Details, details...

Last fall, while I was digging in the garden, I turned up a rotten piece of wood with tarnished numbers on it.

 

I removed the numbers, cleaned them and found a new board to screw them onto. Then they languished in the basement for months. Finally I got around to painting the board black.  Michael replaced the numbers, and mounted the board beside the front door. Another little bit of history resurrected.

Details, details...

Last fall, while I was digging in the garden, I turned up a rotten piece of wood with tarnished numbers on it.

 
I removed the numbers, cleaned them and found a new board to screw them onto. Then they languished in the basement for months. Finally I got around to painting the board black.  Michael replaced the numbers, and mounted the board beside the front door. Another little bit of history resurrected.

The Black Hand

I went out to do a bit of gardening today, seeing it wasn't raining. But the air was chilly, so it wasn't long before I returned to the basement door to put my tools away. And there it was on the door frame: the Black Hand!

It definitely hadn't been there yesterday. I wonder if it's a sign to other raccoons that this place has potential as a new refuge or, worse, a restaurant. Hope not.

The Black Hand

I went out to do a bit of gardening today, seeing it wasn't raining. But the air was chilly, so it wasn't long before I returned to the basement door to put my tools away. And there it was on the door frame: the Black Hand!

It definitely hadn't been there yesterday. I wonder if it's a sign to other raccoons that this place has potential as a new refuge or, worse, a restaurant. Hope not.

Back to Grand Folly

Returning from Costa Rica to Vancouver was returning from summer to the dregs of winter, from lush foliage and flowers to still bare branches. It was, however, the right time to prune the old fruit trees. John came over with his ladder and tools and, ignoring the nasty weather, got on with the job.

The plum had quite a bit of dieback and several witches' brooms that needed to be removed. The result was a rather ungainly shape, but we hope it will recover and fill out over the next few years.

The pear was in better shape to begin with. With a haircut and some judicious thinning it looked much better.

 I'd prefer it to be more spreading but with laundry line on one side and fence on the other, there's really no room. The fence has to stay, and I am a great fan of sheets dried in the sun so I'm not about to remove the line.

Back to Grand Folly

Returning from Costa Rica to Vancouver was returning from summer to the dregs of winter, from lush foliage and flowers to still bare branches. It was, however, the right time to prune the old fruit trees. John came over with his ladder and tools and, ignoring the nasty weather, got on with the job.

The plum had quite a bit of dieback and several witches' brooms that needed to be removed. The result was a rather ungainly shape, but we hope it will recover and fill out over the next few years.

The pear was in better shape to begin with. With a haircut and some judicious thinning it looked much better.

 I'd prefer it to be more spreading but with laundry line on one side and fence on the other, there's really no room. The fence has to stay, and I am a great fan of sheets dried in the sun so I'm not about to remove the line.