Patience

It was an exciting morning, based on a false assumption on my part. Shortly after 7:30 a large truck rolled up in front of the house, pulling a trailer with a front end loader, leading a line of four parked pickup trucks. Since I have been waiting anxiously for hydro to do the work here so that the furnace install can be completed, I assumed immediately it was Ontario Hydro. It was not, it was the gas company. Our neighbour’s furnace was condemned this spring as well, and he chose to be connected to the natural gas supply, and have a natural gas furnace installed. I am happy for him, disappointed for us. That will teach me not to jump to conclusions!

What I did do was make a telephone call to Ontario Hydro to inquire about their process, what it is, and where we are in it. Apparently there is pre-work to be done before the service upgrade, and that should be completed by the end of next week. When that is completed they will schedule the service upgrade with the electrician, who will also be responsible for dealing with the requirements for the ESA. Knowing what to expect does facilitate patience.

I have been slowly recovering, and now most of the lingering Covid symptoms are in my head, which feels as if it is stuffed with cotton balls, and I am experiencing nosebleeds. Other than that I am feeling quite well, good appetite, and energy levels returning to normal.

Before my children came along I spent a lot of time with my Granny and Grandpa, and also often visited with my Great Aunt Goldie. One of the activities we shared together was picking wild fruit. It was such a privilege to set forth with them to pick wild strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, choke cherries, crab apples, and high bush cranberries. It was Aunt Goldie who introduced me to high bush cranberries, on a sunny afternoon in late October. We headed out into the frosty fields on her farm, wearing our jackets and rubber boots. She showed me where to find the shrubs, instructed me as to the best time to pick the berries, and told me how to make them into jelly. We picked quite a few berries that day, enough for a full batch of jelly, which I made at home the next day. I loved the time I spent with Aunt Goldie, and the jelly was delicious!

On the weekend Attila harvested the few high bush cranberries that grew on our shrub. This is the shrubs second season here at Mist Cottage, so we were not expecting a large harvest, nor did we get one. There was about a quart of berries all told. I ended up with about a cup of juice and pulp, not much to work with, but definitely worth the effort to prepare. My idea was to make a syrup, so I made up the method and ingredients as a I went along. I ended up with High Bush Cranberry Jelly, as I had underestimated the amount of pectin in the orange zest and the high bush cranberries. It was delicious!

The weather has been wonderful, highs of 20C, with sunny skies and breezes. The lovely weather began on Sunday, right after I’d changed the bedding to winter flannel sheets. Right now the windows are open, as it is too warm in the house for comfortable sleeping, at 24C.

I received some wonderful news from the medical clinic today, my aneurysm is stable. This could not be verified until I had the second scan to compare to the first. Because I had Covid, the doctor in the emergency department felt it prudent to get the second scan done, to ensure there are no issues.

Worldly

Weather

Updated on Mon, Oct 24, 8:55 PM
14 °C
FEELS LIKE 14
A few clouds
Wind 6 E km/h
Humidity 76 %
Visibility 23 km
Sunrise 7:35 AM
Wind gust 9 km/h
Pressure 101.9 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 6:07 PM

Quote

“We feel in one world, we think and name in another. Between the two we can set up a system of references, but we cannot fill in the gap.”
Marcel Proust
1871 – 1922