Gardening, Take 2

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You may have noticed that we never posted an update on our first planting attempt. That is because everything we planted sprouted, and then promptly died. The leading theory is that we didn’t water them enough – the air here is dry enough to suck all the moisture out of the soil, leaving it bone dry after just a few hours. The hamlet recently hosted a planting workshop where they provided the seeds, soil, containers, and said that they’d water everything for us until the plants were big enough to plant outside. Seemed like a good deal.

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Once the plants have grown a bit, we can plant them in one of several community greenhouses around town – there’s one near the RCMP office, one near the Pentecostal Church, and they’re planning to put one near the school. We may have also signed up for some kind of community greenhouse club.

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Fiddle Lessons

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When I bought a fiddle before moving up North, I had no idea how popular fiddling was up here. It’s a big thing. About twice a year, fiddle instructors come through town for a few days to teach the kids (this is about as often as dentists come through town). Yesterday, I noticed on the community facebook group that they were doing fiddle lessons for adults, so Maciek and I scurried over to the school. It’s a good thing too, because I’ve apparently been doing approximately everything wrong (“Okay, that’s good, except for your shoulders, right elbow, right wrist, and all your fingers”). I went back today and got grouped in with the kids’ lessons (and yes, the kids were all better at fiddling than me). After two lessons, Maciek and I have improved greatly and can play a version of Amazing Grace that sounds like we are only gently strangling some cats. Maciek’s gotten into it too, and fortunately it turns out that the school has a fiddle loan program. And by “program”, I mean you can just take home a fiddle and promise to return it eventually.

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Twisted Delight

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Maciek had a hankering for a bread product that he used to eat in Australia called “Twisted Delight”, so we tried to make some at home. You layer the dough with assorted fillings, then roll it up and cut it so it makes a staggered shape, then bake it. It’s pretty tasty and easy to make.

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