It has been a very busy summer. At the beginning of July I had surgery, and that same week the fellows came to install the wood stove in the basement. The following week the new heat pump and electric furnace were installed, and the electrician did some temporary work to hold us over until the hydro inspectors can get to us, which could take months as cutbacks by the Ontario government have reduced the number of inspectors. This is made more serious because the Ontario government is encouraging electric vehicles, that require upgrades to residential services to support the load. And so we are on hold now and hoping to have heat before the weather reminds us we need it. The day after the install of the heat pump was finished, the canning season began in earnest. And that has been keeping me very busy.
The heat pump works quietly and wonderfully. We have an air cleaner installed with this system, and it requires the fan to run constantly, so it is using slightly more electricity than the old heat pump system. But it is worth every penny, as we are no longer stuffed up spending time indoors. We both have moderate issues with our lungs, so this is quite a relief.
The garden is doing well, thanks to Attila’s green thumb and hard work.
I’ve been busy canning, and dehydrating. We are trying not to freeze very much. One thing we are freezing is our homemade pesto, using our own basil, which is doing very well this year. I would love to get another freezer, but that is definitely not in the budget right now.
Canning started early with Dandelion Jelly, then Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate, and also Coleslaw with our Golden Acre cabbages.
I’ve since been canning Zucchini Pineapple, and a variety of dill pickles, using cucumbers and beans. Attila is growing four kinds of cucumbers this year, and they are all doing well. For eating and some pickle canning we have English cucumbers. For canning we have Paris, Chicago, and Boston cucumbers, they are specific pickling cucumbers. We grow our own dill and garlic for the pickles.
Last week Attila harvested our first large kohlrabi, which we cooked like a potato in the instant pot and mashed with potatoes.
Attila is now bringing in a lot more kohlrabi. We will freeze some, but yesterday I thought I’d try to dill pickle it. After peeling a large kohlrabi, it was cut into short sticks and pickled with my dill pickle recipe, 3 jars. We tasted it this morning, not waiting long enough to give the flavours a chance to develop, but it would still give us an idea of how we would like it. The Dilly Kohlrabi is a big hit with us. It is the second food I’ve ever ingested that made me feel fantastic, physically and emotionally. So this is the method to be used to preserve our kohlrabi harvest. Attila harvested six more kohlrabi this morning, so it will be more pickling today, after the day’s Zucchini Pineapple is canned. The leaves will be blanched and dehydrated powder, for our winter greens.
When the new wood stove was installed in the basement, Attila had to remove the drywall, insulation and studs behind where it was to go. This weekend he is installing new studs, insulation, vapour barrier, and drywall. The wood stove project will be complete!
Since we lost Mist the Kitty in 2015, I have been thinking about having another feline companion. For years and years I’ve kept an eye on rescue sites, and decided about two weeks ago to have a look at Kijiji. And there he was, Ginger, looking for a quiet home. Quiet, yes, we do quiet. His owner of 9 years adopted him as a kitten from the Humane Society. Due to her health issues she needed to find him a loving home. His first week here was spent behind the bookcase, watching us closely, wary. By the end of his second week he was sleeping either on my lap soaking up affection, sleeping on my chair when I was not in it, or sleeping in this empty drawer beside my chair. It is taking him a little longer to gain acquaintance with Attila, who is away all day at work, and usually quite active and busy when he is at home. They are becoming good friends.
Attila is sick at the moment, we suspect it is Covid, as masks are not being worn where he works, and there are frequently new cases there. So far he is experiencing lung congestion and fatigue, and has been napping frequently all weekend. Ginger and I are feeling well, so hopefully we will not catch what he has.
Worldly
Weather
Updated on Mon, Aug 1, 3:45 PM
30°C
FEELS LIKE 34
Partly cloudy
Wind 21 SW km/h
Humidity 42%
Visibility 37 km
Sunrise 5:54 AM
Wind gust 32 km/h
Pressure 100.9 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 8:32 PM
Quote
Antigonish
As I was walking up the stair
I met a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there again today.
I wish, I wish he’d stay away.
As I was walking up the stair
I met a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there again today.
Hughes Mearns
1875 – 1965
When my dear friend Derek Currie recited this to me, one lovely sunny summer day, walking along the boardwalk on the Toronto’s Centre Island, it was the first time I’d heard it. Derek was such good company!!
Feel better Attila! Glad that Ginger feels at home. Love to you both.
Attila says thanks Joannie. Ginger is now acting like he owns the place, Love to you and Mike.
Ginger is a beautiful kitty, I pray you’ll have many years with her. Also that Attila soon feels better and you stay well.
Oh, I am so glad you got another kitty! I remember your dear Mist. Best of luck with Ginger. Hope Attila recovers quickly and that you don’t catch Covid!
I hope Attila feels better and that it’s not Covid.
I love Ginger! He is beautiful and it sounds like he is settling in nicely. He looks very “floofy” 🙂 Congratulations on the new member of the family!
Thanks Joan! Ginger is a great fit for us, he is so good natured! As far as we know he has no health issues, and we will try to keep him that way.
Thank you Eileen. So far Ginger is fitting into the household well. I’ve discovered that he isn’t a morning cat, a bit grumpy coming into the day, he mellows as the day goes on. I think Attila has covd, but the hometest said no. They aren’t very accurate. His feeling a little better every day.
Thanks Sandy. He is feeling a little better every day.
Ginger is very floofy! His fur is everywhere, and we brush him frequently, fun for all of us.
Hi, Maggie! We also have some kind of air purifier in our place – but it doesn’t work in the summer. It shuts down when the temp is above 15 for more than 24 hours, so we just shut it completely off once temps warmed up. I guess they figure you’ll have the windows open in the summer?
Oh, and our driveway was finally laid last week. We actually get to drive on it on Thursday. It’ll be cured by then. Oh, and they’re promising they’ll start building our deck on Thursday, too.
What a lovely cat! I’m also learning what a joy it can be to have a cuddler. Our 1 year old pup, Loki, has recently taken to begging to be on my lap. Thank goodness he’s small enough!
Sorry to hear Attila isn’t feeling well. I’ve heard of a lot of people testing negative when it looks like they have covid. They just don’t give off enough virus. If Attila has breathing problems around Day 5, definitely take him to Emerge.
*hugs to you both*
Hello Teri! I didn’t know very much about the air purifier before we got it, the fan has to be on all the time, not really a great design feature. I will be contacting the manufacturer to explore options at some point in the future, as it does not shut off when the system is turned off. I will open the windows on lovely days though, even with the fan running.
Congratulations on the new driveway, that will make quite a difference. And the deck, a lot of good weather coming up in the next weeks to enjoy a deck.
I love cuddly pets. Ginger is the first pet I’ve had that has been cuddly, quite a surprise. Diesel, Terra’s at that stayed with me the winter of 2015, was a cuddler, such a sweet cat. I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid on the farm, but I did spend a week caring for Luna’s two dogs, one of them Bennie was quite a cuddler, he passed away a few years ago.
Attila is slowly feeling better, day by day. We check his oxygen levels with the oximeter several times a day, still at 99%. We are around day five now, and he is OK, just the cough is lingering now. I would not hesitate to get him into emerge if he was in the least distressed. Hugs