To the Big Island

I went out to start work on the “back forty” Friday morning with no idea as to where to begin. I’d been thinking the Fern garden was the place to begin, but instead I started clearing areas I plan to seed with grass. Come autumn, I’ll cover the area in soil and seed it.

It’s hard work that involves long unused muscles. I have a pitchfork kid of thing I use to break up the hard-packed soil. I thrust the thing deep into the soil and pull and push to free the roots of the weeds and vines; I use the tool a bit like an axe and scathe. By Friday night my arms and shoulders were aching.  

I like the work. I like the changes I’ll see in the Fall when I seed; I don’t see what is, I see what will be. I’ll do more today and through the week.

Yesterday I was up and outside by 5:00 am watering the gardens. I packed quickly and left at 6:30 to be sure to be on the 7:30 ferry. I needn’t have hurried. There was hardly anyone travelling so early on a Saturday.

I took Her Highness for a nice walk in the park we always go to in Nanaimo, and then I went to Walmard for ten (!) $3 bags of soil, two large bags of birdseed, a huge container of kitty litter and lots of rawhide dog bones. It was my first time ever inside a Walmart (the garden centre is outside). It felt like an airport.

Then I was off to Jane and Dana’s in Parksville. I followed them to Qualicum Beach were we went for a lovely beach off-leash walk with the dogs (legal until June 10). Then we ate in a beach shack recently taken over by a very friendly fellow we met. We took our food to a picnic table in the shade and ate remarkably delicious food. It was a glorious day with my dog, my friends and so many essentials bought so inexpensively.

Today, before getting back to the landscaping, I have to tie up all my peas. They are not very good at climbing and need to be helped getting started. It’ll be satisfying work.

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Sheba has graduated to Genius status. 

I now leave my gate open all day when I am here so she can free-range. She spends a lot of her time just chillin’ at the front of the lot guarding us. She causes me no concern running free.

I hear other dog owners howling, over and over, the name of their dog and it’s made me reluctant to do the same thing. It’s so quiet hear, screaming for a pet jars—and we all know who is yelling because we all know who owns what dog. 

My brilliant dog and I have a fabulous system: I just clap my hands once and she comes home. It’s wonderful and it’s anonymous.

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The second order of Tool Library brochures has arrived. They are my donation to my friend, Patsy’s, current major concern.

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I ordered a new wheelbarrow wheel. Fixing my wheelbarrow will earn me my Tool Repair badge—a badge of which I’m terribly proud. (I also recently fixed—against all odds—my vacuum!) I continue to be amazed by what practical things this modestly educated “city boy” is driven to by necessity.