The Weekend Off...


My man has gone fishing for the weekend, the jam is made, and I am taking the weekend off! 


We are going to smell the flowers and wait for the strawberries to come.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The Kindness of Strangers..


Another story of the kindness of strangers in blogland.  Just because, and for no other reason other than to be generous, Amber Whitehouse of Wisconson, sent me jar of her homemade granola.  The packaging, container, the note cards, the suggestion sheet...it was all stunning.

 

We were very thrilled!


we ate...


and ate..


and ate.


Thank you Amber.

The Guest vs The Empty Cupboard

Ok, I couldn't open this story with a boring chunk of white cheese, so I opted for a pretty shot of my bleeding heart to welcome all of you back. 
This is the story of a very empty cupboard, an overworked tired Mom, a lovely guest, and a shockingly bare cupboard.
Enter boring block of cheese..


This is all I had.  A block of goat cheese. 
On any other day, I'd have cracked open a jar of Missing Goat chutney and called it a day.  But this was no ordinary gal coming over.  This was a dear friend, who, being so dear, has had my chutney over and over and over again.  Then over again. Always smiling, always saying delicious!  I just couldn't serve it again.
But wait!  Isn't the rhubarb up? 


Yes, it is.  But just barely.  I managed to harvest about 5 little stems.


...brought them in for a trim and shampoo.


...into the pot for a bubble.


...add a sprig or two of rosemary (also just peeking up in the garden) and sugar to taste.


And lookie lookie.  A tasty treat of rhubarb rosemary compote on goat cheese.
Phew. 

I Passed!!


No flowers, no cute images of my girl. 
This is a simple post of the utmost importance to me.
I cleaned, I prepped, I sterilized, and yes, I rambled like a ninny. 


 but, in the end, I passed my health inspection for Missing Goat.
Lord, that was stressful.


Let the jamming begin!

Stress..



photo by Janis Nicolay
Sure, I look happy.  I was then.  But now, I'm not.
 This is my new kitchen where I will make Missing Goat Jams.  This was day one, and my sweet friend Janis came by to document it.  The joy ended two days later.  Now I'm just dealing.
Trying desperately to avoid the stress of my new kitchen, gas leeks, the complexities of gluten, and that my yard looks like a group of deranged bushmen with chainsaws got liquored up and went wild, we poked about the yard to see what was happening.

In my Garden Today..


Ferns. 


They are calming.


They are simple and beautiful.

Chive Blossoms. 


Apple tree blossoms. 


and a personal favourite, Lily of the Valley.

Though it doens't compare with my Lily - also of the Valley. 
The Fraser Valley, that is.

Goodbyes...Hellos


It's been a very busy week.  Today, it occured to me there have been a lot of goodbyes around our home.  But also some hellos...
The first goodbye... to the giant cedar hedging in our backyard.  


Hello to the new magnolia tree in the  front yard.


Goodbye hideous landscaping in the front yard.


Hello happy flowers of spring in the front yard.




Goodbye bare branches of Winter everywhere.  Hello cheery green leaves of Spring.


Goodbye mean old neighbour next door who never took care of his horses, llamas or dogs.  Who threatened to shoot all of us for retrieving our dogs ball from his yard.  Who lost his leg to diabetes, then his wife to unhappiness.  Who moved out last week, but left his animals behind.  The only good that came from this place, were the quince branches that I stole at night.


And today, goodbye miniature horse who lived with this mean old man.  He was left behind along with four llamas.  Today I called the SPCA, and he was taken away.  Goodbye little friend.  We did the best we could for you - without getting shot or sworn at.  Lily will be looking for you every day, for a very long time.
I'm sad.

Daffodil Day..


Happy April!  We took a drive out to the in-laws last night. 


They live in a small farming town named Bradner.  Did you know there are 2000 varieties of daffodils.  What!?  200 maybe, 2000!

a short walk down the street brought us to the free pick field.
A free pick field? Seriously? Where am I?...
 

This is my sweet niece Jadyn who was loading up for her teacher and being my adorable model.


                


Yes, I'm serious, they are all free for the picking.  And believe me, we picked!


It's a sweet little community.  I love their corner store/gas station. 
It seems like something you'd see in Mayberry.