Mulching, Rainy Weekend and Beach Day

I have learned that digging sod and mulching around trees is high effort, low impact job around the farm.   I mulched the trees on the driveway...about 15 trees and still have about another 15 to go in the back yard.  Laying down the mulch is actually the easy part...digging up clay sod with tree roots is certainly one of the jobs that I need to look hard and dig deep from within to find joy in it!   However...once finished it makes life easier in the long run.   Grass cutting is simplified, weed whacking is simplified and to be honest, having the trees tidied up along the drive gives me a little internal joy everyday as I come and go from the farm.   It's about finding joy in the simple things...even if the task itself is not really all that simple.  :-)

We had a rainy weekend on the farm last weekend.   We needed the rain for the pastures and in general for the pond and river.   I took the rainy weekend as an opportunity to clean up the closets that got packed full of random items just to get things "out of sight" when we first moved in.   All the closets are now cleaned up and somewhat organized.   The studio closet was switched with the guest room and I lightened the load from my half of the walk-in closet by 2 garbage bags!   Funny how cleaning out areas that no one ever sees can help bring peace and organization to your well being in general.  

The Junk Room 4th bedroom actually has a floor in it again!   Still far too much stuff in there yet but I did hang up and put out some personal items around the house that have been packed for the last year.   It actually looks like we live here now and might actually be staying.   NOw I need to figure out what art pieces I will hang since a big load of the items in the Junk Room 4th bedroom are pictures and artwork...hmmm...decisions, decisions.   What will stay and what will go?

My rainy weekend also included some painting.   The railing on the basement stairwell is now white and the old farm door that separates the mudroom from the living room has been freshened up with a new coat of paint too.   Now all the dents and dings that door accumulates from this day forward will be ones that have our story included.

DH spent his rainy weekend putting up the new lights in the gym.  Big improvement from the old made in Italy candle stick lights!

He also got the new second fridge in the basement hooked up and loaded up...ready for Thanksgiving guests and turkey!   

Rainy weekends also allow for more time in the kitchen cooking fun foods like these bacon pancakes smothered in locally made maple syrup.   Thanks Dan for the syrup...delicious!   Sweet and Savoury...how can these not taste good!

Then the rain cleared and the sun shown for a week straight!

Here is the bush trail...still more work to be done but it was a lovely evening to enjoy the sunshine and beauty of the fall colours.

Oct 9th was DH and I's 8th Anniversary.   You can read about year 7 here.   We have endured the first year together on the farm.   I won't sugar coat the obvious on this...we have had our share of misery with each other the last year as we have adjusted to new roles and responsibilities, we have also shared a great deal of joy creating a new life.   Where this road will lead us in the next year is not fully known but one thing is for certain...their will be change...because it's been the only constant so far!

Dh and I spent most of the day together...he offered to take me to the beach with Izzy at Port Maitland as an adventure for the day!   He knew I had wanted to take her but was not really wanting to go alone, since I wasn't too sure how she would be with open water.   It turns she was a superstar in her own Rockstar way!   Thanks Honey...we had a lovely fall day at the beach and thank you for catching it on film for us.