A Year in Review

Ok...I know....slap my hand....it's been 6 months since I have updated the blog. Uggghhh. I really have to get better at this. Ok, so here we go....a year in review:
Barret and I are now situated in Spruce Grove Alberta, waiting for the road to be bulldozed into the property in BC. Once that is done (hopefully before March) we will be heading up there to determine the spot for the house! Building will commence in the Spring and by Christmas 2012 we will have relocated the entire family to the new digs!
Our family has grown in 2011 with the addition of two fur babies! Christmas 2010 we added our second dog Penny to the family. She has been a challenge this first year of her life as she is FULL of energy, and has kept us on our toes! A few months ago another fur baby literally arrived at the house making such a racket that we just couldn't bear to leave her outside. A tiny orange kitten weighing only 2 pounds 4 ounces named Hazel has been added to the craziness that is the Marshall household! Since getting her hydrated and well fed, she has managed to grow to a whopping 3 pounds 14 ounces but it is unlikely that she will ever break the 5 pound mark. We are destined to have a permanent kitten in the household! The good thing is that she keeps Penny busy as they love to wrestle and play!
Health wise, 2011 was a bit challenging as we learned a lot about pain medications and treatments, but we are keeping our hopes up that something will come along that will dull the pain that Barret feels in his legs!
2011 for me was busy busy as I learned a lot of new knitting techniques and have managed to complete 49 projects so far! I hope to have my final project numbers to 100 by the end of 2012 so stay tuned for more things of beauty to be created!

One of the major ticks on our giant list of getting ready to homestead was to purchase a new vehicle. Our little Tercel was just not cutting it when it came to two large dogs and all of our gear! We also needed something that was more reliable on mountain roads and around the acreage. After months of back and forth, we finally decided on a Chevy Silverado 1500. We picked up our new truck at the end of August and I fell in love! I don't know why I ever fought purchasing a truck (what good are they anyways!!) because this is the best investment we have ever made! Just one more thing completed on the never ending list of things to do before we head out!

We have a busy year ahead of us in 2012 so watch for more regular posts as we finally depart on our adventure of a lifetime!

Legare Sock Knitting Machine

It is here!!! My Legare 400 Circular Sock Knitting Machine has finally arrived!!! I have been waiting patiently and hoping that it would arrive before the postal strike! The first night was a bit of a nightmare as I (not so patiently) read the instruction manual (from the 1920's!) and chomped at the bit to get cranking! After a long night of frustration, I managed to cast on and get a tube with only a few dropped stitches!
The second night was more successful and I managed to cast on, hang a hem, knit the body, turn the heal, knit the foot, turn to toe, cast off and stitch up my very first (Rainbow colored) sock! I am more than pleased with it and have learned a ton! I now have to figure out how to take the cylinder out and clean it however because the cams continue to get jammed. Aaarggg.
I am trying to finish up some of the other knitting projects that are floating around while also trying to get the house packed up and ready to set off! T
The countdown is on to the day we take official ownership of the property and we are busy with the legal aspects of ownership as well as planning for when we arrive! Should be a busy month!!

Ok, this time for real!

So it's been a while since I have posted anything, but in that time we have moved back to Canmore temporarily for the winter for some contract work. We have not been idle during that time however, as we have done some gardening and also purchased land!!
June 16, 2011 will be the day that we take official ownership of 75 acres of land just outside of McBride BC! The property is located partially in a small valley and contains OxBow Lake and part of the Frasier River!
My work contract is completed back in Canmore at the end of June, so the family will be leaving (unfortunately short one amazing kitty, but with a new puppy along) and traveling North to our new stomping ground!!
For the summer we will be concentrating on putting up our small cabin (300-500 square feet) and setting up our 'Camp', while our contractor begins work on our earth sheltered home! We are not sure of our plans for the winter, but will play it by ear depending on the status of the build!
Meanwhile, back here in Canmore, Barret has been busy this Spring planing all sort of goodies in our large floor to ceiling windowed living room! This means that our tomato plants are almost 2 feet tall already! We have also planted peppers, coffee, peppermint, chamomile, basil, italian tomato trees, brandy wine tomato's, and peanuts! We will be bringing them all up with us as they are still in large pots and semi transportable!
That is a quick update of where we stand here and what our plans are! We will keep this blog updated as much as possible as to where we are and what we are doing!!

And their off.....

Well, the adventure has officially begun! We have packed up all of our stuff, rented a moving truck, and moved it all 4 hours north to Spruce Grove. There are a few more trips required to get all of the plants and such collected, but by the end of next week, Barret, Stella, Walter and I will all be moved out of Canmore and be living in Spruce Grove.
I am looking forward to getting everything unpacked and settled, so that we can have a semblance of a life! I hate living out of boxes!
The leaves are starting to turn, so we will be getting a bunch of beautiful pictures of the autumn leaves as they are turning colors. We will have to try and harvest our garden back in Canmore before we leave as well. I'm not sure how much we will get from our garden as we had a wet summer without a ton of sunshine, so I imagine out carrots will not be the largest we have seen! Stay tuned for posts of what comes next!

Alone in the Wilderness

If you haven't read or watched the story of this amazing man, you should as soon as possible. I have never seen a man who is so genuine, and resilient. If you don't know the story, it is a documentary about a man named Dick Proenneke who leaves all civilization behind and decides to live alone in the wilderness of Alaska. He builds his cabin and all that he needs completely from scratch (including the hinges for the doors!) He lives a peaceful life beside a lake in the middle of the woods, hunting and fishing to sustain himself. I admire anyone who can manage to live for decades in such a basic, beautiful and rugged area. The things that one can learn from him are innumerable.
I don't think that we would be able to go back to that rustic of a living, but to be able to be more self sufficient is definitely something that we are interested in. It will feel good to be growing our own food, and collecting milk, eggs and meat for ourselves. I like the idea of knowing exactly what is going into my system, and where all of our food has been processed.

Urban Homesteading

Since we are still going to be living in town until the end of the summer, we decided last fall that we wanted to grow a garden. Last fall we turned all of the soil and added sheep manure to it to let it darken up over the winter. Who knew that the soil in Canmore is not actually soil, but rock!?!?

Once we had gotten all of the rocks out of our growing beds and created the raised beds, we were ready to plant! So far we have Lettuce, Radishes, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Rutabegas, Parsnips, Carrots, Beans and Peas! (I'm sure I have forgotten something) We also planted some pumpkins in the front yard to see if they would grow! Hopefully within a few weeks we will have a bunch of veggies growing! I would love to be able to go out in the yard and pick everything that we need for a delicious salad!

Work, work, work

Well my plan was to help out around the yard while we were here, but I came down with a nasty bug and ended up in bed for a few days. My husband and his dad have been hard at work without m,e clearing out all of the dead trees and bush and planting lots of seeds. They have put in a garden with potatoes and radishes etc, but have also planted brassica (a blend of different ground covers) that will help us to get the back field in shape and healthy.
We have finally gotten some sunshine today, so after a week of rain, it should be interesting to see how everything has begun to grow!