Rituals and signs of spring

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Waiting for our forsythia to flower has become one of my spring rituals since moving to the farm. For the past two years, my post on April 2 has been an update of how close we are to blossoms.

Our first year, the forsythia was in full bloom at the beginning of April. Last year, we weren’t anywhere close to flowers. It would take another month before the forsythia would be out in bloom. This year, we’re even further away from the bright yellow flowers.

So far in 2014, spring has just been a date on a calendar. I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival and the return of my forsythia.

What signifies spring for you?

Snapshot

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Ice-covered branches on a misty country morning. (Shot back before Christmas, but too pretty not to share).

Walking on (frozen) water

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

A week or so ago, I talked about how I was trudging around the farm due to all of the snow. Thanks to a thaw and freeze last week, it’s gotten even worse. The temperature didn’t go up enough to melt the snow very much, so it’s still deeper than my knees. Then the temperature dropped, but just enough to freeze the surface into a very inconvenient crust.

Now I take a step and with a jerk drop down through the snow. The icy crust bruises my shin and grabs hold of my boot trapping me. My boots are full of snow, my shirt is soaked with sweat and my thigh muscles are burning. Walks are brutal.

Before he jetted off to Hawaii (I’m not at all jealous), my father-in-law left me his snowshoes. They may look more suited to being decorative objects hung on a wall, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I strapped them on and took my first tentative steps.

Antiques or not, these things still work. I can walk (waddle) without dropping down into the snow. In the picture below, you can see my crash-through path from the day before at the bottom and the gentle web prints from my new footwear at the top.

I am not coordinated at the best of times, so I can’t claim to be graceful or quick when I add snowshoes into the equation. However, after just one weekend I am already a snowshoe enthusiast. In fact, I’m already planning to upgrade my equipment. I’m thinking something made in this century might be a good choice.

Did you try anything new this weekend? Does anyone else use vintage tools or sport equipment? Have you ever gone snowshoeing?

Life lessons from my dog

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

When the going gets tough, I get trudging. With all of the snow and wind we’ve had recently, I spend a lot of time trudging.

In the photo below, I am up to my thighs in the snow, while Baxter the lucky dog lightweight stands on top.

When the going gets tough, Baxter gets hopping. He makes like a bunny and bounds through the snow.

Sure, sometimes he lands in a drift that’s over his head. There’s a moment while he ponders the injustice of the situation and how he came to be buried up to his ears. However, then he gathers himself together and makes a larger leap, charging on through the snow.

Other times, he embraces the drift and dives in deeper, searching for real live bunnies.

This week, when work has been particularly hectic, when things seem to be much more difficult that they need to be and when I’m feeling particularly frenetic, a dog’s enthusiasm and joy for life are good lessons.

How’s your week going? Anyone else enjoying/dealing with particularly deep snow? What lessons have you learned from your pets?

Snapshot

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

For the next couple months likely, our water will be in the frozen, fluffy white form.

A painter’s premonition

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Matt’s grandpa was a painter. It was his hobby, and he was very skilled and prolific. Everyone in the family has a few of his works. This summer, Matt’s Dad came across a piece, and he immediately gave it to us. For our Christmas present, Matt’s parents had the painting framed.

It looks like it could have been painted at our farm.

What makes this a truly uncanny back to the future moment is that there’s a stump right at the edge of the driveway where the big centre tree stands in the painting. The small evergreens behind the barn ramp in the painting have now grown into our towering stand of pines.

Matt’s grandpa died in 1991. I never met him. With this painting, it feels like he is a part of our life at the farm in a very meaningful way.

Do you have any artists in your family? Do you have a painting of your house or property?

New Year’s Day skate

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Ice storms are so 2013. For 2014, ice is going to be fun. We started on Jan. 1 with a New Year’s Day skate on the pond.

Well, I was the only one who actually skated. Matt and Baxter just trotted around the ice rather than gliding.

Walking was safer than skating in some areas. Although the ice is mostly smooth, frozen coyote tracks here and there are tripping hazards.

A few stumbles aside, a skate on my own pond was a fun way to kick off the year. This is how I’ll take my ice from now on, please… at least for the next month or so. In July I’ll probably want it cubed and in a glass. Although with the temperatures we’re having right now, the pond may stay frozen solid well into summer #polarvortex.

How did you spend New Year’s Day?

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Thank you all for reading, commenting and following along on all of our adventures over the past year. I’ll be taking a little break for the holidays but will be back in the new year with lots of new projects, renos and stories. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday and a very Merry Christmas.

Freeze up

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

We’re at the time of the year when temperatures are rising and falling day-to-day. A week ago, the thermometre crept into double digits (up to 50º for those tuned to the Fahrenheit scale). This week, we’re having wind chills in negative double digits (down to 0º Fahreneheit). As a result, the view of the pond is constantly changing.

One day it looks like this.

The next day, the darkness of the water has expanded and the thin coating of ice around the edges has completely receded.

Our pond doesn’t like to freeze. It is helped in its quest to stay liquid by the creek that is constantly running fresh flowing water. Even here though, the cold takes hold and ice forms.