New Toys - A Digression

And a digression will tell you exactly why I call myself The Messy Gardener - I'm easily distracted. Nevertheless, there is a garden connection in my new toys.

My first new toy is a digital weather station bought from Lee Valley, which we got because the thermometer on the side of the house doesn't really give accurate readings and you have to go outside to see it properly.  It comes with one sensor which you mount in a shady location, but I purchased an extra one because I planned to mount one in the garden and another below the house.  Shady locations in my garden are hard to find!  Mounting it on the north wall of the potting shed was turned down because the potting shed can get quite hot, hence inaccurate readings.  I finally decided to mount it on the inside of one of the gates to the pond.  It was a good thing I bought an extra sensor, because the first time the gate was closed, the vibrations rendered the sensor inoperable.  I found a much more detailed manual online which advised you not to joggle the sensors in any way.  Too bad that wasn't in the manual that came with the sensor!  And good thing I bought an extra sensor!

La Crosse Wireless Weather Forecast Station

The second sensor was mounted on a post under our bedroom deck and now we have a properly working weather station.  The time is taken from the Atomic Clock, so it's very accurate and we have indoor and outdoor temperatures as well as minimum and maximum temperatures.  As you can see, this morning was cold and clear.

My second new toy is my Fitbit Charge.  We grow our own vegetables because we want healthy food inside our bodies.  It was long since time that I worked on the outside to make my body healthier.  A note on my daughter's Facebook page asked friends what they knew about the Fitbit.  I've wanted a good step counter for a long time and it seemed like a good product to investigate.  It turns out this was exactly what I was needing.  You wear the Fitbit all the time - except when in the bathtub or shower.  My Charge counts my step and gives me goals to work towards.  It translates steps into stairs climbed and miles travelled.  It is a proper encouragement to get moving.  It even monitors my sleep.  Now that my daughter has one too, we challenge each other and that is an even greater encouragement.  Turns out we're a bit more competitive than we'd thought!  And as for the garden connection, you can log activities of which gardening is one.  Turning over the soil is translated into steps and periods of activity.

This morning, my Fitbit, the dog and I walked to the ferry terminal to get the car that my husband had left there.  A walk on Thetis Island is a definite workout as there's hardly a level place on the island.

Ice on the slough

The walk to the ferry terminal is a beautiful one as well and one I hadn't taken for quite a while.  The cold morning had put ice on the slough - just a thin layer, but ice nevertheless. Oh! And the walk was some 3,800 steps which is over a third of my daily goal of 10,000 steps.

Telegraph Harbour on a March morning

British Columbia's Gulf Islands are gorgeous places to live.  There's hardly a spot that isn't photogenic so taking a point-and-click camera with you whenever you go for a walk is a must.

Preedy Harbour looking to Mount Brenton

So, yes, my new toys are a bit of a digression for a gardening blog, but there is a connection.  I now can accurately gauge the overnight temperatures for transplanting outside in the spring, and my activity in the garden can be measured and help me to get myself in better health.  It's all good!