Author: greatwallstudios

I don’t typically bother tying my loose brush up into bundles for the green bin trucks to take away. My usual routine is to collect them up, prune my trees and shrubs, gather a pile that gets about waist high, and then in the fall cart it all off to the farm. I’m trying to not give skunks any extra reason to hang out near my house, so brush or limbs will get carted off as soon as humanly possible this year (if I can help it!) the fence will last a whole lot longer if I don’t leave a bunch of stuff leaned up against it to rot away every single year. Our trees are pretty big, not massive, but of a good size, so every time we have a storm, or a prolonged down pour old dead bits fall out of the trees. I collect them up rather than attempt to move over them, because Shrapnel!. Then before 8 know it my little pile has grown a fair bit, and then it’ll catch blowing leaves, and I’ll toss pulled weeds onto the pile, and it’ll get bigger and bigger.

So to combat that constant pile up of debris and garden refuse, I put all three new piles out on the curb, tied in string. And they actually went this time. Handy thing was, since I had tied them up, I could have just as easily transported them to the farm. But this way was easier. Somewhat. I need to keep on it. We have a while to go yet before we reach May and I have to start cutting the grass twice per week. So I will continue to pick up all of the fallen twigs rather than mow them into the grass. It’s slightly less dangerous with the tiny twigs, and longer grass, than with bigger bits and our current short, and not very thick grass.

Every year I toy with the idea of taking more, and more lower limbs out of our trees because we can’t play catch in the shade under them once the leaves load them down. I should make the choice to cut them off before the buds appear, thereby not wasting the trees energy, and resources on parts I intend to remove. I might have left it too late all ready. Those parts will have to go to the farm, they will be far too big for the green GFL trucks to take away.

It is Wednesday today. We are in the dead centre of the month once we hit noon. I should get back to work!

Really toyed with the idea of not walking at the farm today, but just as I arrived for school drop off the downpour ended, and I thought “Oh what the hell!, why not go?”, and then shortly after the dog and I got out of the car and started our walk another pulse of heavy rains fell, and now my legs, feet, jacket, cuff are all soaked through. But! On a lighter note it is ten degrees out, and so not freezing cold. So I’ll take it. We are currently flirting with a major electrical storm, I can hear the booms, and a lot of rumbling, but I see no flashes overhead, or anywhere in the sky visible from our front room. The lights have flickered, but as of right this second… We still have power.

I do have the option to run my gas powered generator if I need to. It’s funny I ordered the solar generator because of how pricey gasoline has gotten, but we may have our first need of it before the thing arrives! How fun is that. Droll, very droll. Ain’t that always the way of things though?

It is now Tuesday April 14th, we are nearing the middle of month four, and the year is picking up considerable speed. Especially when you consider that the spring, and warmer weather bring with it new outdoor requirements. No snow shoveling, or breaking ice dams, now pulling weeds, cutting the grass, pruning trees, and cleaning the windows, and deck, and just tidying up the exterior of the house. Home ownership, it never ends. Cycle after cycle of cleaning, maintenance, repairs, and replacements, until you die.

With any luck we will get some dry patches in May to be able to plant our Dahlias, and Glad bulbs. I’d like to grow some sweet corn in the backyard this year. I think I’ll give that a whirl. Thought I did it last year, but those turned out to be Soya beans, and I didn’t care for that. No matter. If I had it my way I would plant several more fruit trees in our yard since neither the kids, nor the dog ever bother to play out there. I’d knock down the toddler play structure and add a tiny mixed orchard. Couple peach trees, one more apple, another cherry tree, maybe two pear trees. Give us a real fruit salads worth of home grown deliciousness. One step at a time. We have raspberries, grapes, and strawberries too. I planted Blueberries once, but they are fickle and weak and don’t take a late or early frost all that well. They just straight up die. So I won’t waste my money on those again.

A major reoccurring issue I see at the farm is drainage. The water pools, and flows in weird places because I don’t think the family has done enough to route the water away from the fields well enough. I think most, if not all of the culverts are clogged, and the water backs up and flows across the lanes, and over the grass instead of down the drains, and back toward the river/creek. If we were smart we’d figure out a way to unblock those culverts and the fields would dry out a little quicker because the water wouldn’t pool quite so bad if it had some place to easily go. But I’m no horticulturalist, so what do I know. I split wood, and walk the grounds every day, doesn’t make me a farmer, nor a land management guru.

Buds are on the trees, more so every day. Soon we will see them start to open, and the whole town will look a lot more colourful, and lovely. I may have mentioned this before, but I took some time the other day to cut the suckers off of our two oldest Lilac bushes. I’m hoping that forces the tree to support the old growth portions, and we get actual aromatic blooms that last for more than a single, yet intense, week of purple scented wonder.

If I could locate a Russian Olive I’d put one of those here too. A bit thorny though. But my god do they smell fantastic. I realize Magnolia’s look nice, and smell ok too, but a silvery, thorn & barb covered Russian Olive smells so much better. At least to me. Reminds me of cutting grass in Brampton back in the early 2000’s.

I noticed some pretty sizeable puddles in the street out front of my house this morning. So I uncovered three storm drains after I got home from our very wet walk. And wouldn’t you know, 5 minutes later, no more puddles. That’s what I call a job well done. Ha.

I have never had to pull so many off of a dog this early into the year. With the cold winter we had, with extensive snow presence I thought for sure the Tick population would be lower this year. But it’s the opposite. The woods are infested. Last year in its entirety I pulled maybe four off the dog, but we’ve killed five and it’s only April 13th today! Holy cow. I best get him in to the vet for his flea & tick medication sooner rather than later.

Have fun in this creepy crawly season of growth, rain, and warming temperatures. Best of luck to you.

The children were tasked with picking up pruned apple branches out of the nearby orchard, and I was there to provide them a ride both to, and from the farm to do the work. I took those 75 minutes to split several rounds for the first time since October, and attempt to fill one of the green wire bins. Almost did it too! Mind you I started by putting the final pieces of last year’s splitting work into the bottom of the bin, and then I chopped enough to nearly fill it right full. I think one big round split up a bunch would actually complete the bin, but I was still impressed with my old flabby self for chopping for 75 minutes straight.

We had done a dog walk, then a big extended family Easter egg hunt, along with a pizza lunch, and then gone back for outdoor chores and wood splitting. I certainly feel as though I got my 20,000 steps in just at the farm alone.

Not only that but we were able to move some kids toys and equipment along to the youngest member of the extended family. Baby Betty got a children’s drum full of musical instruments, a xylophone, some faux food in a picnic basket, a three wheeled scooter, a tiny bicycle with training wheels, a side winder cart, and a radio flyer tricycle. Almost all of the hanging stuff from the shed is gone. Booyah! Noice. Do not fret, my kids still have their bikes, and two two wheeled scooters to play with. They do not have to go without.

Our emergency food stores came yesterday. We have emergency rations, water straws, Brita filters, bottled water, propane heater, gas powered inverter, a solar powered battery station, and a couple of books with related food & safety strategies here in case of a natural disaster, or something equally as upsetting to our daily lives. I’m comfortable knowing we could make a one month to six week stretch if we absolutely had too.

Not to mention we have regular food stuffs here that we would tuck into prior to the emergency stockpile. I think we could eek out a couple of additional days or weeks. The real hardship comes down to prescription drugs, and or sleep apnea requirements for night time. Those put us at risk, provided the neighbours don’t go feral and start killing everyone for their food, gas, water, and medical kits. In that instance we’re pretty much doomed. Fun times.

On the bright side, I got to split wood in peace and quiet with a warm sun on my face, no need for a coat, and without anybody squabbling near me. It was pretty awesome. I enjoyed it. My body is sore today though, oh boy! Out of shape. Look at me, I’m a pear.

Due to the chaotic nature of our weather as of late we’ve swapped Saturday, and Sunday events to try to capitalize on the sunshine, and positive temperatures today with the Extended family, and doing our own stuff on Sunday instead. Which does not affect the Girl Guides cookie sales in the morning, that schedule was set, and has no flexibility in it. Our dog walks and climbing can be moved around quite a bit. Heck, climbing can be pushed to tomorrow as well should it need to be.

I didn’t stay up late on Friday and now I’m kinda sad that tomorrow will be Sunday all ready. It has been a busy 2026 so far. Which is terrific! But don’t you worry it is bound to wind down unexpectedly at some point later on in the spring. Or maybe we’ll go full throttle right through this year like a hellion. Hard to predict.

So we are now moving the other side of the families (still not any part of my side(s)) big Easter egg hunt on the farm. So I need to get the dog walk over and done with before the little kids show up. Two hyper bouncing dogs and tiny children don’t mix very well.

This isn’t going to end with the eighth book, it is going to ten books, with the ninth book being split into two parts to have a major cliff hanger dead centre of the two parter. I am no longer racing through to read the sixth & seventh book before number eight drops in May. No point, as there will be at least a two year wait to get both parts of the ninth book. I’m kinda bummed, as I was looking forward to clearing an entire series in one calendar year. Hopes dashed! Plus he said they are going the whole 18 floors, so there goes any sense of worry about them dying before getting there. Oh well. I still enjoy Dungeon Crawler Carl, but I’m not going to ignore everything else in my life just to get to book eight in time. Frees me up just a bit!

In other news I did order the solar power generator, and the food rations, and water straws, as well as a couple books on survival tips. If they drop nukes it won’t much matter, but in the case of a natural disaster we are taken care of for at least a month to six weeks. Beyond that I don’t know if we have the fortitude or grit to carry on as a post apocalyptic tribe of do-gooders. Life is funny like that.

But, the books. I have already read more books cover to cover in the first three months of 2026, than I did all of last year. I’ll consider that a win! My current book, which is number six in the DCC series is the longest one by about 75 pages, so I am moving a whole lot slower through these times, than the earlier slimmer novels. Progress is progress though, whether it’s in ten page increments or fifty, one hundred, or two hundred page blocks. Just get to the next chapter is my current mantra. The page count can act like a pretty big mental obstacle when reading books this thick. I was sticking to 250-300 pagers for a while because of this personal weakness of mine. Overwhelmed meant not bothering. But with much smaller goals it has become easier to wade into longer stories, and still have a good time doing it.

Anywho — I can feel my ten milli Tommy starting to kick in, so I’m going to put on a movie or video and peace out! Happy Friday.

A bit of rain, and a few warm days with sunshine can do wonders for your lawn. With any luck we will continue to get enough rain, (not too much, and definitely not too little) to keep our gardens, and fruit trees growing this year. I have half a mind to buy some sweet corn seeds, and to bury a couple of potatoes to keep us fed come October since the fertilizer shortage due to the Strait of Hormuz is likely going to affect the entire planet with diminished production. Best start looking out for ourselves a bit more eh? Get you some water or a rain barrel cistern, and a whole bunch of non perishable food stuffs just in case these shelves start to run bare. Pasta & rice bags, salt, flour. Don’t go crazy but be prepared to sort yourselves out for several weeks, potentially a couple of months. I’m no prepper, but I am a pessimist with kids to look after. Better safe than sorry.

I’m on the fence about getting an Ecoflow solar panel & battery set up, only because I have a Champion gas inverter, but with fuel going up to $1.79/L that may not be totally viable as an alternative if things go haywire. However I do have some 25yr shelf life ration bars on the way to keep us afloat inbetween rice, pasta, flour, salt, and water. I have some safety straws too, just in case the bottled water, rain barrel idea gives out too early for a family of four. The solar stuff is pricey, but given power outages, and the generator it gives us options. I have a propane fueled heater in the garage, so we could be ok for a little while in the cooler months, but we aren’t a strong hold, and we aren’t exactly doomsday prepper prepared either. I have some guide books on edible plants in Canada, and that pretty much sums it up. In case of food insecurity we could last a few weeks to a month or two, then that’s it. Game over. Hunting with spears, or making traps for bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, foxes or what have you. I’m no pioneer, once my prescription runs out, I’m not going to be much help beyond that. If we can get through two months, possibly three and then see help on the way I think we’d be ok-ish… Maybe. We’re not a hardy bunch. Very soft.

Maybe I’ll bite the bullet and get the solar panel now. Better to have it and not need it, than the other way around. Yeah. I’ll do it.

Could it finally be the day, the day we set out all of the lawn gear, patio furniture, solar lights, hoses, and garden decorations in preparation of the summer months? Yes, yes I believe today is that day. Sunny, warm and seventeen degrees at the height of the day. Perfect for lugging cold metal objects around the property.

I do have some new projects that came in early this morning to tackle first, but within a few hours I’ll be outside getting the house ready for outdoor use. It’s to rain heavily for a few days so the table and chairs will get a good soaking to remove dust from the shed. Later on I can revisit them with a bucket of soapy water.

I’ll want to prune the trees and the hedges soon before they start to bud properly. No need to waste all that precious energy on limbs I intend to remove.

Taxes are off to the accountant, so it’ll be a few days before I hear anything back about any of that. I’ve had word of new big ticket items coming my way in May, which is terrific news. Always happy to have work on the calendar and/or schedule.

Youngest child is home sick, all gooey, and with a hacking cough. Guess what I have to look forward to next week? My own cough and cold! You guessed it. Wonderful. Best stock up on Robitussin, and Day-Quil, and can’t forget NyQuil. I hate spring time colds. With any luck the added moisture and humidity in the air will help me get better faster. One can hope.

Will I put my back out moving the big table today? Don’t know. But we can give it the old college try!

Wouldn’t you know I did get all of the patio furniture out. Plus the lights, and the hose, and the decorations for the yard. I also took down the last of the Christmas lights wrapped in our front maple. I then hung up the big round swing, and put up the slack line with all of the hanging tricks on it. I even had the time to prune the suckers off of the old Lilac in the back yard. I even put the garden hose out on the spigot. I’ve ordered food to arrive soon, and I have some more paid work to do after I eat my lunch It has been a productive day thus far. I am happy. Go me!

Dog had his walk, and it is in fact warming up. I even put the last snow shovel away, along with the road salt bag I had by the front door. Up next will be the bicycles that need their chains greased, tires inflated, and perhaps a quick rinse with some soapy water. Might do that when I get to the patio furniture after a few days of rain. No point lugging a full pail of soapy water outside twice when I could just do it all at once. Table top, chair arm rests and the bike seats. Quick & simple.

Will spring actually kick in at some point later this week? The next ten days all appear to be up in the positive for temperatures. Is it too much to ask for a handful of sunny days that hover in the 12° to 15° C range? Comfortable sweater weather, or just a long sleeved shirt if you’re hard at work outdoors. I need to wash the cars, and start pulling out the patio furniture. Pull out the garden hose, and the Noma solar lights for the front walk. It’s way more fun to do in nicer weather, that’s for certain. I could power wash the back deck too while I’m at it. I should lubricate the AC unit fan too if I’m out back. Probably spend some time picking up all the dog bombs dropped over the winter. That’s an unpleasant job. Smelly one too. The joy of spring time cleaning, indoor & out.

If only just for one day, I’m still not impressed, but “Called it!”. We all knew it was going to happen, just a matter of when. This long weekend was dominated by cold, and windy conditions and a bunch of rain. It was only a matter of a few extra degrees downward for that to become both freezing rain, and snow. We got both! Hate it, take it back!

All fun and games because later this week it is supposed to be double digits in the positive, and rain some more, with a slight possibility for sun shine. Remote chance, but one can hope for some actual spring conditions instead of second, or third winter!

My innards are feeling way off today, not sure if last night’s extended family dinner has anything to do with it. Oh well. I’ll get this walk over and done with, then return home for breakfast and then start my work day off right. The dogs a little off too, he fought with one of his dog friends at school drop off this morning. Strange for him, he usually loves the lab we see every other week. I’ll have to look his paws over, see if he’s cracked a nail or hurt a paw. Joys of pet ownership.