You know it was a big blow when...

... there are more seagulls in town then the local birds
... the weatheroffice past 24 hour report says N/A
... the remaining few upright business front signs have finally come down (no more FIELDS roof top sign and the RCMP sign broke through the concrete footing)
... trees fell down on the lines (we have a rockstar Hydro crew and the power stays on through most storms), asphalt shingles on the neighbour's house were flapping (just like on the movie Monster House) and there are a few damaged businesses and houses in town and the village.

During our dog walk early yesterday evening, I learned that even though I wanted to put my head down and push into the wind it is very necessary to keep your eyes up for fence boards, garbage cans, and yard junk that has become airborne. When a house with tin roof started banging around I was ready to turn and cover. The poor geese/ducks at the field (the type of 'bird' is currently under debate. D informed me that they are still hanging around because there is one that can not fly very well) could not land. We walked by with the dogs, not close to them at all but it was close enough for them to take off. There was frantic honking and quacking around as they jostled around in the air, bumping into eachother. So we walked around the field and as we got farther away they wanted to land but the wind would not let them. Their feet were in landing mode, wings parachuting to drop down but they kept lifting higher. So we watched and waited for the wind to let up just a moment and they finally grounded. D gave me a pretty funny goose/duck stance suitable for such weather: feet together, knees bent, butt out, arms/wings bent into a well balanced position. It was very well executed. The wind did not move him at all :)

Jesus feeds 5000

There might be 5000 people on the island...not sure. But with bread and fish (and cookies) on the table, it reminded me of the story :)

I had a canning lesson yesterday with a fancy pressure cooker (got to check into getting one of those) so we will have jars of fish in the pantry this winter.


And it is a bread/buns day today. I took the dogs out for a walk in the SUN while the dough was rising.


Then B texts me and asks if I am baking cookies too... Vitamin C was added to the menu.

'C is for COOKIE'. Do you remember that song?

House Pics

Unfortunately this is not what we see out the front window but it is the view about a 2 min walk down the road, not bad eh? Another rain-less day here on the island.



This is 'mine own red house'; to paraphrase Michelle when she had enough of her Hawaii holiday and wanted to go home :) I put a few plants in the ground infront of the window, little root balls from the PoCo house, see how they do up here. There is a great parking spot for the trailer on the side of the house so the driveway is clear to make room for the bball hoop.

This is the view from the kitchen sink window. The grass was about knee height up the hill when we moved in. Wrestler would bound like a deer to chase the ball through the meadow. It was kind of Princeton-esque till the boys went wild with the Husky mower and cut the whole yard. It was a good move since the ground was dry and it will stay cleaner out there once the weather turns. The plan is to fence the entire space up to the back bushes and tier the hill for vegetable gardening. Then we will build a deck off the back of the house for the BBQ and a covered area so the dogs can hang outside more. B loves it when I say 'WE' will do something. I really only do a small fraction of the outside work these days with our strong back boys.

Here is the entire main floor less the main side entrance area and the bathroom down past the wood panel wall. We no longer are squeezing past eachother and stepping over the dogs to get around the wall from the front room to the kitchen. It is so great. And with the wood stove, it feels just like the Princeton lodge. Sorry, I missed the wood stove in the pic. Wrestler is lying infront of it.
The kitchen is minimal but since we operate with minimal stuff up here, it works just fine. I got a new stove and my buns are turning out great. The fridge and pantry are around the corner by the 1/2 visible kitchen window. No TV on the main floor. Should have done that years ago!

Upstairs has 4 bedrooms and a full bath. The extra bedroom is the xbox gaming/guest room.

The basement has a 12x20 space of wrestling mat and punching bag, the washer/dryer/utility sink, all our camping gear/dance regalia/boots/jackets/Christmas decorations/stuff, 2 deep freezers and a cool storage room.

It is small but functional, very basic and practical :)

Disclaimer

This post may not be suitable for all readers but Maria wanted to know the details :)



B had a successful hunting trip. He took two. That is the verb used by the locals; 'to take' rather than 'to shoot'. It is hanging in the rafters of the shed, right beside the bikes, yard tools and lawn mower. I was really brave and went to take a look this morning; it is hanging with a piece of wood between the hamstrings and knee joint, belly cut open and guts all removed, neck sliced and tongue hanging out. This afternoon I was summoned 'to get the skinning knife'. Since there is a plethora of fancy knives to choose from around the house, (B is a knife collector and has one for every day of the week and one suitable for all occasions) I was instructed to get the special one on the bookshelf used only for such a task. So now there is deer flesh hanging in the shed right beside the bikes, yard tools and lawn mower... ready to be butchered in a few days.



I thank the Creator for the deer that gave its life so that we may nourish our body, mind and soul. Burgers will be on the grill this weekend.

Buns in the oven

The whole wheat kind: some pizza pretzles and some pull apart bread/buns. So I got to be quick here. Since it has been months since posting I thought I should give a shout out that all is well.
B is off in the bush today with a buddy checking out the hunting situation. It is still a bit early I think to shoot anything, it needs to be cool for the meat to hang (apparently it will hang in the shed beside the bikes which I need to get at almost daily, nice). I think they are going to sight in their rifles and shoot targets. This morning the boys have competed their Saturady chores; bathrooms, sweeping upstairs, chop wood, laundry. After my buns are done I will walk to the store to get some fixings for burgers. Always thinking about the next feeding frenzy around here.

School is going great for the boys. J is right into the grade 8 high school routine with a crazy block rotation I can not figure out and D is doing the grade 7 thing. The kickboxing group has been a bit smaller the past few weeks (about 14 people) but that is good; more space to do new drills. I just finished a 3 week full time stint at work. And I am looking forward to my 2 weeks off in November when I go to Germany with LF and Lucas. So excited! I am refreshing my German from college days with a book from the library. Das ist goot, yah?

And we moved the end of August... that is big news! We bought a stand along PMQ with a huge yard and a great sunny location. This house is so warm compared to our old rental. And the wood stove is a fantastic too! It has been so dry/sunny all summer and now even into Fall. Just that one wild storm last weekend that teased us with what is to come over the winter months. My mom came for a quick visit 2 weekends ago and she filled the freezer with buns and helped me paint the boys bedrooms. Glad to have that done. The big project over winter is to get a fence built. Good thing we have some child labour to help.

got to check the buns!
later,
nicole

busy summer days

Been awhile since posting... we came south end of June to pack up the PoCo house and get B's knee surgery done. All went well. D's buddy Zus came back home with us so there was an extra boy around to take J's spot. J has been in Halifax exploring the east coast with B's parents. They are having a great time and I have been assured that he will come home in a few weeks.

A few pics to show a snapshot of what we have been up to the past month, in no particular order:

Pure Lake. where the wild boys swim.
sushi lesson.

cleaning fish under the eyes of watchful pros.

just need to get it to the boat this time.

a bear out there.

no crabs today, just jellyfish.

girls on quads.

boys on quads.

D is an allstar fisherman!

you catch'em, you eat'em

Today was our first time out crabbing this season. The tide was pretty low and the water was flat; perfect crab hunting conditions. We went out with a few first-timers so we showed them how it is done. They yelled for joy, fear, shock, and/or excitement when a crab swam in front of them. Pretty funny. We brought home 4 big guys and cooked them up on the camp stove outside. It is a much better idea to keep the stink out of the house.

Tomorrow, Aboriginal Day, is a busy one in Old Masset... I think there are 7 poles bring raised. Hopefully I can get to some of the action after work.

B and I are getting ready to come south on Thursday to finalize all the house sale paperwork and get everything cleaned out and up to Princeton. The other day, J made is safely to Halifax to visit B's parents and D has spent the last week with at my parents. This past week has been pretty quiet around here :)

You-Tube Video by J's class about Gray Bay

check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zuZemiFWQo

The boys class had 2 days with these Animation guys from Van to make a video.
I will try to get D's class posted too :)

deer death by knee strike

An odd post title you say. That was our table talk this evening. While having a traditional dinner of fresh fish and rice, B says 'so I kneed a deer today.'

Another lesson learned that only relates to this place. Maybe I should write an island survival guide :)

The lesson is: While riding a motorcycle, deer are of more concern than other vehicles.

B said he was a good distance behind a van, thinking about passing when a deer ran out behind the van and took a dart in front of B's bike path. B knew that any sudden swerving or braking would throw him from the bike. He had time to take his hand off the throttle, check his mirrors to see that no other vehicles were close, see no oncoming traffic, call on his guardian angel and brace his leg for impact. What followed was 'deer death by knee strike'.

The boys asked why he did not go back and bring it home for burgers.

GRAY BAY camp out

The highlight of the grade 7 year is the annual trip to Gray Bay; 5 days with no shower or flush and 4 nights of sleeping in a tent. fun eh?
I stayed Monday to Wednesday and B went down Wednesday to Friday. I had the wind/rain/cold days and B got the warm/sunny/cloudy days. nice.

On Day 1 we set up camp, collected firewood, and got the hang of cooking on the fire.

Day 2 started off with a 'good morning' saranade from James and Ian. I got one of the girls songs on video (sorry, the sound is not good) but it was quite entertaining.

We checked out Secret Cove, a 2 km hike from camp, where we played games on the beach and did some exploring; found a bunch of HUGE muscles on the rocks, discovered some bright red sea anemomes and even saw a tiny baby deer hiding in the rocks waiting patiently for us to leave.
A very tiny native plant called a lady slipper. It is about 4 inches tall.

About 2pm that afternoon, a storm blew in and we set up the army tent to wait it out... it didn't let up. We all piled into the shleter to eat dinner and spend the evening.

That night, as I tried to sleep in my tent with the wind blowing 80km/hr, I wondered if there was a Haida word for 'the sound that the wind makes pushing trees continually while waves pound the beach 30 ft away'. It sounded like a jet plane was hovering overhead is the best I can descride it. And there must be a Haida word for 'horizontal rain that forcefully pelts the side of a sleeping shelter'. Also best described as being a virual player in a Call of Duty Xbox game with the sound of gunfire all around. It was a long night. Thankfully all the tents were still standing in the morning, no huge branches came down over night and in true Haida Gwaii style, the morning sky was bright and clear.

I went home that morning for a hot shower and a comfy bed. I had to get back to work for Thursday/Friday.

It is my last weekend before this darm exam and so I must get back to the books.

May long weekend

A few pics to share from the weekend.

Saturday was Harbour Day. Apparently there was lots of action out on the water with mariner exhibitions but I was running the carnival so I stayed in town. We saw the parade on Main St. Check out the scary pirate ship with the hospital staff.

J jumped on the Co-op float.

There was a fishermans challenge where the guys had to do all these crabbing exercises. No idea what they were doing but it was fun to watch.

On Sunday we headed out camping with the neigbours. We hoped to stay at the Cape Fife cabin (where we went last May long weekend) but it was full of hikers. No room for the crew of us so we went back to the CHN cabin on north beach. A very roomy set-up so it was a good choice, especially since the weather turned.

The boys dug for dinner.Cruised on the quad. Maybe 100m. in the bush behind the cabin was this marsh, just covered in water lilies. Our neighbour and long time local guru (in the pic wearing hip wadders) tells us that this was one of several farmers fields where they raised cattle in the early 1900's. The land was cheap and many people came to try their hand at farming. Those that came for fishing and logging did much better than the farmers. The settlement disappeared when the war started and the men all left. Now beavers have dammed it all up.
the water lily
If you make it to the end of this post I will inform you that we finally sold our house in the old 'hood. Yeah!

And a pic of James because he was so funny checking out every single storm drain on our walk to the park. We was looking and listening for water. He would be sad to find we only have ditches here!

A trip to Van to see the kids!

It was a quick trip south last weekend to see some of my little buddies.

There was a brand new Fairburn baby to hold, bath, feed, change, push in the stroller... I still got the moves.

The next generation of Hiebert kids to hang with. Rebecca is the social butterfly.

Auntie taught James how to do the slide at the park.

And I went to see my Swisher girls.

We had Harbour Day in Masset today complete with a pancake breakfast, parade, carnival games, fishermans challenge and dunk tank. Pics to follow soon.

Lots happening in the next few weeks. We are going to Cape Fife tomorrow morning, J's class goes to Grey Bay next week (I will go for 3 of the 5 days), I write my exam June 10 and the boys head south for a visit mid June. FUN!

Dinner Menu SOS

I had a great day today, baking bread with my buddy K across the circle. We made one batch in the bosch and one by hand. She had some multigrain flour to make uber healthy bread and her oven worked 10x better than mine. We made about a dozen loaves and 2 doz buns.


So I went over to pick up some of the bread this afternoon after it had all cooled and she is cooking the most fantastic smelling/looking dinner; lots of veggis, spices, saucy meat. She said that lots of the ingredients she had to buy off-island but it looked like it was worth the effort. I complained I was going home to make meat and potatoes and I didn't even want to eat it.

Any good recipes with curry, something Thai, maybe Indonesian... send me a link to a great recipe online if you got one :) if there are weird spices I am sure I can raid a few cupboards to find what I need; odd vegetables are harder to find. I think the boys are even ready to try some new flavors. As long as dinner includes a meat group, B is up for it too.

A neighbourhood in Malpe Ridge?

I'm doing some research for a family on our circle (aka cul-de-sac) planning a move to Maple Ridge this summer. The dad just got a position at Terry Fox and they hope to buy a townhouse in Maple Ridge. Any tips for a great neighbourhood? They have an almost 3 yr old and an 8 month old so they want to be close to an elementary school.
Just thought I would ask....
A rainy wet weekend so far. Made our first big garage sale purchase today. More info to come :)

Easter Weekend

The long weekend is not even officially over and I am posting some pics. Pretty good eh? Truth is, I am avoiding studying. B and D just did a hair cut and then we are heading out for a walk.

We have had 4 consecutive days of amazing weather. Awesome.
Friday evening we went to Agate in search of scallops. I think washup season is long over. We only found a few shells.

The surf was huge. I was a bit nervous with the boys tempting the waves. All stayed dry and safe. On the drive back we saw a rainbow :)

Saturday we went back to Agate; did some whittling, beach walking, fire stoking, hot dog stick searching...
Wrestler was 'there' just did not come 'here' for the family photo.

Sunday afternoon we took out the machines to the dunes by the elephant cage.

Sunday evening we went to the Sangan with some buddies. Another beach fire, spaghetti in a pot, a few smores. good times.

Cousins

A few recent photos with the cousins while we were in Rupert.
And the 'little girls'.

almost April... really?

The longer days are finally upon us... it is not dark till almost 9pm and it was clear blue sky this am when I rode my bike to work at 7:30am; today's weather also included a sudden hail storm followed by pounding rain. A usual day here on the island.

Last week was busy; actually more exhausting than busy. B went to Rupert to say goodbye to his Grandpa, Simoiget Hagbegwatku, which means 'first-born of the nation'. He passed away a few days later. I am thankful that B got to see him one last time and that he was there the following days to spend time with his dad, Grandma, aunts and uncle while they prepared for Grandpa's memorial. In true Mennonite fashion, I was busy at home baking as many loaves of bread and cookies as I could to bring over for the apres-memorial snacks. The service for Grandpa was really great. Many people spoke fondly about him; his involvement in Cadets and mentoring of young people were common themes. He was a well respected Gitksan elder and chief. Grandma has decided to be a gypsy. She gave the boys some great prints and carvings. Ben got some old plates and bowls that he remembered using as a kid while visiting his grandparents in summer. He has several nostalgic plates, bowls, and cups. Interesting that food brings up such memories :) Grandma gave me a collection of old, like really old, handmade baskets. I hope she comes by the island this summer; she can teach me pine needle weaving and I can show her cedar weaving :)

While off-island we did some mega grocery shopping, saw a movie and went to Timmy's. The usual stops. The exciting purchases were a box of seed potatoes to plant in the front yard; on the high side of the yard away from the perma-puddle. D got a flat tire on his bike the day before we left (glass on the sidewalk is bad for tires and dogs) Now we can not find the flat tire we brought along for size. It might have been forgotten somewhere when it came out to pack away groceries. I can probably take the blame... but he has the new tube! I bought a great little cloth bag at the Rainforest Bookstore made in Nepal; very cool. We made our first sushi roll in Rupert and we found a back and forth cheap sprinkler. Why you ask... doesn't it rain enough on the island to water the moss? No, to leave under the truck and spray off the salt and sand after a beach drive.

Good news around here is that B heard from his boss today that his renewal contract just needs to be signed. The other bad news is the PoCo house is still for sale. It has been on the market almost 2 weeks. Our super renter is moving out this week and the 'staging' rental furniture is moving in soon.

Now I am back to work and my Lab Assistant Textbook stares at me to get studying.

I keep meeting people who read my blog and I take it as a sign to get a post up for my fans to read, like you auntie Vi and Ang!

Still waiting for the Schmidt-Burn baby to come. L did not respond to my email today. Either she does not want to answer another email 'no baby yet' or she is in labour!

the boys are home!

It was nice to have less laundry and a cheaper grocery bill for the week but I'm happy to have the boys home. I think they needed a break from us as much as we needed a break from them.

Some sad news: a Tow Hill Rd landmark called Moon over Naikoon burnt to the ground a couple days ago. It was a museum of beachcombing treasures, a place to buy local artisan creations, and hands down the best coffee and treat stop on the way home from early morning crabbing :) It will be missed.

wicked weather

This is probably the biggest March blow to come through here in awhile... I thought the winter storm season was over?

It got really cold on the weekend. Even got a dusting of snow that stayed on the ground. Then it warmed up and the wind kicked in. Intense is the only way to describe it; strong winds from every direction, pounding rain, sideways snow. Its nuts!

No float planes or ferries today. Praying for it to blow through by tomorrow morning at 10:40am when the boys plane lands :)

B and I are off for our special chop suey and chow mien dinner at the PAM and then to a movie called Food Inc. at the green church; this sounds like a facebook status, sorry :)

FYI: work is going really well. I will by flying solo next week when I start into my part-time hours. This full time training gig was tough; lots to learn, policies to read, veins to feel. Give me another few months and it will all be old hat.

bad knees

B and I both saw the ortho doc this week; B is on the list for arthroscopic knee surgery (for his non-bionic or original knee) and it sounds like I have a partial ACL tear that could well heal on its own in 3-6 months. I have a referral for an MRI but in the meantime I will get to know the new physiotherapist (starting next month) and get serious about rehab. Still no game playing for me till I feel stable on me knee. nuts.

And in regards to the tsunami advisory today, there is a warning to stay off the beach in case of a high tide when it is not supposed to be high tide. We now have our evacuation gear easy to find in the basement and as long as we remember to grab the dog food, the 18L water jug, put on a jacket and good shoes, and raid the pantry on the way out the door, we will be fine.

Looking forward to a great hockey game tomorrow!

I need a nap

First thing I did when I got home from Van was take a nap. I was pooped.

The 'necessary to do' list got done; get a new phone, refresh my wardrobe, find a realtor, pay the roofer

The 'had to wait a long time' people were seen; many family relations, my brand new little niece, my preggo sista LF

The 'specialist appointments' were completed; saw the esthetician and chiropractor

The 'only down south' stops; Sunday service at ERBF, Costco, sushi

I had a great coffee visit at Chapters, dinner at Earls, breakfast with the Swisher girls, cheesecake at the Hankey house, late night chats at the McW's, pecan pie with our Princeton neighbours in Coquitlam, and went to the Schmidt-burn baby shower with the soccer girls.

While I was away it was a non-vegetable eating long weekend accompanied by many hours of Xbox gaming. And with the awesome weather, there was some beach quadding and deer hunting. It was an all guy long weekend, but they still missed me :)

Back to work, back to school, piles of laundry and walk the dogs. Happy to be home.

Stay tuned for the PoCo house for sale announcement. Might be your lucky day to get some great garage sale deals too. We have 2 dog kennels, a big old Sony TV, and a free standing basketball hoop to sell off.

old phone wanted

So when you buy the cheapest phone available the chance of it surviving an under water experience is unlikely. I have seen phones come back to life from a swim in the lake or a short submersion in the washing machine but mine was not so lucky. Lulu pockets are not the desired depth for keeping a cell phone safe while reaching over and washing the toilet, hence the need to ask around for a 'new to me' used Telus friendly cell phone.... anyone got one hiding in a box somewhere? I have given at least 2 retro phones to my parents and now I am asking for a similar one to come my way... ring ring?

If I am not so lucky, a phone will be added to my list of things to do while off-island. oh well.

You can still leave a message on my cell, send me an email, or even a facebook message. No texts will get replied to. I have to admit, I kinda like not having a phone... I feel lighter, free-er somehow. If the kids need something, they can still call dad :)

Big Decisions

So there have been a few big decisions to start off the year.

1#) I registered for my first course of the Medical Lab Assistant program through Thompson Rivers University online. I told the boys I needed to see if I could still learn something new and my brain had not turned to mush. That was a good reason for them.

2#) B and I decided that the sale of our PoCo house was in the near future, like sometime this spring. It is not listed yet; got a leaky roof, broken fence and minor touchups to get it into top selling shape.

3#) I just got a new job! Because the lab is so short staffed they decided to have me start training asap while I am doing the course. Works for me. D's only concern was that he could still call me at work and that he has my number :) The best part of the new position is... hands down, wearing scrubs. B says that it's because it is the closest work attire to pajamas. I am sorry my fashion advisors out there, but yes, that is exactly why!

4#) I renewed my gym membership (ok not really a big decision but now I have to go). I did a number on my knee 5 weeks ago playing bball so I am not allowed to play games anymore; no frisbee, volleyball, bball. I have tried to play at 1/2 speed but I can't do it. I feel like a slacker and my knee feels unstable. I am taking it slow in kickboxing class (but no kicks/knees/sprawls for me), ride the bike at the gym, do leg strengthening exercises, and go for long beachwalks. I don't like to be injured :(

Can't wait for my visit south! There are so many people I want to see and lots of things to get done; I hope I can make it all happen!

Granola Bar recipe

Granola Bar recipe

Sorry there is no picture included like on www.mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com :)

3c. quick-cooking rolled oats

1/2c. packed brown sugar

1/4c. wheat germ

1/2c. butter

1/4c. corn syrup

1/4c. liquid honey

1/2c. chocolate chips

1/2c. flaked coconut

combine rolled oats, brown sugar, wheat germ in bowl. cut in butter. stir in corn syrup and honey, choco chips, coconut

press into greased 9in square cake pan. bake at 350 for 20-25 mins or until golden. let cool on wire rack for 10 mins. cut into bars.

Uncle B, I know this might not be the most healthy granola bar out there but it does not come prepackaged and the boys ate it! I even added some flax seed to the last batch.

Also a word of warning: if you have a faulty oven like mine, and typically 425 is actually 350, there is a chance that 425 might actually be 450; evidence being the overdone muffins I made this evening :( I dream of a new oven... and new towels, bedsheets, shoes, and jeans. Can't wait to do some shopping in 24 days!

bread, granola and eggs

I was just thinking about some of the things I am doing differently now; things I didn't have the time, interest, or care about doing pre-island days.

I am making bread at least once a week: bread, buns, pepperoni sticks, calzones, pizza... it takes various forms. The brand name bread comes in twice a week, super expensive. The Co-op has a bakery but I can make what they make no problem. My oven is the pits but I as long as I am patient and have the whole day, it works ok.

Our pantry has been void of packaged snack food for months. No granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding cups, fruit cups, crackers. They are so expensive and when a bag of groceries already costs $10-$20, why spend another $4 on filler? I have finally perfected making granola bars. I want to try a few variations with peanut butter, raisins or nuts. I'll see what my food critics think of the new creations.

And I love my farm fresh little brown eggs I get from a lady on the other side of town. She has about 10 hens and they are super egg making machines! Whenever I can I stock up on eggs from her. We use almost 2 dozen eggs a week, maybe I need my own chickens. Wouldn't that be fun :)