I always enjoy having a white Christmas even if I don’t enjoy the shovelling end of things so much. However I have spent Christmas in Florida and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. So, I’m quite happy to say we had some of the white stuff for Christmas 2012 and even more by the time we hit the New Year.
I usually go to a guitar jam for New Year’s eve but this year Jenny and I stayed home. It was the quietest New Year’s Eve I’ve experienced in a lot of years. We had just a little wine and beer. The strangest thing was to wake up in 2013 without feeling like a freight train was going through my brain.
The only resolution I have is to do better in the new year.
A Quick Overview Of Our 2012
New Years Day 2012 Cold And Green
There was a big difference in weather between last year and this year. The first thing was so noticeable was the lack of snow. We had a greenish/brown new years last year.
Our son’s pit bull Honey was out in the year and searched everywhere but she couldn’t find any snow at all.
This year we had a white Christmas and even more snow by New Years day. Last year it was about half way through January before we had any snow that stayed.
Ice Fishing Shediac Bay With Casey
The weather did get colder and we did get snow, it just took a few extra weeks. Then at the end of January ‘fishing buddy Casey’ gave me a call to see if I was interested in doing some ice fishing on Shediac Bay.
It had been more than 30 years since the last time I did any ice fishing. That was literally a life time ago when I was still living in Ontario where I fished Lake Simcoe.
Casey couldn’t have picked a better day weather-wise. It was crisp, clear and cold, allowing us to see the shore on the other side, as well as all the ice huts on the bay. Very beautiful view.
In March 2012 Our Son Moved To Saskatchewan
Looking back at 2012 I can say we had a pretty good year. So let’s start with the biggest event of the year for us. Our son Steve moved from Moncton, New Brunswick to Oxbow, Saskatchewan in March of 2012.
Steve went back to school to study welding but couldn’t find a job locally but he didn’t give up. He soon found an available job out in Saskatchewan and in March moved out there.
It’s been 9 months since he moved to Saskatchewan and we miss him. We’re so glad for video chat.
It was a bit lonely for him being so far away from friends and family but we’re glad he found a girlfriend. Her name is Bri. Maybe they will be able to come visit for next Christmas.
Steve’s boss told him he could make more money working for them if he had a driver’s license. Steve didn’t take very long before he took his drivers test.
Not only did he get his license first time around, he aced it. So proud of him.
Cedar Waxwings And Robins Return The First of March
2012 was the first year, in all my 60 years, where I saw robins here in New Brunswick on the second day of March. Not only robins but Cedar Waxwings too, by the dozens. Sure glad we still had plenty of berries on our shrubs and bushes.
The day was bright and clear. I noticed a big shadow go over the yard, which seemed strange as it was so bright and clear. I got closer to the window so I could look up and that’s when they started landing in our yard. I don’t think I would be stretching to the truth at all to say there were at least a hundred robins and cedar waxwings.
They were here for about two days and cleaned the bushes of all their berries.
New Canon VIXIA HFR32 Camera in May
For most of my life I was never able to take pictures without a tripod because my hands shook too much and all my pictures would be fuzzy.
Then along came digital cameras that helped take the shake out of my hands. It was great and really did change my life for the better. I could take great still pictures now but my camera didn’t take video without my shaky hands making a mess of things.
However, I quickly learned that these digital camera sucked when using the zoom feature. I was still so happy just being able to take NON fuzzy pictures.
When I heard about the Canon VIXIA HFR32 camera I had to check it out for myself. When I started using the zoom feature I started laughing as I had never been able to do this before. That was just taking still pictures, like the one below where the bird was so far away I could barely see. It was the bird’s singing that got my attention.
This Little Singer Was Way Out of Range for my Old Camera.
When I hit record I expecting the image to start shaky but it didn’t. Let me tell you that was a very emotional moment for me as I had never been able to get any video that required zooming. Once again my life was changed by technology.
I’m sure Jenny’s sick of me taking video and snapping pictures every chance I get but it’s such a new experience for me.
Started Our Vegetable Garden From Seed in 2012
We started vegetable gardening in 2009 using starter plants we bought at our local nursery. It wasn’t until 2012 that I tried my hand at starting our vegetable garden indoors, from seed.
It was great fun and the only thing I would do differently would be to start my seeds even earlier so they will be bigger by planting time.
I did buy a mini greenhouse so I cold get our plants outside early to help to acclimatize before transplanting them into the veggie garden.
Also Started Sunflower Seeds
It was great fun recycling cardboard milk cartons as starter pots for growing sunflowers. Sure beats sending the cartons to the local landfill. Ever sunflower seed started so I had more than I expected.
I ended up with more than I needed for the spot I was going to plant them so I was able to give away a few of them to friends, neighbours and family.
I planted the ones I kept where I was able to watch them growing from my office window. It was so cool to watch them get taller and taller and then start to open.
Then when it was fall and they died off I watched the blue jays enjoying the seeds. I only kept enough seeds for 2013 and let the birds enjoy the rest of them.
A tray of sunflowers in recycled milk cartons.
The plan for 2013 is to grow at least three rows of sunflower. I have seen rows of sunflowers when I take my walks and think they look awesome, so let them look awesome in our yard. I have been collecting milk cartons and will have enough to start our entire vegetable garden.
Built Our First Raised Bed Frame
The raised beds we had here when we bought our home looked great but we could tell they had seen better years and knew they would need replacing in just a few years.
Well spring 2012 came and one of them actually fell apart while Jenny and I were spring cleaning the yard.
It was time to make a decision, try our hand at building a new raised bed or get rid of it and convert it back to part of the lawn. Well I enjoyed growing strawberries in the old raised bed and decided to build a new one.
We managed to get it done but it was a chore as we had no power tools to help us. After that I decided to get a variable drill to help put those screw in on the next raised bed we build. The plan is to build a few more and try some vertical garden.
Jean And Judy Tilled Our Vegetable Garden Bed
The hardest part about having a vegetable garden is preparing the soil each spring. The fact we only have shovels and forks for the job made for some hard work. It usually took me at least a week to get it ready, maybe a little longer.
Well, in spring 2012 friends Judy and Jean brought their garden tiller over and less than an hour later had done far more than I could have done in a week. Even with the help of our son, who of course is now thousands of mile west of us.
Shortly after I was able to start planting the veggies we started from seed.
Bought Two New Shrubs In 2012
Each year we like to add something new to our yard so we headed over to McArthur’s Nursery to see what shrubs we could buy that would look good in our yard. We went to get one shrub or bush for the north east corner of our yard but left with two.
We planted the first shrub in the corner as planned but for the second shrub I started a new garden which is easily seen from the sidewalk as people walk past but also directly out from one of our kitchen windows.
Rather than using up all my energy digging up the new garden bed I just put down cardboard, right over the lawn, and then piled soil on top. I’m thinking it will keep the lawn from growing and by next year it should have rotted through the cardboard.
In the time it would have taken me just to dig that spot I had it done and planted with a new shrub as well as Nasturtiums, squash and tomatoes. I planted enough things to keep the weeds down all summer long.
Here’s a shot I took once the new garden bed was finished. BTW: The shrub I planted in the center of our new garden bed is a Bridalwreath Spirea.
Front Porch Flower Boxes
Jenny tried her hand at growing Petunias in flower boxes on the railings of our front porch. She was a little nervous about it but did a great job.
They Looked Sparse When She Planted Them But Soon Filled In
Next year Jenny plans to start Petunia seeds indoors so she will have her own starter plants. This will be less expensive than buying them already started. We will be able to plant a couple of dozen from one $2.00 seed pack. It would cost that much for just one starter plant.
First Year Preserving Tomatoes
We had plenty of tomatoes and ate our fill daily. Even though we ate all we wanted we still had loads of tomatoes left so we started preserving them so we would have them all winter long. The first tomatoes we started with were the yellow pear tomatoes.
The first batch of yellow pear tomato chutney I made didn’t last long. I had no idea chutney was so good.
After all our other tomatoes were done the yellow pear tomatoes just kept on growing. We ended up with a half dozen bottles of chutney by the time time we finally ran out. I gave a couple of bottles away for Christmas gifts and the rest is pretty much all gone. Certainly going to be making a lot more in 2013.
They made some great chutney, which we’ve almost finished already.
Spring, Summer And Fall Flew By
As great as our growing season was in 2012 it all came to an end far to quickly. Now I am already making plans for our 2013 growing season. The first part of the plan however is to start seeds earlier this year.
I will also plant them as early as I can and cover the starter plants at night if there is a call for late frost. I’ve been nervous to do that in years past but ready to give it a go this year.
Home Grown Pumpkin Pie For Christmas
Christmas 2012 was the first year we didn’t buy any pie but we didn’t go without pie, not at all. I grew pumpkins in our vegetable garden this past summer and just before Christmas I brought a pumpkin out of storage and roasted it so we could make pumpkin pies for Christmas and New Years.
We had a lot more pumpkin pulp than was needed for a single pie so we froze the rest. That first pie didn’t last long, even though there were just the two of us this year.
It was so good that I made another for New Years day and Jenny is going to make a pumpkin cheese cake, which I am so looking forward to trying.
