Saturday, March 26, 2011

Spring is in the air! :)

Well...today is a fabulously sunny day....with a fair amount of wind, but I'm not complaining! Having the sun Shine in the sky is just what we all need after the winter time. The time of renewal, bulbs starting to sprout out of the ground, and of getting your home super clean since you can see better with that sun shining through your windows!

The biggest part of spring is gardening and planting in preperation for the growing season. I personally don't have a food growing area in the town houses I live in, so I'm going to give it a go with the community garden this summer. I'm not known for growing a garden, I'm known to have a black thumb, with threats from friends that if I bring a live plant into my home they will confiscate it for plant abuse.

Outside plants don't get taken away from me because at least they get water from rain..lol! This summer, however, I am going to go to great effort to not only to try to grow a food garden, but to succeed at it. With finances fluxing within our household, I need to try to make a contribution to our family. My main contribution usually consists of taking care of our kids, shopping, and making food for us to eat that tastes alright. With a garden that is cared for (hopefully), I should be able to make a significant contribution in our food budget, with little money invested.

I like to read alot of books, of varied interests, but my favorite is usually about living off the land. I love to read about having a small hobby farm, with chickens, goats, and a garden large enough to feed the entire family over the winter. I know that I'll never be able to accomplish this on my own, but if I don't start trying to actually grow things...I'll never live my dream!

I know it doesn't seem that great to most people, living with animals and living out of town, but to me it is what I hope to accomplish for retirement (maybe even before if I'm REALLY lucky!). Having a small acerage just a few minutes out of town, with soil that is capable of growing small scale crops, and two out buildings (one a shop for hubby to putter in) is the best dream.

So this summer, I will try to start the road for that dream, by growing a small crop with the community garden, and prove to myself that I CAN achieve my dream. It takes time and hard work, but all dreams require sacrifices inorder to reach them!  :)

If you want to have a plot in the community garden this summer, then call Michelle Daymond. She works for "Candoit Consulting", and is the "Food Action Coordinator" of the Williams Lake Food Policy Council, her phone number is (250) 267-2085, or you can reach her via email at candoitconsulting150@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!  :)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

April article picture additions

Alrighty, I’m assuming that you read my April article on making a cat tree, if not, you can find it at www.thestew.ca !

Now there are ALOT of pictures for this, so that you can better understand the article, since I can only have one picture go to print for my articles. They will have a little description for each of them, and I hope they help!  :)

This is the bones of our tree, before we started putting on the carpeting.



This picture shows how we attached the six-foot tube, and braced it with a smaller tube.




This picture shows how we attached the "nest" (drawer) to the top of the six-foot tube.


This photo shows how we attached the Water bottle to the four-foot tube (hubby bent the "L" brackets to make it work). This is a front view.




This picture is of the water bottle attachment, but it is a right side view.


This is of the brace between the six-foot and four-foot tubes, this shows the four-foot one, but you get the idea of how the other side should go!  ;)




This shows the lengths that my hubby has gone to, this is the carpeting for inside the water bottle, and the foam board for the balcony.


This was our work in progress, half the carpeting done!  :)



The sisal rope being glued to the water bottle.



The bottom of the water bottle and balcony with the sisal rope finished being glued on. Hubby says to mention that on the edges he glued the whole way around, but for the main body of it he only glued at quarter intervals (as well as where it met the tube).


And this is the final product!  :)


And here is our cat Levy taking time to test out the bottle...we think she's worth it!  :)

April links

Here are the web links for my April article for  www.thestew.ca  
Hope they are helpful!  :)

Free plans:
http://amby.com/cat_site/cattree.html
http://www.nd.edu/~akolaczy/catladder.html
http://www.pandecats.com/x/building_a_cat_tree.shtml
http://cfhs.ca/athome/build_your_own_cat_tree/
http://www.newwoodworker.com/kittycondo.html
http://www.ronhazelton.com/article/home/home_other/UDIwNw/How_to_Build_a_Cat_Tree_Complete_with_Scratching_Post_and_Tower_
http://www.ronhazelton.com/archives/howto/Cat_Tree_2.shtm
http://pitelspot.com/2009/02/13/how-to-build-a-cat-tree-from-scratch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTilfj4QptA&feature=related
http://cats.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=cats&cdn=homegarden&tm=13&gps=619_548_1916_877&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.catsinternational.org./articles/scratching_and_declawing/build_a_scratchingpost.html
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/981001b.cfm
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf35516793.tip.html
http://www.tensegritydesign.com/gallery.html
http://www.spookyblue.com/projects/cat_condo/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Cat-Condo/
http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=75718?s=64dcad15048fc42adbcb4bdb63d475cf
http://www.orecatay.com/catcondo.pdf
http://www.ehow.com/how_4592727_build-cat-play-house.html

To buy plans:
http://www.cat-furniture-plans.com/
http://www.cattreeplans.com/
http://www.howtomakeacattree.info/

Ideas to entertain your cat:
http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/the-cat-show -watch the creative play clip for more great ideas!  :)
http://www.catsinternational.org./articles/fun_for_cats/index.html

For those with expensive tastes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8BWp6foXOU&feature=related

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Here's a hint... ;)


So...if you're DYING to know what my next month's article is about...this picture is a hint!  ;)
Have a great week!  :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Bad blogger

I know...I haven't been very regular in updating this blog as of late, I shall endeavor to do better! I also missed the March deadline for "The Stew Magazine", and I apologize to anyone who actually reads my column!  :)

Well, anyways...I have just completed my article for April's edition, and will be posting for it closer to the end of the month. I do hope that all those that read, enjoy it and find it useful!  ;)

I'm also planning my article for May already, so that I don't miss a deadline again!


For the mean time...here's a picture of my cat Levy. She picked us when we visited the local SPCA before Christmas. For those of you that don't know, when you get an animal from the SPCA, you aren't just paying for an animal, you are paying for the privilage of having a companion in your life. The price also covers the cost of the animal being spay/neutered, being micro chipped, having their shots, knowing exactly what their medical condition is (good, or not so good), and for their first vet visit whith you. When you do the math....you're getting a true bargain! If you can't have a pet where you currently live, or don't feel that you can care for one at this time, you can always donate your time and money to the SPCA. Call your local SPCA to see what you can do!