It's Friday and I wake up early again. Well, not exactly awake...you know. Been doing that a lot lately. Hmmmmm. Maybe because Daylight Saving time ends this weekend and my system is getting ready for the change. Whatever the reason, I am up and open the patio door in the dog room for them to go outdoors. Yeah, as if. It's raining today. Heavily. And it's dark and gloomy. But I am up.
The forecast is for rain right through until Monday. It's Halloween today and that rain will put a damper on the Trick or Treating for a lot of kids. Living were we do in the country, we never get kids at our door. Long, spooky, creepy-in-the-dark driveway's will do that. That and the risk of coming face to face with a Black Bear.
Richard is working late and I hope to bake some Brioche, but not sure I will get time to. Yesterday I corralled Richard and got him to help me rearrange the bedroom, getting it ready for after I have my surgery in (hopefully) 3 weeks. What a job that was.
Today I have to put all that "stuff", that I didn't know what to do with before, away somewhere. Then there is dealing with fact that the floor slopes 2 inches from one side of the room to the other. Of course the head of my bed has to go on the downside of the room, and I had to get Richard to find something to prop the head of the bed up with so it will be relatively level. Sigh. Even then I found myself sleeping with 2 pillows instead of one, a psychological thing I am sure.
Everything got moved around: the computer is now where the bed used to be and the bed where the TV and computer used to be. The TV is now where the little black cabinet used to be - which has moved to beside the computer so the printer has a place to sit. My former nightstand sits beside the TV till I can empty it and find it a new home and I have a different, smaller footprint nightstand, so as not to block my way when I get out of bed after surgery. Now I just have to find a place to store my recipe journals and a place for my computer speakers. No idea where they will end up.
That takes up a couple of hours. It is still raining but I am determined to go out into the garden yard. I trick the dogs into coming out with me and surprisingly, the ones that are the biggest wusses actually follow me all the way out to the garden boat. They snuffle about in the fallen leaves and then eat some fresh rain-washed grass, a particular favorite of theirs.
Over the traffic noise on Cherry Creek Road, I can hear the water rushing down in the creek. Maybe it will have rained enough to start filling the well again so we don't have to keep hauling water. Oh that would be such a treat. I take stock of the garden boat. The remaining Calendula plants are blooming their hearts out with big orange blossoms. The Echinacea is hoping to bloom; the petunias are trying, although the blossoms usually disintegrate in the rain. The tiny white Chrysanthemums are doing their best, and the Feverfew blossoms have just given up. And yes, I know I HAVE to pull up the Marigold plants that were hit by frost.
Suddenly it occurs to me that I haven't been watching the dogs and therefore don't have a clue as to where they have planted doggy mines. Scrunchy face.
I start quartering the yard, carefully, looking for the ones I just know will be there. The problem is, the leaves from the apple trees - and there are two of them - drop, dry up, roll up and look exactly like doggy mines. So it takes a loooonnngg time to go back and forth across the yard. I find an old one and deactivate it quickly, then spot another and yet another. I know there are more out there, just waiting for some poor unsuspecting sucker, namely me, to step on them.
Back inside the dogs are frisky from their run in the rainy yard, racing around the house. I spotted several geraniums and osteospermum on the deck that need dead heading and go back outdoors to take care of them. So many of them are still blooming, adding a bright, cheery light to an otherwise dull day.
Halloween evening is its usual non-event at our house, with the exception of all the fire-works exploding in the area. The dogs spend the first hour or so barking and hooting every time they hear some. After a while, when they see I am not excited about the noise, they settle down to sleep on the sofa, Mason of course keeping guard.
Clocks back in one more day, back to Pacific Standard Time. Some people are bothered by it, but not me. It's just part of the season. I do look forward to March and spring ahead again though. But for now, I am planning my garden. And waiting for surgery.
Megan and Hammond have sent me photo's of Rylan in a pumpkin patch and again in her Halloween Costume at a neighborhood Halloween party. I have to say she IS adorable.
I am awake early for some reason this morning...well, 8am is early for me. Richard has gone to check on Ron and feed the cows. He left me a note: "The bear got into the garbage shed last night. I'll clean up the mess when I get home." Triple scrunchy face time with a side to side of slitty eyes. Harrummmph! Back to my bed for my cappuccino.
Nothing good on the news; nothing good on the cooking channel. I'd be grumpy but what good would it do. Besides, I'm still sleepy. The dogs are in the small pen in the cold air. Wetter network is calling for sunny today. HAH! It's cold and foggy. Richard returns and the dogs come back inside where it is warmer.
"Did you see my note?" he asks.
"Yup" is all I reply. I am still waffling between giving him an "I told you so" and sympathizing with him. "I told you so" wins out.
"I did mention last week after the bear was in the garden yard that this was going to happen," I say. "I did say that now that all the fruit was gone from the trees, he would be after the garbage shed".
"I thought the garbage shed was secure enough," he replies "but it must have settled a bit and the door popped open. Either that or he just turned the door knob and walked right in." I give him THE LOOK. Richard makes a slitty-eyed scrunchy face at me and walks out to pick up the garbage, muttering to himself. I might also add that the bear dragged it aaaaaaaalllllllll over the place. Looks like he was playing soccer with some of the bags.
Richard returns after picking it all up, re-bagging and re-securing it. "I knocked all the apples off that other apple tree out behind the house," he says "and I shut the door tight again on the garbage shed and put a barricade up." I cringe, but keep my mouth shut. I know what his barricades are like. "Let's take the dogs out to the garden yard before you leave for work," is all I say.
Mason and Pippi race out as usual to be first to see whatever is there...which is not much unfortunately for them. Fortunately for me. They wander about, doing what dogs do, and I wander over to see the bear barricade. I stand there staring at it, shaking my head and doing my best not to say anything.
"I'm going to take all the garbage to the dump tomorrow," he says. I am glad to hear that, but just have to say "you know the bear WILL be back tonight, don't you?"
Scrunchy face. "Yeah" he sighs, "I know."
"And you know that your bearicade is NOT going to keep him out, don't you?" I reply.
"Yeah...but I'm hoping it will," he responds, rather wistfully.
Don't you just love optimists? I shake my head again and shut my mouth. Time to go back in and think of other things...
...like baking bread. That's my plan for when he is off to work. I have mixed up the dough for the testing recipe a few days ago, and today is the day to mix and make the second part. This is a new method for me and I am quite unsure of myself. The first part I baked yesterday was ok. I mean, I baked one loaf and I wasn't happy with it, so I immediately set to work and did another loaf with a tweak here or there. It turned out better, but because I don't have a clue how it should look or taste, I can't say that I am completely happy with it. I THINK it turned out as it should have, but it is different from any bread I have mixed and baked, or purchased and eaten, before. Hmmmmmm.
Now the dough is mixed, and looks...well...odd. S'ok, just gonna follow instructions and hope I did it right. Dump it in an oiled bowl, cover, let it rise 90 minutes. Lots of time to take the dogs out. The sun has finally made an appearance and it is lovely and warm by the garden boat. I take some photo's and just get lost in the view. The kids are enjoying themselves, sniffing the light breeze, watching for deer monsters, following their noses, leaving pee-mail. Take that, Mr. Bear! I take my eyes off them for a few seconds while I gaze at the scenery and just like that 3 of them have planted doggy mines, and I don't know where the are. Siiiggh. The grass is long and doggy mines like to mascarade as dried up fallen leaves. I am wearing out my quota of scrunchy faces today.
Back indoors, I bake the bread and it looks not too bad. Maybe a bit dark, but great oven spring. Hope it tastes as good as it looks. Will make sure it is totally cooled before cutting into it. I shaped mine into Boules - circular and rounded on top - then slashed a crude square on the top just before baking.
That's enough excitement for one day I think. Expect the Cute Little Island Mule Deer will find the apples out back before the Bear Monster does. Least I hope so. And I hope that once Richard takes the garbage out tomorrow, the Bear Monster will mosey on and find some other source of food.
For now, Mason is on guard facing down the driveway, chin resting on the back of the sofa, nose pressed against the already nose-printed patio door.
Rosie is facing the other way.
They've got it covered.
Bring it on, Bear Monster, bring it on!
Did you SEE the mess that bear made, Dad??? 
Richard's Bear ObstacleGetting up at 7:00am should be against the law especially when it is still dark outside. As I have stated before, many times, I am NOT an early morning person. Today I had to be up to avoid an hour and a half wait at the lab. Last week the technician didn't get enough blood from my arms for my pre-op blood work so this morning I had to return for round 2.
On the way, driving past a tiny strip mall on Johnston Road, I notice a police car and crime scene tape at a local Jewellery store. Shades of CSI. "Oh my" I said, "looks like they must have been robbed again."
At the lab the technician - the same one who tried to take the blood last week - actually flinched when I told her who I was and why I was there. Not a good sign. Sitting down in the cubicle, I prepared for her to start right away. I waited. She did paperwork from other lab attendees periodically turning and giving me a half slitty-eyed look, then turning back to her papers. I waited some more. She gave me scrunchy face looks. Finally after 15 minutes she stood up, straightening her shoulders, as though coming to a conclusion. I braced myself.
"I have decided to take it out of the back of your hand" she stated. I make a scrunchy face myself. That can be painful. "OK," I said, "let's get it over with." 5 minutes later I am out the door, no pain, no bruising, and she is heaving a big sigh of relief at getting a test tube full before the vein gave up. And it's only 8:25.
Back home and in I go for my cappuccino and the news. Richard leaves to feed cows and check on Ron, returning with the newspaper and information on the Jewellery store. Two men tried to rob it last night at gunpoint, just before closing, but the owner refused to give them anything but two shots from a pistol. Yikes. Details are sketchy.
I revive from my early morning ordeal, checking for email and find my first test recipe from the bread book author. After reading it over a few times to familiarize myself with it, I decide to go and purchase some fresh ingredients: bread flour, instant yeast, PAM cooking spray - something I never use - and a large, round, plastic container for stowing the dough in the fridge.
The day turns sunny and gorgeous, and I ride in the van with my window down. As we pull back into the yard, I comment that it didn't seem like the bear had been in the the apple trees over night. "Nope," said Richard, "but I put a few things around the base of the tree to keep him from climbing it, so I expect that deterred him."
Now, I have to tell you here that Richard is an eternal optimist. No, really. See, he really does believe that putting a couple of things - namely a STEP LADDER, part of a bunk bed frame that looks like a ladder and a homemade apple picker - will deter a hungry bear from climbing a tree to eat apples. Really. Needless to say, I gave him my best incredulous-face look, shaking my head. "Your kidding, right?" I got a look of wounded innocence in return. "Aw God," I said holding my head in my hands.
He parks the van and I get out to take some photo's of the barricade and the dogs in the yard. Afterward, we meander around enjoying the sunshine, the warm breeze and the blue sky. The Bichons are on guard, watching for the bear, and Mason points out more Bear Poop, just outside the fence...right beside the bear barricade. Go figger.
While looking across the driveway, I notice something in the Sweet Chestnut tree. Is that...could that really be...it is! After 12 years of not producing chestnuts, it has a cluster of spiny burrs, containing several small chestnuts. That tree used to produce many burrs every year, until we buried JJ the cat, who had died suddenly, under it. We came to the conclusion that he must have been poisoned somehow and that in turn killed the tree. Then a few years later we noticed new growth again and the tree came back to life. And has finally produced nuts. Hmmph, interesting.
Back in the yard, the dogs are enjoying the sunshine and so am I. Richard has gone to Walmart to check out his new work schedule. A couple of the Muttering Murder of Crows show up, perching down in a Pear tree, watching the dogs and me. These two are the class clowns. Soon I hear one of them doing his barking Bichon imitation. Very funny guy. The other one then imitates someone knocking on a door and then they begin grokking. Guess that is the Crow version of laughter. Who knew Crows had a sense of humor?
We trail back indoors and I begin to make plans for dinner. Tonight will be Apricot Mustard Meatballs, Rice and vegetables. A quick and easy meal, and quite tasty if I do say so myself. I like to get the Green Giant frozen vegetables that have the water chestnut slices, pea pods, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and yellow peppers. They are so good with rice and nearly taste like fresh picked.
Dinner is on the go, so we wander one more time out to the garden yard before it is too dark. As the dogs hit the end of the yard, the Blue Grouse flies up, startled, from across the drive to the south of us. Of course the dogs go crazy. I am glad to see she is still around and hope she stays.
The sun is setting and dinner is nearly ready. I'm tired after my early start to the day. Going to take it easy and rest, maybe read a book and watch tv. Love those NCIS reruns. This weekend I hope to get started on the bread recipe for the cookbook I am a tester for. One of 300 testers. This will be interesting. Hope I do ok.
The dogs are on the back of the sofa, dozing and watching for bear monsters. But all that shows up are the Cute Little Island Mule Deer. Of course the kids hoot and holler. And of course I shush them. And of course they ignore me. Ah well, the deer ignore them too.
Wonder what the bear will think of the barricade.
The Wetter Network is promising sunshine today as I try to get both eyes focusing at once. Not an easy job when you wake with a headache. I am driving Bente to Nanaimo today so I have to pull out all the headache removal tricks in my repertoire, starting with some acupressure and Myoflex cream. Then Cappuccino with an extra hit of instant coffee, the caffeine in it being a "natural" painkiller.
We leave at 10:30 and Bente, bless her heart, has brought me a Tim Horton's English Toffee Cappuccino. Well, if nothing else I'll be alert on the drive. Our trip takes us East over "the Hump" past Mount Arrowsmith, through Cathedral Grove and around Cameron Lake, then past Angel Rock. The scenery is amazing: the sky that brilliant Island blue, the leaves on the trees a myriad of fall colors. A big rig trucker tries to harass me into going faster than the 80km/hr posted by moving right up to my back bumper, but I refuse to let him intimidate me using up a few of my daily quota of swears and scrunchy faces. Did you know that before Bente met me, she never used language like I use? Really.
Our first stop is at Buckerfields for biscuits for the dogs. Then back out on the highway to Nanaimo. We make a stop at the new Best Buy store just for a look around, then a quick stop at Costco. Bente needs to get a few things for Codfather Seafood, and I need a Costco Hotdog and fries. It's tradition.
We are home just after three, and my headache is still with me. I give up and take some Tylenol to try to alleviate it. The dogs are antsy and want to be out in the sunshine. I don't blame them. As we hit the gate to the garden yard, I notice something on the ground beside the Outdoor Gas Convection Oven...aw crap, literally. Yup, that good old Cute Little Island Black Bear has been visiting again. Funny, I never noticed that when I looked out the window this morning and I am REALLY observant. Hmmmmm.
I am not picking up the Bear Poop, I'll wait for Richard, so I herd the dogs back indoors and through the living room Patio Door to the pen on the other side of the house. For those of you counting pens, we have 3 of them - Garden Yard on the East side of the house, West Yard on the, yes, West side of the house, and Small Pen, which sits inside of West Yard, right outside the Patio Door in the dog room on the Northwest corner of the house. And if you are counting Patio Doors, we have 3 of them as well: Living Room facing South, Dog Room facing West and Back Porch facing North. There, now you have a very confused idea of house and yard.
Where was I? Oh yes, Bear Poop. So we wait for Richard who arrives at 4:30. He picks up that pile of poop and disposes of it, then the dogs race out to the yard. I begin to pick up apples the bear knocked out of the tree and chewed on and Richard helps. Suddenly he hollers at me that he found more poop. And then more poop, and as he is disposing of that, he finds MORE bear poop in the middle of the yard. If you are keeping track, that's 4 piles in the yard...today. As I toss a bear eaten apple core over the fence, I notice 1, no make that 2, nope make that 3 more piles of bear poop out in the drive. WOW, this little guy has been really busy.
And some of that poop looks really, um, well, quite fresh. HMMMMM. "Do you think that maybe while I was gone to Nanaimo, and you were away from the house too, that the Cute Little Island Black Bear made a visit to the yard for apples?" I ask Richard. "I was just going to say that," he replies. Oh now that does NOT make me happy at all.
On the good side, the apples are mostly gone from the two apple trees, the bear made sure of that. With his food source gone, he should move on. On the bad side, that is just waaaay too bold for me if he was in the yard during the day. I know the bear wasn't in the yard at 1am, because I was up and I looked out to see if he was. Sure, he could have been there any time after that, and yes, maybe I didn't notice the poop when I looked out the window this morning, I WAS bleary eyed. And maybe I didn't notice it when we drove out of the ya...say, come to think of it, Bente DID point out a pile of poop on the side of the drive by the corner of the garden yard as we left.
So now I will have to be hyper vigilant and if I see him during the day near the yard, really create a racket to chase him off. And next year I want to come up with a really good bear scare to make him give our yard a wide berth. Richard keeps suggesting something to do with car horns, 12 volt batteries and strobe lights. Well, he IS a mechanic, after all. Me, I'm not so sure about that. I have visions of a lot of sleepless nights and really, REALLY pissed off neighbors. Not to mention the RCMP knocking on our door at 3am.
And I am still thinking about wireless night vision web cameras for the yard, just to see what is really going on out there in the dark.
But that could get crazy too. During Cute Little Island Bush Bunny mating season, I mean.
Oh my, better rethink that one.
I mean, who wants to get busted by the Conservation Officers for Bunny porn?
The kitchen is warm as I wander out for my morning cappuccino, but I return to my bed and the heating pad to drink it and watch the news. Richard is off feeding the cows and checking on Ron. When he returns, we are going to do a bit of shopping. I need Gem Jar lids and rings, still need Anise Seed, and Extra Foods has their Dollar Days. I have a list of things to look for there. But first, my cappuccino.
I find my Gem Jar lids, but flinch at the price. Still, jars are no good without lids, so I swallow hard and buy them. I wander the store aimlessly. I need a new sweatshirt but wont buy one that isn't 100% Cotton. I hate the ones that are Cotton/Polyester blend. No luck. Off to Extra Foods.
I only find half of what I am looking for there as the rest of the things I want are sold out. No big deal. We decide to buy a Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich and go to Victoria Quay to watch the wildlife if any are about.
If you have never had an Extra Foods Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich, you are sadly deprived. I don't like store bought sandwiches usually. I find that most are made with icky filling and Wonder Bread, not my thing. These, however, are made using a big fresh Cheddar Cheese bun, chunks of Feta Cheese, sliced crisp Red Onion, pieces of Green Pepper - which I pick off and save for the dogs as a treat - loads of shaved Mediterranean Chicken sandwich meat, leaf lettuce and some orange stuff slathered on the bun that I LOVE but don't know what it is and wish I could buy off the shelf. This is a SANDWICH. And I am addicted to them. I limit myself to one ever two weeks usually, although I have had two in the last week. Well, one and a half because I share this one with Richard.
It's low tide and we see a seal in the water, popping its head up to look around, then diving down under again. As we chat, I spot a bear across the canal foraging for food. A great Blue Heron watches it with a wary eye. Richard suggests that since we are there anyway, we should go across the street to Healthy Habits Health Food Market to look for Anise Seed. They are still out, but I will wait for them to replenish their stock and not buy elsewhere. Why would I do that? Because their price is sooooo much better than anywhere else. They charge $1.99/100gm. Everywhere else is roughly $7.00 for 50gm. You do the math.
Back home, Richard starts a fire in the wood stove and I prepare to take the dogs out. Looking out the window, I realize there are apples on the ground in the garden yard. Now that's not so unusual, we do have 2 apple trees out there. What is unusual is the amount of apples on the ground. This past week, I have picked up maybe half a dozen windfall apples a day. But this...this is more like 100 apples on the ground. My eyes go slitty. Hmmmmm.
I bring it to Richard's attention and tell him we need to check it out before I loose the hounds. I put the frozen foods in the freezer and before I can get outside to stop him, Richard has pitched most of the apples over the fence. I had wanted to take photo's of all the apples on the ground, sigh. And how on earth did he make it to the other end of the garden yard without stepping in the Bear poop right in his path!??
Yes, we had another visit from that pesky little Black Bear Monster during the night. And he was very, very busy. After Richard disposed of a pile of poop, I let the dogs out into the yard. They went crazy, sniffing all around where he had been. The signs are clear. The little monster climbed up the tree - you can see evidence of his claw marks in the apple tree trunk in one of the photo's above. Then he calmly and patiently picked apples to toss to the ground for his snack. The dogs sniff around the lawn chair out by the tree, Pippi jumping up in it to get a better scent of him. On his way down out of the apple tree into the yard, he steps on and squashes one of my flower pots.
I flash on the bear...picking up an apple and then sitting down in the lawn chair, crossing his legs and munching away, tossing the apple core over his shoulder before grabbing another one. Oh yes, he tossed the apple cores, we found that evidence too. Nearly ever apple had at least one bite out of it. Some were half eaten, some all but the core. I make a scrunchy face.
I know how he works, having watched him eating pears. Toss to ground, climb down, lay down, enjoy at leisure. Oh, and then leave a big pile of poop, just so they know for sure I've been here. Cheeky bugger.
Back indoors it is time for more wood on the stove. Richard prepares to leave for work and I am feeling a bit peckish, but for something sweet. Looking around I decide to make a chocolate cake in the bread machine. Then I will make a cream cheese icing for it. Yum, can't wait. Soon it is baking in the machine and I am doing laundry. No, I DIDN'T look out the laundry room window, why do you ask?
My cake is done and cooling on the rack. Ummmmm, can't you just smell it's chocolatey goodness? Soon it will be slathered in a yummy cream cheese frosting. Can't you just taste it? Mouthwatering.
I hear the Bichons barking in the living room and go to look. It's the Cute Little Island Doe Mule Deer and her fawn, coming to eat the abundance of apples in the driveway. Soon the other deer will follow. Mason is on guard on the back of the sofa and I try to convince him that deer is good, bear is bad. I don't think he believes me. He sits facing down the drive, ever vigilant.
Time to make the dogs dinner. And mine. Then ice the cake and eat it.
What could be better than chocolate cake on a cold and gloomy day?
It rained over night, the trees and grass are sodden. So is my brain. It's a big old bleary-eyed brain fog day. I have to tell myself which foot to put in front of the other as I wend my way to the kitchen for my morning cappuccino. Maybe it will help my eyes to focus, both at the same time. Nope. Back to sit on the bed and watch the news. I read the news ticker at the bottom of the screen with the sound off, the announcers voices are just annoying.
After Richard leaves for work, I tidy the kitchen and then set about creating a new bread recipe. I have a couple of boxes of Weetabix cereal biscuits in the cupboard, and after reading the ingredient and nutritional label, decide they would be good crushed up in a Spelt bread. Now for the other ingredients. Hmmmmm, there is that package of Maple Flakes I have had for a while and wanted to use in something. And that bag of dried apples...soon I have a recipe written up.
But first, time to take the dogs out into the garden yard before the rain begins again. Pippi and Mason of course race to the end of the yard and peer through the fence down towards the big Pear trees, looking for the Bear Monster. They sniff the breeze, but he is not in the neighborhood. Thankfully. We wander about, me picking up windfall apples. They planting doggy mines, perhaps with the thought of deterring their furry black nemisis.
There are still some Gravenstein apples on the tree, and I pick a few using our homemade picker. For the unintiated, let me describe the flavor of a Gravenstein. It is sweet, crisp, faintly tart, and if you get it at just the right time, has butterscotch notes. I love the taste. What is surprising is it's long season this year. Usually, it ripens in August and is all finished by mid September at the latest. I will miss it when it is gone. It is a versitile apple, good for pies, sauces, jellies, butters and eating fresh.
Time to go back into the house and continue with my recipe. I decide on white flour, spelt flour, crushed Weetabix, Maple Flakes instead of sugar, butter, salt, milk powder, cinnamon, yeast and dried apples. Soon I am gathering ingredients to be mixed in the bread machine and the dough is mixing. Looks good, a little sticky, but will knead in more flour after its first rise.
A half cup of flour and some hand kneading later and the very sticky dough is rising in a round Corelle casserole dish. I forgot how much the dried apples would expand when they mixed in with the water and flour. Make a mental note to chop them finer next time. And use 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup. The dough looks and smells wonderful. Hope it will taste good when it's baked. Well, it IS a work in progress after all.
The sun comes out of no where, so we decide to go outdoors again and enjoy it while we can. This time I have six dogs with me instead of my usual five, as Rosie decides to join us. As I open the gate, Mason and Pippi again race out to the end of the yard, but this time they are standing up at the fence and barking their little heads of. Ah crap! I hurry to the end of the yard as fast as I can with my cane. "Is it the Bear Monster guys?" I ask as I look down towards the Pear trees. They continue their raucous barking while I look around the yard. Then I see him.
He is running from under the big old Sitka Spruce tree, down and over the bank of the creek. I holler at him to get out of here, banging my cane on the metal fence post while the dogs all bark and roar. Once he is out of site, I go and deactivate doggy mines, secure in the knowledge that Mason and Pippi - especially Pippi - will alert me to his return.
Pippi has an amazingly deep and loud voice for a small dog. She and Mason pace around the corner of the yard, lifting their muzzles and scenting the air. Mason growls, while Pippi throws her head all the way back and lets loose with periodic spine tingling barking, interspersed with scenting the air for the Bear Monster. Ok enough is enough, I have stood my ground and been really brave but time to go back in. And lock all the doors.
Inside Pippi is still agitated, walking from room to room, growling and scenting the air. I put the bread dough in the oven to bake and go into the living room to listen to the news. She follows me, at times barking. This little girl takes her job as a guard dog very serious. I try to reassure her, but she isn't having it. Mason sits on the back of the sofa, looking out the patio door through all the doggy nose prints, and watches for the Bear. Pippi lays on the floor behind my chair, watching the doorway. No Bear will dare to get past her.
The odor of the baking bread reaches us and I have to admit, it is mouth watering. Before putting it in the over to bake, I sprinkled about a tablespoon of Maple Flakes on top, to finish it off. Hope they don't burn. I realize suddenly that it is after 6pm and I have not fed the dogs or myself. Time for dinner.
The dogs are fed and I go out into the back porch to get some wood for the fire. I sense as much as see movement in the fading light through the patio door. Cute Little Island Doe Mule Deer and her fawn are grazing for apples from the tree out back. The see me. I wave and finish getting my wood. As I come back in, the timer on the stove goes and the bread is done. Sure smells wonderful. Removing it from the pan, I set it on the cooling rack and inhale it's scent.
Turning back to the stove, I again sense movement in the yard, this time under the King Apple tree. Mom and baby have moved around to the driveway to eat apples there. I feel safe and secure with their presence, for they wouldn't be here if the Bear was in the vicinity.
In the photo's above, the one with the now bereft garden boat, scroll to the bottom left and you will see my fierce guard Bichon, Pippi, protecting me from the Bear Monster. By the look on her face, you can tell she takes her job very serious.
In the living room, the kids begin to hoot and holler. They have spotted the deer in the driveway. Usually I would stop them, but tonight I think they have earned their bark time. I leave them for a couple of minutes and then distract them with treats.
Pippi curls up on the Futon and dozes, but I notice only one eye is closed. She's on the job. On the back of the sofa, Mason too is dozing and guarding, facing the driveway where the deer were congregated. No one will get past him.
And me? I am waiting for the bread to cool so I can sample it. Richard will be home in an hour. It should be ready then, I can't wait. Apples, cinnamon, Maple Flakes, Weetabix, Spelt...can't you just taste it?
Cloudy this morning but warmer, much warmer than yesterday. Richard comes back from feeding the cows and checking on Ron then starts getting ready for work at 11am. For me, cappuccino and the news. Nothing new, still a rehash of the Canadian Election, speculation on the upcoming American Election. The Global Economy. Yawn.
Today I am making Chili for dinner, and after Richard leaves for work, I put my ingredients in a slow cooker and let it simmer all day. I want to make a savory version of the Cinnamon Swirl yeast bread and have decided on Chili Cheese. I came up with the recipe last night before bed. Cut down on the sugar in the bread, add a bit more salt. Top with well drained green chili's, drained, sliced black olives and Tex/Mex shredded cheese. I start on it, getting the dry ingredients mixed up when Bente texts to say she is coming over in a while. I decide to quickly make another 1 Dish Cinnamon Swirl Bread - my version of it - so it will be warm and fresh when she arrives. Chili Cheese Bread can wait until later so it can be served warm with the hamburger Chili.
We have a great visit and as she leaves, I let the dogs into the garden yard to have a run. It is sunny and bright as we wander about. I deactivate several doggy mines, and then discover dozens and dozens of mushrooms growing everywhere. Not knowing if they are poisonous or not, I dig them up with my trusty doggy mine deactivation tools and toss them way over the fence. The rabbits and birds never eat them so out they go. When I am finished, I pick up windfall apples and we wander back inside after closing and locking the gate.
I check on dinner, put the Chili Cheese Bread in the oven. As I wait, I go into the laundry room to continue drying dog towels, but something catches my eye out the laundry room window. It is big...and black...and furry...and 20 feet away. He's back again. My heart jumps and my body does the "flight or fight" thingy.
My feet stay planted for a few seconds, before I rush, er, hobble out and get my camera. Maybe I can get a few quick photo's before he disappears. I move to the small dog pen, one foot in the house, one on the step, safe behind two fences and quickly snap a few shots off. He is partly hidden and the camera says I have to use the flash. I know the photo's wont be good, but take them anyway. He is in the Quince bushes, tasting the fruit. I can't imagine him enjoying those sour, puckery orbs, but he does eat a few. Then he disappears into the field beyond.
My heart is still doing a rapid beat as I go back into the kitchen and check my cheese bread. Again something out the window catches my eye and I see he has moved around from the field to the driveway. He is now 15 feet from my window under the Birch tree eating apples. I am not happy. I watch him for a while, until a fierce barking erupts from the back of the sofa in the living room. Mason has spotted him and alerts. The rest take up his hue and cry.
Bravely I unlock and then open the kitchen door and slam it twice. The bear takes off running, heading down towards the creek. Maybe I will be lucky and he wont be back...yeah, right. I praise Mason and the other dogs for chasing off the bear monster, and return to the kitchen to finish dinner. Then I remember I never did put laundry in to dry. Back I go to the laundry room.
And again outside the window something moves. This time it is a fawn, and it is alone and running towards the house. Behind it, moving away, is that furry black form passing through the Quince bushes heading to the field again. Arrrggh. I head back to the kitchen and call Richard at work. I tell him the bear is here, has been here for around an hour and a half again, and ask him to park in the driveway rather than behind the house. I don't want him coming face to face with that Woolly Bugger.
I am sitting watching the news just before 6pm when I see a large bird fly over by the deck. Hmmmmm. Looked too big for a Crow. I peer through the doggy nose prints on the patio door and realize I am seeing a Blue Grouse. Wow. Haven't seen one of those in the yard for years and never this close to the house. As I watch, it perches in the Holly tree across from me.
Richard arrives just after 6pm and has spotted the Blue Grouse too. I bring my camera out into the yard and try and get photo's of it up in the Birch tree. As we watch her, she flies to the King Apple tree and walks nonchalantly along a branch, as confident as if she were walking on the ground. What a great sight! As we watch we hear her calling and I wonder aloud if there are more on the other side of the trees she is calling up to roost for the night. The picture I took is not good, but if you look in the pink box I drew on it, you will see a fuzzy thing that sort of - if you squint at it - looks like a bird perched up there.
Time for dinner. The Chili Cheese Bread is wonderful. I am so glad I came up with that recipe. And it is especially great with the pot of chili. I must tell Kate about this one.
Richard goes to feed the cows and check on Ron. I relax for a bit watching an NCIS rerun. Then it hits me...
...I STILL haven't dried those darn towels.
This time when I walk into the laundry room I DO NOT look out the window, choosing instead to close the blind. I don't want to know what's out there.
Richard comes back and gets out the bulbs for my string of lights on the fence. The last wind storm decimated the remaining bulbs I had out there. Bless his heart he goes and replaces several for me, lighting up the far corner of the garden yard by the garden boat.
Well, at least now I can see if the Woolly Bugger is out there eating apples and planting gigantic mines.
But for now, I close all the blinds and lock all the doors.
As Scarlett O'Hara would say "Tomorrow is another day."
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