I want, I want, I want!

Thursday I worked a full day with a wonderful woman. I find that I look forward to any day I am working with her. She is diligent, intelligent, has oodles of common sense and is basically kind hearted. There are no unnecessary confrontations with customers on her watch and she breezes through sales interactions with some very, very rude people. I am always amazed when an affluent person begins a conversation using rude tones and is confrontational over price increases that can be counted in pennies. Some wealthy people seem amazingly unhappy (and willing to share their misery), for people who have achieved “success” and have “made it”. Others are relaxed and friendly, the majority of the population is relaxed and friendly really, the exceptions are notable because they are exceptions, thank goodness.

The autumn colours are stunning this year. We had feared that they would be muted and drab after the prolonged drought during the summer, but this is not the case. It has rained regularly throughout the month of September and into October. The marshes are rejuvenated and the water levels almost back to what they were last spring. I love the autumn season, the wind and rain, scudding clouds above and the wealth of colour below.

This is day four of the curing process for the masonry heater. I did the first burn early this morning, and sat with my coffee watching the flames. The fires began small, eight pieces of one inch kindling. There is little heat to be gained during the first few days, the refractory core is not charging yet. There is some heat through the glass during the burn, so that is helping to warm the house. Right now the temperature has risen to 17C; it was 12C when we arrived home on Monday night. On Monday next we will have our first full fire and the core of the masonry heater will begin to charge, and to radiate heat.

I am trying to organize and clean our country house. What a tip! Both of us have been working full time over the last year and things just don’t get done unless they become critical; dust bunnies and the like never reach our critical list, nor does organizing our living space and belongings. Food has been stored wherever it fit at the time it came into the house. Clothing has been piled high on the dressers, clean, folded and awaiting sorting and storing. Piles of filing and paper records of issues to be addressed sit in various piles around the living room.

I began with the food and am still organizing the kitchen and food storage areas. Evidence of the length of time that has taken place since I last organized the food came by way of a burst can of tomatoes. What a mess, and it had been sitting for quite some time, turning black and mouldy in the cupboard. It was quite a cleanup, but the aqueous oxygen really worked well to destroy the mould and the spores in the cupboard. All done now.

Today Attila and I are preparing a turkey dinner, a belated celebration feast of Thanksgiving. Last evening we were been busy toasting bread ends to make the stuffing. We save and store all bread ends and scraps in the in the freezer, using up every last bit of them for either stuffing or homemade croutons. Attila will prepare his special turkey dressing when he gets home from work today, and then we will get the turkey into the oven for a wonderful meal this evening, and tomorrow evening.

I keep finding things I want. These are not things I need, they are things I want. I know the difference. For instance, I want a pressure canner, this pressure canner. I want one of these lanterns that run on a tea light, for times when the power is out, which is common in the country. I want to taste coconut again, it has been almost thirty years since I have tasted coconut, because of the preservatives used in preparing dried coconut. I found unsulphured coconut for the first time! That about sums up my present wish list. Can you tell I grew up on a farm?

I had a long chat with the father-in-law this morning, Attila isn’t here as he works Saturdays. This branch of the family is very impressed with wealth and “success”, so it is always work to talk to them. They are allowed their own points of view of course, it is the assumption that what they find valuable and admirable is shared universally that is tiresome. The conversations are usually extremely one-sided. Luckily I am a good listener and not at all concerned with bringing them around to my way of thinking. They are who they are.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

8 °C
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 102.7 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 7.5°C
Dewpoint: 1.1°C
Humidity: 64 %
Wind: SSE 21 km/h

Quote

“Cease to ask what the morrow will bring forth. And set down as gain each day that Fortune grants.”
Horace 65 BC – 8 BC
[fortune granted this man more than an equal share in wealth, influence and talent]