A trip to the nursery

 A friend invited me along to go buy some hazelnut trees with her and her daughters. I'm always up for an adventure! We drove to Windover Nurseries, a fascinating place I hadn't heard of before. Established in 1918, the nursery has been at that location since 1945. I knew the minute we arrived that there would be cool stuff to see and varieties of plants that most garden centres don't carry. 

The majority of the property was filled with potted trees of all kinds, including natives and Carolinian varieties (see my book The Garden Plot---Carolinian forests are an interest of mine). Sourgums and Tulip Trees and Paw Paws and Shagbark Hickory. Azaleas in lipstick colours, corkscrew hazels, Ninebark, and butterfly bushes. There was an interesting shop with lawn ornaments and ceramic pots, with a back room where the bare-root trees were kept. Stepping into the shop was like stepping into my grandpa's shed, that damp wood smell I can't really describe but that defined his home, and I was instantly transported to my childhood. Lovely!

To one side of the shop, there's a memorial garden planted with natives, commemorating the original founder of the nursery. I puttered there for a bit while my friend and her kids went exploring, as the back part of the property was mostly mud and I was woefully unprepared in my tennis shoes, while they had galoshes. Note to self for next time: adventures with Erin usually require boots.

There were several greenhouses, the opaque plastic cracking in the wind, filled with flowers. An elusive cinnamon scent rose in one of them, but even though we stuck our noses into everything, we never did trace it to its origin. Artemisia, coneflowers of all colours, herbs, scented geranium. My friend's daughter bought a packet of alyssum to take home, a sweet, contented smile lighting her face as she chose it and carried it to the register. It was a warming thing, that simple flowers could cause that kind of quiet joy. 

My friend folded two hazelnut trees into her trunk and we were off, but I'll definitely be back. It's a beautiful corner of the earth worth revisiting.

Windover Nurseries, Inc. Petrolia

Absolute Decadence

I expected my husband to arrive this week, but he has been delayed in the city, giving me another week (or possibly two) on my own. Other than some vacuuming and laundry, I have been absolutely lazy. Popcorn, watching movies, reading, working on stained glass, crocheting, writing, taking long walks, baking cornbread. I noticed the Little Free Library at the conservation area was looking sparse, so I took up two grocery bags of books to stock it up a bit for the start of summer. Today I'm having a book sale here at the church. I might make myself set up a folding table outside to start sanding down some shelves, if the weather cooperates. I guess, looking back at this paragraph, that I have been busy, not lazy, but I'm not sure that my activities have contributed anything to the universe.

There have been times my husband and I have considered downsizing to a condo, but I think, on the whole, it wouldn't give me enough to do. I miss working in my yard, weeding my garden. I have a need for physical activity that mere walking doesn't meet. A week (or possibly two) of this is a welcome luxury, but any longer and I would start to feel antsy. It would help if I had access to a car here, but really, it isn't about filling in time. I want to accomplish something. Be of use. Be of service. 

New Kitchen Units

My husband and I go mall-walking with a herd of other seniors several mornings a week. On our circuit, we pass the Hudson's Bay Company, which is sadly going bankrupt after 355 years. I wandered in one day, curious what they sold, as I don't think I'd been in one of their stores before, at least not in many years. In addition to liquidating all their inventory, they were also selling the furnishings---tables, shelves, etc. Well!

Flash forward to us renting a Home Depot van and buying an entire kitchen-worth of units for the church at ridiculously discounted prices. Two of our sons helped with the hefting and hauling, returning with my husband to the city while I stayed on to organize it all. Our chef son had some ideas about how to lay it all out, but hubby had other ideas, and in the end we've come up with a workable design.

On the south wall, there's a stainless steel restaurant table on each side of the stove, as well as the fridge. The shelves below the tables will hold the baking pans and pots. On the north wall, the sink is flanked on each side by a short baker's rack with laminate "butcher block-looking" counters, where I'll store dishes, glassware, etc., and then there's a third counter unit turned inward to serve as a peninsula. This will allow me to stand facing into the room rather than working with my back to the room. (I worked for a couple of years at a mental hospital and a year at a police station, and I'm uncomfortable having my back to the room). One the west wall is a window, and on the east wall are two tall baker's racks with plastic bins holding canned goods and dry goods. There's also a shelf of small appliances, where I can plug in the crockpot or bread machine or dehydrator, etc. out of the way of the work surfaces.

It looks a bit, well, full, since the open racks allow you to see everything you own. At some point I will splurge on nice opaque or coloured baskets to hold everything, but for now, the clear plastic bins from the dollar store will have to do. It feels good to have actual counters, as we've been making do with folding tables until now. I think it will work out fine, once I'm used to it. And the best part about having free-standing units is that, when it comes time to install flooring, they're easily moved in and out, or rearranged if we decide to try a different layout. Having everything in totes and bins would make moving stuff around easier and makes my little Admin Assistant heart happy, as if I'm filing my tins of soup and beans.

I don't have a camera with me, but will add pictures at some point. When hubby comes back to pick me up, we'll see what he thinks about the way I've organized it. We have a cooking area, a serving area, a washing-up area, and a prep/baking area. To be fair, hubby does the majority of the cooking, so he gets the final say. The baking, however, is usually my domain, so I'll have the say in that part of the kitchen.

Ta da! Progress!

Keeping it all in perspective

I once had a friend over to the church for a visit, and I was acutely aware, as she entered, that the place is still very much a construction zone. A folding table loaded with tools takes up the dining area. Heaps of nail-studded old boards. Tarps and stacks of half-disassembled windows and paint cans and drop cloths and scaffolding and...

But when I apologized for the mess, her reply was, "Who am I to judge? I don't even have running water!" And I was immensely grateful, not just for her grace and humour, but for the gift of perspective. We tend to criticize ourselves (far more than the world does) and see only our failings. But as my sister's kids' riding instructor says, "You can't look pretty while learning something new." Or, I would add, when doing something difficult. It's good to stop the self-critical voice in your head sometimes and acknowledge how far you've come, what you have accomplished, and what strengths you've gained. Yes, my place is a mess. But I've become not half-bad at drywalling. Sure, there are stacks of unfinished projects. But I've discovered a real love of working with my hands, especially with wood. I see myself as a producer more than a consumer. I have dreams and can envision new possibilities. This is creative clutter. It's the sign of Things Happening, and so I can now look on it with---maybe not fondness, but at least tolerance and acceptance. And I can look at myself with more of that, too.

And here are some flowers for you from last year's garden, in case you need cheering, too.

A Lazy Week

A lazy week at the church, doing puzzles, watching The Chosen, reading Ann Patchett, and taking long walks. My friend Sheri, whom I've known since kindergarten (we had chicken pox together at age 5), is visiting, as she does almost every year. We've wandered the ReStore and dollar store, poked around Peavey's (so sorry to see it closing! Now where will I daydream of being a beekeeper?), and hopefully today we're going to see a friend's newly-hatched chicks. Sheri's taken on the task of feeding me all week, teaching me to make some new low-carb dishes, including a cauliflower-crust pizza last night with caramelized onions, arugula, mushrooms, and cheese. I've also been basically sugar-free all week. The trick will be to continue this trend when I go back home, where there are men to feed who expect pasta and potatoes.

I turned in another manuscript last week to the publisher, and now I'm in that delicious period between books, when ideas percolate and I sort out what I want to write next. This has been the perfect space and pace to consider it. I have an inkling of what's coming, and I do know the main character will have a Snack Box, in which she puts all the treats and chocolate she wants. She allows herself one piece, and then she locks the box and mails herself the key. It takes a week for it to arrive via snail mail. When it does, she unlocks the box, allows herself one more piece, relocks it, and mails herself the key again. Thus she maintains her diet.

Dual Purpose

It occurs to me---sometimes I'm late to the party---that the church serves two polar-opposite purposes for us. It gives us a place of retreat and solitude, and it gives us a place of connection and gathering with other people. Most of my life, I've craved the former, but as I grow older I see more and more the need for the latter.

I'm increasingly interested in minimalism, and the other day I was listening to a podcast on the topic. They said something about making sure the things you possess still add value to your life. I would add: then assess whether that value exceeds the price you pay for them. That's something we've needed to periodically revisit during the nearly-five years this reno project has taken. 

Dance in the Light of the Full Moon

March 14 was the night of the full moon (blood moon), the day before a friend's birthday, and also the last day of March Break. We took the grandkids to the church and held a dance just for the fun of it. About 21 people attended, and someone kindly played the role of DJ, taking requests. We got to test out our Bluetooth speaker (very good), eat some snacks (also very good), and bust out our dance moves (mine not so good), and it was just a fun time. All the kids especially enjoyed it, having room to run and do cartwheels after a winter of being cramped indoors.

I'm happy to know that the hard work and expense is starting to pay off, and now we have a space where we can host events and enjoy people's company. It feels good to use the place and not just fuss over it!