Summer

Cheese Enchiladas and Reflections from Summer

/ Lee Reynolds

“Whoever hath a seed time of grace pass over his soul, shall have his harvest also of joy.”
~William Gurnall~

I won’t lie, the first day of fall was not a joyful one for me. It’s not that I don’t love the autumn season, for I do. Ah, the cooler days with the fresh smell of apples ripening in the air, the crunch of leaves under my feet and the scarlet reds, brilliant yellow and oranges, are normally a welcoming delight for me.
 It’s just that this year, I didn’t feel like I’d had enough summer.
Forest fires burned relentlessly, throughout our province, without any sign of abatement due to the hot and dry weather we experienced. For most of July and August I would wake early to the acrid smell of smoke, drifting through my slightly opened bedroom doors. I knew before even rising, from the dim light filtering through the curtains, that instead of crystal blue skies, I would find a grey and white blanket heavy above me, choking me from the beauty of summer, making me feel like I was swimming under water, unable to catch my breath.
Grace sitting on a picnic table during our camping trip…you can see the haze of smoke hovering over the lake
And what made it even worse was being imprisoned with our young children, in fear of damaging their lungs due to the poor air –quality, we spent our days pent up inside our often blistering house. The air conditioner, which we had installed after the staggering hot summer of 1998, the summer I had been pregnant with our now 18 year old son, decided to work intermittently this summer.

Usually on the hottest of days it would decide to freeze up and we would be left sweltering, like hostages in the worst of prisons. Purchasing a new one was out of the question, since we were about to send that same 18 year old off to University and like some rich parents (we’re not!) of entitled kids, (he’s not) we had agreed to pay for his school expenses.

One night in summer I woke to the smell of burning wood and when I glanced outside, the moon was full and almost orange from all the smoke in the air
So on those days when the fine particles in the smoke were most toxic,  the kids and I spent hours inside playing every board game in the house, reading countless books until our eyes were red and sore and figuring out which puzzles had the most missing pieces. Occasionally, feeling trapped and isolated, I would turn on the television and catch a bit of National news, and that’s when a heavier oppression hit me; our interior region was making National headlines.
News stories, showing forest fires ablaze and people fleeing their homes for safer ground, not knowing  if they would have a home to return to drifted into our family room, like the smoke in the air around us. Compounding my depression over the conditions we were living under, a thick layer of guilt grimly covered me.
We were having a good summer compared to them.
Then if I clicked the remote just five channels over to capture images rolling from CNN, real fear encompassed me. Concerns that, “Rocket Man,” whom the United States President, Donald Trump, called the dictator, Kim Jong-un, of North Korea, would catapult one of his intercontinental ballistic missiles, this one armed with nuclear weapons, and our world would erupt into war, ending life as we know it.
 Well, let’s just say life period.
So yeah, summer wasn’t great and I’m not greeting fall with higher expectations, since fall leads to
winter, when our valley is immersed in inversion type weather systems, where we are permanently

 trapped under dark cloud and experience bitterly cold days.

I’m not ready for that yet! I didn’t get enough sun yet to keep me going through our darkest months.

 Wait though, our eight year old son William, and his six year old twin sisters, Kathryn and Victoria,
 have all come running into the house now and are excitedly calling my name. “Mommy, Mommy,
 you won’t guess what we found in the raspberry patch?” Pardon me as I put down the lid of my
 laptop and see what they want.
 Sliding my reading glasses down my nose, I peer at their animated faces and see that my curly,
 blonde headed Will is holding something cupped in his hands. The little girls, are glued next to him,
 as if they are all one unit, holding this single item up for perusal. “Remember how you thought there
 was a squash growing under the raspberries?” Will said, and I answered “yeah?” “Well,” they all
 chimed in together, “it wasn’t a squash.” And then they extended a perfectly round, luminous, orb,
 circled with tiny rivers of green towards me.
Suddenly, looking at our children’s shining, exuberant faces, and then down at the round and glowing

cantaloupe they were holding, I was reminded of the goodness of earth and the abundant lessons
always springing forth; from the ground and from the innocent joy of our children.

Behind the children and to the right, you can see the cantaloupe plant..which I thought was a squash, growing out under the newly planted raspberries….the seed must have been in the compost mixture I used to top up the raised bed….unexpected gifts from the earth and answers to a prayer to bring hope to dim season

Maybe this fall is going to be better than expected

 

Please join me in saying goodbye to summer, as we sip the last of the ice tea and make some cheese
enchiladas. If you want an easy meal, this is it! At this time of year, I’m really busy roasting and
freezing tomatoes, making apple sauce, blanching and freezing the last of the beans so this quick and
easy type dinner, fits the bill perfectly. Also, as you may know from reading my blog, our
son Harrison recently left for University. While I’ve been sad to see him go, since he was a meat lover
and would often groan when I would make a veggie dish, it’s nice to be able to make something
more of us love without the negative vibes. Sorry Harry….but something good comes from every
season in life. (we miss you in every other way!)
Our vegetable loving Victoria next to her garden…the bees love her zinnias!
I hope you too are looking forward to fall and the goodness that comes from each season.
Now let’s make some enchiladas…….
(Years ago, I was an accredited La Leche League leader and this recipe was found in one of their books, “Whole Foods for the Whole Family.”)
Cheese Enchiladas
 
Ingredients
Sauce:
3 tbsp of oil
1 to 2 tbsp of chili powder 
2 tbsp of flour
2 cups water
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
Bean Filling:
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped black olives
Tortillas
8 flour (see recipe below to make from scratch)
2 tbsp oil
Toppings
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp chopped onion
Directions:
If you really want to stretch your budget, use dried beans. To make 2 cups of cooked pinto beans you need 3/4 of a cup of dried beans. This little bag for $2.00 has enough dried beans for MANY meals!
Combine sauce ingredients in saucepan; mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes
Combine filling ingredients in bowl, mashing beans and mixing well. Fry tortillas briefly in oil in 
skillet. spoon filling onto tortillas; roll to enclose filling. Place seam side down in shallow baking
 dish. Pour sauce over enchiladas; top with 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 
minutes, spooning sauce over top occasionally. Serve with topping of yogurt and onion. May
 substitute shredded sharp cheese for cottage cheese, sunflower seeds fro almonds or green olives for 
black olives. Or if you wish omit olives, wheat germ, yogurt, or onion.
 
This is a quick, nutritious, and EASY meal, not to mention inexpensive for a crowd. Make the sauce
 and filling ahead of time and you can make it easily when your family gathers. Put some rice on, 
add some tortillas chips and you have a delicious meal for those you love.
The last watermelon of summer, and a smattering of summer corn, all adds to this change of season meal…well this is a meal for all season but boy did it taste good sitting outside on the last of summer

 

Will and his corn. While this crop would probably do better directly in the ground, we still harvested many ears of corn from this little 4×4 crop space…plus we now have seeds to try it again next year

 

 
 
If you want to take it to another level of being sustainable, make your own flour tortillas. (also from the recipe book above)
 
Flour Tortillas or Chapathis
Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder (opt)
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter or oil
1 cup warm water
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Work in butter or oil…this is optional as well. Add enough water
soft, pliable dough. Knead lightly on floured surface.Divide into 6 balls, let rest, covered for 15- 20 
minutes. Roll into thin circles, between sheets of floured, waxed paper. Bake in ungreased, heavy 
skillet, or griddle, until brown specks appear on cooking side. Cook over and cook on the other side. 

These store well in fridge or freezer. Makes 16 servings.

Sadie and I… aka Sweet Girl at the end of summer

“You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your
environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the
earth, which is the highest form of prayer.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh~

Thank you for coming to visit me today.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble~Hello New Chickens

/ Lee Reynolds

https://wordwaltzer.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/images-7.jpeg                                        ~There is always enough, when love is present~

The long, lazy days of summer are still with us but our roosters are not. It was a sad day when we had to say goodbye to our three roos. Knowing they were going to a good home in the country made us feel marginally better.

Our two remaining hens, Sadie, (aka, Sweet Girl) and Cocoa seemed to breathe an audible sigh of relief as the three rambunctious boys left the coop. I thought they would be sad to see their brothers go. I felt so bad, so on the following day of saying goodbye to the boys, I finally let them out of their coop/run to free range our yard for the first time. If they felt any sadness, it was soon forgotten as they explored the yard, nibbling on fresh kale and jumping at butterflies.

 

We happily watched them become brave adventurers. Each day they ventured farther afield, to the playground, under the trampoline, up the stairs to our kitchen garden where sweet herbs and a few lettuces were trying valiantly to grow despite the mass families of quail visiting our yard this year. I had to laugh one day when our sweet Sadie chased some quail out of our yard. As she ran with her wings straight back, she seemed to say, get out of MY yard. (There really is enough growing for all)

Sadie and Cocoa check out the playhouse

And that got me thinking about adding a few more hen friends. One of the reasons for adding to our flock was that chickens are social creatures and they do well in groups of at least three. In fact, I don’t think you can say you have a flock of chickens unless you have three. Also, even though the nights are balmy now, I know in the not too distant future, it’s going to get very cold in our part of the world and we are going to need several chickens huddling together in the coop to stay warm through the winter.

It took a week for us to find new sisters for our girls. I put the word out on Facebook with a chicken loving friend who is also into sustainable living. Also, we tried to contact a local hatchery but after several phone calls and even an email, our request for two hens must not have been enough to warrant a call back. Finally, I found a Kijiji ad offering 6 month old Rhode Island Red hens for sale.

Perfect!

I contacted the owner and he was happy to sell two hens to us. I gathered together my laundry basket and D secured some hardware cloth to the top and we headed out to the country. A lovely flock of 10 Rhode Island Hens were happily scratching and clucking in a shady run. How does one go about finding two hens from a group of constantly moving chickens?

I told the owner, we would like hens who are in the middle of the pecking order so we don’t bring home two bossy boots. Also, I was hoping to get the darkest red hens I could find as I LOVE this breed of chicken and I thought they would fit in nicely with our girls. Our beautiful girls are both a rusty dark red and although I’m not a chicken expert, since they both came from greeny blue eggs, they are what is called Easter Eggers. This is a mixed breed with one parent carrying the coloured egg gene.

I’d like to say we chose our two new girls, but really I think destiny chose them. We took the first one I picked up and the owner’s daughter, Haley chose the other one. I would have loved to have brought all 10 hens home, as I knew the owner was moving and needed to find homes for them all but two was a good number for us and our urban setting. It’s a good idea, if you are introducing new hens to bring at least 2 from the same flock so they have a friend as they adjust to their new surroundings and new coop mates.

David carrying our new hens into our backyard and the kids are beyond excited

So here is what I have learned about introducing new chickens to an existing flock. 

You can’t just let them run loose with your existing birds, due to potential health issues and also of course the whole pecking order has to be rearranged in a controlled situation. Thankfully, we have a hardware cloth door that can be closed to create two runs and we let the new girls have the larger run. There is a nice roost in this run and I put a pet carrier inside for their nesting box since the new chickens are laying eggs. (Yipee)

After three days we had 1/2 dozen eggs from our new hens

Our girls, who were free ranging when we brought their new sisters home came running over to see what we had in the laundry basket. They were very interested and excited but I’m glad we had them separated as the new girls were larger and I was worried about our 15 week babies/adolescent birds. After all, these new girls were used to being in a larger flock and dealing with the pecking order, and our girls had put up with 3 big brothers but no big bossy hens. Another tip, in introducing new chickens to the flock is to make sure they are all about the same size as the smaller ones will get picked on for sure.

 

Here are the new girls moving into the run for the first time.

 

In the first week, I made sure they had a lot of greens and lovely things to eat to make them feel welcome

After a week of keeping the new girls, who we finally named, Clara and Annie, in their run/coop, one beautiful afternoon, I let them out to join Sadie and Cocoa. Since there was lots of space to explore, there was no confrontation, although both sets were wary of each other. That night I separated them in the coop/run again but the next day I let them out and they have been free ranging and sleeping in the run/coop without any barrier. The new girls did stay on the run roost each night up to now but tonight when they were all starting to settle into their respective places, I picked the new girls up and moved them into the coop with our younger girls. There was some unrest but then they settled down obviously too tired to worry about who was sleeping where. I will get up nice and early and let them out to avoid any issues.

I have heard that there can be vicious attacks but so far, there has only been a move towards a peck, which has been avoided since there has been the space for all to roam. I think that is the key with adjusting new chickens into an existing flock; to give them space so they don’t feel stressed. If there is no stress for food, or roost space, or places to scratch and move, then there really is no issue. They can easily transition into a comfortable pecking order without any violence.

Reminds me a bit of bringing home a new baby  to join an older brother, sister, or more. If the existing child, or children feel that they are not losing anything, just gaining a sweet brother or sister, then the adjustment is easier. In fact, our children all felt we had given them something very special instead of  anything being taking away. That shocked me as I had never thought of it that way. I was worried they would feel as though they were losing a bit of their relationship with their mom and dad and then I realized, they were being given a new relationship that WE were not a part of in any way. I’ll never forget our oldest daughter oohing and ahhhing over her baby brother the first time she met him.”My baby brudder,” she said as she held him in her tiny arms.

Here’s  our daughter Grace feeding one of her twin baby sisters. She was so excited to finally have not just one baby sister but TWO
Here’s Clara, one of our new hens exploring her new yard..so far she is the BIG SISTER and realizes there is enough to go around for all the hens, food, room to explore, attention, and companionship
Victoria getting to know the new girls, Clara in front and Annie in the back
There is a lot of room for the hens to roam on our 1/3 acre urban lot, here you can see the two separate runs/coops we have set up. The one on the right is the one our older girls lived in as we adjusted our new hens to their surroundings. The new girls lived in the run on the left. There is a nice roost and a nest box in that run. Hopefully, after tonight they will all sleep together in the little coop space in the upper run

All of this has been going on at our homestead while we were also saying goodbye to our oldest son, who left for London mid July to spend the summer with his sister traveling around the U.K. The same sister who taught me there is always enough love to go, when we introduced HER baby brother to her. Now they are all grown up and are traveling partners in life.

Before Clark left though we harvested our strawberries and our rhubarb and made a delicious crumble. I’ve been  waiting to write a blog and share this recipe with you but it’s been a really busy summer. Are you finding it’s flying by too? Our second big crop of rhubarb is about ready to harvest again.

Btw, the crumble is the British term for the American crisp, which I thought was appropriate as our son headed off for Britain. Here’s my recipe for a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (adjust the sugar depending on how sweet you would want it)

Hope’s Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients

3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or toasted almonds
3 cups of cut up strawberries
2 cups of chopped rhubarb
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Directions

Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix in with a pastry cutter. Add nuts and mix with a fork. Set aside this topping for the crumble.

Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, white sugar, and vanilla and place in the bottom of an 8×11 inch pan. 

Sprinkle the topping on top of fruit mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes 

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top…delicious

Although this crumble went fast in our house…it’s easy to make so there is always enough!

 

Saying goodbye to our oldest as he heads off for his summer adventure to the U.K.

 

 
 
                           ~There is no lack. There is always enough~

I hope to see you again soon,

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope


P.S. The girls slept together well last night and seemed to be even closer this morning as they roamed around the yard together rather in two separate groups. Also, BIG News, there was the usual two eggs, one in the coop area they slept in last night and one in the old nesting box which is still in the run. The BIG news though is that I found two shelless eggs which means our younger girls, Sadie and Cocoa are revving to lay REAL eggs soon. Exciting day and a big step towards having a harmonious flock.

Black Bean Quesadillas~Summer’s End

/ Lee Reynolds

All summer long I have had a mantra. “With Grace and Ease” let summer unfold.” Now here we are nearing the end and I’m not ready to say good bye. Is it just me, or is saying goodbye hard for you too?                

Along our life’s path, our moments of letting go are numerous and I often feel that if I could just get this surrender thing down pat, then I would be ready to truly live in the moment. This easy, free flowing process eludes me, although I think I do a pretty good job based on how I feel. Happy and content most of the time. Tremendously grateful always. And yet, saying goodbye, or transitioning into another phase of life is tough for me.

Looking back, this past summer held so many lovely memories that I will hold close to my heart. A few highlights are the following……

Mitchell brought his guitar out when we went camping in July

 

Kate, Tori and Will, taking in the lake

 

This week was the hottest week of the whole summer…and of course we are camping!

 

Grace and Harrison are chilling but in the evening they are competitive scrabble players….lots of great words!

 

David and I on the rock behind our campsite

 

My best friend T comes to visit in July…I took her up the mountain behind our house and we snapped a selfie

 

My sister’s C and J, explore the lavender gardens after a morning of making lavender wreaths

 

I got some great ideas for garden design at the lavender farm….don’t you love this iron work?

 

Here’s the wreath I made…it smells great in our guest bath

 

While everyone isn’t looking in this picture (namely Will and Grace) I loved the picture of Sunny, my sister’s dog

 

My sister C and brother in law D, and their sweet dog, Sunny

 

 

The kids were endlessly bringing up great produce from our garden…I’d turn our whole yard into edible space but having a bit of lawn is a great source of mulch to retain the moisture in the ground

 

Our oldest Daughter Alysa came home for a brief time this summer as her best friend was getting married. We walked down to the lake one day and the smoke from forest fires was so thick that you couldn’t see all of the beach I think she was happy to return to London where she will spend another year teaching and experiencing life in the U.K.

 

Mitchell showing me his green transportation that he will use when he returns to University….I asked him if he was going to use a helmet and this is the look I got…..”Mom!”

 

When kids grow up, who knows when they will be together again? Alyssa and Mitchell the day before Alyssa returns to London

 

My sister C and I at our family’s goodbye party for Alyssa and Mitchell

 

A final, early morning huddle before Mitchell leaves for University….Alyssa flies out later the same day…BOO-HOO!

 

A final goodbye….have a great year at school Mitchell!

 

My first baby getting ready for the big trip back to the U.K. on August 31st….If you can go to London….you can do ANYTHING!

 

If I wasn’t reading about eating raw…I was reading about being a minimalist

 

Here comes a massive cucumber….looks like we are eating a Greek Salad tonight
Victoria and Dugan…..Aunti B and Uncle J’s new puppy…Victoria would love to KEEP HIM!….Below, Uncle J and Doogie….this puppy is so easy and laid back

 

 

My sister B and I on the morning that they are leaving…we were watching the owl in our birch tree
Will puts down his binoculars to say cheese with his beloved auntie, B

 

It’s hard to say Goodbye

 

Can you see the owl in our birch tree? He spent the whole day sleeping in our tree

 

 

At the end of the day, he left the tree and spent about an hour sitting on our roof…he was screeching like crazy every few minutes……really surreal! to see something so wild, so close.

 

Here are all the kids looking at the owl. D brought out his computer and matched up the owls vocals with a computer web site….looks like this is a great horned owl

We have had evening visits over the years with owls but we have never had one linger for the whole day around our house. It was a bit strange and then even more strange when I looked up the symbology of owls.  

If an owl has visited you, an incredible gift has been bestowed.

On the day of our owl visit, I dug up some potatoes and had Clark carry them up, since he LOVES them.

So many great moments. How was your summer? Will it be hard for you to say goodbye to it too?

I have glimpses of what the next season will hold. Our little girls started their first ballet class last week and they are beyond excited to be dancing at long last.

 

As I was sitting in the ballet school’s waiting room the other day, it occurred to me that this was the LAST, first day of ballet, I will ever experience. All of our daughters attended this ballet school and it was bittersweet thinking that the first day will never come again……and so is the nature of life.

There are firsts and lasts and it’s up to us to decide how we want to experience it all.

This month is the 50th anniversary of my Dad, Marvyne Derwent Clark’s death. I’m now older than he was when he passed away and in a way I feel I’m already living on borrowed time. When you live to an age beyond the age your parent(s) lived, there is a sense at any time, you could also be leaving the earth. We just never know, do we?

My mom Ethel and my dad Marvyne Clark

 

I remember my dad smiling always, and in the evenings I would fall asleep hearing him tapping away on his typewriter or playing his voilin.

 

My 3 sisters with mom and dad…I’m in Dad’s lap

 

Little did we know that Dad would only be with us for only a few years more

This weekend, since the weather was warm we heated the pool and the kids swam, albeit in rather cold water, in what I told them probably is the last swim of the season.

After a barbeque dinner, we roasted marmellows and ate s’mores, since the campfire ban had been lifted. We laid on the trampoline, bundled in blankets and under a star filled sky, we counted shooting stars and made wish after wish. Today, as David painted the window frames, (a job needing to be done before winter arrives) Harrison and I made “his” famous dish, “Black bean Quesadillas.

Earlier this summer he made them for the first time and they were outstanding. Today, he taught me how to make them and they did not disappoint. As our family moves towards eating mostly vegetarian meals, (me having dreams of being a raw vegan) this is definitely a favourite. It’s easy to make and economical, not to mention a healthy meal.

Join us in the kitchen and we will make it together.

Along with Physics, Pre Calc, and French, Harrison is taking “Foods” on line this term, I’m looking forward to LOTS of great meals this fall…..he’s such a natural in the kitchen

Harrison’s Black Bean Quesadillas

Ingredients

2-4 tbsp of Vegetable Oil
3 cloves of garlic 
1 red or yellow pepper
1 hot pepper (we used jalapeno)
1 onion (we used 1/2 white and 1/2 red)

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp red hot pepper flakes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

2- 19 ounce cans of black beans
1-1/2 cups of salsa
8 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, heat oil and then saute the garlic, peppers, and onion. Add the seasonings and cook until onions are translucent.  Add the cans of well drained beans, and the salsa. Heat well and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat.

 

Lay a tortilla on a plate and add the bean mixture to one side. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and fold over.

Cut in half and place on a lightly sprayed cooking pan. Place in pre-heated (425 degree) oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the tortillas and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and top with grated cheddar cheese. This recipe serves 8-12 people. If you have left overs, this meal is perfect for freezing.

We served our quesadillas with basmati brown rice, a kale/Greek salad, and organic taco chips. You can choose the level of spice based on the salsas….we used a medium since we were serving them to our little kids, but our older kids like their food HOT AND SPICY.

D takes a break from painting…..and enjoy’s Harrison’s Quesadillas

 

I don’t know who likes eating outside, me or the kids….I like not having to sweep up rice, etc from the ground…they like being able to lay down when their tummy gets full

 

Kate, who can be a bit fussy about what she eats…loves these black bean quesadillas

Tomorrow will be the start of the last week of summer. As I spend this week, fondly remembering all the moments with my family and friends, I will also be thinking of my Dad, knowing that even though he hasn’t been physically with me for almost all of my life, he is right here in my heart. I wonder if the owl that came to visit us last week, wasn’t his spirit coming to remind me to enjoy the moments fully and let go with ease and grace.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope
Image result for google images and quotes about winnie the pooh, keep me in your heart

Cherry Squares~Summer Delight

/ Lee Reynolds

A life without love is like a year without summer. ~Swedish Proverb

Spring literally flew by for me with hardly a moment to think, let alone time to reflect and write a blog post. I missed you all though.

I started working at my gardening gig on Earth’s day, April 22nd. An appropriate day to start working with plants and helping our customers plan their garden don’t you think? 

Here’s a shot of the north end of our garden centre

 

Inside our greenhouse

 

My favourite place….the veggie section

 

I was blessed to have some GREAT co-workers who made coming to work FUN!

 

Another amazing co-worker…making life in the veggie section even better
When you would pay your boss to work, you know you have found the right job….more beautiful co-workers
The garden is the perfect place to transform……here’s a butterfly on our marigolds

 

And marvel over endless beauty

 

So yeah Spring flew by immersed in Kale and Flowers….check out my glasses…more about that later

 When I wasn’t working at the garden centre, I was trying hard to be a good mom but gosh is it ever a balancing act. I think the kids kind of like me though, as they gave me some thoughtful Mother’s Day gifts in May; handprints, flowers, poems, a gift certificates good for chores like lawn mowing and more. Did I mention that I have great kids?


 The rest of May flew by in a blur, with a 4th birthday party for our twin daughters at the end of the month. The theme was “Bugs and Butterflies” which was a big hit with Kathryn and Victoria.

 

This butterfly cake was super easy to make…just ask me about it.
Victoria is trying to hit the ladybug pinata I made for the party…now that would have been a blog post unto itself!



After the girl’s 4th birthday on May 20th, it was a quick slide into June with a mad dash to plant my own veggie garden. It was quite a challenge keeping it weed free though….I did eventually spend an afternoon and weeded it and promptly put freshly mowed grass clippings around the plants to keep them moist but also weed free. Stay tuned for a more updated picture of the garden in posts to come.

I REALLY like the location of all the plants this year….I did LOTS of research into companion planting this year…note e basil next to the carrots and tomatoes….the onions and marigolds are all around the outside of the garden which hopefully will create a barrier for insects

I was blessed to have my oldest sister visit. I love it as she knows exactly how to help….she always heads straight to my laundry room when she arrives…AND since she is a master at organizing and decluttering, she always brings me hand-me downs.

Ta Da….new hoodie and shoes!!!….don’t you just love hand me downs?

 

My generous sister B with Victoria and Kathryn

  June arrived and flew by in a flurry of piano and voice concerts, a piano exam, soccer games, final school exams, year end parties and beach days and our traditional music school Country Fair. It ended with Will’s 6th birthday party at the Science Centre. I can’t believe our little guy is 6 years old!

Will’s rocket ship birthday cake that I made for him for his Science Centre party

 

Who knows what his future will be? When asked recently what he wanted to do when he grows up he said, “An engineer and a chef.” ….maybe he will be both


Will’s actual birthday, June 25th fell on the kid’s last day of school. We celebrated the beginning of summer with a slurpee. Yes, our family is healthy, we drink green drinks, eat lots of veggies and stay active, but we all enjoy a slurpee now and then too.

Welcome Summer!

Summer arrived and we headed to Okanagan lake for a week of camping. What a week! We experienced thunder showers, epic high temperatures (39 celsuis…and yes there are people in the world who think Canada is COLD!), in which Katie was sick with heat stroke, most of us came down with swimmer’s itch and finally there was a camp fire ban since the temperatures were extreme and our Province is so dry. Boo! as our one of our favourite things each day is to have a crackling fire in the evening in which we can toast our s’mores! So Yummy!

Here are a few pics of the highlights…

Oh Bliss….the water was the perfect temp

 

Will took part in a “learn to fish” program put on at our campground

 

Happy Campers

 

Mitchell came out for the first weekend and brought his guitar….he’s so talented

 

Hiking up the beach trail and taking a moment to snap a picture

 

Harrison went into town each day for a basketball camp so was only with for short amounts of time….but enough time to enjoy the experience of being in the great outdoors and appreciate a real bed.

 

Grace balancing on the paddle board. She took lessons and is a natural1

  

David and I behind our campsite….see the lake in the background. Gorgeous!

 

Now you know why I didn’t have much time to blog this spring and early summer.  Life has been full of work, milestones memories and wonderful experiences. 

Another highlight, was when the little kids and I picked our first big harvest of cherries from our two trees in our backyard. The trees (a Lapin and a Lambert) were loaded and we even had enough to share with others this year. That is always a nice feeling when you grow food.

I have so many memories when I pick cherries. My first is when I was a teenager living in the Creston Valley, known for its productive fruit trees. I made a nice sum of money picking cherries one summer and got a really good tan…back in the days when a tan was something to be coveted.

Another memory was when I was 25 and my step father had just passed away in April, leaving my mom with a large house and property to maintain. My sisters and brother in laws got together one weekend in June and picked cherries from her mini orchard. I thought I would never look at another cherry again but it was really nice to be able to hand mom a bit of money from the cherry sales at the local farmer’s market.

I hope my kids have a few nice cherry picking memories. For many years we picked the cherries hanging over the fence from our neighbour’s tree (they gave us permission and they never picked any cherries) We would get enough cherries from our side of the fence to be able to freeze a nice lot of cherries and we always made my mom’s cherry square dessert each year. Now that we have our own trees, I hope our little ones create their own memories.

I am trusting that summer will continue to unfold with grace and ease. Picking cherries and taking the time to make my mom’s Cherry Square recipe was a nice start. If you are looking for a lovely, easy cherry dessert this is it. Add a dollop of ice cream or whipping cream and you have something really special to serve your family. Here’s one of our family’s summer dessert recipes….

My Mom, Ethel’s Cherry Square Dessert

Filling Ingredients

5 cups of fresh pitted cherries (this is the only time consuming part of this recipe)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Put the above ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. Mash a bit and then add

a mixture of 1/4 cup cornstarch with a bit of water...enough until you have made a paste.
Add the cornstarch paste to the cherry mixture. Stir it in well.

Simmer a bit more until mixture is clear

Let cool

In a large bowl add:

1-3/4 cup rolled oats
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour…I use 3/4 cup of whole wheat and 3/4 of white flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup of brown sugar or sweetening ingredient of your choice
 Optional: 1 tsp cinnamon

Cut  into this mixture,
3/4 cup of cold butter or margarine

Lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish….I used a 9×13 but the squares were not as deep

Press 1/2 of the rolled oat/ flour/butter mixture into the baking dish

Spread cooled cherry filling over the first layer

Press the remainder of the oat/flour/butter mixture on top of the cherry filling

Place in pre-heated oven 375 degrees for 35 minutes

Serve warm with a dollop of whip cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Absolutely great cold too! This dessert doesn’t last long around here.

 

 

A piece of my mom’s cherry square dessert on her “Forget Me Not” china…..love you mom!

I hope this blog post brings you up to date on life around Lakelin Reach (our urban homestead) and your summer also unfolds beautifully.

Recently my sisters and I visited a lavender farm…more about that in future posts and this was a quote that was in the garden….if I were a tree, I think I would be a cherry tree. 

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope




Summer Ends on this Soul Sunday

/ Lee Reynolds

Goodbye summer!

It’s been sweet. There have been so many wonderful memories and special moments to hold close to my heart.

Summer ends today on this sacred Sunday.

Yesterday, after working really hard around the house and yard, me cleaning the house, then mowing our lawns and working in the garden, while D cleaned the pool and cleared the junk lying around in the garage, we popped our kids into the van, picked up the LAST slurpee of the season, dropped some books off at the library and went for a drive into the country.

We drove past fields of corn still growing, farmers mowing their final cut of hay, and cows fattening up, lazily eating late summer grass. As the kids slurped the last of summer’s sugar, we in the front seats, talked about how 2014 hadn’t gone as we had planned, We started talking about what we wanted our future to look like.

We looked at some acreages (just land) that were for sale. Some too small, others too steep and tree filled, and then we drove past the BEAUTIFUL old fashion (but new) farm house, I have fallen in love with. It’s too far out for D to commute. Too far from the high school and University bus, and well, although it has an abundance of land, 78 acres, we’ve aptly named it, “the ON the grid house.” It has a high power electric line, (138 k.V.) I think D said, running down the middle of the huge hay field. While I LOVE this house and can imagine our family living there, having all my innards humming, isn’t my idea of living off the land. Plus, in our opinion they are asking too much money. So we drive on.

When we came to a side road, D asked if I wanted to take it, knowing full well we would eventually come to another road. A road I had dreamed would lead us to our new home. I just nodded and for the longest time we drove silently thinking of what was ahead. Then we started to chat, admiring the farms with quaint houses with matching red barns, or making a comment about how some people don’t care for their precious land and allow debris to clutter up their property. We are envious.

Eventually, we came to the road that would take us past the farm we had dreamed of living in this fall. Interestingly enough, the name of the road didn’t ever dawn on me until now. It’s called, “Hurt Road.” Do you ever think about the power of names? D smiled at me as he turned right and we meandered along the road, drinking in the beauty of the late summer glory. We were seeing this road for the first time  in late summer, since we found this property late last year when snow was almost on the ground. Everything was so green, rich and beautiful.

Finally, we came to the Christmas tree farm’s first drive way,….it has this lovely 1/2 circle drive way that you enter from one side and leave from the other. I rolled down my window and the crisp scent of fall filled the air. You could hardly see the house, although it’s only situated 100 or so feet from the road. The deciduous trees are so thick with leaves but here and there are colours of yellow, orange and red. The trees know fall is coming.

For a few seconds, I let myself daydream about turning into the drive-way and going home, then reality hit. This is someone else’s house now. The pain hit. Sheepishly, I asked D if we could leave a note on the front door, asking the new owners to contact us if they ever wanted to sell. He reminded me the house had sold at the top of our price range and they would want more money, IF they ever were to sell. I slumped into my seat for a minute as we slowly drove down the road and then sat up a bit taller to admire a horse we were driving by. I was sad. We turned around at the end of the road, as it is a dead end road, (just what I wanted) and this time as we cruised by the farm, an insight came to me.

It dawned on me, until I say goodbye to the dream of THAT farm, I will never have my heart open to find another just as wonderful. A place for all my family to grow, to learn, to connect. A place where we can sit around the dining room table, like the Walton family from my favourite childhood T.V. show. A place where we can become even more sustainable and independent. A place where we can become not just farmers, but be soul FILLED people.

And that is also the way it is in life. If we are always hanging onto a time, a place, or things, our hearts and minds aren’t open for new experiences. As time travels and we continue on our path, we need to open our arms and our hearts for the joy that is waiting. As I say goodbye to summer, I say Hello to the unknown of fall and the memories to come. Abundant blessings to be sure.

This post also reminds me that right now, RIGHT NOW, is all that matters. Right now, is the gift given on this last day of summer. On a Soul Sunday. I’m going to go and have a relaxing bath, get dressed and join D and the kids who I can hear are in the kitchen laughing while making pancakes. There is fresh fruit and maple syrup too. Ahhhh the luxury of living in the moment. The bliss of it all.

As I leave you, if you haven’t checked out Oprah’s Soul Sunday interviews to help you connect with the sacred, I would highly recommend them. They help me remember we are all connected and living our dream, right now!

Note: If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view the video below. If so check out this link that should connect you to the video with Dr. Brian Weiss and Oprah talking about grief and living)

 

Join me in welcoming Fall!

It’s going to be the BEST season yet!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope