This thundery evening sky introduces another post of bits and pieces at Ginty Creek.  My long gap may have had you thinking that I was not doing any work, but in fact life has been hectic.  Many jobs were just a day or two here and there, so not usually all that photogenic.

I was going to town so a volunteer at a neighbour’s place was dropped off with me for a day so I could give him a ride in.  Naturally I put him to work – his job was trail-clearing.

In town I picked up more 2 x 6s and Jimmy from New Jersey, whom I put to work finishing the yurt deck.

The outhouse was also finished…

…even to putting the coffee can inside for the toilet paper.

When I rebuilt the house deck, I left the part near the door, because I want to build a greenhouse over it and use sun-warmed rocks as a heater, consequently extra foundations had to be put underneath.

Jimmy is screwing down the last board

Et Voila!  (the greenhouse will come to the join of the boards.)

We also bucked up the last two pickup loads of wood for the woodshed.  By the last tree, I saw a flash of yellow beside a pond.  Walking into the clearing I found a wonderful display of Monkey Flowers.

The pond had a tiny bit of muddy water in it.

In which grew pondweeds,

And in which were imprinted baby bear footmarks.  No adult bear tracks in sight.  Trust the baby to want to play in the mud….

A few days after Jimmy arrived, we went to a Tatla Lake farmers market.  There were relishes…

…Saddles and other horse gear

Discard books from the library…

And heritage chickens and turkeys.

Entertainment was Golden Oldies.

My garden is overblown and lacy with worms, but has done well for me.  The sunflower seeds planted by the birds and chipmunks make it cheerful.  The smaller daisies are an interesting salad green I got from West Coast Seeds – an edible chrysanthemum.  It has thrived in my cold climate.  (Five frosts in July and more in August.)  Even the arugula and mustard flowers add colour – they are tasty in themselves and the bees love them.

I have also been drying herbs.  From the left at back: thyme, chervil, cilantro, summer savoury, and in the foreground a large basket of wild peppermint from my (very dry!) wetland.

The chipmunks are harvesting as well.  I planted rye to try and keep the dust down (and clover, but I did not have water to spare and it wouldn’t grow) and the chipmunk loves sitting on my rockery and nibbling the seedheads.

The grasses that have grown on the bottom of the dry ponds are also golden with seed.

And finally I had to share yet another sunrise.