City Gardens, Weather & Cooking

Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers,

Time passed too quickly this month and before you know it May will be here.  With it's return the deadline imposed by the Community Garden Committee to fully plant the small community garden plot or lose it, rears it's head.

It should be relatively simple and straightforward to plant, but it never is for one reason or another.

Firstly, I think the timeline is too early. Good starter plants aren't really available here until May begins. That means you'll pay a premium if you want to get starter plants from the nursery. The 'real' gardeners always seem to get their gardens growing in April! I don't know how they do it but there are many who are just as behind as I am, if not more so.

To be honest, I'm not even sure you can buy a variety of vegetables and flowers until some time in May because that is when the garden season gets underway in the city.  Maybe you can if you travel a distance by car.

If you can't buy starter plants or nursery plants, the other option is to start your own starter plants from seeds.  If you want to start your own plants to beat the deadline, you'll need to start early and have all the soil, seeds, trays and pots at hand. There is a method to planting this way which includes transitioning starter plants to the weather so you need to factor that process into your timeline.  I believe this is called 'hardening" or 'hardening off'. 

Secondly, the weather doesn't always cooperate.  It's been very wet and very cold in the months of March and April though we have had a few good days here and there. This is what the weather was like on Saturday.

I was actually organized enough to start seeds early this year but they sprouted way too quickly and were unusable. I thought I'd try again but ran out of time and now it's too late to start my own seeds and still plant the garden on time.  So I had to try and find some nursery plants.

Saturday I called around to a few places might have what I was looking for and one of them did.  The other store said sometime next week and that would be too late.

I went today to buy what I could. The variety was somewhat limited but it will do.  Last year I didn't buy start plants or start my own. Instead I sowed seeds directly into the soil and most of the plants did sprout and do reasonably well except the sunflowers didn't look that healthy. The exceptional heat we had was not conducive for good growing conditions though the kale did very well.

I also bought a Boston Fern for my bedroom.  I love these ferns. The last one I had was on my patio in a pot for several years before I throw all plants away due to the patio renovation project which is currently ongoing.

Speaking of the patio garden, I'm still not sure when it will be ready or what work I'll have to do in it. I had to throw out many things including my garden hose and spray nozzle when I cleaned the patio out in preparation for renovations.  Today I was able to get new ones so they are ready to go when needed.

On the food front, I made a lovely lentil dish of lentils, carrots, eggplants, onion and various spices. I'll be making it again or variations of it. We had it with some air fried chicken which was also good.

The Weekly Home Blessing (part of Fly Lady's cleaning system) was done over the weekend and so now the house is clean ad relatively tidy and ready for the busy week ahead.

Wishing you all a fabulous week.

At the Community Garden ~ Skywatch Friday

 

These photos were taken a week or so ago. The day was overcast but warm enough as you can see by the people sitting on the lawn.  Since then we've had a mixed bag of weather and today was very hot. Tomorrow we are anticipating another hot day. The park was so crowded today in every area. People, including me, have been waiting for the warmer days.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday today. Enjoy your weekend.

Spring Plans

Hi friends, 

Are you all looking forward to spring?  The community gardeners are gearing up and plans must be made because there is a contractual obligation to plant the garden by May 1st.  My nephew's girlfriend is still interested in gardening and so we're trying to get her a plot of her own. We should know soon enough. If she doesn't get one this year she can continue sharing mine. My DH Jonah also loves the garden and takes a walk to the garden and park every day in summer. This year he might also share a roundabout plot with another gardener so we can plant some veggies there.  

I didn't do much in my patio garden last year.  Largely because I heard the strata management was investigating the garden membranes and awaiting a report about whether they need replacement. It seems they do need replacement and one of options for strata members to consider is to do away with the gardens altogether with the exception of what you plant in a container.  Not everyone in the building has a garden that has a retaining walls, dirt and trees like I do. Some people have much smaller patios and no gardens, some have large patios and no gardens, some have enclosed sunrooms and no gardens and some have large patios and a decent sized garden. Over the years it seems like there are more and more rules to follow largely due to critters in the city. We can't even feed the birds or grow vegetables. We can still plant flowers.  I think most people with no garden will not support the idea of replacing everything for those that do because of the cost and also the cost of living increases. I'm okay with this outcome to be honest. I too don't want to be shelling out extra money for a garden I don't really enjoy with the unpredictable climate we've been having year after years for many years now. The decision about the garden will be made soon. In fact I'm surprised I haven't received notice of the Annual General Meeting though it should be delivered any day now.

I loved my garden when it's done well.  But I'm at the point where I really don't want the responsibility of the garden any more.  Not only is the weather very unpredictable but I'm not a natural gardener and I don't keep to a gardener's schedule very well.  I have one bush that has such extensive roots that it's very difficult to grow anything in the rest of the garden. I have another tree, my favourite Dogwood. It died last year after hanging on for several years. I'm not actually sure what happened to it because my neighbours Dogwood has done very well compared to mine but that corner of my garden isn't very good in general for growing as the sun very seldom reaches it and it remains cold a lot of the time. On my neighbour's side, the sun's rays reach her Dogwood tree a good deal of the time.  Perhaps that is why her tree is much healthier. 

There is also the building's structural issues to consider. I understand there are some concerns about the weight of the gardens and the impact on the structure. To be honest, I wondered about that when I first moved in.  Not only is the dirt very heavy, but some gardens like mine have bushes and trees planted in them. When you add the weight of all the watering, it can all get very heavy indeed.  So I've come to appreciate there are lots of good reasons for eliminating the buildings 'planted' gardens.

Indoors there are plans underway for gardening too.  I started buying plant soil so I can replant my succulents and tropical plants. I  got started on the planting but before I can finished I to find some of pots which I stored outdoors.  For now I've cleaned off the mantle. My it sure collected a lot of spilled dirt from the plants over the winter .  I've made do with the pots I had indoors but I may need to repot the one in the terra cotta planter.  I love terra cotta pots and largely use them outdoors.  The colour doesn't go well with the gray, white and black theme on the mantle.

I'm loving my new flameless LED candles.

The Last Week

 Hello friends,

Thank you to all who left well wishes and comments on my last post. I truly appreciate your beautiful words.

I trust you are well and enjoying summer/winter wherever you are in the world. There is so much going on around the world.  Most of it is not that positive so it's important we do what we can to safeguard our mental and physical health to help us cope. Some of the ways I safeguard mine are through enjoying nature (the sky and gardening), reading, short walks and some self-care now and then (exercise, prayer, deep breathing, relaxation, slow routines, mani-pedis and massage). I was blessed to do most of the above this week. All the photos in this post were taken this week.

Today (July 10th) was a lovely day.

 

I had my second booster shot a few days ago. All went well save for a sore arm on the second day after the shot. Not everyone in my province has had their first booster shot yet let alone their second shot. They have to be eligible first and eligibility is generally based on health status and age. For some reason the head doctor here makes the age cut off very high unlike all other jurisdictions in the country. I think that is wrong headed but I'm not the one making the decisions.  Just the other day however I read that the government has opened things to everyone aged 12 and older to get a booster shot in the fall when Covid cases are expected to increase once more. 

Jonah had his 2 vaccinations in Kenya and that was good enough to travel and enter Canada when he travelled in May.  But like most insurance there is a waiting period to get a health card here in the province of BC before he can register for his booster shots. Once the waiting period is over he can complete health card registration provided he has received the permanent resident (PR) card issued federally. 

Canada is very backlogged in virtually every area of service due to the pandemic so PR cards and other things are taking months to receive instead of a week or two. We were happy that Jonah's card did indeed arrive at just under 2 months wait time and he has been able to register or apply for the last bits of documentation he needs.  It's a huge relief since many people are experiencing significantly longer wait times.

 

Jonah has been very busy getting accustomed to life and work here and he has been enjoying both.  The other day he joined the work party at the community garden to help repair the raised beds that were falling apart and to do some extensive weeding around the plots. Weeding and general upkeep of the community garden area is the responsibility of all gardeners who have a plot but most of them don't seem to do much. Maybe they don't know that they have to volunteer 4 hours of time over the summer to the work needs of the garden. I certainly didn't know until the new chairman pointed it out a few weeks ago. Basically, Jonah's garden work on Saturday fulfilled the volunteer hours required for this year.  In addition, my nephew's girlfriend put in several hours of work a few weeks ago so we have more than covered our volunteer work hours requirement for the year.  We only have one plot which my nephew's girlfriend has planted and tended this year.  I'm hoping next year she will be able to get her own plot because she loves the gardening process. I hope they don't say she is disqualified due to living too far from the neighbourhood.

 

My left leg is still giving me problems though I do see signs of improvement here and there. I'm trying to make sure I take time to do the exercises and the walking recommended by the physiotherapist.  It's been a difficult balance  because it doesn't take too long before I've overdone the walking. I had such a day on Friday when Jonah and I went out to do our business. I came home very tired and spent the rest of the weekend indoors to recover and get the housework done slowly so I can be ready for the week ahead. I also spent some time outside in the garden. When I wasn't outside I left my patio door wide open and enjoyed seeing the little hummingbirds come by.  I also enjoyed the chirping of birds. They were very active this weekend. I don't remember hearing them last summer when there was so much smoke in the air. That couldn't have been good for their little lungs at all.

I finished reading this new book French Braid by Anne Tyler.   It was a quick read and I enjoyed it although it was far from one of my favourite reads.  Unbeknownst to me I also started reading another book by Anne Tyler just a few days before.  That one is called A Spool of Blue Thread: A Novel.  I thought the two books seemed quite similar but French Braid seemed to flow a bit better and so I finished it first.

Last, but not least, I finally made time on Wednesday to get a mani-pedi. I've been needing a good clean up of the nails for quite some time but don't like to pay the prices or sit for so long. I was glad I did get there as the young woman who worked on me had a very pleasant personality and I asked her to give me an extra long hand massage because she asked me to wait for my manicure while she worked on another client who was there with a friend. I agreed to her request and she gave me a nice long massage when she returned to work on my fingernails. 

In the "old" days one would always get a wonderful hand and foot massage as part of the mani-pedi. Nowadays you mostly have to pay a premium for these services.  If a salon does happen to include a massage with their basic service it is usually nothing to speak of.  Often you don't even get one especially since they started using gel nail polish. While I was waiting for the nail tech to be free, I enjoyed a nice, long massage on the massage chair.

It's been a busy week despite the leg issue and I'm expecting another busy week ahead. 

I wish you all a wonderful and happy week where ever you are in the world. 

Stay safe. 💓💓💓

Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day

Hey friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope the week is going well for you.  It's been a bit busy for me but not with anything major. I just have a lot of little things to do and small things to catch up on. Don't you find that little things seem to take more time somehow?

I completed the murder-mystery by Canadian author Shari Lapena. I enjoyed it but the ending left me a bit disappointed though I think someone else may find it suits them fine. I don't want to say more because I know many of you are fans of murder-mystery novels so I don't want to give anything away.  Currently I'm reading, The Lemon Tree Hotel and Arctic Man both of which are good for different reasons. However I  wouldn't say they are totally engrossing.  Just satisfying and satisfying is good enough.

I'm still working to try and keep the meals tasty and interesting.

These are a few of the meals we had in the past few days.

Stir fried beef and onions and stir fried noodles with chili and vegetables.

BBQ Ribs and Kraft dinner with side of coleslaw (coleslaw not in photo)

Curried cauliflower & split peas served with rice and homemade chapati

Penne-pasta-lox-n-spinach with caesar salad.

BBQ-salmon-pilaf-salad

 

I think I mentioned that I try to follow the Fly Lady household routines. One of the big principles is to clean and shine your sink at least once a day. I try but often it seems like I don't get to it until very late at night.  It takes me so long just to wash the dinner dishes after I've finished eating dinner. Now and then I get ahead of the game and it always feels good to have a nice, clean sink.

Yesterday I paid the fee for the community garden and asked my nephew and his girlfriend to take over the plot once again this year.  After that I'll decide whether I want to continue renting the plot going forward. My nephew and his girlfriend gained some valuable gardening experience and I was able to focus on my patio garden and also catch up with a lot of projects and tasks at home.

One of my favourite days is Wednesday which is called anti-procrastination day in the land of Fly Lady. I usually am able to get one niggling item out of the way on that day, sometimes two.  I think it helps me to stop thinking about my long list of items during the week if I have a dedicated day to work on them. Of course, if I'm up to it I can also work on such tasks on any other day.

Errand day is on Thursday and I usually run to the post office, grocery stores and the library. Actually grocery shopping usually takes me about 3 separate errands on different days but Thursday is the main shopping day and some weeks I don't have so much to buy. Tomorrow I am expecting a package and I'm looking forward to it.  If it turns out to be helpful I will write about it in a future post.

Friday I'm also expecting a long awaited delivery of grass fed beef from an area where the ranchers were flooded out in November. You might remember me writing about the floods and the destruction of a major highway from Vancouver to the Interior of BC and beyond. I'm surprised the rancher has anything to deliver but I'm anticipating they won't be able to fulfill all their orders, possibly even mine so we shall see what happens.

We had some sunny days last week and fog earlier in the week. The weather forecast was for possible snow today. In fact it is did snow but barely and it quickly melted before the rain started.

As you can see, the sky is very gray and not very interesting unless there are some distant lights to look at.

Other things keeping me busy are liaising with long distance friends and relatives, watching a lot of Netflix, daily devotions and prayer and the daily things that keep the household going.

What about you dear reader? What things kept you busy this week?

Whatever it is you are doing, I hope you are keeping healthy and happy.

Looking Skyward

Our summer finally arrived this past week. I read on Twitter that it is the latest arrival of summer in 40 years. My experience of having lived long on the earth is that it was indeed a very late summer arrival and the twitter feed simply confirmed it.  If you were in Vancouver over the past few months you could safely vouch that this was the case because it has rained so much since April. Virtually every day and sunny and dry days were few and far between.

Hot weather did not arrive until a few days ago and for the first time since May I went to the community garden. I thought that after several days of sunshine and hot weather the garden would need a good watering.  Truthfully since I've been self-isolating it has been very easy not to go to the garden though I did worry about how unsightly it might be by now. I certainly didn't worry that the garden wasn't getting enough water.

Imagine my surprise to get there and find that most things I planted or that grew because of wind swept seeds taking root, were bone dry! Only a few bunches of a variety of lettuces and some nasturtiums  looked like they would survive.  There was a huge proliferation of poppies that had gone to seed. I noticed that to be the case in neighbouring plots as well. I didn't plant any poppies and I'm sure my neighbours didn't either.  I remember one of the gardeners last year saying she hated the poppies. Now I know why.  I spent a bit of time clearing out dead stalks and leaves. I hope to return soon-ish to clear out the rest and leave it be for another year.

Since there was nothing much to look at in my garden, I took a photo of the sky on my walk to a local pharmacy.

I finished The Dutch House which was a very interesting, though sad book. Since my last post I also read The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society.  I found it a comfortable and satisfying read; a cosy book if you will.  The only complaint I have is that there were so many characters at times it was a bit difficult to keep track of them all. If you like you can read more about the book here.

In the meantime, the book Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven by Dr. David Jeremiah arrived in the mail.  I'm half way through it and it is a very interesting book.  Dr. Jeremiah tells us what Heaven is like through the many verses of Biblical scripture. Most people probably don't realize just how much the Bible says about Heaven and what we can expect there if that is our destination. It is interesting and easy to read so I highly recommend it. Another book I recommend is Dr. Terry Law's book, The Power of Praise and Worship.  I found it very inspirational and motivating.
.

I didn't only read books this week. I did the usual grocery shopping. Since many of my readers are from other countries, I thought it might be interesting to sneak a peek at some of the foods and prices on offer.

It's a good thing I don't care for steak that much. These 3 steaks in a package cost just over $40. Canadian and it isn't even Porterhouse or Sirloin steak which I think are a higher grade.  The chicken is a bit pricey this week too. I try and buy them when they come two in a bag for the same price or a bit more (maximum $16.00). Then I keep one whole for roasting and cut up the other one for a few meals.  Alternatively, I buy chicken already cut into pieces when they are on a reduced price.

Sorry for the blurred photo. I bought a bag of organic sweet potatoes (right) $6.99.

I like the price of cherry tomatoes.  I buy a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes every week and/or tomatoes on the vine. 

 

 I bought a bag of avocados. There were 4 in a bag for $4.99, the usual sale price.

I've been craving a papaya and I bought one for $5.99. I finished it off by the next day.

The cucumbers were $1.29 if you have the store app (which I do).

~~~~

I also spent a bit of time talking to some far away relatives to see how they are coping. My aunt told me that a cousin who lost her son about 2 years ago was going through a difficult time. They were all meeting at my cousin's brother's place for lunch and pouring over old family photos. My cousin broke down in tears and they flowed heavily that day.
 I know it is very difficult for a mama to lose a child. It just isn't the natural order of things.
(The father also died just about a year prior to his son).  But the tears are a necessary and healing part of grief.

My aunt also told me that another cousin has gone to collect her daughter in a small city and take her to the big city of Edmonton, Alberta. The daughter is having some serious health issues and needs a specialist's examination.

It is always sad to hear of others who are suffering but I thank God we can turn to him with our problems and concerns.

~~~

I've also been checking up on various people in Kenya. 

Rumour has it that the President may be bringing in some harsher restrictions next week because of the rising Covid 19 numbers in Kenya.  After many months of low numbers of Covid 19 infections, their numbers are rising rather dramatically each day and that is why I'm expecting more stringent restrictions in the country though the restrictions were only loosened about 2 weeks ago.
On the missions side of things I've been trying to keep ahead of things to ensure that the people we're trying to help have a bit of money to at least by a bit of food in case they are not permitted to go shopping. Some people are harvesting crops right now. Mainly corn or maize that is a staple of the diet but I am not sure if the corn and other crops we planted awhile back are ready since we planted a bit late.
 I really think it is too early yet for the harvest but hopefully in another month or so.
It is always a scramble to ensure that people have the funds for the medicine or for a bit of food especially if mobility is restricted. In Kenya there will be very little warning before high level decisions with wide reaching ramifications are made.  We do our best to prepare within our means.
People continue to suffer there in a myriad of ways and everyone is coping as best they can.
At least in Canada and the USA the governments have been giving out money to help in a variety of different ways. In Canada not everyone gets the same help and there is nothing like a stimulus cheque. This is a different approach to our neighbours to the south who I think receive a sizeable cheque (or two) regardless of their income or impact of Covid 19 on their work.
I'm grateful to live in a country where the government tries to help it's citizens.

~~~~

I leave you with a few photos from the breaking of morning on Thursday.

I absolutely love the way the sun is hitting the clouds from underneath and casting such a beautiful glow.

Even the dark clouds have some very interesting formations.

The ever present sea gulls are out as always every morning at this time doing their daily fly by.

I hope you are all doing well and finding something of joy during these unique times and challenging times.

Stay safe.

Thank you for stopping by.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday this week.

Mission Accomplished

It was 8 long years before I got the call that a plot in my preferred community garden site was available.  I was in Kenya at the time and the phone I was using wasn't very reliable for checking email on a regular basis.  Fortunately I  borrowed a laptop from a young Kenyan friend of mine and it helped me check on and respond to my messages.

The summer of 2019 was my first year at the community plot. I wasn't quick enough to take advantage of the compost and additional soil purchased by the garden committee as I've discovered that most people at the community plots are real keen gardeners. Their gardens are already growing by the time I'm thinking about cleaning the debris and preparing the soil.  Thankfully my garden grew nicely without all the additional amendments.

This year I stayed away from preparing the garden even longer than last year due to Covid 19 and I missed out completely on the soil and compost.  It seems like I wasn't the only one to miss out so I'm not sure who used it all.  I  heard we have a number of new gardeners this year as many of last year's gardeners waited years like I did for a plot.  In the years they were waiting several had moved out of the neighbourhood and they found it simply too hard to visit and work on their gardens on a regular basis so their gardens became quite overgrown.  I bought some manure if I need it but I don't have additional top soil this year. Somehow I seem to have ended up with a lot of potting soil of which I still have lots.

The path leading to the garden shed where all the tools are stored for use by the community gardeners.

We have a nicely kept and well organized gardening tool shed. In the summer of Covid 19-2020, the tools are off limits so as to avoid the potential spread of viruses. We can bring our own tools and we still have access to the two water hoses at either end of the gardens.

I spent a few days last week cleaning out the weeds and also some plants from the garden plot I rent. While the plot isn't really that big it still requires a lot of work to pluck out weeds and plants seeded by the wind, rake all the wood, debris and green debris then dump it all in the garbage containers, and finally, to break up the hardened dirt and plant the seeds.

I'm a very slow worker and take frequent breaks to rest my back.  The plot is a raised bed.  I don't know why they call it raised bed because it is only a few inches above the ground.  Given it's so low and very close to the neighboring plot, a bit of gymnastics are required to hoe, rake and plant.  It is also not a good idea to squat in the garden because then you tamp down the soil and it quickly gets compacted.  If i was younger it would surely be a lot easier but I don't let that deter me.

I felt terrific after finally getting the garden in for another year.   I went back  later in the week to clean up some of the green debris I left on the outer edges. We are supposed to ensure the pathways are kept free of such things.  Fortuitously I finished the planting on Saturday and it rained on Monday and Tuesday.  I  prefer when it rains a few times a month because it really does a garden good.  Much better than watering by hand.

Back at home, my little balcony garden is sprouting various things and I'm looking forward to seeing what grows.

I captured this park view just beyond the garden.
The sun was setting and most people had left for the day. 

The swirly clouds in the sky are rather peaceful and lovely.

Can you make out any shapes in the clouds?

~~~~

It's been raining quite heavily again so when that happens I usually crave banana bread or muffins.  This week I was craving banana bread and a friend gave me a recipe to try.  Instead I ended up trying a recipe developed by pastry chef Anna Olson who I've watched on Canadian television for years.

 
Here is her recipe.

 Ingredients

1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups (375-400 g) mashed ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
6 Tbsp (90 g) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 g) baking soda
¼ tsp (0.75 g) salt
1 cup (250 mL) chocolate chips or toasted walnut pieces (optional)

Directions 

  Preheat the oven to 325 ºF (160 ºC) and grease a 9-x-5-inch (2L) loaf pan.
2. Whisk the banana, melted butter, granulated and brown sugar together until well-blended. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the banana mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips or walnut pieces (if using). Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle the top with a little sugar. Bake for about 75 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for 20 minutes in the tin, then turn it out to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Makes one 9 x 5 loaf.

It was a fairly dense, yet moist loaf, which I liked.

♥♥♥
If you were here with me I'd offer you a slice and a hot tea or coffee out on the patio as long as it wasn't raining :-)

When I did my first taste test I thought it was a bit sweet however it contains far less sugar and fewer eggs than  many other banana bread recipes I've looked at. The bread was even better the next day.
I think I've found a keeper. I believe I have another keeper on my blog somewhere which I will have to search for and try again to compare.
Once I try my friend's recipe, I may actually have 3 great recipes and that will likely be enough.
I've been searching for a great recipe for a long time.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday this week.

Thank you for stopping by.