Well I’ve used up two of my blog posts on volunteer work and not joy. That must change and my next post will be flowers and birds here on the homestead. Been here just over a year and me and mother nature have been hard at work.
Here is a little preview of what’s to come.
The birds and critters are raising their babies and the blooms are popping, the show is just starting.
Happy Spring,
Angela (and Macy & Milo)
Many of us also feel very let down by the municipality at the moment as the HRM Standing Committee cancelled our presentation with 1 week notice – we had the appointment confirmed 2 months ago and have been working hard to prepare so both disappointing and disrespectful to our volunteers.
In our “bird-friendly city” at that. Where we were to discuss the best birding location in the city, and possibly the entire province.
One way narratives make me very nervous, as does superfluous collaboration with influencers and groups for political theater such as moving an Osprey nest a few feet as though that were the most important thing happening at the site. I assure you as a birder and longtime resident of Eastern Passage and having had Osprey eying up the power pole on my front lawn that same week, that is not the main event but sure looked like a win for DND on social media and their direct communications to the public through email campaigns and other mediums. We have far bigger issues at hand, and 69 breeding birds who depend on the biodiversity at Hartlen Point and it’s immediate vicinity. Which is being destroyed rapidly with more at risk.
We were told that “brushing” would start just before the breeding season.
Honestly I had no idea that meant cutting down all the trees. Brushing? Holy greenwashing. Not cool. It was actually a gigantic swath of trees completely removed and the size of the site expanding rapidly. “Scope creep” appears to already be a reality and that is just one reason we have requested a full impact assessment be done.
I mean really if you think about it, removing all the trees, followed by road and service installlation, make DND’s project just as ‘fully under construction’ as any other project in the same stage. They just wanted to spin it differently to residents as going slower so they would think no need to worry, nothing to see here, just taking it slow. Which breeds complacency.
And so they hired Prospectus to run their engagement session on January 31st.
Who took 3 months to deliver the transcripts, and in the end didn’t even produce the transcripts of the online portion of the session. Not my idea of transparency.
Anyway, if the Feds and HRM don’t care about the birds and wildlife, eh em…
maybe they could show more care and concern for local human residents of Eastern Passage, South East Passage, and Cow Bay Nova Scotia?
As fires raged across HRM it resonated for me here in Eastern Passage and living about 1KM as the crow flies from the potential future home of a Land Based Testing Facility, that our concerns about infrastructure and wetlands which have been ignored by our governments could have very grave consequences should we have our own community emergency.
It does appear that HRM is beginning to understand the important of egress, but when DND is involved it’s difficult to say how that shakes out. There is a great deal of negotiation going on between federal and municipal employees about the Hartlen Point project which is why I believe we need to hear a lot more about the project from our MP, Darrell Sampson and our HRM Councillor, Becky Kent.
Access roads and fire and emergencies are all on our minds these days. And for those of us who live in Eastern Passage and Cow Bay, floods are also a concern.
During the driest and most hazardous time for fires, here in Eastern Passage the sea water was almost level with the shore road on Saturday evening. A perfect storm for trapping residents who have only one way in and out of our community. Can you imagine if the coast was flooding at the same time our headland was on fire?
Looking at the water levels yesterday while the fires raged across Halifax and Nova Scotia, I could imagine the scenario very clearly.
There are a number of houses between Harlen Point and the Caldwell Road intersection on Shore Road that could be blocked during an emergency. Also, several cul de sac sudvisions.
What those people do not need is increased employee traffic, construction, and machinery being introduced in an already high risk scenario at the end of a dead end road at high risk of flooding.
Nor do our local residents need wetlands being filled in at the end of this road.
Out of date, inaccurate traffic statements are designed to control the narrative but those of us who live here know the truth. I mean it’s accurate for a day in 2019 that all the schools were closed, before our population growth, covid, and there was no traffic I guess.
I almost missed a flight last year because of a race as I only had one way out of my neighourhood and had the threaten to phone the police to be escorted out as the race volunteers refused to let me exit Murray Road to Caldwell. I can’t imagine a fire or other dangerous situation. There is also no fire hydrant on my street and at the end we are more than 1.5KM from the fire station.
Shore Road already floods during storms, and we are just about at sea level. And it is rapidly rising.
So filling in wetlands and removing vegetation at our irreplaceable coastal headland makes no sense when the same technology was tested in Burnside, and could be again.
I walked at Hartlen Point on Friday and there was still moisture in the ground at a time when it was so dry that the Nova Scotia wildfires could not be contained and it had been 31 degrees Celsius the day before.
Shows how precious every drop of water it, and what poor judgement must be in place to decide to fill in existing wetlands near residential areas. Well anywhere for that matter, but since the loss of property seems to be the primary concern of firefighters, then certainly not near any development should we fill in wetlands.
“Hartlen Point Soils: According to the Natural Resources Canada (NRC) soil survey, the underlying
substrate surrounding the wetlands consists mostly of sandy clay loam soils. The NRC
soil survey identifies the substrate underlying HP-5 and HP-6 as peat”
taken from : https://tridentnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SNC-Baseline-Soil-and-Ground-Water-Testing-LBTF-Project.pdf
That makes sense to me as there is mostly squishy ground, Pitcher Plants, and low cranberries in the area. In many areas you need to wear tall rubber boots or you will sink and soak your shoes. Around the radio tower area I often wear sandals birding as I’m short and it’s often up over my knees in water. Rarely can you walk the area without getting wet feet.
“Healthy peatlands are remarkably resilient to the impacts of fire. A significant amount of carbon is lost both to burning itself and through burn damage that impairs the growth of carbon-sequestering mosses. But these ecosystems are typically able to recover and restore their climate-regulating function within 10 to 30 years.
However, when bogs have been damaged, especially by drainage, they become vulnerable to wildfire.
Even without fire, drained bogs are net contributors of carbon. When they burn, they burn much more deeply because their peat reserves are dry and dense. These self-propagating smouldering fires can spew millions of tonnes of carbon and harmful, toxic smoke into our atmosphere.”
The coastal headland and peat bogs are very close to houses, but it would seem that zoning can be friend or foe.
Apparently it is not okay to put a Land Based Testing Facility next to urban development? But somehow it’s okay to put it next to suburban, and rural. But then in a few years it gets rezoned to urban and they say oopsy, it’s all done now. My bad.
There are homes very close to Hartlen Point you just can’t see them as they are on a long rural road all tucked away. But we can see Osbourne Head when we look out down here at the end. Same view you get from Hartlen Point. Same essential area.
We have no municipal water here on our road that is right next to Hartlen Point, yet HRM is going to provide municipal water services to Hartlen Point. Hardly seems fair especially when our tax assessments just went up substantially, and we have no sewage, no fire hydrant, no municipal water, no sidewalks. And now more traffic potentially blocking us in and increased risk of wildfires.
But the thing that upsets most people is the septic that is apparently planned for Hartlen Point. I took this photo a few years ago from the “Back Bay”. This is about right smack in the middle of where septic run off is expected to flow. The trees have been cut behind this area. Having walked there in the past it required rubber boots almost every day of the year because it is the Hartlen Till as it’s called. And without trees it will slide into the ocean from erosion. The current rate of erosion they have documented in the reports on DND’s informational page peg the rate at the astounding figure of 1 meter/year. Read the hundreds of pages of documents at your leisure. You will find many things that are alarming to say the least.
It wasn’t in the brochure or part of the presentation on January 31st but it was let to slip at the session by one of the speakers that the intention is to install a big septic system (for 150+ people) which will mean a septic field that drains into the “back bay” at Hartlen Point. Which is the most ecologically sensitive area of the headland both on land and water.
This is the same spot the deer was standing but I took this photo in April 2023. Any wonder in the days after the “brushing” deer showed up all over the area in people’s yards nearby. Who else was displaced?
There are also lobster spawning grounds in the waters around the back bay. But right about where these photos were taken there will be septic runoff.
What do the fishermen have to say about this?
Oh, right, fishermen were not really consulted about any of this. If they were that is sure news to me because I’ve spoken with many and they say they were left completely out of the conversation.
There is a race to control the narrative.
As such we have had a lot of one way communication from DND and the PR firm they paid over $100k to spin things to the community and what we are being told is not the whole story.
A failed septic system can result in the contamination of groundwater.
According to the soil characterization reports there is artesian groundwater present so septic seems like a really bad thing for neighbouring residents who have well water.
“Given the thickness of low permeability glacial till within the region it is unlikely the overburden would be exploited as a productive groundwater resource. Groundwater within the region is expected to follow
topographic and/or bedrock contours. As a result, groundwater is assumed to flow toward Halifax Harbour or Cow Bay. The nearest resident (Shore Road (900 m) and Sandpiper Drive (850 m) are supplied by municipal water services (ref. Halifax Water Service Boundary Mapping (https://hwc.maps.arcgis.com)
Four (4) water wells are identified on the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources water well logs
database (https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/groundwater/welldatabase.asp.) to be in the vicinity of the site.
All four are located on the Hartlen Point Golf Course property. The four wells were installed in 1988 and
1989 to depths ranging from 200’ to 300’ (feet). No water usage records were available on the database.”
taken from : Studies, reports and other documentation
Oh but look at Murray Road where everyone has a well and at the end is just about 1km from where the LBTF and huge septic field will be and where peat bogs and wetlands are being filled in. What? The Hartlen Point Land Based Testing Facility will get city water before it’s offered to residents of Murray Road? Do residents know this? Well I’ve talked to a few and most do not know and when they find out they are not delighted. I’ve asked via my councilor for Halifax Water to report on why this is the case and no word yet.
And what about the poor family who purchased this parcel of land? It’s closer than the homes on Sandpiper Lane who have municipal services.
Why aren’t these things in the report? Are residents on Murray Road not considered important because we are not zoned Urban? It’s tough to wrap my head around. I can see Osbourne Head from my driveway so I feel a little forgotten by HRM and DND frankly. We were simply omitted from the reports it would seem.
“Surrounding Land Use
The Site is located on a relatively small point at the east entrance to Halifax Harbour, bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean to the south and east. The site is bounded by the Eastern Passage-Cow Bay Land-use
Classification UR (Urban Rural to the west, and RA (Rural Area to the north). Halifax Regional Municipality
Planning Services Environmental Constraint Mapping identifies no local constraints. The surrounding area
land-use restrictions are governed by the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) Land-Use By-Law, Schedule
A. The surrounding area is located within the Municipal Stormwater Service Boundary. Immediately
surrounding land use consists of a golf course to the north. The remainder of the area is largely undeveloped
consisting of antenna facilities (including a tactical air navigation (TACAN) system – aircraft landing
beacon), a gravel helicopter landing pad and a CCG communications tower on the western side of the Site.”
So what would create a restraint?
And why fill in wetlands when you could just reduce the golf course from 18 to 9 holes anyway?
With an unwillingness to even consider giving up some of the golf course many of us are concerned about scope creep, which is a genuine concern since DND essentially approved their own project.
The IAAC determined that it has to be reviewed to see if it should have triggered a full impact assessment.
Minister Guilbeault is reviewing the project, as per the IAAC’s request. The public is invited to comment until July 8th.
As well, realistic mitigation should things proceed after passing a full impact assessment, should absolutely involved rewilding some of the golf course. It’s the least you that could be done to try to compensate residents for destroying wetlands and contributing to our risk of wildfires.
Protect surrounding lands also needs to be done.
That is nonsense and just more bureaucracy that hampers democracy in my opinion.
To provide info about project concerns, omissions, etc. for the impact assessment request, here are the IAAC and Minister’s email addresses, please use Hartlen Point in your subject line:
atlanticregion-regiondeatlantique@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
information@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
ministre-minister@ec.gc.ca
Numerous ATIPs have been ignored, in tandem with a PR firm being retained by DND to the tune of over 100K. This concerns me as a Canadian who values democracy.
There is a point where PR can cross the line into propaganda and that is frightening and to be avoided at all costs frankly so exercise your part of the democratic process. As with Hartlen Point, you may not appreciate what you have until it’s gone. Some things are worth protecting.
The community was promised another meeting before any development in the fall but now there is a road being built and apparently getting ready to put in municipal services and a huge septic field without the local residents really being made to understand all that is happening? Beyond uncool. Things were well underway before full studies and reports were released, and the transcript was late and incomplete. Follow up is definitely required immediately so people in the community finally have a fully informed say about what is happening in their own community.
I requested another meeting to CFB Public Affairs over a month ago , it was ignored. And you know what, that is okay. I think the community has heard enough of one way communication and fancy spin to be frank.
At this point I see no place for DND at this meeting. We’ve had enough of your “information sessions”.
We need a community roundtable, maybe at the Buffalo Club. That is not controlled by politicians or DND. A safe space for residents to voice their concerns. With representatives from 3 levels of government invited, but not controlling the narrative.
We request a promise of zero future development on Hartlen Point the term “base” was loosely thrown around by DND and that does not sit well with local residents. No proper consideration was made for any other site and we already have a base down the road. That is enough. Not to mention a concrete plant is being built soon which will be just beautiful like the oil tanks and other industrial wasteland that forms the entrance to our beautiful seaside community.
Don’t destroy the end of it too.
And don’t fence us in. In an emergency it could cost us our lives.
Please, protect Hartlen Point.
With both sadness and hope, Angela
Last year when I was house hunting, I said it’s either Cow Bay or Boularderie, and here I am snug like a bug in beautiful Cow Bay. I wouldn’t entirely rule out moving to Cape Breton someday, but honestly this is my dream property and perfect for me and my Border Collies so good chance they’ll take me out in a pine box one day. Hopefully many great times here before that though!
My loose theme for the house is Mediterranean as the lady who owned the property before the previous owners was Greek, and we all know I’m Greek in my soul.
Anyway, it’s been 7 months on the new homestead. 2022 is coming to an end, and I am already dreaming of spring when all the flowers I planted will come up.
It’s been a ton of work here, on top of all my landscaping and garden planting, there’s been much harder work to do. Lots of it.
We knew the house would need a lot of repairs and it was a trade off to get the big piece of property in a country like setting so close to the city.
I didn’t pay much attention to the inspection other than to refer to it loosely for budgeting. I can’t think for the life of me why people buy houses sight unseen, but I visited this one in person and took stock myself of what was what with eyes wide open. Luckily I have owned two other houses, one of them about a hundred years old so was up to the task.
Since I bought the house in May I’ve had the septic replaced, rain gutters installed, a ducted heat pump installed, new hot water tank, dishwasher and chimney style fan installed, new kitchen countertops, and deck rebuilt. Lots more little repairs done too, and many more to come. Just so many things that were left in a very poor state of repair. Oh yeah, and not a lick of insulation other than a small amount in the attic.
So, we put some more fiberglass bats in the attic and currently focused on draft sealing and insulating basement headers. There’s no vapor barrier in the exterior walls so not touching that until someday when the siding needs to be replaced. For now, dry and chilly is better than warm and moldy I say. And the heat pump is very efficient so will muddle through for a while.
Of course, none of this is very sexy and it’s made it really difficult to get any interior painting or cosmetic things done but I do have a few before an after pictures for my dear diary blog here.
After I moved in, I found some old plantation bi-fold doors in the basement. When I looked at the house, I was wondering what I would do about the big closets with no doors in the backroom so brought those up and dusted and washed them up and measured them and sure enough!
The deck was a rotten mess to put it bluntly. It was also way too big for the scale of the house. So after pulling out the pieces that were well beyond hope and flipping over the remainder of the joists and staining them it was possible to rebuild with only having to buy 4 additional boards. There were enough top boards to do the entire top over and a few pieces have become other things on the property. I used sale bin stain on the bottom and bought stain in the colour I wanted for the top. The screws were the most expensive part of the project it turns out but don’t talk to me about removing the old ones….ugghh.
It hadn’t actually been my plan to have a wooden deck as I only wanted a stone garden, but it was the obvious choice once demolition began and it turned out fab.
I had installed a dishwasher and chimney style fan in the kitchen at the old house and also replaced the stove, but never had the chance (or money) to change the countertops, so did all of it here and totally changed the layout of the kitchen. Since I spent so much time researching the appliances at the old house I just bought the same ones for this house. It was pretty much a demolition zone in the kitchen here until November because nothing beats good ole fashion elbow grease and a whack of determination. But just in time for Christmas it came together.
Still need some finishing touches and shelving but I’m pretty delighted for now.
Can’t seem to get the layout right for the front room yet, and the house lacks closet space, so that will become more clear in time. Mostly focused on calm soft colours of sea, sand, and sky, and decluttering.
The backroom was the master bedroom and many of my friends think that’s a great idea but it’s my favorite room in the house, with access to the deck, so want to share it when people visit. And I tucked my desk into the corner so I can always feel like I’m working outside. It’s my favourite room in the house because it’s all tucked into the backyard and the dogs can come in and out as they please. When it’s warm out I bring my laptop out on the deck and if the weather changes I don’t have far to move back inside. It’s nice to have a little fire sometimes and hang out on the deck to enjoy too. Even better with a cuppa and a few good friends.
I figure the bedroom is just a place to sleep. Macy and Milo agree completely! More cosmetic touches down the road but at least it’s the colour of the sea now.
There is so much more to do and so many more things to discover, like this old Beacon lantern I found in the crawl space. They stopped making them in the 50’s and I think it’s probably from about 1940 so perhaps it belonged to Nola. I love a great story, so working on piecing together the history of the lane.
Some people think I’m crazy that I gave up my much newer house in good condition for a small fixer upper, but the property is just lovely and I haven’t had a moment’s regret.
I feel like the caretaker of the property and will continue to try to improve, while preserving as much as possible.
2023 is going to be a great year on the homestead and I know it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s exactly the right place for me.
Happy New Year and wishing you all the best.
I’ve been wanting to get a daytime sighting and photo of a bull Moose for a few years now but have only caught them in fleeting moments at dusk and dawn.
Finally, this fall, I got a tip from a friend about where I might spot one easily so drove to Cape Breton under the promise of a sunny weather forecast.
The next morning, I woke up in Pleasant Bay and it was pea soup foggy. The forecast is often wrong for the highlands where bad weather tends to prevail and I drove up to the trail where it was even foggier, and misting. Spent an hour on the trail with my biggest lens in hand. No luck. Talked to the Parks Canada guy who was out and about on a 4-wheeler he had also not spotted any moose that morning. He mentioned it was supposed to clear up later in the morning, so I decided to make the best of things and I took a drive up to Danena’s in Dingwall for strong coffee and sweet treats. Drove back and checked the trail again after that still no good weather, and no moose, so meandered around Cheticamp for a few hours to practice landscape photography. It still didn’t clear up.
By mid-afternoon any optimism I had for an appearance by the sun had disappeared. So, I stuck my 400mm under my rain poncho (lighter than my 600mm), to make my final search for the day.
I could hardly see my hand in front of my face after walking up and down the trail for about an hour and had pretty much given up and was heading for the car.
The trail was mostly wide-open barrens, but there was a short stretch with trees on either side and as I entered that stretch, there he was peering at me through the corridor about 20 feet away. I was so scared I almost fainted. I thought well why on earth did I wish for this? All alone with a bull Moose sporting a big rack in rutting season, not smart Angela!
The night before I had researched moose behavior so that if I did get into a dicey situation, I would know what to do. With bears and coyotes, you are supposed to be on the offensive. Make noise, act big, be a threat.
If you do that with moose, you are going to get attacked for sure. The only thing you can do is what I did, nothing. Well and if they charge you run like hell and look for cover…gulp.
He looked right into my eyes, then simply turned around and wandered off. Since safety was my first priority, I did not take a photo when he was facing me as wonderful as that may have been.
As he turned away though, I did get my favorite wildlife shot of all time.
The 15 or so minute walk back to the car was fairly unnerving as he had simply disappeared into the fog and the trail was full of fresh hoof prints, but it didn’t take long before I was smiling.
It may not have been the shot I wanted, but it was an experience I’ll never forget!
This May I moved to Southeast Passage overlooking Cow Bay Lake. It is my dream home, 3rd time’s a charm they say.
The property is part of a larger parcel that was subdivided, and a rock wall runs along the back of both existing properties. It used to be a farm, and there is an offshoot of Smelt Brook running between the existing lots. The lane was originally owned by a Greek woman I believe, and we all know I am Greek in my soul.
The pups and I are surrounded by tall trees and nature. The property has many Apple trees which are a favorite of our nesting Northern Parulas and of course the Cedar Waxwings came to strip them toward the end of the bloom.
There are also Sumac and Mountain Ash and many other berry trees I will be able to identify later in the summer. As a birder it’s amazing to watch it all unfold and have so many birds nesting on the property and along the brook. A few of the birds that are nesting here are Black-throated Green Warblers, Black and White Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, and Winter Wren. We even have nesting Canada Warblers (species at risk) just outside our fence and there may be 3 nests, at least 2, and likely more along the brook.
We inherited a good deal of mature perennials and shrubs which the bees and Hummingbirds also love, and of course I am adding many more. I brought some from the garden at my last house too such as Creeping Phlox, Heather, Rainbow Rock Cress, and Hellebores.
The plant I am most delighted to have on the property is Peony. I inherited these beautiful mature Peonies and the first bloom opened on the Summer Solstice.
Also, a lovely pink Dianthus that smells like Cream Soda, Cranesbill Geranium in purple, Tiger Lilies, Poppies in orange, and some red Astilbe. There are more things that haven’t bloomed that I’m not sure of yet and I don’t weed anything until I’m positive of the identification.
The Astilbe was in two sunny spots, and I relocated them to shady spots along the foundation. Astilbe is a wonderful shade plant, so along with some Hostas I planted along the foundation they can help to soak up moisture in that area. Dad will bring me up some Spurge too, which is another thirsty plant that thrives in shady areas.
My mind was set on planting a shade garden at the front of the property until I realized it is actually a pretty sunny area. Well, the spot I put the future Garlic bed in is a bit shady so there will have to be some adjustments made down the road. But I found another spot for a little shade garden in between our two outbuildings. There was a broken up old chimney there, so I kept some pieces for colour and added plants to match so all peach and white plants.
I will probably add some ornamental grass and Daylilies down the road to a partial shade area along the back of the house, but for those really shady areas the above work best. Will have to check the Daylily bulb selection at Halifax Seed when I go Tulip shopping this fall.
Second week in June I hit up 4 garden stores for a mix of things I had to pay full price for to get expert advice and particular plants I was after (Lakeland Plant World has awesome staff and plants), and also some great sales, so in the end was able to plant 15 new trees/shrubs. The goal in some areas is more cover along the border of the property, some for colour to hope for more bird photo opportunities, some for foliage to attract birds and bees, and some just for my joy. Most of them will grow between 4-8 feet didn’t want anything with large roots near the septic field. The Rhododendron could be very large so it’s well away from that area and far enough away from the house to grow as big as it wants.
There is a lot to mow here, and also a lot that has not been mowed in a long time and kind of gone wild. We mowed a path around the edge but left it tall in the middle which worked out well as the Ring-necked Pheasants can take their babies through safely (that was the cutest thing of this week I think). It’s great habitat for many critters so we will keep a balance of wild and tame and refine the plan over the years as we learn more about our surroundings.
Starting some hardscaping as well and dug up weeds and put down cardboard and pea gravel around the patio stones by the steps and will fill with Irish Moss and Creeping Thyme down the road. There was a batch of Creeping Thyme out front which I divided and planted around the septic as shallow rooting ground cover is great for a septic field. Also put down tons of Dutch White Clover seed which is filling in nicely.
We had to get the septic replaced when I bought the house, and I did a bunch of research for what to do about the risers and field area. So, there are pots on the risers and pea gravel and creeping Sedums (4 varieties of Stonecrop brought pieces from my old garden) so we will always have easy access and some more ground cover and lots of clover to absorb nutrients and keep mowing down to a minimum. It’s best not to have a lot of foot traffic over the septic tank if you can avoid it.
I brought my Butterfly Bush from my old house, and I was pretty sure it was dead but dug it up a few days ago and saw new growth on the roots so it has time to get established at the new homestead before the fall comes.
The dogs are hard on the birds and bees as you can imagine so the more delicate additions are just outside the fence so I can enjoy them, and they will be safe.
Inside the fence I am also starting to plant some hardier shrubs with a stone path and ground level seating in mind, so picked up Blue Steel Russian Sage and planted between the back step and back deck.
The back deck is all rotted out so removing it this week and will start building a stone patio with walkdown from the French doors. I think we can salvage enough from the old deck to build the walkdown and maybe a bench or raised bed or two. It’s the sunniest most sheltered area on the property so my vision is some vertical veggies like Tomatoes and Cukes and Peppers who love the sun, and lots of hardy shrubs and ground cover. Decks rot, stone and plantings are far more practical and beautiful in my opinion. And lets face it, wood is way out of budget for most of us these days! I built a really nice area at my old house with flagstone and groundcover for that reason, so have some practice thankfully.
It’s all an investment for the property and for the future and was a ton of work digging. Holy shale! Some rocks were as big at the Border Collies I swear.
Expecting a good rebate on the new hot water heater that will cover all the plant shopping as it was a bit outside my repair/reno budget but had to get it in there.
Frugality returns and I’m back to seeding (Black-eyed Susan and Pink Coneflower) and dividing and relocating existing plants. Of course when I first moved in, as I do every year I planted some seeds too early so will try to be more patient next year because not much made it from that seeding (seeds are cheap thankfully). Some will pop up later in the summer I expect, so whatever survived that trauma I will plant more of because I’ll know the conditions are good and it’s hardy.
It should all look pretty good this summer, but next year is when I will really see the results. Things to look forward to. This is why I garden.
I use the website as a journal for myself so look forward to updating about a year from now and see how things have progressed.
Happy Solstice, blessed be.
Angela (and Macy & Milo)
