A New Challenge!

Posted by Ian On June 5, 2009

I'm pleased to announce that I have started my own little company - mare ad mare, which is latin for 'sea to sea' and part of the Canadian motto (check the cover of your new passports). Our goal will be to build a fresh new brand of clothing for Canadian (and wannabe Canadian) girls. I will be using this blog, much as I have in the past - to continue showing people around the globe (over 50 countries now!) what it's like to be a Canadian girl, tracing the footsteps of our 3 girls as we explore more of this great place we call home.

Un petit baiser

Unique shirt for Canadian girls

'Gimme a little kiss' - says it all. Now for big girls! Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

JUMP IN!

Fall shirt for Canadian girls

A big pile of leaves for you here! As a Canadian summer turns to fall, the leaves change colours and then fall off the trees. Kids rake them up and play! So go on, Jump into Fall with this Orange T. Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Pass the Marshmallows!

Summer shirt for Canadian Girls

Summer in Canada is the time for camping, camp fires and of course - Marshmallows! Get ready to go roast some in this summer yellow T. Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Spring...Finally!

Spring shirt for Canadian Girls

After a long Canadian winter, spring can never arrive too soon! Pull on this Spring Green T and go planting girls! Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

It's not ALWAYS cold in Canada...

Winter shirt for Canadian Girls

How many times have you had to tell someone that it's not always cold here? Well, sometimes it is cold - but to make your point, grab this little winter blue T and let them know that it's not just snow and ice up here all the time! Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Un petit baiser

Unique shirt for Canadian girls

'Gimme a little kiss' - says it all. Girls, grab this little white T, and go get your kiss ;-) Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Took a break from the basement last weekend to take care of some overdue gardening and yard work. And as a break from the basement today (making good progress though) - I'm catching up on my blog by writing about the garden...

Victoria Day
Known to most as the May two-four weekend, I had to check up on the actual relevance of the day after the girls asked... figured it had to do with the former queen (why we celebrate this I have no idea), turns out it's for the former Queen (Victoria) and the current Queen. Yiippee.

It's always been the first weekend to start planting gardens and/or prepping the cottage and/or going camping for the first time of the year. Typically it falls around May 24th, and the two-four is for the case of beer that is usually consumed during the weekend. (per person or is that just me and my friends?)

We did gardening - check out the makeover!



The girls love planting vegetables, so we went out shopping at the local nursery (which they thought was going to be some baby place). We picked out some tomato plants, cherry tomato plants, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, beans - and some hops! Was told by a friend that hops grow great up here, and I make beer - so maybe I'll be able to use them...

Hanging Tomato Planters
We wanted to try to use the hanging tomato planters (as seen on TV) but couldn't find any, and didn't want to wait to order - so found some instructions on how to do it yourself. All you need is a plastic planter, some planting fabric, drill (to make the hole) and a place to hang it.
Check it out the quick how-to with the girls!



I'll let you know how well it actually works - later...


4 inches of land... really.
My neighbour came over and pointed out that the garden was 4 inches beyond the property line. I had simply extended what the previous owner had put in, and thought nothing of it. For some reason, he HAD to have this land back.



Now along the side of his house, he's planting a garden that goes all the way to the edge of my propery line, and every time his kids (or unlicensed daycare kids) run-by, they run through our garden! I'm TRYING to be the good Canadian and turn the other cheek... (don't salt his garden - don't salt his garden...) but now I'll have to put something up to stop that.

Isn't it fun living in the burbs?



6 Response to "Victoria Day = Planting Day"

  1. I've done quite well with those hanging tomato planters...

     

  2. mare ad mare Said,

    Good to hear - I saw them 20 years ago at Epcot center in Florida, and saw they worked well... bout time I got caught up ;-)
    Have you put anything other than tomatoes in them?

     

  3. Jenn Said,

    I'm waiting (not so patiently) to plant....we get frost SO late up here.

    I'll be watching your tomato progress with great interest - I'm totally intrigued by them, and keep seeing the planters in the Lee Valley catalogue, but can't bear to fork out the cash. Nice to see you can make them yourself!

     

  4. mare ad mare Said,

    Just how far up are you? The good thing about the planters is that you can take them inside for the night if it does frost.

     

  5. Hmmm, I've been thinking about those hanging tomatoes as well. Maybe I'll take your lead and try your homemade brand. We actually have the kits in the stores down here in the sunshine land, but I'm pretty cheap.

    And the 4 inches thing was pretty bad. My sister actually went through about 6 months of court action because the neighbor tried to "take back" 12 inches of "his" land. She has neighbor voodoo dolls if you are interested. ;)

     

  6. mare ad mare Said,

    Hey SMD - please send those voodoo dolls asap!
    They have the planters in stores here too, but ran out - and I didn't want to wait... a couple of other pluses - cheaper, and I get to do something with the kids.

     

    About Me

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    It's not about the money you make, the toys you have, the clothes you wear - it's about the life experiences you go through, the challenges you face and the stories you tell... Having just moved back to Canada (after almost 8 years in the U.S and Germany), we have lots to show our girls and our friends around the world about Canada. We're going to be telling our stories, hope you enjoy our adventures. Mare ad Mare means 'sea to sea' and we want to show the world, from Sea to Sea - this is what it's like to be a Canadian Girl!