday, and again yesterday.

For years down on the beach there has been a huge stump resting high on the bank. It was a permanent fixture, never moving.

On Thursday it moved. Right in front of the my stairs to the beach. Along with other logs and debris. I don't know how to move it. Unless I try dynamite, and that may pose other problems.

As it is, only very skinny, or very athletic people, can manage to get through to the shore.

But that's not the real reason that Marit and I have both started diets now in the new year.

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