If there is one thing we have here on this island during the best part of the year, it is muddy puddles. When our granddaughter visits us, she loves to jump in those puddles, no matter how small or large. While jumping she picks up and discusses life with the many worms she finds. Hours of endless entertainment can be found on this island for children of all ages. We are perfectly okay with the activities which she prefers because, as we tell her, if your clothes aren’t filthy at the end of the day you aren’t doing it right.

Spring is finally here. Daily temperatures in the mid teens are a welcome relief. Temperatures in the greenhouse are hitting 40 degrees by noon and I am finally able to open the windows to circulate some air and give the plants some “wind”.

The warmer temperatures were however too late for the cucumbers, I lost most. I should have kept them in the house on the heat mats longer. I will know better next year.

The Cinderella pumpkins and Spaghetti squash are doing fine. The peppers are behind the tomatoes but are all alive and great. With one exception. I decided at the last minute to grow a hot pepper and planted MacKenzie brand seeds which I had picked up at Canadian Tire. Giant Chili hybrid pepper and not one came up. So I have no Jalapeno peppers for my friends. I won’t be buying Mackenzie seeds again.

E has been slaving on a project which we have talked about for years. Recent events encouraged him to move it to the top of the to-do list.

When we moved here eleven years ago, E installed our propane system under the house. Four 40Lb propane tanks situated under the bedroom. It was less than ideal. The location required the transport of the 40lb propane tanks (72 lbs when full) down the hill and through a small narrowing under the house to a rocky shelf. Manoeuvring the tanks under the house is at the very least awkward. During the fire, our friend and neighbour helped me get them turned off and it was not easy. The set up has always needed to be changed and we couldn’t put it off any longer.

E has spent the last week digging a ditch up our driveway to the new generator shed. In the ditch there will be the water pipe taking the rain water from our catchment system up to the storage tanks. There will also be wiring to power any future driveway lighting system, the cable which links the generator to the house panel, the wire connecting the bunkie subpanel to the house power and the copper gas tube from the propane tanks at the generator shed to the house. It’s a big ditch and it has been a big job. But the ditch is dug and the propane has been relocated. All there is to do now, is to fill the ditch and move on to the next urgent project.

The propane tanks are now situated half way up the hill, far away from the house with easy access by truck on the driveway if and when we are old and unable to carry them. Honestly, it was a job we are really happy to see done, and it didn’t really cost more than the copper pipe, a week of E’s time and a bottle of Tylenol for his back.

On the nature channel we have a ton of herring in front of the house. Presumably, these are the babies from the spawn up island a month ago. The sea lions are still hanging around and as long as there is food here for them, I guess they will remain.

The two eagles who have lived next to us since we got here had babies last year. Two eaglets are common, three are less so and four babies have been recorded but are rare. We have had an enormous amount of eagle activity lately and it just seemed like there was a lot of juvenile shenanigans going on. Tonight I was able to finally get a picture of the kids together, quadruplets, amazing.

I spend the majority of my day in the garden but I also spend a great deal of time searching the google for new and better ways of living and gardening off the grid. This week I came across a woman who searches her property after rains for worms. She lifts pots and logs and hunts through muddy puddles just like my grand daughter, but unlike my granddaughter, she doesn’t play with the worms, she transports them to her vegetable garden. Brilliant idea! What better way to improve the soil than adding more worms. You will now find me, after a rain, walking about the property gathering worms for my garden.

I pride myself on the ability to moderate my work effort and, although I am up in the garden by 8 am, and I only toil in the soil for 1/2 hour before I then sit for the equal amount of time, I then enjoy the birds and the bees and the flowers and the scents and the possibilities. By 2 pm when I head down to the house for lunch, I can then relax again, because my

cup, as they say, runneth over.