Fall gardening

Planted 120 cloves of garlic and 64 daffodils. We had a good crop of garlic this summer and I saved the big heads to be used for seed. We have our fingers crossed for another good crop next year.

The garden is getting big for Lisa and I. Sometimes it’s tough to find homes for all the veggies it produces.

A few weeks ago I picked all of the green tomatoes and put them in the dark basement to ripen and ripen they did – all at once. We have made and canned sauce, salsa and tomato soup. Lisa has also dried plenty and has them stored for use.

We decided to put the remaining ones (7 beer flats worth) out on a table by the road with a FREE sign. Lisa also put a notice on Facebook group advertising free stuff.

Fifteen minutes later the tomatoes were gone. That Facebook is something else! We had people coming for hours after and turning around when they saw they were all gone. Lisa put up an updated notice on the Facebook post saying they were gone to save any others the trip.

Willow enjoying the last of the Marigolds.

We were glad to see them go. The garden took a beating from the grasshoppers but the tomatoes strived.

Other than kale and beats the garden is just about done for the year. Next week is calling for snow. We shall see.

Crazy

Been keeping up with long walks after work. It is easing my mind in a crazy world. Good dorg Willow has also been enjoying it.

***

District of Invermere, Councillor Gerry Taft has taken a leave of absence due to a recent mental health issue. He has been very forthcoming with his recent struggle, posting on Facebook, possibly to the detriment of his reputation, and granting an interview with The Columbia Valley Pioneer Newspaper. The article can be found here.

Gerry has been steady as a rock in local politics and as a businessman for many years. He served three terms as mayor. I have never asked him a question that he hasn’t answered, unlike many of the small town politicians that inhabit the local council chamber.

He has been a successful businessman running several businesses. He has had to give up his real estate licence, which I find funny, as a real estate licence is a licence to lie, cheat and steal, but apparently you must be sane to do so.

Gerry is however continuing to work on his latest project, transforming a downtown, historic, but dilapidated building into a small modern mini mall to house several unique businesses. I was impressed when he gave me a tour a few days ago.

I haven’t always agreed with his position on local political issues, but have always respected his opinion and the way he puts his ideas forward. He will be missed on Council by the citizens of Invermere for the stability he brought to the young inexperienced Councillors and the current ineffectual Mayor.

Hopefully, this is a bump on the road for Gerry and he will be back to full strength quickly. Knowing Gerry he will use this ‘break’ to reach greater heights and share his knowledge to benefit his community.

***

It is surprising to me that even more people don’t experience mental health issues considering the state of the world, country and community, exacerbated by social and news media that fosters incertitude in what should be the best time of human history.

Early October

Way up the creek looking for fall. Photo by Lisa.

It’s been a very fine few days off. Got plenty done, the garden is pretty much put to bed, got out in the bush looking at the ground, sky and everything in-between. It will be tough going back tomorrow, but it has to be done.

Falling

The dorgs, Willow, Lola, and I headed behind the mountains where the creek runs dry this time of year.

The snow started low and fell heavy further up, big juicy flakes. We met a couple of mushroom pickers. They were discouraged. I told them I saw plenty of shaggy manes down below. They were after portabella and chicken mushrooms. Once the snow melts they will be out.

Good to be out, running the muddy roads before they are frozen, facing skyward catching snow and spitting it out, watching dogs twist, chasing their tails, while the mountain pulses in silence.

Tamarack

A very fine view after a few hours hike.

It was nice to get out with Jack and Dave for a day hike to see the tamaracks turning colour.

Willow getting in the picture. She looks like a stump, while a stump, that looks like a dog, barks at her presence.

We even had a few snowflakes fall upon us. Even though the sun stayed hidden the colours still popped.

Tamarack or Larch, as they are often called, are deciduous conifers. They have bright green needles in spring that turn golden in autumn. The time they are brightest does not last long before the needles fall. To an untrained eye they don’t look very much different than fir, pine and spruce, but differ, among other characteristics, by shedding their needles.

It is always a treat to hike among these majestic beauties at this time of year.

Old Places

Places you feel good in. I’m a guy who doesn’t own anything. There is nothing I can call my own. The sky can be out or not. Up there the creek is always clear. Long ago I said to my father, ‘this is my creek’. He knew I didn’t mean it belonged to me, but I felt peace there. There were places he felt the same.

Lisa and I, along with Willow, spent the night up at the top of the creek, we went high where the water runs out at this time of year. We starred skyward and felt the spirits fly through our chests. Lisa counted the piles of bear shit, noted if they were fresh, she carried bear spray and a knife with a quick release. She pointed out cedar boughs in the darkness and asked if I could cut her a few.

A mountain Martin stood stiff, eyes glowing, curious at our intrusion. A large bull elk climbed a rock slide to stay clear of us. There is still enough of my self to quicken my heart and want to go after him. When young it is simple to kill. A pellet to a birds breast. Killing is easy, now older, I even have trouble pulling the trigger on plants in fall. My edge now is not killing.

This place can punch your heart and make you cry.

Mid September

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is dsc_3441-pano.jpg — Early morning Saturday.Lake Windermere. Bright Venus, Zodiacal Light, Cancer, The Beehive, Gemini, Sirius and Orion (Wintermaker).

With luck this should be the last of the busy weekends. It will be good to get back to a regular schedule with days off. Both Lisa and I are just about of steam.

We have let a lot slide: trips into the bush, the garden, yard and the house have suffered. Also the time we have spent with Scarlett and Cooper has been limited. All is unacceptable, going forward we will have to figure out a balance.

This summer and the amount of tourists took us by surprise. Lisa and I are in the front lines and have always taken pride in being able to step up when called upon. It could be we will need to dial back facing the same next year.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_9695.jpg — The garden still producing.

***

The ambulance, medical helecopters and first responders have been busy this weekend with several accidents and a possible drowning in Lake Windermere. So far the young man has not been found.

I remember talking to an old-timer. He said he and his friend were diving off a raft at the mouth of the lake. He said his friend went in and never surfaced. They found him days later down the Columbia. Things can happen quick, seemingly without reason.

The water is low this time of year. The young man should be found close to where he fell off the boat.

***

We had Cooper and Scarlett over for dinner and a sleep over last night. They are such good kids. I left for work at 4:30 while they were still asleep. I went out the side door to not risk waking them. They consider our place their second home. It makes us all feel good.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_9692.jpg — 1lb 10oz.

***

Clear skies, still warm, the Horsethief fire flared up again. The Provincial Government has kept it going, instead of extinguishing it, so it won’t burn again. That could be the new way to fight fire. Get rid of the fuel (trees).

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_9697.jpg — More impressive than its size, when turned upside down it ressembles a voluptuous woman bent over exposing her ample behind!

Good Work

It is good to feel fall. It hasn’t been chilly. No sign of frost. The garden tomatoes are ripening.

Everyone I talk with is happy to have less tourists. It should be noted, these are folks, me included, who depend on tourism to live. It would be like a miner wanting the coal to disappear or a logger who didn’t want to cut down trees. What would we do without the thing we hate. The thing that feeds us.

A female Kingfisher hanging out on the old bridge.

It’s more reason to grab hold of every piece of peace you can, wherever it comes from. There is plenty in your control and more that isn’t. Figure out the difference and influence what you can. It’s good work if you can get it.

Weed

Good to be up a little later. Tomorrow will be the first day in a very long time I won’t have to get up for work at 4:30am.

No bugs to speak of. The garden is hanging in there without a sign of frost. Tomorrow I will have to pick a few flats of tomatoes.

Plenty has been neglected. Wood needs piling. Photos need editing. The yard and garden needs sorting.

Bought a small axe, wooden handle, short at 28″. It kept slipping out of my hand as I am used to a three and a half foot handle. An axe with a wooden handle that long is hard to find and expensive, but worth it. If I ever win the lottery I am going to have bunch of axes, fancy ones, made in Sweden and Germany, and split wood just for fun.

A couple pictures of colourful cannabis flowers. It is coming good and needs to be harvested before frost.

The tomatoes are in the same boat. Same as the spuds.

Tomorrow is a day off. With luck I’ll get some work done.

Labour Day

Coming fast. Quite an assortment of heritage varieties. I will have to look at my notes to see what I started. There are some big ones out there!

Everyone hopes things settle down after Labour Day.

Not sure what to do with them all so put them up as an art installation. Waiting for SFMOMA to call and have it reproduced.

The garden is dry and neglected. Beans that should have been picked, broccoli in flower, zucchini the size of prosthetic rhino legs, cabbage splitting, tomatoes fallen over and growing on the ground, beets the size of turnips and onions saying, ‘get us out of this parched earth’.

The one and only Calendula that survived the grasshoppers.

It got away from us this year.

Palliser Pass

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