Hooray For the Wild Things!!

From the country...

No time to chat because spring is in a hurry! The weather has been amazing and my hands are stained a nice shade of brown...

Bartering

From the country...

The goods

Young rhubarb plants

Yesterday, we ventured over to a fellow farmer's place packing shovels, 3 laying hens, some onion starts and a dozen butter tarts.

I was on a mission to dig up some rhubarb plants to add to the new orchard garden that we are putting in this spring. It was a beautiful spring day and while we wrestled with the rhubarb the kids played in the trees, watched the Indian Runner ducks and feed the goats. As it turns out, getting ol' rhubarb plants out of the ground is a tough job. The plant has a large tap root that runs pretty deep. Rhubarb is a tough, hardy perennial that once established will stay there for many years. I often love going to old farmhouses, almost all of them have a rhubarb patch put in many years ago by someones Grandmother. Nothing is prettier than the large crinkly dark green leaves of the plant set upon dozens of ruby red stalks.

Once the job was done we ate butter tarts and drank some tea while we talked farming.

The best part of the day (aside from hanging out with my farmer friend, Les) was there was no money exchanged. I bartered for my 20 or so rhubarb plants, a bale of hay, some sorrel plants and some twine with 3 chickens, onions, and a gooey snack.

What could be better than that?

Today is the fun job of planting my new rhubarb plants.

The Flu from Hell

From the City...

We have a case of the nastiest never-ending flu over here.  We're officially on day 4 but it feels like day 8.  Theo has had a fever the entire time, we are also battling some serious teething as well, when it rains, it really does pour.  So that little dude has been super out, no drugs, hippy teething necklaces or prayers (i'm not even religious!) can take the demon out of a teething, flu riddled two year old.  Today he had an all out meltdown because I wouldn't let him lay on the floor in the hallway of our apartment building, crying.  Yes I am that unreasonable and yes, our neighbours hate us.

And now, Simon too, is sick.  Thank god it's Friday and we have the weekend to recuperate.  

Wishing you all a big dose of healthy.  We sure could use one over here.

-amelia

What Mama Wore and Other Good Things: Juno Edition

From the City...

The best thing about dressing for the Junos is that you can do things like wear a fully sequinned butterfly shirt and not even think twice that you might be overdressed because you can pretty much guarantee somebody else will wearing something even crazier, like, silver spray painted antlers...

I kid you not.  

Laura's and my crush, Corb Lund.

Strumbellas on the red carpet, 

Simon and Izz on the red carpet.  Yes, Simon is wearing three collars.  

Night 1: 

Outlaws and Gunslingers Show Put on by Six Shooter Records...So many good acts; Corb Lund, Sarah Slean, Rose Cousins, Royal Wood, Amelia Curran, Great Lakes Swimmers and The Strumbellas!

Night 2: 

The Juno Gala hosted by Gian Gomeshi.  Fancy dinner with fancy ladies and whole lotta booze (cranberry martinis!).  Followed by a sold out Strumbellas show at The Artful Dodger. 

Night 3: 

The actual Junos...so many incredible acts; Metric (Emily Haines is not not hot), Serena Ryder, Hannah Georges, The Sheepdogs, and Classified.  Then off to a universal party where we danced all night!  Think; dancing with Anjulie, Hedley front man, Wooden Sky, etc etc!  Most surreal experience ever.

Robyn and I then dragged our sad bodies to the airport at 3 am for a 5 am flight.  One must never drink all night prior to a flight, this was learned the hard way.  Trust me.  Nothing about being in an airplane intoxicated/hungover is remotely enjoyable.  

Overall, the weekend was incredible.  I was just blown away by our Canadian music scene, so much talent.  I feel compelled to support more Canadian musicians and I suggest you do the same.  

Buy albums, go to shows, buy merch!

Plus Canadian musicians are so damn humble! I could have talked to Martina from Dragonette all night, she was just that cool and down to earth.  

Anyway, now back to reality.  

Theo has the flu and has been puking all night, there is vomit on every towel and sheet we own. 

-amelia 

My 33rd Birthday.

From the country...

1st hatch out of the incubator

New GORGEOUS earrings that I adore.

Went out for noodles.

1 of 2 Mason bee houses that I am SUPER excited about.

Well, look at me thirty three. Not old but certainty not a young wipper snapper either.

32 sounded cooler and 23 sounded even better.

I like getting older though believe me, I appreciate the maturity that has found me.  I feel that you get better with age- more so in your mind.

Man, I wish I had that 23 yr old body...

So my incubator has been rocking all week long and my brooder is full of little chicks. It doesn't stop there though, I already have a new hatch on and am always on the prowl for something new and exciting in the poultry world. Right now I have my eye on a Speckled Americauna rooster to bring home to my ladies and have some Speckled Sussex and Silver Laced Wyandott eggs in the incubator. Also bought myself this new poultry book to add to the library. I highly endorse the Storey's series.

My sis bought and sent me these amazing earrings that I am very in love with. I am not as fond of material things as I once was but man do I love these earrings. They look like the top half of an Easter egg.

We went out for an authentic Chinese dinner. The kids thought we actually were going to China, even though we tried explaining we were only going to China town. Lucas kept asking if we were back in Canada on the way home. We ate at the Pacific Mall in Markham at a place that came recommended for making their own noodles.  It was good, the noodles were fresh and we enjoyed watching and hearing the thwack of the dough being shmacked on the counter while the noodles were being made. We ate in a food court and out of one use plastic bowls and cutlery which was a drawback but the dumplings were really good and I LOVE baby bok choi in a noodle soup. The black bean and bok choi dish was really fresh and tasty too.

My lil' family presented me with 2 Mason Bee homes yesterday morning. It is my first foray into beekeeping. I am very excited to make another space for pollinators at the farm. I want to find a way to have them close to the new orchard that we are putting in this year. I have some research ahead of me to best accommodate these little wonders.

So while my sis is jet setting to Regina to attend the Juno Awards and all the partying that comes with being a wife to a very talented member of an amazing Juno nominated band, I will be attending my first farm auction of the year.

How very different our lives are.

33 here I come.

Juno Fest

From the City...

I'm still trying to process how good this weekend is going to be.  We leave for the Junos on Friday morning and will be in Regina until Monday.  This is the line up for Friday nights show followed by the gala on Saturday, a midnight show on Saturday night and front row seats at the Junos on Sunday.

...So far I have the boots, and that is all, so if you see a naked woman with incredible boots on television, that is me.

...must find outfit, must find outfit.

amelia

Little Protesters

From the country...

Yesterday was the rally to stop GM alfalfa in Toronto (and many other places in Ontario) called on by the National Farmers Union. We had planned as a family to make the trek to Toronto and join the rally, thinking that it would be a great excuse to ditch school for the day, spend some time together off farm and learn some valuable lessons. True to form, Millie got really sick and ended up with a double ear infection the night before. We were housebound.

So the troops were sent to represent...

The boys went with their signs and buttons blazing.

Here is a brief video from an eight year old's perspective of the day.

Awesome.