On Strike

When Daryl started working at the College he had the "pleasure" of joining a union for the first time.  2 years later......look where it has got him.  Notice how Daryl is dressed, he would like to know why nobody strikes when it is warm and dry outside.

Winter clean-up

After the big tree falling of 2012, we had many stumps and branches left that we were unable to burn in the spring due to open fire bans.  We were forced to wait until recently to burn all of our yard waste (that's right, we burn it in the 'brook).  Sounds redneck -and possibly is- but Daryl was extrememly happy when he had flames that stretched 12-15 feet high in the air.  That's right, he loves fire, and following tradition, he always has the biggest fire around.  (we put that last line in for the Kohut  kids....)  This is taking place behind our shop in the "back 40" a.k.a our backyard.

Filling Some Holes

After we got back from our trip to the United States, we decided to work on the back yard a little more, including digging out the gravel and clay "floor" of Daryl's shop in order to prep it for concrete.  We rented a Bobcat  and went at it for a day.  Daryl had a lot of fun filling, back-blading, smoothing and tamping in order to try and level out our uneven yard.  We finished by spreading grass seed but those pictures will have to caome at a later time.

Vacation

With a severe lack of children this year, we decided to load up the trailer and dogs and go down to the United States (a.k.a "the land of the maniacs"). We meant to go for just a couple of days, and ended up staying for five days.  No dad (John B) we were not held captive by the maniacs.  We entered through Kingsgate into Idaho and headed to Cour D'Alene, and slipped over the state line to the Harley DAvidson Shop in Spokane Washington.  The next day we went to a camp ground outside Missoula Montana and got up the next day and went for breakfast and then to another Harley shop.  Then, we headed to a campground in Lakeside Montana ten minutes outside of Kallispell.  Man, they LOVE the Ten commandments down there.  It was extremely bizarre.   Listing them on sides of buildings, carrying them on signs as they marched up and down the streets (as if in protest, but we're not sure what they were protestsing) and shouting them out randomly. 

But I digress.  We spent a couple of nights in Lakeside and did our final shopping in Kalispell, and yes, visited yet another Harley Davidson shop.  (Daryl's Harley  radar kicks in when ever there is one nearby.

Sadly, we forgot how to work the camera and these are the only pictures we took.  sigh.

New Peepers

So I (Karen) have "recently"(a.k.a some time in the last three years) acquired a nearsightedness.  It hasn't been that big of a deal except that,  in the last 6 months or so, while at work, I have found myself getting rather seasick as I try to focus on my paperwork on the desk and then switch to looking at the monitors above the heads of my patient's beds, about 15-20 feet in front of me. Soooo  blurry..... It's not such a great thing to be motion sick during a "code blue."  That is what inspired me to go have my eyes re-checked. 

It turns out, I have probably needed glasses for a while.  But Man!  the world is so crisp and clear and beautiful.  I had no idea!  I was looking at the trees on the ride home from the eye doctor's and man!  I wonder how long I had been living in a blurry world and not realised how clear things could have been for me! Even watching TV is better.  The girl at the store helped me to find the frames, as I had no idea what I should be wearing.  They might be a bit "granny-ish" but quite frankly, I don't care. Apparently I have really crooked ears and a very small head. The kids glasses actually fit me best, but I didn't really want to wear "Barbie" glasses. Sadly, they didn't have any kids size glasses that weren't hot pink or didn't have "Transformer/Go-bot" pictures on them, so.... I had to buy a more mature pair, as the cool ones were waaayyyy to wide for my head. (thank goodness, grannies have shrunken heads or I would have had to special order my pair. Here is a pic.

Clearing Some Trees

A few weekends ago we decided that we needed to clear some trees that were too near the house as our lot is quite heavily treed. The house in Goldcreek has been quite chilly due to the shade, in fact, even in June and July we frequently had to start the wood stove at night to get rid of the chill. What a difference getting rid of some of the trees has made! My gardens love the sunlight and our house is no longer in darkness. We took down 14 so far and will probably take down another four. At first, I thought this was going to be way too many, but actually, it looks great and our lot still has tonnes of lovely trees and shade.

Above,  Daryl cuts a wedge into a tree trunk.  This directs the tree to fall in a certain direction.  He then uses the chainsaw to cut the trunk on the other side of the wedge.  The tree then falls wherever the wedge is pointed.  It's amazingly accurate.

Here is Dan (Daryl's brother) wrapping a rope around a tree which he will then attach to the back of the quad.  Sometimes, the trees (especially if they are leaning or have twisted trunks) need  help falling in a safe, proper direction.  Daryl's step-dad Mert would drive the quad putting tension onto the falling tree in order to direct it away from the house.

After the tree was felled, there was tonnes of work clearing the branches, some of them 3-4 inches in diameter (read this "heavy") and 8-10 feet long.  We then took them up to the fire pit  and burned them, which was fun. (think massive bonfire).

Digging some holes

We had some stumps on the acreage that were bugging Daryl when he was mowing and trimming the lawn, so we decided to rent a mini excavator to remove a few of them. We also had to dig down one side of the shop to level it out so a floor could be installed. Mert (Daryl's step-dad) hauled away the carnage with the quad and then flattened out the area after the holes were refilled with dirt. Fun was had by all playing on the machinery that day.

Camping Again

Well, so much for the nice weather.  This weekend..... well...... not as good. We did manage to roast a huge pork loin over the fire with Dan and Yvette and Yvette's sister Deb and her husband Brandon.  The next day, we made pulled pork sliders with the leftovers, topped with coleslaw.  They were soooo good!   Here is a shot of Grandma Deb looking at the piles of hail which were sliding off of the tarps we had to string up.  We spent the weekend huddled by the fire (with friends and family) under the tarps chatting, telling stories and playing games. Even though the weather was the pits, we still enjoyed our time with everyone.  On an up note, the day we left the sun was out, the birds were singing and the air was becoming much warmer. Go figure.

Camping Finally

We are finally able to go camping again with the beautiful Spring weather here in the mountains. We tried a new lake  this year called "Northstar" and really enjoyed it, we caught 3 Rainbows all around 2 Lbs (no pictures as Karen was too excited to snap a few shots after netting the beasts) and cooked them up for a snack for 8 people that evening. Ginger and Logan really enjoy their new bed, they sleep together on the bottom bunk and usually beat us to sleep every night. Dan (Daryl's brother) received a turkey frier for Christmas and had to break it out for a feed of wings and fries for a snack one afternoon, mmmmmmmm.....yummy.

Joy ride

Last Saturday we took a break and went for a quad ride.  With our land being right next to crown land, it's super easy to just jump on the quad and zoom off; there's no packing up the truck or driving anywhere, we can just go.  We crossed a spillway (from Cranbrook's reservoir) then went up the powerline (big open area underneath the hydro lines) to a lookout above an area called Mayook which is a little farming community about 25 minutes from Cranbrook by highway.  Nice view,eh? 

Moving In

Here is the new and final house (says Karen, Daryl is skeptical) in Gold Creek.  Karen reports the only other move she will be making is into the old folks home or into a wooden box.  Daryl says when the shop is set up he can build the box.  The house is very brown.  The cedar siding will be painted at some point.  We have 3.08 acres with a 25 by 35 workshop and a huge fire pit.  It also has a raised veggie garden with built in sprinklers (yes!)  It's right next to thousands of acres of crown land, so Karen intends to get some cross country ski's this spring when they go on sale.   The house is dated, (built in 1978) but solid and very clean, so Daryl will do updates, including gutting the kitchen and moving it to a new location (and Karen will paint) as the money trickles in.  Stay tuned....

Our Move

Here we are packing and cleaning during this past March break.  Shayla is the one up on the counter helping Karen clean the cupboards.  We are getting ready for the big (and final) move out to Gold Creek, a rural area on the outskirts of Cranbrook. (think small acreages, horses, hobby farms, plenty of wild animals, that sort of thing).  The last picture of this set is the morning of moving day.  Daryl is just about to jump into the moving truck (not featured here due to our friend's picture taking) and take it to the new house.  More to come....

Can you spot the difference?

So with not a lot happening lately, and very few posts in the past few months, we decided to play a little game. It's called: "Can You Spot the Difference?"  So here are the pics for this entry.  See if you can spot the difference. 

New Bed

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

New Bed

The other day, we went to Lethbridge Alberta (about 3 hours away from Cranbrook) and went shopping at Costco to get some groceries. There, we saw a fantastic deal on dog beds; normally priced 79.99, on sale for $19.99. I (Karen) have been looking for new beds for several months now, as the old ones are getting pretty worn out (Home-made by myself out of foam mattress toppers and old blankets). Unfortuneately, there was only one bed left. Of course, I got it, but now, the two dogs are constantly trying to lure the other one away and then sneak in to steal the good bed, while the one lured away gets left with the old bed. For instance, Logan was lying on the bed at one point and Ginger walked over to him and wrapped her tail around his head with her bottom in his face. Of course, that got his attention and he jumped off the bed to follow her to the other side of the room. At that point, she deaked around the couch and jumped onto the good dog bed leaving Logan lay on the old flat one. Poor Logan.....it's a hard life. Actually, it's a pretty funny game to watch and hopefully, I will find another bed soon, so the "sibling rivalry" will stop.

Moose

Friends sent this to Daryl and I thought it was a pretty remarkable picture.

ONLY IN CANADA! Without the picture, this story would be hard to believe.

Pogo Moose Incident - Bracebridge, Ont, Canada - 1 hr. 45 min. north of Toronto.
"They were laying new power cables which were strung on the ground for miles.
The moose are rutting right and very agitated. This one was thrashing around and got his antlers stuck in the cables. When the men (miles away) began pulling the lines up with their big equipment, the moose went up with the lines. They noticed excess tension in the lines and went searching for the problem. The moose was still alive when they lowered him to the ground. He was a huge 60-inch bull and slightly annoyed!"

 

Christmas Eve

As per tradition, Daryl and I went over to Dan and Yvette's house for appy's and some family time. (Dan and Yvette are Daryl's brother and sister in law) We had a wonderful time just hanging out and gorging ourselves on yummy finger foods. Daryl was very excited about the LED solar powered firefly lights for the patio that he received as depicted  in the action shot above.