belfountain

december the first

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:07:34 GMT

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:21:20 GMT

The more I read, the more I like her: 'Michelle Obama to promote gardening on "Sesame Street"'

And I'm surprisingly excited about the new Michael Moore film (although I hope it doesn't cross the line into "Yay Socialism!" territory, 'cause as much as capitalism kinda bites, from what I've heard about socialism, it kinda does too). At the very least, entertaining use of "Paper Planes" by MIA in the second half of the trailer (and if that's not a song that gets stuck in your head then I don't know what is)

Last full day of mercury in retrograde...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:07:52 GMT

Holy smokes! Today our fridge broke - but our landlord bought us a new one - but we can't plug it in yet...

I started feeling a bit nauseated earlier this evening, before the big fridge meltdown of 2009 was confirmed, and now that I'm faced with a sizeable pile of things-going-moldy-in-the-back-of-the-fridge-that-I-didn't-know-about-and-never-wanted-to, the nausea is getting worse. I think maybe I'll lie down for a couple minutes and nurse my half-glass of ginger ale and take it from there...

In the season of "gold and crimson graciousness"

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:49:59 GMT

I am reminded now that it should be said that I have a great many things to look forward to. My kitchen is awash in tomatoes, we bought sixty pounds for twenty dollars, and I have been canning up a storm ever since. Mostly just plain canned tomatoes, but there's likely to be some ketchup and perhaps some salsa, too!

Tonight I have knitting group, which is usually on Thursdays but there's a special one tonight to meet with Robyn Love, an artist with a CCA grant to travel across Canada interviewing suburban knitting groups about knitting and their community. It should be interesting, but I've also come to genuinely look forward to this little gathering of women, mostly my age or a bit older... It's nice to have the opportunity to learn people's names.

Last friday was the great potato harvest and it was a complete success! The harvest was smaller than last year, so I'm told, but there was lots of help and the task was completed in record time. I was sent home with one and a half bags of potatoes, the full one of "good" ones, and the half of "eat now" ones, but they're really all very good. The garden manager there might go out to another woman's farm this Thursday to help out since the intern there went back to school this September and has invited me to tag along.

This Friday a band is playing that I've been looking forward to seeing, and Saturday we're having some friends come to visit and see our place. It's also Peterborough Pride, though I doubt I'll have much to do with it. So I'm trying to plan what to have for folks to nibble on without spending too much money that we don't really have, but I think it'll be a good time regardless...

Finally, I'm about eighty pages from the end of Anne of Avonlea, the second of the "Anne" books by L.M. Montgomery, none of which I had read before now. How funny they are! And very well written; it's very evident that Montgomery had quite the sense of humour. I really wish I would have read them when I was younger, though I'm really enjoying them now. Anne of the Island will be next, I think!

Font Options

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:19:21 GMT

Now accepting opinions...

Disappointment Wednesday

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:27:04 GMT

Alright, I need to vent.

Today I went for an interview at a local employment-type agency that deals with the Self-Employment Benefit program here in Peterborough, with is a province-wide program that basically pays a living wage for 10 months while you start a small business. I applied with the hope of opening a yarn store here, since there's a shocking lack of one in this little city, but was denied access to the program because I'm unlikely to be approved for any loans because of my total lack of assets.

And here's where I start flashing back to Buffy, in the episode in season six where the heroine applies for a loan only to be turned down - that they'll only lend money if you can prove you don't need it... (I'm thinking I'm going to watch that episode)

What really sucks is that I've been using my VISA more than usual, and while I don't owe a lot, I owe more than I'd like to considering I'm not going to be in this program. So my options are as follows (in chronological order):

- Approach the Canadian Youth Business Foundation and see what they say. I wish I had done this in the first place, it would have saved me a lot of waiting around for this interview which produced absolutely nothing. If I'm turned down by CYBF, my plans for a yarn store will basically be dead in the water.

- If yarn can't work, I have to. I mean, I'll have to find a job. Which won't be easy, considering Peterborough has very high unemployment and I have very few skills. And no driver's license.

- If all else fails, I might go back to school. I'm actually really in love with the idea of the new Sustainable Agriculture program offered by Fleming College, but agriculture isn't exactly known for its booming employment opportunities (although, as Aimee the garden manager says, the average age of a Canadian farmer is 52, which means in about ten years time we're due for a major food-production crisis...) I've also been toying with the idea of trying to nudge Trent University in the direction of starting a farm incubator on one of its massive tracts of land similar to the McVean Farm Incubator in Brampton (of all places). If I were to initiate that, it might provide me with some sort of employment?

I'm currently debating applying for a TA position at Trent even though the closing date was last Friday - why is it still up if the closing date has passed? - because the class sounds really interesting, but the money is crap and I'm barely qualified. It also would mean that I wouldn't be able to go to Fleming come January if that's actually what I end up doing which is actually very unlikely. I hate the conflicting schedules of my possible futures!

I think I need to console myself with knitting and Buffy, and make some off-brand macaroni and cheese product to remind myself that that's basically all I'll be eating over the next couple of months while my food budget pays off my credit card... *sigh*

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:04:45 GMT

I'm trying to prepare myself for a busy week.

Tomorrow is the 50% off sale at Value Village, and I generally can never keep myself away. I was actually thinking about making a list! Just of things that I know I want to look for (like more spice jars)... That's reasonable and not crazy, right?

Tuesday will be preparation for Wednesday when I have a *very important interview* about which I will not speak about here until after it has occurred, as it's the kind of thing that has the real potential to change the direction of my life, and this terrifies me like nothing else... except perhaps driving...

Which is Thursday! Second driving lesson ever, although I'm feeling slightly more comfortable with it after driving from Coboconk (yes, it's really a town) to Highway 12 just south of Orillia with my Mum last week. People passed me and everything!

Friday will be the great potato dig at the garden unless it rains.

And Saturday we're expecting friends for a visit, and might tour a nearby brewery even! I expect it will be splendid.

September is marching on folks!

... and the world will be overrun with pickles... weilded by bears....

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:23:04 GMT

So we all hunkered down in the bedroom, reaching MBD - Maximum Bear Density - on the bed, where Cammiebear and Bridgiebear played cards and took turns charging the crank lantern in case of a power outage (which didn't happen) and Indiebear and Moodiebear watched the lightning and made sure none of the swaying tree branches were headed our way. It was over within an hour.

This past week we also had some tomatoes ripen - the first large ones of the season! The red ones with green tops are called Black From Tula (a russian variety?) and the orange one in behind is called "Moonglow". Yes, I do choose tomato seedlings at market on the basis of how cool the name is... :)

This weekend at market we bought BLUEBERRIES - boy, did we ever! Two whole flats, in fact, with 12 boxes per flat, 24 pints or 12 litres all together! I'm eating some right now... Of course, they are cultivated berries, wild ones would be ferociously expensive (and I believe their season is over?) but still, do I ever love blueberries. I froze about eight pints, made five pies yesterday (three frozen, two baked), canned eight jars of jam, and still have a couple pints in the fridge to eat!

Jam action shot! This was at it's high point, when all the juice is being released and it bubbles up like crazy. I reduces to about a third of this volume...

Today I have some Very Important Paperwork to attend to, and if I have time, mixed veg pickles! Mwahahaha...

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:31:01 GMT

I'm trying to be glad that summer has finally arrived (for however long), but tropical heat always seems to remind me of how illsuited I am to the toleration of it. I am melting, and all I want to do is lay on the bed and read, when I had promised myself that today would be a sewing day. Having fans to blow the air around gets in the way of pattern cutting, though.

If there had been watermelon at the market this morning, this heat might have been made slightly more bearable. (But seeing as this is the first heat we've had since briefly in June, the melons are not yet ready...)

even measures of good

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:39:16 GMT

You know it's going to be a good day when you wake up to great news:

http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2009/08/winner-of-2009-fiddlers-summer.html

The pickles seem to be going well, the whole front room smells of dill. I harvested the overgrown zucchinis tonight in hopes of baking cookies with them, ran some errands this afternoon, and started painting some wall-mounted shelves for a future kitchen organization project (sometimes I feel like my whole life is just one big kitchen organization project!)... I have one - just one - last beer in the fridge which I think I might pop open to round out the goodness of the day... Cold beer, hot day, cold pasta salad and a BLT for dinner? Sounds good to me.

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:18:47 GMT

The grand total of beets was sixty jars! Thirty litres of pickled beets!

Plus six jars of peaches in syrup.

Today I need to prepare pickling cucumbers for fermentation - my first foray into fermented pickles! Hooray!

the army's a'gatherin

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:06:29 GMT

hearts all a'tremble

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:00:00 GMT

First things first: voting has begun for the Cold Antler Farm Fiddler's Summer Challenge and as I suspected (feared) it's open to everyone, anonymous voting: http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2009/08/time-to-vote.html
So if you feel like voting for me, please do so. Or watch some of the other videos and vote for someone else! I'm really not very good at this cheering-myself-on thing... :)

Second things second: there is a gathering army of pickled beets in the kitchen. Cam and I canned 36 pint jars of pickled beets on Sunday, with at least one more batch waiting to be cooked, peeled, pickled, and canned in the fridge. Yesterday was too hot for canning, and Cam and I were both busy with other things. But today is nice and cool, and aside from a few phone calls I have very little planned... It's going to be a good day!

Third things third: I have a new project officially underway and it's big. I mean, BIG. But I'm dorkishly afraid to explain myself for fear that I may jynx it. Really. But soon, hopefully very soon, wheels will turn, momentum will gather, and things will get very exciting.

Or it'll all fall in the toilet. But no negativity! It's going to be big... :)

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:52:50 GMT

We went up to my mum's for the long weekend, and boy was it lovely. I'm sorry to be home, which doesn't happen often.

It might have something to do with today being my first day of Driving School....

Might as well post them here

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:01:12 GMT

Today is the final day of Cold Antler Farm's Fidder's Summer Challenge, and I have video evidence of my progress! such as it is... I feel a little foolish about it, but also a little proud... Just a little... :)

To start, this is where I began, attempting to play "Ida Red" off the computer screen, before my book arrived in the mail. This was June 2nd, 2009.

Then yesterday, after nearly two months of practice, I recorded two songs. They're not perfect (it's only been two months!) but I think they at least demonstrate improvement?

My "very serious face" is openly displayed in all of these, of course... :) (/lj-cut)

Sun Sugar

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:23:14 GMT

Sun Sugar
Originally uploaded by bridget bear

I'm trying to love summer as much as possible while it's still here. It helps that it hasn't been obscenely hot, although I do feel bad for people who love that tropical humid heat 'cause if it's not going to happen now, it ain't going to happen again til next year... I was debating going up to the Trent garden today, but I just bought a BIG bagful of rhubarb, which is miraculous as I haven't seen any in the last month. So now I have to freeze it at the very least. I'm tempted to make something called Sunshine Rhubarb Juice Concentrate from the big canning book, but we'll see how much rhubarb I actually have when it's all washed and chopped...

I almost forgot!

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:44:05 GMT

We have a very special announcement, a new addition to our little home:

Moodie! We were at the farmer's market in Kinmount last weekend with my mum and a couple of her friends, when low and behold beside the Stickling's Organic Bakery table was a little carrier up on a chair with a tiny white and slightly shivering body inside. Taped to the front of the carrier was a sign: "FREE KITTEN - PLEASE TAKE ME HOME - I'M SO LONELY"

How can a person say no? This decision was heavily influenced by my having spent time with my mum's cats already, and thinking that it might be a good idea to have a cat around come fall when we might have to deal with mice, now that we're living in a house and in a more rural area.

Her namesake is Susanna Moodie, an English emigrant (with her husband John Moodie) to Canada in 1832, now considered one of the "Godmothers of Canadian Literature", along with her sister and fellow emigrant Catharine Parr Traill. Both settled just north of here in Lakefield near where their brother, Samuel Strickland, had a farm and essentially founded the town. I recently finished reading Susanna's "Roughing It in the Bush", and just finished Charlotte Gray's biography of the two sisters, "Sisters in the Wilderness".

Our little Moodie has medium-length white fur with black and gray tabby markings, symmetrically above her eyes and on her ears, and asymmetrically on her left rump and all along her tail. She has a little black nose, black paw pads, and green eyes. She has a squeaky high-pitched howling mew, and is very curious and adventuresome. :)

Home

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:00:34 GMT

After five days at my mum's and three day's at my dad's, I'm finally home. And early, too - it was supposed to be an equal five day's at dad's, helping him fix up the sailboat for the season. But after working really hard yesterday and not eating when I should have (and supper being delayed), I had such a bad stomach ache that I wanted to go home. Dad didn't want to waste daylight hours today driving me back, so we met a sleepybear Cam halfway last night to exchange me and my belongings. I felt (and still feel) really bad for leaving my dad alone at the boat to finish the work (although I did all of the really tough or annoying things already), and to pack up all of the food we brought.

But I love being home. I'm really not a nomad, I can't stay away from my life for too long or it just makes me anxious. I don't really like travelling; the seeing of sites far away is never outweighed by the comfort of home and steady marching along of Canadian seasons. I'm excited to work in my garden, work on sewing projects, read my books, practice my fidding. I'm going to look into volunteering at Hutchison House, a local living-history museum, now that I don't have any major pressing visits to family coming up. And I have the beginnings of a major project in mind, and a back-up plan... Lots to keep me busy. But more on that later!

Things I love today

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:22:32 GMT

A new meaning for "ECO"... It doesn't just stand for ecological or enviro-friendly anymore...

ECO: Early Canadiana Online

I think I'm in love... Especially with this one: "Home Work: a choice collection of useful designs for the crochet and knitting needle"

Also, speaking of love, it's Cam's birthday today! Happy Birthday Cammiebear! :)

And I'm recently in love with Iris Dement, especially her appearance in the movie Songcatcher where she sings this song:

I only wish they had recorded more of the verses - there's only three here, and I think they recorded four total, yet there's at least eight in the full song... While I have some issues with the film overall, I thought their approach to musical scenes to be quite interesting. The director was adament that the people chosen to perform songs should actually perform them on camera, so they would shoot one take, in this case the close-up on her face, where she's actually singing (the close-ness of the camera allows for the audio recording equipment to be closer to her) and then reshoot from different angles right after, playing back the version that she had just sung. This is only special because usually performances of songs in films are pre-recorded in a studio weeks or months before and then everything is lip-synced... Please disregard the scene tagged on after the song, it has nothing to do with Iris Dement, and disregard the obvious non-playing of the fiddler beside her...

A minor tale in which our heroine's plan is foiled by two dastardly bugs...

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:41:18 GMT

It all started last night. Cam is away in Toronto this weekend to help a friend with some renovations, which means I'm home alone with Indie the dog. This has promoted me from the-one-who-inevitably-finds-the-bugs to the-one-who-kills-the-bugs. I have irrational bug phobias, I know they're irrational, but it doesn't seem to be going away. So, low and behold, last night I was settling into bed, reading my book, getting kinda sleepy, when two GIANT black flying beetles buzz loudly into the room. Why the bedroom? Why right before bed? I don't understand bug logic! I'm a little concerned because we had three of these things fly into the bathroom a few nights ago. There's a hole to the attic in the bathroom ceiling that's haphazardly filled with insulation, so we thought they might be coming from there and I taped it up. Well, they're apparently coming from somewhere else! Cockroaches don't fly, do they? These beetles basically look like ground beetles but loudly buzzing and flying. And not nice! Anyways, I had a terrible time sleeping, I was still awake at three a.m., and tossed and turned until the alarm went off at six. Why so early? I was planning to go to the farmers market early to invest in a couple flats of strawberries, but being a bit slow to start this morning from the utter lack of rest, I was late anyways and the strawberries were GONE! Although, it didn't look like Mclean Berry Farm was even there to begin with (their website lists today as their Strawberry Festival) and they're the biggest seller. Their farm is up near Buckhorn and I was seriously considering trying to bicycle there: (View Map) But it would take at least two hours, and I think County Road 23 is pretty major (it's the only road to Buckhorn)... The worst part is that today was kindof my last chance - the Wednesday market in town will be closed this week for Canada Day, I'll be at my mom's for next weekend's Saturday market, and I'll be at my Dad's boat the following week sanding and oiling all of the wooden surfaces (there's quite a few). That puts me back into canning mode in the middle of July, by which time it may be too late! Dastardly bugs! I'm *thisclose* to calling my mom to see if she's up for a trip to the strawberry farm...

Big steps

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:33:31 GMT

Well, I read the handbook today, tomorrow... I get my G1 drivers license. (Assuming I don't fail the test...) This day has come later in my life than it often does for others, but I still feel like it's a little too soon. In fact, "never" is something I'd be pretty comfortable with. I think I could handle a horse-drawn buggy, Mennonite-style. But the likelihood of my waking up a Mennonite tomorrow is pretty low... And the number of jobs my license-less-ness disqualifies me for in the Peterborough area is frightfully high. So, in light of recent developments, I'm going to get my G1 license tomorrow, and against my better judgment, I'm going to try to fast-track my license via accredited driver's ed so that I can hopefully get my G2 in March 2010. Why? Because that's when my EI runs out. Worst case scenario: I don't find a job at all in the next eight months, being able to drive will make me available to a whole bunch of jobs that require such a skill, also just in time for next year's growing season.

A lot of things are up in the air for next year. In the short term, Cam and I can pay our rent and bills and buy food with our combined employment insurance. Our lease for this apartment is up in March 2010, and as much as I love this apartment and can't believe that I'm already considering leaving, it may be a necessity. I'm considering doing a farm apprenticeship next year, or applying for Fleming College's new Sustainable Agriculture one-year program, though that's less likely to happen... Or maybe I'll even find a job that I like...? AND am qualified for? Imagine that!

Blue jay Blues

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:38:30 GMT

Wouldn't you know, since posting about Jenna Woginrich's article in Mother Earth News, I've been reading her blog, Cold Antler Farm, and last week she announced a new project: Fiddler's Summer. She's challenging people who always wanted to learn how to play the fiddle to step up and commit themselves to it, with a little friendly encouragement along the way. Now, you may or may not know that I bought a fiddle last summer, and have squeeked and squawked a bit on it but never really had the discipline to stick to it and practice. So, I signed up. I'm waiting for the book she reccommends, since it looks pretty good to me and I haven't gotten very far with the book I have, and I'm practicing my scales and such in the meantime. I'm trying to document my progress day by day with the little webcam here, but I don't think I've got the frame speed rate thing quite right. Whatever. I'm really not a gadgety girl, so it'll have to do for now.

Also, in the world of new and exciting things, I got in touch with the woman who manages the farm/garden project at nearby Trent University. I'm going to do my first volunteer shift there on Friday planting potatoes - and I even get to ride in with her since she lives around the corner from here and I have to idea where anything is at Trent. I'm eager to see what kind of operation it is, and meet some of the other volunteers. It used to be a food-growing rooftop, but the roof is under construction this year, so it's in a field somewhere. Most of the food they grow is used at an on-campus vegetarian cafe. Seems like a worthy cause to me...

Then we're expecting visitors the next three Sundays, so I have to make sure our house stays in order. I need to make a really big laundry bag so that I can take two loads at a time down to the Eco-Laundry. I have a zillion other sewing projects to work on, plus my new-found interest in crocheted lace trim. We did, however, welcome a new addition to our kitchen this week: a double sink! Kindly installed by Pete the Landlord last weekend. Finally, dishes without the water constantly running. It's a beautiful world...

Hungry for change!

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:30:36 GMT

I really hope this film plays at the theatre here in Peterborough!

from here: http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:49:18 GMT

Looking outside from our door on the last day it snowed.

My dresser.

The hallway library, from the kitchen looking toward the living room.

The reverse view of the same shelves (I'm very proud - I put them up all by myself)

The stove we bought for $75.

I can't remember what the real name of this green was, but I've nicknamed it "Grandma's Kitchen Green".

The morning beverage station, set up on shelves in a former chimney.

The display of orange Le Creuset cookware. My mum gave me a few of her old pieces (some of which were her mother's) as an informal housewarming gift.

Cookware.

The open-pantry.

Breakfast nook.

Cookbook station, and the "Ring-necked Pheasant/Hungarian Partridge" side of my antique lunchbox (the other side features a Canada Goose and a Mallard Duck).

The kitchen window, one of two double-paned windows in the apartment where the second set of panes divide vertically and open out (the other one is in the bedroom).

"Provider" Bush Bean seedlings hugging the window.

The bathroom, featuring a claw-foot tub.

The Front Room, also known as the sewing/music/yoga/Bridget's mess room, featuring an old quilt from my mum on one side...

and hanging photos, pictures, and cards on the other.

Indie hanging out on the terrace, which is now full of potted tomato and pepper plants.

And me with my hair down... (Gosh that mirror is dirty!)

and in the braids that I've been wearing for days at a time...

Yesterday I rushed around filling planters with compost and potting mix to get as many seedlings outside in more spacious digs before the rain hit today. Also, Cam and I hooked up a rain barrel to one of the downspouts of the house (with the landlord's hack saw and permission) which I'm very excited about!

Thu, 07 May 2009 22:32:57 GMT

My garden ashes issues (try saying that five times fast) are working themselves out. I've resolved to spend more money on topsoil and compost to fill-in and raise the bed up, so that it's less likely that the roots will even touch where the ashes used to be. I'm going to try to find a pH test kit though, just for the sake of being informed.

But just as that was sorting itself out, we got hit with a massive computer virus Tuesday night that sent the computer to the compy doctor yesterday morning. We got it back today, but it just gave me another "Threat detected: Accessed file is infected" notice, which doesn't actually give me any options for containment or even more information. Computers are so frustrating! They make some things so easy, and yet now I'm really starting to worry about checking my bank balance or ordering things online. It's not like we're looking at shady porno sites or anything, just the standard hotmail-myspace-canadian tire regime. I really don't understand why people create these viruses... can't we all just get along?