new camera and other random news

August 16, 2017 - By Heather

Some of you dear readers, may already know that my camera dropped out of my hoodie pocket into the ocean in southern Nova Scotia several weeks ago. It didn’t recover.

So after doing camera research for too many afternoons and evenings, I went back to the camera store and just bought the most basic model they sold for point and shoot cameras. I thought the old camera was a basic model, this one is quite a bit smaller and much more light-weight, less optical zoom, no touch-screen, but has 20(!) mega-pixels to its credit.

Because it is still in Nikon Coolpix family, it takes the same charger, has the same type of icons and buttons; I just slipped the old memory card into the new camera and went and took these shots of Kate and the kitten.

Yes, most everyone knows that we were given a ten-week old kitten from our friends who have a farm. Laura and Seth were at the farm the day the mama gave birth to four kittens and Laura was told that one could be hers. We had been talking about getting a kitty, but not necessarily a kitten. However when the email came that we could still have her if we were interested, I said, ‘yes, give me a few days to get ready.’ Of course, I wasn’t really ready for what life with an indoor kitten and three kids would be like, but everyone helps keep track of her and takes turns playing and cuddling with her without any fighting or issues. <snort>

Also some of you know that we installed new kitchen counters and a beadboard backsplash, but I don’t think I’ve showed any photos of what the area looks like now. Not the best way to see the changes, but I wasn’t focusing on showing the kitchen when I took this, just working on camera lighting. The lemons are sitting on a large wooden cutting board but the laminate counter underneath is also woodgrain so it’s hard to distinguish the two in this photo. We bought the piece of countertop from Ikea and Shane cut it and installed in the same L-shape as the previous countertop. He is almost done the beadboard work, then we turn our attention to painting and cupboard upgrades.

So the vet pointed out that Kitty has the markings of a Siamese, but not the face structure, so while her fur may have been more like her father’s (whoever he was), her face is the same shape as her mama’s, Bella, the barncat who is a striped tabby. I’m happy her face is not smooshed like the Persians or pointed like the Siamese. She is just herself, whatever her name ends up being.

And the rest of the photos are just more fooling around with the camera settings, getting to know what it can do. Apparently it can make my little kitty look like a huge soft cloud hanging over my garden. So much fur, so much fluff.
The garden is doing its thing with very little input from me these days. The peas were in their prime while we were away, so my neighbors who were tending the garden enjoyed many of them. But the cucumbers waited for my return before going full-tilt. I’m finding several almost every other day, it’s been one of the best cucumber years I’ve ever had. We pulled the lettuce today for some chickens we know, it was too bitter, so I will try one more seeding and see if I get some better stuff before September. And the garlic harvest has been drying in the bike shed, almost forgotten.

In this last photo, I carefully draw your attention to what is missing, besides all the grass. Yes, the hideous orange construction fencing was all taken down earlier this week. Now to get rid of that black material blocking the riverbank and I will be dancing all the way down there!
I would have already made my way there, but yesterday afternoon and evening we had several passing thunderstorms which dumped a steady rain on all that dirt. But now that it’s mostly dry…
Now, if I only had a pet goat to help with the jungle that’s grown up all along the river, I would be truly satisfied. A goat. Can you imagine?!