Drone photo from 2 years ago
We can’t believe it’s been almost a year since our last blog post. But just to assure everyone we are still ALIVE, WELL, and THRIVING, we thought we should do a quick newsy update.
As with everyone, the pandemic has changed our life…but not too much as we are most happy working from home. Our modest income comes from many different sources and we can easily adapt to changing conditions. We have not done tours or workshops for ages but the nursery is steady, and Gord’s water consulting and potable rain water design work has taken off. We have not sold many copies of our home supply of books, “Essential Composting Toilets”, but the sales through the publisher are steady. www.essentialcompostingtoilets.com
With our 8th year on council, we continue to butt up against “the system” and status quo that is adverse to risk (and unable to understand the true risks) – some aspects we enjoy and some situations painfully frustrating. However, we continue to serve our community with energy and enthusiasm… via zoom. With fall 2022 being the year for municipal elections, both of us are putting our minds to whether we will each run again.
The gardens, nature, and all of the plants and animals continue to fill us with joy…and occasional sore backs. At 53 and 55 we are slowing down…just a bit.
Our two goats, Gemma and Dabha, are thriving and giving us 2.5 litres of milk a day. Enough for cheese, yogurt, frozen yogurt, and Gord’s milk addiction. We milk twice a day together…Ann milks while Gord gets the food, water and hay and fends off the kittens from doing faceplants into the milk pail.
Lazy morning
We have 12 chickens and 2 roosters with regular egg customers. We have increased egg prices to $7.50/doz to at least cover the costs of our loved chickens.
We cut up an old foam mattress and now have soft cushion under our older bones. At some point we will get cushion covers sewn up (we’ll need a sewing machine for that along with a few date nights watching “how to sew” videos on YouTube).
Nina our nine year old dog brought us a rabbit she caught in the nursery yesterday. We love curried rabbit. The two kittens are now grown up and bringing us voles…woohoo. We compost those when they are done eating/playing. Thankfully their daily routine means we do not find birds on our porch – our biggest fear in our decision to get cats.
We are busy adding more raised garden beds out of pet fencing and pieces of pond liner and are putting them on the living roof as well as replacing the decomposing wooden garden beds.
Our house has two large living roofs for sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets and other plants that voles love…no voles up there. We could do without the snow though. Sure has been a cold spring. But, at least we are not getting hammered like Manitoba.
Snowing on roof
Birthday gifts: Air cast and my new digging tool made out of a leaf spring and teak handle. I love it! Thanks Gord!
The Nursery has been busy the past few years with more people taking up backyard and small farm gardening…and finding sanity in connecting with the soil, plants, and animals. I have taken over more and more of the nursery with Gord’s focus on water systems. However, this spring threw us a curve ball in the form of a neighbours dog wiping my legs out from under me. Gord scooped me up and carried me all the way from the pond area up to the house. I spent 6 hours on my 55th birthday sitting alone in emergency waiting for X-rays and a CT scan. I felt very lucky to have access to health care. I finally left with an air cast on my right foot and bone chips on the anterior process of the Calcaneus bone (heal bone). Only slowed me down a bit. Thank goodness for the eBike to take me up and down the hill. (And thank goodness for Ann being slowed down a bit as I think I was able to finally catch her and give her a kiss).
Gord has been been subcontracted by an engineering firm for a couple projects – one being groundbreaking wherein he has designed and filed a water system application to Island Health for an integrated potable rainwater/groundwater system for a school – a first in BC if approved. Also his work as a consultant on developing a guidebook for commercial and multi-family residential non-potable water re-use for Metro Vancouver (a 3 year project) has been rewarding – working under the direction of an exceptional consulting firm specializing in sustainable planning for communities. The (legal) potable rainwater designs for residences continues. Finall a long time friend, Javan, has coerced Gord into writing a series of online courses on rainwater, greywater, and compost toilets – stay tuned.
Spring Nursery Details:
Inventory list: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j-GtX_ufCTWu8muXbCjqAYfc-cIP7WKl/view
Once again, all sales are by private appointment. Send emails to ann@eco-sense.ca
Here’s some selected photos of what have…and check out the inventory list for the rest:
Happy Spring Everyone.
The Living Building Challenge
Eco-Sense 
Just fabulous, keep up your awesome work. Greetings from Sidney.
Jytte Diller
Hi Ann and Gord,
I attended a grey water workshop in 2007ish with the dream of incorporating it into a cob studio build- and I did!! My green build guru, Pat Amos and myself are in the final stages of the build and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks for the inspiration Gord!!
Hi Ann and Gord,
Can you say what is the thickness of the pond landscape cloth you use in your recent raised bed constructions with the pet fencings?
Thanks!