Damage Control

About a week ago we decided that we'd turn off the electric fence - we pretty much figured that we'd "trained" the animals around here and winter is well underway. If the snow gets hard, the deer can climb over the fence and we've wired some of our shrubs in case they get in. However, last night a bear climbed up a tree and over the fence - this is what is left of the bird feeder hanging above our east deck. It looks as if he/she also had a good time going through the compost piles. I'd heard something in the night and thought to myself that Dave was making a heck of a lot of noise roaming through the house, but I realize that the bear was right up at the window. We've just strung up our lights along the deck - and plugged in the fence again!

First Ski

We've had our first good dump of snow so yesterday I got out the new (from late last spring) cross country skis and headed off to True Blue Mountain. Most of the trails are pretty narrow and never tracked, so my friend and I simply kept going up the forest service road. We had great conditions for a first ski - the snow improved with every km of gradual elevation gain. I like the FS roads for skiing - they are usually not too steep and there's room enough to snowplow if it does get steep. I liked how the skis performed and I don't think I picked up too many scratches on the lower end of the road. It's winter - gotta go out to shovel - again!

Canada's Second Most Popular Sport?

After a hiatus of 32 years, I ventured out on a sheet of curling ice on Thursday. This is the "Seniors League" in Kaslo. The teams are made up by drawing a card (and many of you know how much I love cards!) and off we go to one of the two sheets of ice in the Kaslo Curling Club. The ice is extremely good - much better than I ever remember playing on in any rinks in SK. The game was very friendly - I was on a team of 3, playing against another team of 3 - and I got plenty of exercise doing lots of sweeping for my team and the opponents. I realized how much my yoga comes into play in delivering stones and in sweeping. Who'd have thunk it, eh - yoga and curling???? I had to reflect on this being Canada's game, as I remember Jack Farr always declaring in the old days of Saturday radio. I actually had a pretty good time and plan to go back. I have to admit that the walk home looking at the magnificent Purcells was the best part.

In Praise of Scabiosa

I just darted outside to pick another bouquet of flowers - looks as if we may get some serious winter weather in a couple of more days, but I love collecting flowers from May until November! The lowly scabiosa (awful name) has to be the number one bloomer in my garden this year. I got the plant from a gardener in Balfour who sells out of her yard. It didn't do too much last year, but I felt it needed better sun and improved soil. That proved to be the case! The plant has been blooming since late May and in spite of our dismal level of sunlight right now, it's still sending up new flowers - not a lot, but a few. Today I picked daylilies (two have rebloomed), Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum', scabiosa, clematis and calendula. I also have nasturtium, but they are looking a bit leggy. I figured I wouldn't bore you all with another picture of yet another bouquet, but it sure is fun to be able to garden in mid-November. Happy Winter, everyone.