Sunday, June 28, 2020

It Rained! and Baby Raccoons!


Hi Everyone! 😊

Guess what? WE GOT RAIN!!! Not much, a passing thunderstorm that lasted maybe 10 minutes!


But it was enough to water my raised beds and we are expected rain almost every day this week. I'm so grateful. Alex and I went out for a walk in the rain, it was pretty romantic! 💕


My 'taters are growing well, now I need to figure out how to "hill" them properly. I used to grow potatoes in garbage bins and tires so adding more dirt as they grew was easy. I may have to add some wood to my raised beds to make them taller.


We got our appliances!!! Our fridge is up and running but it's EMPTY. I haven't had time to shop! So we're still eating sandwiches for dinner, last night it was subs with braised mushrooms, Jarlsberg cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. We had some ice cream sodas last night, what a treat to cool us off! (sorry for the blurry photo! I was in a hurry to eat lol!)


Whenever I have a spare moment, I'm researching. This time it was about our well. I have realized that we have what's considered a "low yield well" and it's directly related to the fact that the well has been dug through the bedrock where there is very low groundwater. It's not the end of the world, it just means that we can get enough water to meet our needs over say, a 24-hour period - but water on demand is a thing of the past. I can't take a shower, flush the toilet, do dishes, then do a load of laundry or the well runs dry. I can do a load of laundry at 9am and then take a shower around noon and do dishes at 2pm and we're okay. Flushing the toilet is an interesting thing...our toilets really draw lots of water, low-flow toilets are probably in our future! 

We're figuring things out and scheduling our water needs for now, but in the future, we are looking into installing a 500-gallon holding tank for water. This will run between the well and our pipes so that we don't run out of water when we have "high demand" periods. 

Funny. Taking a shower, doing some dishes and watering the garden used to be a no-brainer. Now I see how much water we used to waste when it used to flow so easily! My eyes are opening to how precious fresh water is.



Yesterday I was taking the dogs out back and they all lunged in one direction and started to sniff up in the air. There were three baby raccoons in the trees! Two of them were high up a pine tree, hanging like monkeys...it was so windy we were worried they might fall but they were playing and having a grand old time.


The third one was halfway up the tree taking a nap.


We left some food and water at the base of the tree then periodically snuck over to see what they were up to. Sleepy head woke up from his nap.


And down he came from his coniferous bed. Alex took this photo. We didn't want to scare the babies so we went inside and the next thing we knew they were gone. Mama Raccoon was nowhere to be found...We set up the trail cam today and put out some more food, maybe we'll catch them coming back for a nibble!


Canada Day is July 1st. I do love my country, especially the province that we chose as our home. We are so happy here. I'm a little emotional when I type this: I have never felt safe enough to fly the Canadian flag. I used to live in a province that (mostly) hated the English and hated Canada. You rarely saw a Canada flag up because more likely than not, that flag would either be stolen, vandalized or burned. I kid you not. This didn't happen in the urban areas and big cities, but it was well known in the rural areas that if you put up the red and white, it wouldn't be welcomed.

I put up my first Canada flag yesterday. Yeah, it's a dollar store polyester one, but my pride was shining and I have no fear that it will be taken from me. Happy Canada Day to my fellow hosers! 😉 Freedom is also very precious!  🍁

40 comments:

  1. Happy Canada Day Rain this sounds like it was a mostly good week!

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  2. You always manage to create wonderfully delicious looking meals with whatever you have on hand, but getting that new refridge stocked up will be a real addition to your menus!

    Those baby raccoons are cute as could be but they can wreak havoc on a garden. They will eat veggies, especially peas, potatoes and corn. The other thing to watch out for is that pets will sometimes come into contact with the raccoon feces which usually have round worms in them. Eeeek! That wouldn't be good for your furry family.

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  3. Wow! I'm glad your able to proudly and safely wave your flag now ~ That's wonderful! Nice that you got to enjoy a walk in the rain too ~ Your garden is thankful as well. The baby raccoons are sooo cute, neat that you have a trail cam! Enjoy the week ahead :)

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  4. A very, very Happy Canada Day to you.
    Water is indeed a precious resource and I suspect most of us need to be reminded of that.
    Love the baby raccoons too - and your dinner looked totally delicious. As I type it is an hour or so until dawn and I am hungry...

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  5. Ohhh your potatoes look great! Yes, I think you are right about adding more wood so you can mound up. You will love having the water tank. Glad you got your appliances and the babies are too cute.

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  6. i would eat that dinner right now! the raccoons are too cute. and yay for the flag1

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  7. Like you, I also grew potatoes in a trash can. That was easy adding more dirt. I'm sure you'll figure it out before you have to add more dirt.

    I'm a water miser. I don't let ANY water down the drain if I can help it. I even have started washing and rinsing dishes in buckets so I can put the excess water on my veggies and herbs. Yes, water is truly a precious commodity. I suspect a holding tank will help in the future.

    Happy Canada Day. I find it hard to believe that people would steal or burn a flag from their own country, but I also found it hard to believe someone could deface a mural (the one I showed today) created by young people. It seems like there are more than a few reasons for this move you and Alex made across country.

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  8. Rain, there is nothing more satisfying than a day that it rains and I do not have to water the garden.

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  9. Adding to Mama Pea's comment: my parent's cat caught an eye infection from raccoons and is now blind. Nothing the vet could do to stop it.

    Also, if you plan on livestock, coons will kill goats and any poultry. My dad had to rescue a dog that a coon had by the throat as it tried to drown it.

    On a happier note: yay to the garden growing! Are you allowed to put in an outhouse to save water?

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  10. An interesting post with lots going on. I'm glad that you can now happily fly your flag. Those racoons look very cute but I wonder how much of a pest they might be as they grow?!
    Have you considered having a composting toilet that doesn't need any water?

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  11. Rain,

    Sounds like life is coming together for y'all in your new home. That's wonderful. The baby racoons are adorable. :) I'm glad y'all got your appliances and I hope you can get your water problem under control. That would be a huge adjustment for anyone. We all take life's basics for granted and we don't know how good we have it until it's gone, you know? I surprised to read about the problems you've had in the past to display your country's flag. It shouldn't be that way ever! There's so much wrong in this world that it's hard to not get down trodden but regardless of of what goes on around us no one can take away one's patriotism and religious beliefs. Is Canada Day like our Independence Day? Have a good upcoming week, my dear! Happy Canada Day and fly that flag proudly! :)

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  12. I'm so glad you've found a possible solution to the water issue (even if it's in the future). You are just the couple to handle this situation. I so appreciate your spirit of learning and adventure, and even seeing roughing it as a learning experience. Happy Canada Day! I don't often think to fly our American flag, but hubs knows the appropriate holidays for flag flying (not that some folks don't put their flag out every day). Anyway... when he puts it out I always feel proud, too.

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  13. Hi dear Rain -
    Glad all seems to be going more smoothly now.
    Please be cautious with the raccoons, they get large and can be vicious animals when fully grown, could attack your 'babies' and will destroy your garden. Perhaps not wise to be feeding them! Here they also can carry rabies.

    Happy you are getting rain for the plants.
    Stay well and enjoy Canada Day - I have my flag ready to fly!
    Hugs, Mary

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  14. Happy Canada Day! I'm so glad you're able to fly your flag with pride. I'm afraid country flag hatred is a growing thing here.

    Interesting about your well. So much to learn, isn't there? I know they're pricey, but what about the possibility of a composting toilet?

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  15. That water tank sounds like a good idea. You'll have water trucked in, I guess? Baby raccoons are adorable, but proceed with caution. Raccoons, if they move into your residence, are super hard to get out. Not sure I'd feed them, but you're the people who raised baby squirrels, so who am I to talk! Your raised beds are looking lovely. -Jenn

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  16. Who were the people who didn't like the flag?

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  17. Most of us take much for granted and are wasteful, especially things like water and electricity. It is good that you are looking into what to do in the future and planning accordingly. I am so glad to read how happy you are in your new home.

    Raccoons are adorable until they get into your garbage.

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  18. Happy 🇨🇦 Canada day! The garden is looking great and it’s wonderful that Mother Earth is helping you with rain! A homestead is a wonderful learning curve, Rain, but it is so very emotionally rewarding, and never ever forget to celebrate the little victories. Good on the two of you to go for a walk in the rain...nothing calms my soul better! Have a great week, and I still want to reach through this screen to eat the great looking sandwich!!!

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  19. Happy Canada day 🇨🇦 your flag looks great.
    That sandwich looks delicious !!! You must be so glad to have those appliances home. Yay :)
    The water tank is a great solution !!!
    The baby coons are so cute. Lets hope they move on before u get chickens ;)

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  20. Glad you got rain - we're still waiting. Love the an raccoons, so sweet. Hope you mange to get your water problems solved soon, Have a great week, Valerie

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  21. Bu sıra kiloma dikkat etmem lazım. Patates kızartması yememeliyim.

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  22. I LOVED this post. Great to see the food growing and the baby coon is too cute.

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  23. A big water holding tank will definitely make your life easier. Happy Canada Day!

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  24. Congratulations on flying your flag!! how awful to have lived under such a shadow... in the UK there is a very unpleasant undercurrent, seemingly coming from those we once considered less privileged/represented; but menacingly fueled by activists and trouble makers who are hiding behind the BML banner, it's turning nasty here and we too could not fly a British flag without expecting repercussions. It has become ugly in the UK. Your water issues sound challenging and I admire you for being so positive about it all, I hope you can get that big tank soon. Toilets could be flushed with a bucket of water if the cistern system you have is drawing too much! I worry for you not having enough to drink if there was a dry spell - can you have more than one well? Your adventure reminded me of Bear Grylls survival program and how he uses plastic sheets at night in the woods to capture moisture from the air for a drink - I hope it doesn't come that!

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  25. Rain, Hooray for the chance of rain that is so needed in your area. I wish I could help you with that well. One reason I want to move back to the city..this country life has wells and pumps and septic tank,and all kind of worrisome things, I do not understand. Prayers for you. Blessings , xoxo, Susie

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  26. An uplifting and heartwarming post, my dear friend! I totally understand about the flag! I'm glad we moved away, too. I'm so much happier out of Quebec :)

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  27. Happy Canada Day! That's such a beautiful flag. I am glad you figured out the water problem. How great it is that it rained.

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  28. What a good post. I'm glad you got some rain. The baby raccoons are simply adorable. They are such cute animals. Hope their mama came back. Glad too the you can fly your flag. It's beautiful.

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  29. The line that touched my heart was that you and your sweetheart took a romantic walk in the rain together. Hold each other tight, hug a lot, kiss a lot and always say "I love You". We did these things more that most, but it's never too much.

    Connie :)

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  30. Happy Canada Day! Good for you flying your flag. That's really sad that people would do that take taking down a flag or tearing it up. Oh well what can you do. We're getting a lot of rain here too and it looks like we may set an all-time record for the wettest June on record. Oh joy! I have our little chicks outside luckily I knew it was coming so I covered up there run really well and it looks pretty dry this morning even though it's pouring rain. But it's supposed to be in the 90s for the weekend which is 4th of July here Independence Day which is good. We need the rain but this is a bit much

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  31. Thanks everyone for your recent comments! I've been trying to answer questions by visiting your blogs. I hope I didn't miss anything.

    I wanted to answer about the toilet situation. Yes, we could build an outhouse, our area is unzoned, so we can do what we want really. I'm not sure I want one though lol...it would make things chilly in the winter lol! And on that note, yes we could definitely have a second well dug, but it would be well above our budget...not sure we could afford that.

    I thought about composting toilets. They are about a thousand dollars here. I think that down the line it will be a good investment.

    It's been raining all day here (Monday) yay! So hopefully the water tables will be happier now. If we do end up going with a holding tank (which is very likely), then we may have some water brought in at first definitely.

    I never thought I'd be dealing with such issues, and Betty don't worry, we DO have enough drinking water! Worst case we can buy water, though we don't want to. The well isn't always dry, it just runs out of water quickly so we have to wait a few hours in between for it to restore itself again. With the rain now, it's going quicker.

    Love to you Connie xxxx :)

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  32. Such a shame about Quebec. I had family there, at one point. I've heard stories.
    You sound really happy. I enjoyed your post.
    The well water is manageable, good for you for figuring it out!
    You'll be happier once the fridge is full, I am sure!
    I'll look forward to the trailcams!

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  33. a beautiful day in so many ways. Water, babies a flag and much more.
    Stay happy all of you.

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  34. I'm sorry I'm always so late writing to you.
    Nice that there should be more rain and love remains whatever comes, sweet you two!
    Great as you master it with all the tasks!
    Great raccoon babies on the tree, so you will experience everything ...
    and delicious food with it. It's a good thing you can hang up the flag now. I wish you a nice July 1st holiday
    Greetings Elke

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  35. Look at your garden growing! Amazing how much you have accomplished already. I'm so glad you are happy where you are and you still inspire me with your can-do attitude! Your food always makes me hungry too!
    Take care and I'm so glad you are sharing your homesteading journey with us! Happy Canada Day!!!

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  36. I am so absolutely happy for you two.. we had been dry as a bone here too in Fredericton.. unreal really, never seen it like this before.. it is unusual. this year I was forced to get a hose hook up put in and water the garden for 2 solid weeks... usually we have enough rain that it fills up the buckets I put under the eave on the back porch and then I'll have plenty. but this year everything was like dust. no rain for soooo long. I was cautious without water too.. being as my well is located underneath the crawlspace of the laundry room in this very old house... and it is only 65' deep (so they told us). no way to dig it deeper at all... I was worried. the heat did make things grow tho! anyway I am so happy for you. !!!! You are almost a neighbour now!!!

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  37. Gwen, we are neighbours now! :) It's been crazy dry here. Though we had a little rain the last few days. Our well...I have no idea how deep it is. We bought the house "as is where is" so no disclosure statement. We are trying to deal with it and find solutions. So far so good. I doubt our well is even as deep as yours is, but hopefully in the future we'll have that water storage tank and my rain barrels to water the garden. I bumped into a lady who lives down the road and she too said this was very unusually dry weather for NB.

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  38. Happy Canada Day …

    Loved the photographs of the racoons.

    All the best Jan

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  39. Happy 🇨🇦 Canada Day to you and Alex and glad you feel comfortable flying a flag in your new home, Rain. So sad that you couldn't do so before. Luckily, we have never had a problem and it's unfortunate to read that you have in the past. The garden is looking good and yeah for rain! Also the new fridge will be full soon snough especially with all the fresh veggies in time. Glad you got some much needed rain and hope the extra tanks arrive soon as well. Your dinners always look so good and glad I've already had dinner 😋
    Thanks for the wonderful newsy email and I also sent you a reply.

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  40. your last para made my heart heavy dear Rain

    i can imagine now how relived you must have felt after moving here
    hugs to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    best of luck with bigger water tank my friend
    you water circulation map is impressive :)
    oh i am happy you got some rain and still there is hope ,i wish we too can get some here ,too hot omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    your raised bed filled my heart with joy ,how nice to have home grown veggies :)
    food is delightful :)

    thank you for sharing cute imges of raccoon :)
    more blessings!

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❤ Thanks for your comment, I love hearing from everyone! ❤ Why not join me and my fellow artists every Thursday for TADD? That's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! It's a lot of fun!
Love,
Rain