We are back from our vacation at the south house. We spent a week there as two of our children came for a visit. Travelling to the other side of the island to stay at the “big house” is about as much of a journey as I can handle these days. It was only 3 km but we are glad to be back home.

The garden is doing very well considering we haven’t had rain for weeks. Looking at the forecast I don’t see rain in our near future at all. Although our new tanks are only half full, we still have double the reserve we had at this time last year. We are still pumping from our well every second day, and I am fairly confident my plants will survive the predicted summer drought. We have been given approval for a rebate on another 1000 gallon tank from the regional district. With rain catchment off our new wood shed that tank can fund the new guest suite in the studio… The guest suite is a very low priority on the to-do list at this point but some day down the road we will be happy for  access to that water for a bathroom.. In the meantime we can use it for an emergency.

My daughter brought me some marbles to make a bee bath.. Apparently bees tend to drown in a regular bird bath and have difficulty accessing water in a drought. We do love bees and have lots in our garden. I put the marbles in one of the bird baths I had made a couple of weeks ago.. Some of the birds don’t realize the bath is now for bees.

Others really enjoy bathing on the edge of the new pond

Last year E made me three bird houses. We strategically placed them on the property for my viewing entertainment.                                                                                                                 

Finally one of the birdhouses is occupied. It is beside the garden so I can watch Mom and Dad  feeding their hungry babes from my chair by the pond.

I picked the garlic yesterday and it is hung to dry                                 on the garden shed before I will bring it in for winter consumption.

I have three island friends  who have ventured this week further than I am willing, anymore. They have headed to New York for a week.. I am envious only in that they are going to see the play Wicked. We saw it a couple of years ago at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway..  It is the story of the Land of Oz before the house landed on one of the Witches. I was less than fond of the flying monkeys but loved one of the lines in the play. I quite often refer to the line when I witness ignorant behaviour.  It is said in defence of the remaining Witches’ low opinion of Dorothy… “I mean, who steals the shoes off

a dead woman?”