THE SOUND OF CHAINSAWS

Can you hear them? We have the Libby crew here this morning cutting trees and moving brush.

With Matt, Nathan and Gerry working and everyone using a chainsaw it's noisy but productive. 

This will open up the garden area giving it more sunlight and giving us some excellent firewood for next year or the year after.

Thanks guys for an excellent Saturday.

FIREWOOD

We have enough firewood, stacked and drying to last another three years. 

Most of it is under a deep blanket of snow. This summer I plan to build covers for each wood pile and keep the rain and snow off.

Up at the house we stack enough firewood for a season. It is convenient and under shelter although some snow does drift in.

We started the season with the wood piled above the windowsill. As you can see we've gone through a little more than half the load but with heating season half over I think we will be fine.

We love our wood stove and have access to as much free firewood as we need so this is a good heating option for us.

Thanks for stopping by. Save travels Bob.

FIRST THING in the MORNING

The view out my back door just a few minutes ago. It's a great way to  start the day, so many new promises and possibilities.

Enjoy your day and safe travels everyone.

SHELVES

Yesterday was sunny and cold, a good day for using some of our excess solar power.

When the sun is out our batteries are often full by lunchtime which means the power collected the rest of the day is just wasted.

I set my chop-saw on the back porch and plugged it in. Although it was -15*C I wasn't out for any long stretches.

Boards were measured and cut.

By two o'clock the job was done. The iron shelves are on wheels and we can easily move them out to get items on the shelves behind. Most of those are seasonal things or extras, so won't need to move it much. Next job will be doors for the closet.

Thanks for stopping by and safe travels everyone.

QUILTS in the BUSH

Good morning. Mary here. Art wanted me to update you on what has been happening in my  quilt room. I recently finished a fun baby quilt using a strip method I admired on Pinterest. 

 I like to try something new with every project I work on. 

Here I added an elephant with a small bird perched on top. I saw this method of adding detail on a quilt I loved from the African Quilt Show I visited a few years back in Alsia Craig. Simple application. Fun to try.

The back has my signature strip piecing.

I have taken on a new challenge this year. In this challenge the fabric is supplied, as seen in the photo above. The theme is predetermined ..... Modern. The rest is up to the quilter..Yikes. This has been a real stretch of my skills. 

I have been at this quilt off and on for over a month.....and it is only 19" X 19". Each step of the process of taking my ideas further than the drawing has resulted in hours of problem solving. As my Artist sister Connie says.....this will be a growing time for me, even if the final result is not a show piece. Couldn't have expressed it better. Sometimes I have had to put the project aside for a few days so that I can process and begin to figure out the next "how to". Hey what else is there to do when the wind is blowing and the temps are well below -20 C. 

I'm warm and comfortable sitting by the window in our passive solar home.

Safe travels and thanks for stopping by.

CLOUDS

Sunny and windy this morning. Off to the dump and into town for supplies. Later I'll go to the mill to get some boards for shelving. 

Our morning view.

Powdered coated from the blowing snow. 

The wood stove is keeping us warm and we are seeing enough sun most days to keep our batteries in the healthy range. This morning they are at 86% and we haven't had to run the generator since January 20th.

We are thinking Maple Syrup these days as we need to get supplies and a fire pit built for boiling the sap. Production probably won't start until the middle of March but as newbies to this experience it is a major learning curve for us. 

We will keep you posted as we get closer to the production date.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.

A NEW BABY ARRIVES

The big news yesterday was the arrival of Rebecca's little boy around 8 pm. Mother and baby are doing well. Congratulations Rebecca and Jason. We are looking forward to hearing all the details.

Lots of light fluffy snow fell while the baby was being born and now our cottage road needs to be plowed. As we have no plans for today there is no rush to see this job done. 

The wind worked her magic sculpturing the snow on the roof and around the house as the storm blew through.

Our bobcat continues to sit idle on the hill and we rely on Paul and Steve to clear the driveway when needed. 

We are warm, comfortable and enjoying the peace and quiet of the forest. 

I'll post pictures after we get back from our walk.

Safe travels everyone.