Whack-A-Vole

This is the first spring (this is our sixth here) that we have not seen a fox in our backyard.  Normally around this time of the year there is a fox that hangs out behind our house.  We are pretty sure that is the reason why our vole population is getting out of control!  Quick!  Bring me a fox!

I have seen them darting around the backyard along with the squirrels and chipmunks.  Yesterday though, we had an odd encounter with a vole.  The boys saw one and went to investigate.  The vole just sat there content to nibble on grass while the boys watched.  I went to get the camera and was surprised when it was still there when I made it back.  The boys were able to pet the vole, heck I even pet the vole!  The boys named him "Hunter-Cavan the Mice-Vole".

Now, it is nice that the boys thought they had a new best friend, but I am not a friend of voles.  Last year the voles did a lot of damage to my garden!  They ate carrots and chewed my pea plants off right at the bottom of the plant.  So I had to sit the boys down and tell them that mommy was determined to kill off all of the voles in our backyard.

Cavan insisted that Hunter-Cavan the Mice-Vole was not to blame.  Instead he said it was rabbits that ate the carrots last year!  Nice theory little buddy, but mommy is still going to kill the voles.  The boys finally agreed to my mass murder plan as long as I don't kill the baby voles.  So I will just leave the baby vole killing until they are asleep.

Matt set up some traps early in the evening and we watched as the voles trotted right past the them.  Apparently voles don't like sweet potato.  Sigh. 

I saw Hunter-Cavan the Mice-Vole come out to his grass spot for a nibble later in the evening and I told Matt to go and kill it!  So Matt played Whack-A-Vole with his trusty shovel.  Done!  Now to get the rest of his little buddies.

Can we keep him, Mom?

Hunter-Cavan the Mice Vole.  Now deceased.

Planting My Garden

Gimp for the win again!

Today I planted my garden, and I am sure I will pay for it tomorrow.  My awesome husband added some new dirt and compost to my raised beds yesterday and also set out everything I needed to plant.  Today I walked/hopped/scooched around and planted my second Yukon garden.

This year I have nearly double the space I had last year thanks to Matt building more raised beds on the second level of our backyard.  The second level is almost all potatoes!  On the upper level I have two kinds of swiss chard, two kinds of spinach, leeks, green onion, beets, lettuce, green and yellow beans, peas and carrots.  I still have some beds empty since a neighbour said she has some started plants to give me that she has run out of room for. 

Everything I planted again this year is straight from seed.  Next year I am hoping to have a greenhouse plus I will start plants in the house and be ready to transplant. 

I now just have my fingers crossed that this season yields even more than last summer!  I was very pleased last year with everything that grew, however I need to set some traps for the voles that took a liking to my carrots and pea plants.

Now to wait patiently for it all to grow and the yard and trees to finally green up.

First sprinkler run of the season!  brrrr!

Hubby watering today after I got everything planted.

Enjoying Snow in May

Yep.  There is snow well into May this year.  Are we letting it get in our way?  Not in this household! 

Relaxing in the sun!

Hunter point to another flock of cranes flying overhead.

Northern kids don't let a bit of snow slow them down!  Boots?  Pants?  Who needs 'em!

Grubby and happy with friends.

Getting Even With Cavan

I want to say that I looked at your sweet sleeping face and felt that happy, motherly glow and just sat back and watched you dream.

But we all know that I am not sappy like that.

Instead, I looked at your sweet sleeping face and wondered where the black marker was hiding.

I drew on the eyebrows, smiling as I remembered the screaming fit you threw when I said no to a freezie after breakfast.

In return for repeatedly knocking over the block towers that your brother painstakingly built, I brushed on a mustache.

Not eating your supper earned you a goatee.

I love being a parent and I especially love being your mom.  But sometimes a mama just needs bit of a reward for this whole parenting gig.

Three Weeks Until My Draw!

My very kind and generous friends have now contributed $2000 towards my reconstructive skin surgery!  Wow.

So far this money has been used to purchase plane tickets from Whitehorse to LA return for me and Matt, as well as put a deposit down on the apartment we will be staying in while down there.

Thank you to everyone who has felt that I was deserving of your donation!

As I mentioned on my blog a while back, I will be doing a draw on the last day of this month as a bit of a thank-you to everyone who contributed!  Anyone who donated $10 or more will have a chance to win this pair of mukluks I made (valued at over $200):

And anyone who donated less than $10 or performed a random act of kindness and told me about it will be entered to win a pair of fur trimmed leather baby booties (valued at $42.50)

Donations can be made on the right-hand side of my blog via paypal.  Six months until the big day!

A few random bits

I have been sitting on my arse for a week now and have nearly lost my mind!  But I think I am healing.  The bruising is a little bit less than it was a few days ago, but the pain hasn't really decreased.  Part of that is thanks to my husband banging into my leg last night by accident when I didn't have my aircast on plus I went out and about a bit this weekend which was just exhausting!

I am going to see a visiting doctor on Tuesday to ask for a referral to physiotherapy and just ask a bit more about how to ease back into weight-bearing in the coming weeks.

Folks in town have been so helpful with watching the kids for us and making some meals too since I am too gimpy to be getting around in my kitchen.  I have tried doing a few things around the house while on crutches, but as soon as my foot is down, it starts to swell and turn purple- so back to the sofa I go.

Today I managed to get onto my quad all on my own, so I will have some independence back here in the future.  Highlight of today was chasing my kids down the street while on the quad.  Soooo much fun watching them run with that hint of fear in their eyes. 

Lots of lovely purple and yellows!

 And spring is slow hitting Faro!  The temperatures are finally going above zero and I hear word of double digits above zero for the end of this week.  Here is a picture from May 5th of last year followed by a picture taking today, again May 5th:

May 5th, 2012.  Wild drivers on dry sand.

May 5th, 2013.  The kids are still getting stuck in the snow.

Last, just a random picture of naked boys, on an office chair, with suckers. 

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Broken Update

My sense of humour has returned, so I must be doing better! 

On Monday we were told that I would need surgery to wire the bones back together.  So we drove into Whitehorse that evening and I was at the hospital at 7:30am on Tuesday.  11am the surgeon came out to tell me that he changed his mind and I would be fine in an air cast.  In the 2 minutes he talked to me, he said no weight bearing for 2 weeks, sit in an air cast, then change to a high top hiking boot and start slowly on weight bearing but make sure my ankle doesn't move side to side.  Not much for instructions!  A doctor will be in Faro next week and I will be asking her for more information and a referral for physio.

Coming home last night was great.  Here again is why I love Faro- two of my friends had come in and cleaned my house while another friend made us supper for that night.  So spoiled!

Today I am just sore all over.  The bumpy drive and a lot of walking with crutches took all of my energy.  I am sitting with my foot up and doing a heck of a lot of nothing right now.


The hardest part of all of this is feeling a bit lost.  Sunday I cried all day.  Seriously, all day.  I realized I cannot do the Chilkoot hike in early July and my hiking partner is going to find someone else to hike with.  I have been dreaming of this hike for years.  It was my big goal- to lose enough weight and be physically fit enough to do this hike- it was like a big finale for me and this weight loss journey.  And then wham.  I fall on my face in gravel and that finale is fracked.  I was heartbroken.

But I cannot wallow in self-pity for long.  I gave myself Sunday to wallow, got a lot of good advice and encouragement from friends, and felt back to my usual self on Monday.  New goals have been set too.  Late this summer I will hike the Dena Cho Trail from here to Ross River.  So now I am excited again and have something to work towards.

Now.  To sit here and do a lot of nothing without going crazy.  Wish me luck!