from abundance to excess

Kitson has access to a lot of left over boxes at work.  This will be handy for when it comes time to move.  He's already loading up our house with boxes.

As he assembles a box, I begin to realize that his stack of boxes are mostly size triple extra large.  If one of these boxes were full of kale chips it would be too heavy to lift.  How are we going to get rid of these boxes?

you're supposed to be packing

In the spirit of recycling, and minimizing our dependence on the money system, Kitson is getting into building with his own two hands.  He went downstairs to pack for our big move and soon I heard the buzzing of a saw from below.  What's he building in there?

At his work boxes arrive on palettes and one particular order came with an oak palette (rather than the usual pine).  He decided the wood was good quality and that he should make a coffee table out of it.  Our wicker hand-me-down coffee table has been looking a little haggard lately.

We only have five days until we get the keys to our new home, but we've got our rental until the end of September.  Packing can wait for another day.  

packing up to move

cuttings to take:
-pear
-grape (it's some sort of concord)

Plants to move:
-lavender
-raspberries
-strawberries

harvest to pick (and process):
-kale
-chard
-tomatoes
-potatoes
-pears (we've picked one box already)
-carrots
-arugula

seeds to save:
-parsley
-poppies

also:
-greenhouse
-wood pile
-gardening tools

please don't ask the city about compost

Has anyone heard of a residential greywater system in Penticton?  I know the city encourages the use of greywater in new commercial buildings, but is greywater a grey area for residences?

When folks asked if chickens were permitted in Penticton the answer was, "Geez, I don't know, lets find out!".  This led to the city asking Penticton residents how they felt, many of whom kept chickens during the war.  A population that was liberated by spam and instant potatoes saw backyard chooks as a backward step.

Chickens were soon banned, but were eventually allowed by permit only (within the confines of an eighteen month pilot project) thanks to vocal protesters.  Now we have an election coming up and the candidates will have plenty of opportunity to dodge the chicken question, since the trial period still has 15 months to go.

At any rate, we're going to start with rain water.  Who wants all that water pooling around the foundation of their house anyway?  Could rainwater feed a pond?  I'm afraid to ask about greywater.  I think I already know what the answer is.

vegan organic

Mum's granola tasted better than ours, so I started using her method.  Soaked flax acts as glue to hold soaked buckwheat together.  Also contains nuts, seeds, cinnamon, and dried fruit.  Since the granola is dehydrated rather than baked, it is considered a raw food.

I can't say we grew any part of this ourselves but I can tell you I like to eat mine with hemp milk.  We ate too much so there won't be an after photo.

how will we shut this place down

Needless to say, we are no longer planting, we are only watering and harvesting.  There is also some weeding, mowing, and chipping involved but I like to think of those activities in terms of giving the yard a haircut.  I want things to look extra tidy when we leave.   I know we will have left things better than we found them but will the next renter know it?

Will the next tenant see the rich soil, that rises like a cake?  Will they notice the fifteen hundred Red Wigglers that Kitson purchased have multiplied in the worm farm before they were set free?  Will the new gardeners see them wiggling in the compost, see the bees everywhere? (There wasn't much point in keeping a worm farm when the entire yard was full of worms.)

They might think they need to fumigate.  I'm only just getting used to the insectuary myself.  What is easier to get used to is the produce.

I'm munching on a roasted potato that came out of the ground less than an hour ago.  I was impressed by the size this year, and the soil all around it was fluffy and moist.  Our whole meal came out of the garden, save the bocconcini.

I hope another urban homesteading enthusiast can pick up where we left off.  I promise there will be lots of food if you just add water.

we took the subjects off

If anyone wants to move into a house in a 'good area' with a big garden and the best view in town, they can take over our rental.  The property manager can even help you mow the lawn, but be warned that she's trigger happy with her pesticide sprayer.  There is easily enough room for a market garden, though you might have to keep your day job. I doubt the landlord will trade for kale.

We've taken the subjects off our purchase agreement and we'll get the keys to our new home in less than three weeks.  Finally we can achieve our long-time dream of building a food forest!  This garden will be strategically designed and hopefully less messy.  We want to turn the backyard from this...

...into something that more closely resembles this:

(Photo from http://alderleaf-wilderness-college.blogspot.ca)

We've been waiting for the chance to make a long-term investment of our time and efforts to create a true permaculture garden.  We have plans for a greenhouse, a pond, fruit trees, and an outdoor living room.  I can see how renting and owning a house both have their advantages. However, it just doesn't make sense to invest in fruit trees that will one day be cut down, or dig out a pond which will later be filled in, when you're renting a property.

Oh and the house is amazing too!  It is a beautiful renovated bungalow built in 1939.  It measures only 1100 square feet which leaves more room for the yard.

the fires appear to be out

Last week a year's worth of rain came down in two minutes.  At my work the apartment above became completely flooded and some water had come through the ceiling.  The stream dripping from the light fixture was our main concern.  Luckily we are still operational at the salon but I can't say the same for the folks upstairs.

We viewed a house to purchase the next day and it appeared to be dry.  We thought it was a great time to view homes, since if they were prone to flooding, this weather would surely do the job.  The roof was seven years old.

At home I got a call from a friend, whose place had been ruined, and soon she and her daughter were staying in our rarely used guest room.  She said she felt fortunate that they had friends to go to for help, and that she had resources.  Her neighbours below had fled, since they couldn't pay rent on a construction zone and still afford a dry place to stay.  To complicate matters the landlords were poor and didn't believe insurance would cover the damage.  We made our offer on the house the day after she arrived and I felt a bit guilty about it.

She had been doing some work on farms and came with all the vegetables we couldn't grow ourselves: broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and sour cream.  We took turns cooking and it was nice to have a break from the kitchen.  Okay, I rarely make dinner, it was nice for my husband to have a break from cooking.  Now she's on a well timed week-long holiday out of cell phone range and hopefully construction is happening.

Kitson should return today from three days in the Cathedral Mountain Park with only a minimized backpack.  If he was able to catch some fish, he won't be starving.  There is a cold beer in a stream waiting for him on the way down.  When he gets back,  I will place my pile of stress into his tired arms and we can finish jumping through house purchasing hoops as a family.

minimalist baby

I admired a child's new toy.  It was so stylish.  Her mum told me that it isn't really obvious that she has kids when you visit her house.  Her kid's stuff fits into her interior design.

I said I didn't want my house to be a sea of crap, but others insisted that kids need lots of toys.  Kids get bored easily and a big pile of toys (hopefully in a separate rec-room) will keep them happy and occupied forever.

When I was young, I had a toy box, about the size of your standard hope chest, and the rule was that everything had to fit inside.  If it was full and I got something new then something old had to go.  I liked to play shoe store and set up mum's shoes on the stair case.  I also liked to use that piece of fur she had for a tail and be a squirrel.

I definitely want to minimize my judgements.  I say to each their own.  I know it will be a reality check when the baby is outside and needs a carseat if we're going to drive anywhere.  I'm sure I'll need some stuff.  But what I want to know is, how little can I get away with?

Another mum insisted that kids don't need toys at all.  She says they play with cooking pots, boxes, anything in the house that is safe.  This sounds like an affordable option.  I think we all need a few fun treasures to play with.  I obviously have a computer to play with after all.  How little can I get away with?