the long "end" the short of it

as expected.............

2007-10-07T13:29:00.000-04:00

.......vacations never start off easy!

This past Wednesday we had our cat, Chip fixed and de-clawed. We brought him home on Friday and all was well. Was.

This morning he was spooked by one of our kids and jumped off of the couch. 9:30 That would be fine normally, except for the fact that his paw began to bleed. He ran over to me and jumped on my lap. He then jumped down and ran upstairs. As he was running away, he left a nice trail of blood behind. At this point I shouted "stop the cat, he's bleeding!!!" Now my wife was on his tail (so to speak) He stopped at his crate so C could check him out. Now for the bloody trail to clean up.

11:00 Chip was going to stay home for the week, with a friend of mine checking up on and feeding him. Change of plans. I had to rush 25 minutes away to Arens house. Chip is now staying their for a few days of observation.

11:45 My mother in law is coming to Myrtle Beach with us again. She lands at 12:30. The airport is 55 minutes away. Aren and his wife just had a baby girl 15 days ago. I haven't met her yet. Can't leave before I do. Chips crate has some blood spatter on the inside. Gotta clean that before I go.

Call C. "Sorry, just leaving for home now, I guess you have to pick up your mom with the kids"

12:00 I get home and start organizing all things packed. Re-arrange some bags and get things ready to go in the van. No van. C has it to pick up her mom. She was supposed to take the put-put so I could load up the van.

1:45 Grammas here!!!! The kids are pumped, I'm ready, Grammas setting things aside for the beach, and C is double checking stuff. I think we can leave by 3:00.......... maybe.

new new-range pictures

2007-09-28T18:02:00.000-04:00

As promised, I have updated our greenhouse construction project. Unfortunately at time of posting, these pictures are outdated. This weekend I plan on getting some more snapshots. In my spare time......

looking south in the new header house

looking south-west in the new range

looking west in house 7&8

looking north-east at house 10 sidewall and gable

looking north east from the letter blocks

house 7-10

2007-09-14T06:49:00.000-04:00

These houses (#7-10) are where we do our winter grafting work. I feel the new range will be a real advantage for the new grafts. Especially with uniform temperatures, we can really dictate the final outcome!!

And yes, I had the joy of partaking in the tear-down of the old hoop-houses! House 7 was the most interesting to work on. Check out the "framework" in the 3rd picture!

looking south east

the tall gutter-house (house 7) is being saved

house 8,9,10 in the background

looking north east

from house 10 to house 7

inside house 7 looking west

inside the header-house looking south

( note house 2,3,4,5,6 are staying)

looking north from where house 10 was,
towards house 7

looking north in the header-house

I will definitely add new pictures real soon, seeing as the main construction of the new range is nearly done! All that's left as of today is basically the interior.

Grass Leaves?.......

2007-09-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

I think not! There's a reason they're called BLADES!!!

Our big push at work right now is shipping a nice assortment of ornamental grasses. As much as I enjoy the looks of these different beasts, handling them is a different story all together! The serration on the outside of the leaves is so fine, the blades will always win. Instead of just nicks on my hands and arms, it's cuts IN scrapes IN nicks.

On another note, we have started to get some of our crops into assigned houses for winter. The more we can have finished ahead of time the better, seeing as there is still lots to go. There's not much going on in prop right now, so I've been keeping busy with the rest of it all!!

'till next time, ('cause you'll never know when that will be)

Pete!

flowers of ours

2007-07-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

21 buds on this asiatic lily stem.

the mass of orange

astilbe, lamium, scabiosa, erysimum

hemerocallis

gypsophylia

the orange salute for Canada Day!

the lettuce

INTRODUCING.......................

2007-07-14T20:02:00.000-04:00

C H I P ! !

still shipping.....

2007-07-14T19:43:00.000-04:00

..... to the main farm, that is! We have finished shipping out all of our grafts and whips for tree standards. Now it's time for our liners. Hundreds of 'em. Thousands of 'em! Most trays are 50 packs, with a few 36's for certain plants. These liners are for one gallon production. Boxwood, cedar, spruce, euonymus, spirea, potentilla, hydrangea, and so on. So far I believe we have shipped 7 tractor trailers over. We should be all done by Wednesday. We hope! 'Cause when it's all over there, WE don't have to worry about it!!!!

Propagation

2007-06-30T17:59:00.000-04:00

Now at work I am referred to as "Propagation Pete". In the prop group, that is. I guess I am technically assistant propagator Pete, alongside Lindsay the other assistant and our fearless leader, Propagator Paul.

June 25th was really my first day. So far my tasks have been sticking cuttings, moving cuttings, and prepping plants for potting. We root a lot of our own plants, for our home farm, as well as the Main farm. This means that if the other farm is ready for planting, we have to prep all the cuttings, put them on racks, and send them over to the other farm. This coming week we will be sending over all of the grafts that we grafted this past winter to main farm. A few 53' trailers and all the grafted under stock will be there. Then our flowering shrub cuttings will be next. It looks like I keep moving into the faster paced parts of the nursery, even as the pace picks up! What a rush! Fortunately my Spanglish is also improving!

three years ago...

2007-06-27T07:09:00.000-04:00

..H1 was born. I can't believe he has grown up this fast. Three years seems like a short time unless looking with a parents perspective. What is three years to an adult? For some children it's more than a lifetime!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOOTS!!!!!!

Lake to Lake Classic 2007

2007-06-18T20:04:00.000-04:00

I did it!! Not near the front, way ahead of the back, right in the middle! I finished my 50km race in about 3 hours. Nothing to brag about, just a great personal accomplishment. I registered 5 nursery staff, myself included, plus one more that registered the day before. (there were only 5 slots left)
1050 people were at the starting line at 11:00am, and started arriving at the finish in under two hours later! Only 850 people crossed the finish line. The others had flats with no spare, spills, cramps, bike issues, etc. One of "our" guys had problems with his derailleur, thus not making it quite to the 1/3 mark.

Results:

After all is said and done, we are all already looking forward to next year!

*PICTURE ADDED JULY 20'07*

Finally, made it!

when the cats away..

2007-06-15T17:57:00.000-04:00

...mice will play. But not in my case. It seems since C & the kids went out west, I've had no time to really relax. Thankfully. Otherwise I'd be pretty upset that they are not home with me.

Tuesday: to the airport, followed closely by house work
Wednesday: work until 6:00, go home and do more house work, mow the yard
Thursday: work until 5:00, go to the local pub for a friends birthday (just a quick one)
Friday: work until 5:00, go biking to get ready for Sundays race
Saturday: work until noon, yard work, visit mom who just got back from China
Sunday: Lake to Lake Classic bike race with 4 co-workers. (others are placing bets as to who will not finish) I'm not on that bet
Monday: work until ___
Tuesday: work until ___, mow the yard
Wednesday: work until 10:00, pick up my family from the airport, possibly head back to work depending on how busy we are.

and that is my week in a nutshell!
So much for playing!!

Driver Sales

2007-06-15T17:43:00.000-04:00

I guess you do learn something new every day. Today I learned that in our area of Niagara region, nurseries are starting to try out "driver sales". This whole idea is not new to me, I used to do driver sales into New York State. Namely Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. The idea behind it is simple. Load your truck full with flowers (or perennials) and drive from door to door and sell your plants. I have experience with cut flower sales, not potted perennials. Today our company is getting ready to try this out. We are trying to do the "buy this whole cart of plants and receive a discount" approach. On my end in the nursery, I had to help set up the whole cart display. I was given some plant suggestions to pull from the nursery, but the final say was mine. I could change to whatever plant I thought would be the nicest. We brought some patio planters over from the main farm as well, but most of the product was our own 2 gallon and 1 gallon plants. Tomorrow morning, 2 co-workers and myself have to finish it up. Tagging and such is all that needs to be done. The straight truck that we have can fit 14 carts. Each cart has 2 layers of one gallon 6-packs, (8 six packs per layer = 42 pots) and either 2 layers of patio pots, or 1 layer of 2 gallon plants.After all is said and done, I have to admit the carts look great. Not only my own opinion, but co-workers as well. We will see on Monday how the first run works out, and if it's all good, we keep on doing it!!

Home Alone :(

2007-06-12T21:17:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I drove my wife and kids to the airport. They are on their way to visit grampa and gramma in Saskatchewan. Grampa and gramma are ecstatic about the visit, phone calls and pictures are only so good. Even uncle Lance and Catherine are planning to meet up on the weekend. Now for some great one-on-one time at their reunion! C. is also excited to head west. She is a natural born prairie girl, and always talks of the land of living skies.

This is the first time that I wasn't there on the plane to help with the kids. I can only hope that they are well behaved for her. A three year old and 18 month old can be a handful in the backyard, let alone a confined aircraft. On the plus side, our children are usually very well mannered, polite and obedient. Of course the phrase "monkey see, monkey do" comes to mind. If H1 can do it, so can H2. That being said, I hope H1 listens to mom so H2 can follow suit.

I, on the other hand, am staying to watch the home front. And working. Oh ya, and biking!! I have had numerous invites from co-workers and family to keep myself occupied. And of course the daily phone calls from the kids will help pass the time.

I now have a very mild taste of what my Mexican com padres must feel when they come up here for months on end.

back on earth

2007-06-09T19:25:00.000-04:00

Well, no, I didn't fall from the face of the earth, just crazy busy.

We are near the end of our busiest shipping days. Kind of. In a couple of weeks, most of the perennials we planted this spring will be ready to ship. At least we will have some students in to help. As much as possible, the Hombres (Mexicans) have been doing nursery work. This entails things like: pruning what needs it, spacing what needs it, condensing other blocks that have been decimated by shipping, moving to free up more houses, and of course potting new crops.

I have also been promoted to Assistant Propagator. A new challenge is always welcome for me, as this means more hands-on experience. I have done other propagation in greenhouses, (geranium, chrysanthemum, poinsettia etc.) but never in the nursery. Yet. I will now get to learn perennial, flowering shrub, and hard-wood/softwood rooting and maintenance. And of course grafting in the winter. Coincidentally I seem to have worked up the ladder in an odd fashion. Things seem to have gotten lighter! First I was on the Main Farm, shipping and learning nursery work. (the smallest pot-size was a one gallon, all the way up to a twenty five gallon container.) Mid-summer I was transferred to the Home Farm where I am now. Most of our containers are one gallon, but no more than a three gallon, ornamental grasses in a five gallon excepted. Now I will be handling trays of 18 pack, and jiffy trays.

I will post new pictures soon.
Till next time, cause you never know when that may be!

(pictures added June 12'07)

When I'm not at work...

2007-05-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

......you'll know where to find me! Preferably with my three other helpers!

Shipping, shipping, shipping.......

2007-04-28T18:39:00.000-04:00

What a couple of weeks this has been. Each day has been run, run, run, with little time for anything but work. I was fortunate enough to have my wife and kids stop by work for lunch the other day. What a treat that was. It was raining, so a little sunshine mid-day sure helps. The puddles were a sure magnet for the kids, how can they all be avoided? At least we finish at 5:00 on Fridays and 3:00 on Saturdays.

There hasn't been a day that I've been home before 9:00. (Friday and Saturday excepted) Not bad so far. There will be more nights that I won't be home until 12:00. It's all part of spring shipping. Our Mexican co-workers are doing great as shippers. Some better than others, but overall it is going great.

There are so many things to watch for:

proper plants/ varieties
proper picture tags and or pre pricing
pot size
plant maturity: older crop or fresh potted
shipped on carts, racks, skids, or wooden racks

We also have our own pot-washing station. Almost all of our product goes through a conveyor system where it is pot-washed and six-packed or pre priced. I will post about that at another time!

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

This morning we did our own little Easter egg hunt in the house for our kids. They really enjoyed it, especially the treats inside the eggs. C had them stuffed with assorted treats, like fruit loops, and small cookies. We don't like to over sweeten our kids, so more healthy snacks are implemented.

Later this afternoon, while H2 was sleeping, the rest of us decorated a cake. The directions were a bit tricky to follow, but the finished product had great reviews!

FYI: H1 likes to watch Tree House on TV, and this is one of his better shows. Thus the boat for Easter!!

Picture Comparisons

2007-04-08T21:20:00.000-04:00

A visual comparison one month can make.
On the left are pictures from March 9'07, and on the right side from April 8'07. As much tagging as possible is finished, and regular crop maintenance is whats left, besides shipping, of course.

The top left picture is from house 29 looking west, and the top right picture is from the same house from the west looking east.

The bottom two pictures of one gallon vines show a drastic improvement of plant size and maturity. You can also see the new growth in the grasses overhead. The last picture is a nice double white Clematis.

Another Week

2007-04-07T21:04:00.000-04:00

Every day of every week is different.

This past week, we started out with a fair amount of shipping. Enough that we could help train the Mexicans how to pull orders. Fortunately they know a minimum amount of English, and we know as much Spanish. We all seem to manage quite well.

Since our weather turned sour late in the week, shipping has halted. We can not ship product that is just starting to send out soft new growth, when temps are below freezing. Most product is pulled from poly houses in the nursery, and were starting to flush new growth. By the time we had our wagons full of orders and into the yard, we had frost damage on more sensitive vines.

We are currently going over the nursery from one end to the other, cleaning off dead leaves, pruning back as needed, spacing, culling for dead pots, weeding and any other crop maintenance we can do right now. As soon as the weather cooperates, we will be into some serious shipping to make up for lost time!

As soon as I can get my camera batteries charged, I will add new pictures for comparison from here to here.

Warm Ups

2007-04-01T17:43:00.000-04:00

Last night I called my brother to see if I could borrow his bike trailer. We only had a front mounted child carrier, so we couldn't go biking as a family. He said sure, so first thing this morning H1 and I ran over. Conveniently he lives in a subdivision right behind our house, 3 minutes at H1's speed. He wanted to run. It was a brisk walk for me. H1 liked the short ride back, and was very excited. That was all we used my brothers trailer.

About three hours later, we went shopping. After shopping, we had lunch, followed by a nap for C, H1 and H2. While they were sleeping, I put together our new bike trailer. After everyone was awake and had a snack, we hit the road. I can foresee a lot of bike rides this year!! And great practice for the Lake to Lake.

In Our Gardens....

2007-03-31T19:24:00.000-04:00

I've started edging a bit, with some help. H1 had his shovel right beside me, being the biggest helper ever. Of course I had to re-dig in spots, we had fun! I love this time of year with the bulbs starting to emerge.

(1) Rudbeckia "Indian Summer"

(2) just behind the deck

(3) Tulip in the Viburnum

(4) Pink purple & white Hyacinths

Another Week

2007-03-31T18:44:00.000-04:00

This week at work was a nice warm up of things to come. A little bit of shipping, planting, pruning, spacing and tagging.

Our last crew of Mexicans landed Wednesday morning early, and started work on Friday. We are now at decent staff, so efficiency is up. For instance, on Monday, we would plant 1 gallon pots until our wagons were full.(just over 200 pots per wagon) With four sets of three wagons and tractors. Once the wagons were full, we would take them out to the nursery. Now with a full crew, we only stop for breaks. There is enough people to unload as fast as we can plant so it is a very smooth rotation.

We also shipped out about three 53' trailers throughout the week. Next week looks to be picking up already, with one trailer for sure so far on Monday. I've heard sales look good for this year, so we will be re-planting as fast as we can ship.

I'm just happy I live close enough to work that I can see my family at lunch! It may be the only time for the next while, except for family day Sunday!

Lake to Lake

2007-03-23T20:10:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, a friend of mine and I decided to go on a little bike trip. It was a great experience, and I learned a few things.

1) you need a GOOD bicycle
2) eye protection for the bugs, brush and branches
3) water
4) spare tubes and pump

In 2005, I had three out of four. Not bad. I didn't have #4. I almost finished, but approximately 49 kilometers into the race, I blew my front tire. This year I will be ready!

Fresh Pictures

2007-03-17T15:26:00.000-04:00

I took a few snapshots today while doing pick-ups with my brother. He is pushing more potted plants than he has working for my other brother. There is a huge selection of potted plants from local greenhouses, and his clientele are very happy. They love their fresh Canadian product, cut flowers and potted. Just think, delivered straight from the greenhouses to their door, in sometimes less than 24 hours. Now THAT'S FRESH!

Pictures from top left to right:

6" Pink Hydrangea
Hydroponic Tulips (Different from here)
Asiatic Lilies for cut flowers
6" Blue Hydrangea
4.5" Gerbera
6" Cyclamen

I plan on talking to each of the growers from these greenhouses as well as others, so I can post more details about each.

Another Helping Hand

2007-03-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, H1 and I did some more pick-ups. Another great day together. I really enjoy his company, and we get to learn more and more about each other. Don't tell his mom, but I think he's becoming a Daddies Boy!

When we arrived home after the work was done, C and I had a little chat. I thought it would be neat if H1 and I took pictures at the different greenhouses, and posted about them. At least this way I won't (can"t) run out of things to say!!

Now to convince my brother to let me do more pick-ups before I get too busy in the nursery!

March Break

2007-03-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

What a shock when I arrived to work on Monday. I knew to expect some students for the break, but there must have been 50 or 60 of 'em! Or so it seemed. Well, at least 35. Most are local 8th and 9th grade students, some with no previous experience. .
Since November, there hasn't been more than 20 people at the farm, not including sales and office staff.

We have already finished a lot of different things, from tagging in the nursery, to planting in the Big House. We finished as many tags as we had, our new tags will be coming in soon. My knees feel like I borrowed them from an 80 year old. All tagging is done on the ground. All day Monday and Tuesday. Fortunately, we may step on the pots, as all the plants are dormant right now, and the soil is frozen so we won't do much crushing with our feet.
The propagation crew is busy with transplanting, although I am not entirely sure what is all on their agenda. My own work keeps me running as it is, and I can't see getting too much valuable information from any of the kids. I'll learn more of the prop end after the majority of the shipping is finished. Probably in September!

On Thursday our first four Amigos arrive to our farm, with the option to start work right away, or get all settled in during the weekend. If I know any of them from last year, they will jump right in. The next group is to arrive the following week.

They have bumped our hours from 8:00-4:00 Mon-Thurs, 8:00 - 12:00 Fri during the winter, to 8:00-4:30 this week, and next week 8:00-5:00. Slowly but surely, the spring rush is upon us. It won't be long before we will be working 7:30- the last truck is loaded.(could be midnight)

I'm not sure how often I will be able to post, but you can rest assured I will keep updating as the farm lets me. I plan on posting "staged" pictures, to show the nursery throughout the year. This should be fun!!

Ahhh, Spring!

2007-03-09T15:24:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from the "Big House".

The Put-Put

2007-03-06T20:04:00.000-04:00

I used to drive a 1993 Honda Prelude. Nice little car, very quick for a four cylinder. I bought it in 1996, and it finally gave up on me near the end of 2004. I have to admit, I drove it hard.

C. drove a 1995 Dodge Neon. We sold that shortly after we got married. We upgraded that car to a 2002 Chevy Malibu. "The Boo"

The Prelude was exchanged for the Put-Put.

The other day at work, a guy was telling me a story. Apparently, he was driving down the road with his father, and he saw a car like mine. "Oh look, there's a Put-Put!" His father turns to him and asks, "someone actually called a car model a Put-Put?"

It amazes me that other around you may catch on to (and start using) your nick-names for others. Even H1 will ask "are we going in Mommies car, or the Put-Put?"

A Helping Hand

2007-03-04T20:29:00.000-04:00

With my brother starting up his own wholesaling business, his week can be tiresome. I told him right from the start that I would help him out however, whenever.

Yesterday, I did a few "pick-ups" for J. I used his Dodge extended van, and went to four local-ish greenhouses. There weren't too many flowers to pick up, (3 pails Asiatic lilies, 10 pails Mums, 10 pails Gerbera and Mini Gerbs, and one pail of mini Calla lilies) but I had a helper. J brings his three year old with him too, and left the car seat installed. H1 was very excited to go for a ride with me in the van. He could finally see exactly what was around him. "Look out cars", he would say, "Here we come!!"
We were only gone for about an hour and a half, but we really had a great time together. As a treat for helping me, we stopped off at....... TIM HORTONS!!

Nursery Update

2007-03-02T22:04:00.000-04:00

Grafting is finished for the time being. Just 200 to do this coming week, or as soon as we get the scion wood.

We are also filling our greenhouse (the "BigHouse") with all kinds of goodies. From one gallon staked vines on the floor, (some currently with a few flowers) to 2 gallon ornamental grasses suspended with hanging basket hooks, 3 high, to 38 pack Vinca "Darts Blue" on other floors. Its starting to feel like spring.

A couple of days ago, we all headed to the main farm to receive a tractor trailer of B&B shrubs. (Magnolias, Viburnum, etc.) What a workout! We have a pretty good core of guys, so it was a smooth 2 hour job.

Our days at work are going to consistently get longer, starting next week. Before you know it, right after March break, we will be getting into very heavy shipping. Whatever the weather. We have to ship to a lot of garden centers and bigger retailers for their spring rush.

This is also when we are getting in our off-shore labour. It's nice to know it's the same guys as last year. It's fun to learn from another culture. We all work together, so we all get along. This is also going to be the first year that we have the Mexicans help more with shipping. Of course the propagation guys will still be on prop, and the production and potting crew will still be refilling the farm!

Apparently, we will be doing some moving some of our cold frames, narrow a few driveways, and build a couple of new cold frames. In our spare time. I guess that's after the shipping rush. It seems the home farm doesn't have quite enough room yet,so we are squeezing out ever square foot.

I'll add some pictures soon.

My Eldest Niece

2007-03-02T21:42:00.000-04:00

WOW!!!

My eldest niece has just recently gotten engaged.

My congrats to her and her betrothed, I wish them only the best.

Sam was born when I was in the eighth grade. I was an uncle! She has grown up quite a bit. Not really. Not that she is immature, on the contrary, maybe a bit sheltered. She is only seventeen. Eighteen in May 2007.
I pray she (THEY) know what she (they) are doing! Her fiance seems like a really nice guy, from the couple of times that we have met. He comes from respectable family, so that doesn't concern me. He is apprenticing to be an auto mechanic, another plus. I just hope that this being her first real boyfriend, is her right choice. Not that I am doubting them, I just can't judge their future.
They are planning on a winter wedding.
January 2008.

Sometimes there is no time like the present, right Hon??

A Cool IQ Test

2007-02-19T20:39:00.000-04:00

Just follow the "A Quick and Dirty IQ TEST" link.

Your IQ Is 105

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Above Average

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average

Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Thanks, C, for showing me this. I now have a better knowledge of posting using HTML code!!!

The Snow Fort

2007-02-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

So here is the snow fort as of Feb.16'07. It all started on Jan.28'07, with a nice little accumulation of snow. I had a great idea to build a snow fort. The little hill worked pretty good for the sled, for the kids and me. That was before we got the 1.5' to 2' of snow this past weekend. Poor H1 couldn't walk in the yard as his waist was below snow level. I pulled him on the sled for a few laps, but I too tired out. The snow was past my knees! H1 asked me to shovel the deck so he could ride his bike. Of course I obliged, knowing what I had in store for him.

This afternoon, I was done work at 12:00. After a few errands, I started digging. And digging. And digging! When all was said and done, H1 and I could fit in the fort together. No standing room though! I was paid the best compliments ever! "You are the GREATEST, Daddy!!!!" and "This fort is soooo cool!"

I love to come home to break up the monotony of work. Our main focus has been grafting, but I keep eyeing up the snow drifts between the cold-frames to play in!!

Winter Wonderland

2007-02-04T20:33:00.001-04:00

If you enjoy the great outdoors like we do, it only takes -15' temps to keep you inside. Every time we get another snowfall, I shovel the deck onto one spot. My ultimate plan is to make a big snow fort, or igloo. So far, the pile is 3.5 feet deep, 6 feet long and 4 feet wide at the widest. It is still blowing outside right now, so we will be able to add to it. It makes for a decent slide as well. I am glad I started when I did.

Next step? Add water in the evening to give the fort a good solid layer. Then add more snow. Then another shot of water. By the time I am done, I hope to have a fort that both kids can stand in, with room to spare so mom and dad can play in it too!! Now to convince mom!!

IPM Course

2007-02-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

This past Friday I was scheduled to have an IPM course with two co-workers. Surprise, OMAFRA rescheduled.
Earlier.
Wednesday.
It was originally to be greenhouse and nursery combined, but one of the teachers couldn't make it. It was now a greenhouse course. I found out in short order that it was indeed another refresher course for me. I had this course before, working in a different greenhouse.

IPM: Integrated Pest Management

"A philosophy/strategy of pest control that integrates all available tactics to reduce pest populations to an acceptable level in cost-effective, environmentally rational manner"

It is always nice to have refresher courses, it helps keep things mentally fresh. Now I have First Aid renewed and IPM rehashed. Hopefully I will be sent for a Pesticide Safety Re-Certification next. Mine just recently expired.

Blogging Schedule

2007-02-02T20:47:00.000-04:00

I have come to the realization that with one computer and two bloggers, we need a schedule. Whenever C has to go to work, I get to post. All other times are hers. Fair? Yes. She is the one who works at home.

I Passed

2007-02-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

I am now a First Aider. It is now my obligation to help those in need. Hopefully I won't need to practice what I have been re-taught. ( one question wrong on each of the two tests. Not bad!) I am just thankful I have a clue what to do in case of emergency.

Cool Tulip Tour

2007-01-27T19:39:00.000-04:00

This morning I went on a great greenhouse tour. Basically on the Dunville/ Wainfleet border, is a cool greenhouse. Nothing like I have ever seen before. In our area, that is hard to come by. I've been in all sorts of greenhouses, either working or touring, and this was definitely new to me.

In Holland over the past years, they have been working on hydroponically growing bulb plants. Apparently, there are only three or four hydroponic tulip growers in Canada. I received a phone call the other night by one of the few operations. We set up an appointment so I could have a tour of the operation. The least I can do is walk away with more knowledge as well as really cool pictures.

The owner walked me through the whole process, from importing the
bulbs, to final shipped product. He has a lot of automation as well, mainly for bunching and packing the final product.

Bulbs come in from Holland, and are stored at a cool enough temp to
keep the bulbs dormant. When they are ready for planting, the bulbs are brought out of the cooler and put on a hopper. The hopper is raised, and the bulbs are gravity fed onto a short conveyor belt. Staff then take the bulbs and set them in crates that are lined with pins. There is a water reservoir built into the tray, so when the bulbs start to push
out roots, they have an ample supply of food.

After the bulbs are planted, they are put back into another cooler until they are ready for forcing in the greenhouse. They are warmed up slightly, to ensure good rooting in cold storage. The rooted plants are now ready to grow. Since they are such a short crop, and not grown during insect season (summer) pesticides are rarely if ever used. This makes for an even more enjoyable atmosphere. And clean throughout.

All the floors are concrete, so disinfecting over the summer is a cinch. Concrete floors also let all excess water out through holes drilled at 1 foot spacings into under drainage. Irrigations in the greenhouse are done by boom sprayer in the growing area, until the plants are moved into the harvesting area. Then it is done by hand. The grower will try to top up the plants before moving over to reduce the amount of hand- watering.

Harvesting is also fast paced. A few criteria must be followed: bloom maturity and stem length are the two key factors. I had the opportunity to talk to some staff for a couple of seconds, then realized I was being a hindrance. He needed another cart to pick into. After harvesting, the tulips, bulbs and all are brought over to the packing line. Two people place the tulips onto a conveyor. They are swept down the line through different stations as they go.

placed on the line by 2 people
bulbs are cut off by machine, waste is augured into a bin (minimal clean-up)
four people pick up the prepped stems and align 10 blooms to the same height
bunches are set back onto the next belt, where they are tied together by machine, and bottoms are trimmed to ensure uniform length within each bunch
two people sleeve the bunches, and are tied once more to help keep the stems together, as well as to hold the sleeve in place
ten bunches of tulips are set into a pail, and off they go. 100 stems per pail.
pails may or may not be boxed, dependant on where they are going

Space is always maxed out, there isn't any money in empty square footage! I am hoping that the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" will help fill in any blanks, but feel free to ask questions. I'll reply to comments ASAP.

Cut Tulips

2007-01-26T18:26:00.000-04:00

Last night I received an odd phone call.

Hold on, lets back it up a little bit.

A couple of weeks ago, we were on a three week layoff at the nursery. I helped my one brother with his truck in the evenings, but most of my time was in the greenhouse.

While I was doing assorted greenhouse jobs, (painting pipes, installing benches, etc.) I ran into another tradesman. Case. He is a professional shading installer straight out of Holland. We got to talking, and we got along great. I told him of my various experience in the flora culture industry, and he told me of his experience in the shady side of it.

Last night I found out that his wife works about 20 minutes away from here, in a greenhouse that produces cut tulips. It turns out, Case told his wife about me, and she in turn talked with her boss. He is looking for a grower. He called me. Tomorrow I have an interview with him just to see what is all involved. I told him right off the bat that I am happy where I currently am, but if the money and incentives are right...

That is all I can really say for now, but be assured, I will post about the results tomorrow. I also plan on taking some pictures. I have never seen a hydroponic tulip farm before! C has her own take on this story. I guess it really does matter what you know, not only who.

Wish me luck!!!!

First Aid Training

2007-01-22T20:12:00.000-04:00

This morning I started my 2 day training of First Aid.
The nursery that I work for sent myself and a coworker to maintain enough trained staff in the nursery in case of emergency. (I like to think it's in our best interest, however, I am not sure I would want some {any} of my co-workers to apply CPR on me!!)

Our class started at 8:30 and ran until 4:00. We had a 15 minute break at 9:45.
Lunch time from 11:45 until 12:45.
Break at 2:45.
From 3:00 on, a written test (multiple choice) on what we have learned so far.
If memory serves me right, we left at 3:25.

There were a total of 16 people in my class, and of course some catch on quicker than others. It makes for a longish day. Our instructor is great, though, and has lots of personal experience stories. These people really do save lives.

Today we covered the basics.

Emergency Scene Management
Shock
Choking (Adult)
Cardiovascular Disease
Severe Bleeding
Medical Conditions and
Wound Care

There is a lot to learn, and I know I won't be a doctor, but I feel better about knowing the first steps. I was even commenting to C a few weeks ago that I would like a refresher course. At least this one was paid for!

Quiet Town?

2007-01-21T11:50:00.000-04:00

Last night, at around 1:23am, C heard a "metal crunch, followed by revving engines". I am a sound sleeper so I didn't hear a thing.

This morning I let C sleep in a bit. The kids and I went downstairs so we could play quietly for Mom. About an hour later I came upstairs to start breakfast. I noticed some Hydro
trucks with lights flashing, and our street just west of us closed off. By this time C was up to take over making pancakes. I went outside for some fresh air.

I noticed some tire tracks on our neighbours front lawn.
Being very inquisitive (nosey) I thought I would check out
the whole scene. At this point my next door neighbour came
outside. He wanted a "daytime" view of what he saw last
night.

Pictures from top to bottom:

looking east at the intersection the truck came from
the truck nicked a phone box, drove up onto the neighbours yard
looking at the trajectory, the truck COULD have hit our house and or cars.
he got hung up on the guide wire on the telephone post after grazing it with his truck. This is when C heard the revving engine. The guy just forced his truck to break through the guide wire.
When he broke free, the vehicle was no where near under control. He launched onto the street and fish-tailed a while.
his next stop was about six houses west of us. I mean seven posts west of us. He severed this post. By the time I got here, the post had been replaced.
the trucks final resting place was on the front lawn of my friends neighbour.

There are a whole lot of things about this incident that rub me the wrong way.
First of all the driver was very intoxicated. Double the limit.
Secondly, according to my neighbour, his wife/girlfriend said "I should have drove". Chances are she wasn't in any better condition.
Thirdly, there were two little kids in the truck. What are they doing out at 1:00 am? Why would the parents not have a babysitter or stay overnight?
This could have been a devastation. They were fortunate enough to have been in a big truck. They were also lucky they didn't hit the big 'ol maple tree in our front yard.

I believe it wasn't the parents guardian angels, but the childrens.

Happy 1st Birthday Booka-Booka

2007-01-17T21:52:00.000-04:00

I know I am late to post, but on January 15 2006 at 5:33 am, our baby-doll was born.

H2 weighed in at 7 pounds even, measuring 22.75" long. She was the "easiest" baby of our two for C to deliver.

This past Monday, we had my parents over for dinner in celebration of H2's 1st birthday. Her older brother was all excited for his little sister, and sang Happy Birthday beautifully to her. He knows almost all the words. He just wasn't sure how many times to say "Happy Birthday to you" until it switches to "Dear ........". He would usually add a few for good measure!

Today we had a birthday cake for her.
Black Forest cake.
Another new favorite for H1.

What we like to do with the kids and their birthday cakes is to let them eat it.

Themselves.

No adult accompaniment.

No wiping off chocolate until they have had their fill.

H2 started out eating very daintily. After a couple of minutes, the
chocolate was flying! Unfortunately, I haven't off-loaded my camera, but the pictures will be posted ASAP. Immediately after dinner was bath time for both kids. H1 had the pleasure of playing with his dessert as well, but seeing as he is 2 1/2, he wasn't as messy.

*UPDATE*

H2's Birthday pictures.
Enjoy!
(We all did)

A little late for Christmas

2007-01-17T21:23:00.000-04:00

But I still would have preferred snow over ice! Yes, ice encrusted trees and plants are beautiful to look at, but snow would be better. It would have been nice to have seen the Christmas lights glowing through the frozen prisms, but everyone around took down their lights during our "warm" spell we just came through.
There were a few power outages in our area due
to cracking limbs over hydro lines. I felt a few pictures
of the beauty instead of the damage was best.

....and she's off!!!

2007-01-13T21:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight is another night with me at the wheel. C left for work at 4:15, and the kids and I were playing downstairs. H2 was starting to get hungry, so I brought her upstairs for dinner.
H1 followed a few minutes later.

"Daddy, I'm thirsty."
"Where is your cup, Bud?"
"Downstairs."
"Can you go downstairs and get it for me, so I can re-fill it for you?"
"No. You go get it Daddy."

I smirked.

He ended up going downstairs for it, though. He is starting to realize things, like the alternative to not getting his cup. You can't re-fill a cup that's not there.
Shortly after I fed H2, there was a dire need for a diaper change. It always seems to happen when C is not around. (that's probably just my own biased opinion) ;)

Time to scrub my hands, and start worrying about what to make for supper for H1 and I. Fried egg sandwiches it is. We finished dinner by 5:15. I thought taking the kids out for a special treat was in order. I made a quick phone call to friends of mine in Fonthill, and met up for coffees. One adult to 2 kids ratio is quite a challenge, but manageable. After the kids sampled a few Timbits, and H1 polished off his chocolate milk, we were ready to go.

Time-check......6:45.

Home..........7:00
H2 in bed....7:10
H1 in bed....7:30
Me.....soon after I post.

Wreckin Machine

2007-01-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

It seems every time I try to build something out of the Lego Duplo that we (Santa) gave our kids this year, I can't!! That is to say, H2 won't let me. She won't even let her big brother or mom build anything. Try as we may, the only time any special buildings or towers are fully finished is when she is sleeping! H1 loves to play with his Duplo. H2 loves to take it apart.

"Wreckin Machine" got this name first when H1 was playing with his Thomas the Train set. Along came his sister, and in short order had the tracks all apart. I guess building is not her strong point, but demolition sure is!

Back At It

2007-01-08T23:03:00.000-04:00

Today is my first day back at work (at the nursery), after three weeks off for the Christmas holidays.

Photo "Weeping Pussy Willow" (Salix Caprea Pendula)

I had just learned how to do a "side veneer" graft before our break. Today I checked out the progress. We had started with grafting a few different Salix (willow) varieties. I was astounded to see that both the scion wood (the new variety grafted to the top) and understock (the stem we want to support the new scion wood) have budded and started to leaf out. This is great because now we can start to see if the graft has taken. If not, the scion wood is starting to collapse. If it has collapsed, we have the choice to re-graft or throw out the understock.

Salix is a wonderful variety to learn on, as it is very easy to graft. Salix is also considered a "weed" plant, as it is simple to grow. This morning we removed the lower shoots off of the understock to draw the energy to the scion wood. We left 4-5 "suckers" (side shoots) nearest to the top to help drive the plant in the right direction. When all is said and done, we will have a nice assortment of, but not only, Salix standards.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T17:36:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a co
-worker. He instructed that when the date of your birthday, and the age you turn are the same number, this is your "Champagne" birthday. Happy bubbly birthday to me, New Years Eve 1975-2006! I guess I could have had 31 beer, glasses, shots, or what-have-you, but this bottle was great! I hope the holidays and festivities found everyone safe for another year. And no, I didn't drink this all to myself. We had friends over with their daughter who is 11 days younger than ours. Happy birthday to you too Aren, 5 years my junior!

"To the new year, the old year, and future years to come, health and happiness to everyone"

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

I hope the holidays treat(ed) everyone well!
Our family did our gift opening Christmas morning, with H1 opening nearly all the gifts.(his AND everyone elses!) We had a really nice day, and finished it at my parents for dinner with my oldest brother and his family. We had a short web-cam Christmas with C's parents and brother in Delisle, Sk. I think I speak for all of us here, we'd rather had been here for Christmas this year!
As for Boxing Day, I started work at 8:00. For 4 hours, I was painting hot water heat pipes. For two hours after lunch, I was framing with my brother J. I had to be home ASAP so C could go to work. She started at 5:00, which means she leaves by 4:15.

Tag, I'm it!

Baseball Anyone?

2006-12-26T20:34:00.000-04:00

Cool Christmas Game!

Three days Away

2006-12-22T20:18:00.000-04:00

I'm dreamin of a white Christmas.
Current temp: 8' Celcius
Local Weather
I must be dreamin!

'Tis the Season

2006-12-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

So I went to a local big box store for a great deal on cordless phones for around the house. After waiting patiently amid the throngs of holiday shoppers, I had the attention of a highschool kid who didn't seem to know what was going on. I finally pointed at the flyer, to which he said "sold-out." Of course by 1:30pm they were out of stock. No rain checks available, I went home empty handed. I was hoping to be able to cash-in seeing as today and tomorrow, any purchase over $40 gets you a $10 gift card.
I think I will call ahead early tomorrow morning.

Now What?

2006-12-15T19:32:00.000-04:00

As of 12:01pm today, I am on temporary layoff for 3 weeks. The nursery that I work at shuts down over the X-mas/New Year holidays. Fortunately, I have a few connections around where I can make up a few hours. I will have to go in to work a few times to spot-check our propagation areas and greenhouse. Other than that, I will be helping a brother-in-law put steel on a big warehouse nearby. By the way, going in to check the nursery isn't so bad as I live about 3 minutes away by bicycle. My other options will be: work for a brother, installing benches for Gerbera production, or helping another brother who is starting his own cut flower wholesale company with his new straight-truck.
Obviously we don't live in a city! (thank goodness) With so little on my plate in the near future, I will undoubtedly be hanging out at home with the fam!

In the words of..

2006-12-14T20:01:00.000-04:00

Being a father of two is a blast! Our eldest, H1, is 2 and a half. He is working on his vocabulary like mad. After dinner tonight, he was playing downstairs. Running and jumping like a mad-man, he states "my shoes are very jumpy!! I'm very runny!" Thank goodness I had a keen ear for his language. I decifered " I can jump very well in my shoes. I can run very well in my shoes!" His little sister, H2, one in January, just watches him, waiting to be able to walk more than 3 or 4 steps at a time. Soon she will be on his heels, taking all of his toys away! Sibling rivalry starts young!! Mom usually just shakes her head while I rough up the kids, but when we are done playing, they go to bed real well!

I am a "BLOGGER!!"

2006-12-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

This is my first post.. EVER!!