A Fork In The Road….

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Deborah

Leads to Blackness…

Hubby and I went to dinner at the neighbours Saturday night. The couple with the 4 kids I mentioned in Homestead Halloween. We had such a great time, and the food was simply awesome (and I am STILL waiting for the recipe for the marinated pork tenderloin kebabs they served – outstanding) as well as the company.

Living up here in the north away from the city has lots of great advantages….but it has one slight disadvantage when it comes to nightfall, when the moon is non-existent or obscured by clouds.

It is friggin DARK when … Read more...

The Homestead Zoo Update

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Deborah

Everyday here on the Homestead is an opportunity to see some very different critters than what are usually seen within city limits.

There have been some additions to the cast of ‘regulars’ that roam the Homestead….

Frank the Fox recently moved into the area. He is a single guy looking to pick up pretty chicks..but he’ll settle for my ducks. He lopes through daily looking for the perfect opportunity to snag a tasty duck confit…. I have not seen him successfully nab one yet, but he has made off with something smaller a while back, most likely a squirrel.

Harry … Read more...

And the winner is….

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Deborah

Congrats to Chris from Saskatchewan!!! She is the lucky winner of the random draw of correct answers for the La Gitana Creations Microsuede Handbag.

She correctly identified the mystery critter below, which is a North American Freshwater Leach. Fish, Loons and Diving Ducks think they are pretty darn tasty…and Fishermen swear by them as bait (as one of our contest entries mentioned).

Hubby fished the critter out of the lake a few weeks ago, so of course, I took it as a great photo op moment.

Thanks to all who entered! Chris, I will get your new handbag packaged up … Read more...

Tile Backplash Project – Part TWO

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Deborah

Where did I leave off…..oh yeah…drywall done, taped, primed and painted. After arriving at the Homestead Friday and even though he had just spent 3 ½ hours in a car, hubby got to work hanging the upper cabinets back up on the wall. He really is a hard worker, I am totally blessed to have him as my hubby.

It took just over an hour to get the cabinets back up, which went off without a hitch. I then rewashed the glassware and dishes that I had wrapped in newspaper as they were packed them away until we could get … Read more...

Do You Know What This Is?

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Deborah

It is contest time!

Want to win this as a prize?

If you can correctly identify the mystery critter below, leave your answer in the comments section and a winner will be drawn at random from correct answers given. Draw will be held next Tuesday, October 30th.

Kudos to those that immediately know what this is…

Family Members are excluded from this contest, one entry per person, comments will not be shown until Tuesday morning.

Homestead Halloween

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Deborah

Next door to the Homestead is a recreational Cottage Camp, a small, 5 cottage operation run by a lovely couple that took it over late last year. They also have 4 lovely little girls….Melanie, Annie, Piper and Mira. Melanie is the oldest at 7 and Mira the youngest who is getting close to 3. They are well-behaved kids who absolutely adore fishing as much as their parents do. Watching them charge out onto the dock with their miniature fishing poles in hand, and seeing their excited, happy faces when they ‘land the big one’ (usually a 3″ bluegill or rockbass) … Read more...

Replacing a Tile Backplash-Part ONE

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Deborah

Sounds fairly simple doesn’t it? But sometimes the easiest of plans often go awry….

Awry…what an interesting word too, and the best one that describes our *minor* kitchen reno as the definition of Awry is: ‘Away from the appropriate, planned, or expected course’…clearly, that was happening here.

When we bought the Homestead a year ago, the previous owner ‘prettied’ up the place to sell. We knew this going into it as it was obvious from the first look at it. So we were going to live with the little odd things for the time being until we got the major … Read more...

Bye Bye Boat….

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Deborah

Here I thought Fall was officially here when I tore the garden out October 1^st…..nope…I was wrong.

Fall officially arrived this morning, October 14^th. The day the boat came out of the water for the season.

The day dawned gray and gloomy, fittingly enough for such a sad task we had to do today. The cloud cover was so low, you could almost reach up and touch the water laden clouds. As we had our tea and coffee first thing in the morning, I picked up Saturday’s paper, which had spent the night on the coffee … Read more...

Raising the Bed

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Deborah

This is not what you are thinking, I am not hanging my bed from the ceiling, hammock style, although that is not such a bad idea…..except for when it comes time to get in and out of it….

I am talking about a raised garden bed.

Up at the Homestead, I am limited on actual garden space due to something called a septic system taking up a good chunk of the flat/cleared land that makes up our plot. The remainder being very rocky, covered with trees and not much dirt. Don’t even try to dig through the moss and lichen … Read more...

Friday is NOT Just Another Day!

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Deborah

WooHoo! yes indeedy, Friday is here. In between Thursday and Saturday, Friday is the child of the weekend, ready to run amok before the teenager of Saturday comes in to steal the show.

I was going to surprise you today, but…due to circumstance beyond my control (ok, fancy speak for I wasn’t quite ready) I have delayed the announcement until Monday.

Don’t be mad, I am not just building the drama. It will be worth it though. I Promise.

So with that, enjoy your Friday, and stay tuned for Monday.

I will leave you with something to ponder though….