We have a greenhouse! And other doings.

It is 11x20 feet, 8 feet tall, and is actually not a greenhouse at all but a car shelter.

Originally I planned to build a hoop house with PVC pipes and use that wonderful woven poly by http://notherngreenhouse.com/ . But an online friend in Ontario suggested this. Hers has survived a winter and she never even had to shovel snow off the roof.  The advantage is that it is a kit and one doesn't have to build and invent.

My husband surprised me by putting the thing together single-handedly. This is not supposed to be possible. He took a few weeks, used clamps and ropes inventively, and DID it. My thoughts had been going to work parties, a big hassle.

All the tomato and squash plants are in there now, smiling broadly. Today would have been a good day to spend in there, because it was icy cold (around 8C) and pouring rain.

However, today was my chance to fill the truck of my friend Els with manure, so she could drive it up here when she had to come to Nakusp tomorrow. I do a lot for a truckload of well-rotted, worm-filled sheep and goat shit. Elsje lives an hour's drive South of me, and has more manure than she can use on her own homestead.

Continued a few days later.

It wasn't so bad. I had pictured us wheeling barrows of shit through squelching mud and then loading into the truck, but all we had to do was fill the truck from one big wormy pile. It only took about 40 minutes. Yes, we were wet, but it was so worth it. This picture is Els unloading the truck the next day. The woman is my husband's age, 74, and casually jumps on top of the truck bed without the need for something to mount from, like yours truly.

The other big event of the day was taking posession of the 10 chicks that another friend hatched out. Just in time too, her next batch was emerging from eggs even as we collected this bunch. These guys are by now 4 weeks old, past that extremely fragile stage. and are settled in one half of the barn quite nicely. The big girls were a bit annoyed about being locked out of half the barn, but they continue to lay eggs, bless them.

I promise they will have outside access before August, but first I must get the garden ready...It is beginning to occur to me that it may not be possible to have gorgeous flower gardens, a large collection of plants for sale AND a thriving veg garden all at once.

But we'll carry on trying. Doronicum is splendid this year.

YAWN. Bedtime. I am too busy DOING to do much blogging.