The simple pleasure of hanging laundry
Of all the things I miss each year as the summer spills over into autumn, the one I hang on to the longest, and feel most wistful letting go, is laundry. More specifically, hanging clothes outside in the sun.
Autumn
Nature’s little automatic defroster
One of the most annoying things about the fall and spring seasons is the need to scrape the frost off your vehicle’s windows before you can drive anywhere. In the summer, you only have to worry about a little bit of fog; and in the winter, there’s often too little moisture in the air for …
Autumn sunlight and shadows
We’re past the halfway mark in October as I write this. The sun rose today at 9:16 and will set at 18:49 (6:49 for most of us civilians), so we’re down to less than half a day of actual sunlight. That’s in spite of the fact we can count on extended, refracted light on either …
Woodsmoke
I’ve always loved the smell of woodsmoke. I know this is not the case for everyone and that too many wood stoves in a small residential area can cause concern. I am lucky to live in a part of town where few people heat with wood. These days, my woodsmoke saga begins in late August, …
Brandon Isaak: Spiritual Undertones
After two acoustic solo albums, Bluesman’s Plea (2011) & Here on Earth (2014), Brandon Isaak’s Spiritual Undertones marks a departure.
Yukon See It Here: Larry White
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to [email protected] I captured some photos of these eerie, Mordor-looking clouds sweeping down Grey Mountain, one morning, this October.
Batten down the hatches
I feel tumbled up against the advance of winter. All summer, the sun pulled me on with the force of a tearaway sled dog and, when the days shortened into fall, it was as if she slowed suddenly to sniff out a piece of news and I hurtled into her. I sit on the trail …
Mushroom Soup
Living in a place where so many people pick mushrooms, this recipe is a great way to let those freshly picked beauties shine.
Take a walk in Kluane
Fall is upon us. When I leave the house in the mornings now, the sun has yet to awaken. It feels too early in the season to see my breath, but here we are. Winter whispering at us does come with some pretty wicked benefits, though: the air is crisp, giving us unreal clarity; the …
Let the apple harvest begin
A couple of weeks ago, I was stayed in my tracks as I was strolling by one of our apple shelters. They’re coming, my nose told me as the fragrance of ripe fruit wafted out of the open door. I poked my head in. As luck would have it, beneath the laden branches lay a …
A Passion for Preserving
If you love the gentle pop-pop-popping of a jar lid, you might just be a home canner. For Michelle Christensen-Toews, it’s one of the many satisfying things about preserving food. “You only hear it as you’re clearing up. You’re washing the dishes and you start to hear the popping and you know that things are …
It’s over: Dawson Winter
It’s September, and as the leaves start to turn and the streets become empty of tourists, transient workers who have lived in Dawson City for the summer are hitting the road out of town. Being a seasonal community, Dawson has seen its fair share of young people coming up for summer work. Some are old …
Colours of Autumn
Fall is the favourite season of many Yukoners. Avid photographer and outdoors person Jozien Keijzer provided this gallery of early-autumn scenes captured in various locations west of Whitehorse. “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun…” -John Keats: To Autumn
The Last, Loveliest Smile
I never took much notice of something as simple as the seasons until moving North. Pre-Yukon, I was rather unmoved by the monotonous blend of greens extending from the mossy forest floor to the heights of the coniferous giants on Vancouver Island. And as much as I love the “wet-coast”, seasons seem to meld into …
The Team
I fell asleep, dreaming about all these beautiful things that the next days promised. The sweet melody of my alarm clock rang. It was 7:30 a.m., time to get up. It was above all time to greet and take care of my new colleagues. Here I was, clothed in my three layers, ready to face …
Like the Man Said, Those Precious Days are Dwindling Down
The great American lyricist Maxwell Anderson summed up the imperatives of this time of year better than anyone else: “Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December / But the days grow short when you reach September.” No, wait. We’ve already slid into November, for Pete’s sake. Definitely time to gather nuts, pack …
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Bittersweet September
September has the ability to feel more like the start of a new year than January. People migrating home after their summer adventures and the return of the cool weather, brings a sense of something new and of settling back into normal. September is also (most obviously) the beginning of the school year; school always …
That Wasn’t the Plan
I always forget the way this works, how fast things change here. In the hot, hot days of summer, I think it will last forever and then suddenly, one rainy July day, there it is. The chill, maybe a wool sweater, the thought of lighting a fire crosses your mind, and you notice the first …
Planning ahead for a bounty of sunflowers
September always makes me think of apple picking, hay barrels, corn, and sunflowers. This summer I decided to try and grow sunflowers and even though I have never gardened before, I liked the thought of having my own sunflowers in September to enjoy. Before picking the specific type of sunflower I wanted to grow, I …
The Green Rush
Right on schedule, my sprout craving has arisen from where it lay quietly dormant since the fall, nestled snug beneath the desire for stews and roasted root vegetables. The herbs I’ve kept in the house are responding to the same cues, with tiny pale green leaves emerging from the nodes of their twiggy stems. I’m …
Where Have All The Colours Gone?
On the day I am writing this, Whitehorse and Haines Junction are inches deep in their first winter snow and Dawson, while chilly and damp, is not. Mind you, we’re getting ready for it. The big living room window got its winter plastic coating this evening, and several of the online weather widgets are predicting …
Clandestine Crabapple Caper
Yesterday the sun sank behind the mountains at the same moment as the final round of applause burst forth from the tents lining the roundabout at Shipyard’s park — a poetic end to the farmer’s market season. Well, the end of Thursday markets at least; this year, the Saturday affairs will continue through the end …
Book Reading Season
Every season is book reading season, but the most exciting season to read books is in the fall. The feeling of the change from summer to fall evokes a restlessness akin to spring fever, but it’s not that, it’s the opposite. Nobody ever says ‘fall fever’ because there isn’t a word that’s the same as …
Seed saving
Seed saving is a time-honored way of keeping certain plant traits growing. It used to be a common practice among gardeners. This year we have decided to keep seed from some of our vegetables. The challenge is to prevent similar plants from cross-pollinating. I find it amazing, the plants that will cross with each other. …
Get Pickled!
This is my favorite time of year. The harvests are in, and whether you garden or purchase from local farms, this is when you can preserve a nourishing, tasty abundance of food for the winter.There are many ways to do this — drying, freezing, and fermenting retains the most nutrients. Canning preserves minerals, but most …
Fall
Living in the Yukon, people want to enjoy summer to the fullest, “summer” being those 14 to 21 days randomly sprinkled across June, July, and August. Gardeners are no different.The perception of many is that a long, hot summer brings an abundance of produce normally grown in hot houses down south. In truth though, a scorching summer …
As summer wraps up, many of us tense up.
At this time of year, memories of lazy summer days (if you were lucky) give way to a frenzy of chores — like harvesting and processing food, stocking up firewood, getting ready for school, and putting away summer projects and toys .As we transition from the expansive and chaotic energies of summer to the more …
Successful Perennial Gardening, All-Summer-Long
Perennial gardening has long been a favoured pastime for Yukon gardeners. Now is the perfect time to take a good look at the perennials in your garden, decide which perennials to plant where, shuffle existing plants around your garden and fill in empty spaces with new favourite varieties. Perennial gardens can look stunning, from early …
Save Those Seeds!
A few years ago I received a delightful gift consisting of an assortment of home-grown, home-dried tomato and pepper seeds. What a delightful gift, I thought, and with Christmas only around four months away, now is the time to try saving seeds from your own plants to share, give as gifts or keep for next …
Your first thought is …
I say, “Fall.” You think … ? OK, hard to play that game here, but I would guess that your word associations may include such things as school (school supplies … freedom!), Thanksgiving, family … maybe even that dreaded word – snow. Now that your head is teeming with fall thoughts, I’ll tell you the …
Pairing the Sweet with the Sweet
I had some friends out to my cabin this past weekend for a great fall dinner with pasta and several good Oregon pinot noirs to try with the main course. For dessert, one of my guests brought a wonderful, home-made Tiramisu. I recently read an article that called it “heaven in your mouth!” All those …
Comet Hartley and Starfest
We are back from an astronomical holiday and raring to go. It is great to be back in such dark Yukon skies with no light pollution. Upon arriving home and taking in the Yukon Night Skies, it is reassuring to see all of the familiar constellations like Cygnus, Lyra, Cassiopeia and Pegasus. Jupiter and her …
Getting Ready for Fall Gardening
Now is the perfect time of year to finish up summer landscape projects, prepare garden beds for the winter as well as plan for next year’s garden. For a harvest of hues, choose a variety of plants for late-season colour. With a little planning you can have rich autumn colour, bright foliage along with attractive …
Next Year’s Garden Season Begins Now
Although this year’s gardening season is winding down, next year’s season is just beginning. I heard quite a few years ago, that someone was experimenting with planting crops such as carrots and beets in the fall with the expectation that they would be much further ahead in harvesting than spring-planted carrots. I was too busy …
Trying Some Malbecs
After more than a month of grey skies and rain, the sun finally made a re-appearance over my lake. Still, it feels like it is too late for summer, with the first trees turning yellow, the underbrush taking on reddish hues, and falling leaves starting to mass on my road. I am trying to find …
Be It Ever So Wintry, There’s No Place Like Home
“Gee, but it’s great to be back home” – Paul Simon Waiting for my wife’s plane to land at the airport this afternoon I was reminded of how difficult it can be to get in and out of town sometimes. It was my second trip to the airport that day due to the foggy conditions …
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A Tale of Two Star Parties
For most northern astronomers, summer is either solar observing, or waiting for the return of the autumn night skies. The other option is to head to a star party in the southern part of the country. This year we went to one of our favourite star parties at Mount Kobau, right outside Osoyoos in B.C. …
A Feast For the Eyes in October’s Skies
Autumn is upon us and the Yukon night skies are at their best. If you head out early in the evening, you will see the summer constellations slowly sinking into the horizon. Alternately, if you stay up until just before sunrise, you’ll be able to see the winter constellations climbing over the horizon. Add in …
Spend the Winter With Your Geraniums
While the frost nips at our gardens, I’ve been asked numerous times on the proper way to overwinter geraniums. Of all the outdoor summer blooms, geraniums can probably make the transition most successfully by using one of the two methods I have tried. The geraniums that we grow in our area are of the genus …
Beautiful Reasons to Wait for Spring
The gardening season is rapidly coming to an end, but if you still have an urge to plant something and the snow hasn’t reached your area yet, my best suggestion would be to try planting tulips. Tulips, one of the earliest flowers to bloom, are a good example of the type of plant that needs …
