When we moved to Mist Cottage, just over three years ago, we were overwhelmed by possessions. What comfortably furnished an 1800 square foot home did not fit comfortably into an already fully furnished 640 square foot home. Boxes were stacked to the ceiling, and tunnels through them led to the kitchen, the bathroom and the beds.
We have come a long way since that week of moving our household. Much was given to Terra and Lares, a custom-made pine dining set, an antique oak dresser… Much was given to the local Women’s Shelter, and Men’s Shelter, dishes, two television sets, clothing and much, much more… Some things were given away via kijiji. Other items were sold via kijiji. I discovered I do not like selling via kijiji, finding a meeting place to exchange money for items, or having people pick things up at the house… nope, I don’t like that much.
Because Mist Cottage was already a fully functioning home, fully furnished, supplied with food, and the necessities of day-to-day life, we had duplicates of just about everything. Three years later we are just about through either using the duplicates (e.g. two jars of mustard), or finding a new home for one of the two items.
The second phase of moving in is just beginning. There was a missing link when we arrived three years ago, the garage. It leaked, badly, so that things that would normally be stored there were stacked in the basement. Attila replaced the garage roof with a spiffy new metal roof, which does not leak. The garage is now dry. Attila is slowly going through items, sorting and deciding what can go where. It is going to take a good long time for that project to be finished.
Other things crop up that get in the way of the garage organization being tackled full steam ahead. For instance, Thanksgiving weekend saw Attila working on some of the last touches on the bathroom renovation, which began in 2013, five years ago, so it is time! The work that was holding him up was drywall mudding and painting, which needed an open window and the furnace shut down. At last, the time and the opportunity to work on the bathroom occurred this past weekend. Now all that remains is the last piece of baseboard… it was cut and ready in 2013, but has since gone missing. Attila says he is looking for it… I think I might have push a bit on this last bit, perhaps go out and buy additional baseboard to get the job done.
On my end, the freezer situation is being taken in hand. It is a slow process, defrosting, cleaning, and organizing freezers. I keep running into vintage food, and attempting to cook it as soon as I discover it. Since the Thanksgiving turkey dinner will provide leftovers until the weekend, there is no need to cook meals. This week the vintage food found in the freezer cannot be made into meals. What to do!
Canning!
Several bags of fruit did not weather the move well. They had thawed slightly and then iced badly over the last three years. There was one bag of chopped strawberries, and one bag of diced rhubarb. After removing the ice, into the pot they went, combined with sugar, and were stewed together to make stewed rhubarb and strawberries. The mixture, when cooked, filled two and half mason jars. The two full jars were canned in the steam canner, for 15 minutes. The half mason jar went into the refrigerator, to enjoy for the rest of the week.
Worldly
Weather
22°C
Date: 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday 10 October 2018
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 101.3 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 21.5°C
Dew point: 19.4°C
Humidity: 88%
Wind: SSW 9 km/h
Humidex: 29
Visibility: 24 km
The weather is crazy! Yesterday the humidex was well over 30C, and today it was just a high. The air conditioning is turned on, to reduce the humidity in the house, in October! The garden likes this weather, more tomatoes, peppers, and beans coming on.
Quote
“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.”
George Bernard Shaw
1856 – 1950
Your weather is so different there! Gardens here are toast; we’ve had several snows and below-freezing temperature every night now. Our potatoes are in the basement and the tomatoes are ripening and being chopped (or bagged whole, as per your idea) and frozen. We still have a dozen bags from last fall to turn into salsa sauce! But I’m told this year’s take is a lot smaller than 2017’s. -Kate
This is supposed to be our last summery day. We’re in the mid 70s, so about 25. Tomorrow is supposed to be much cooler with temp possibly falling throughout the day. By the end of the week the lows are supposed to be just a bit warmer than freezing.
Glad to hear that Attila is finishing up your bathroom reno. I’d love to see things get started on our, over here. We bought a bathroom cabinet in the spring but that’s about as far as we’ve gotten. I think the need to take out the iron tub is holding us back. Not much fun, having to hammer out an iron tub.
Kate, the weather is amazingly different here! I think we are getting a lot of air movement influenced by Hurricane Florence and now Hurricane Michael, not a direct influence, sort of a cascade effect. Air conditioning in October, shaking my head at the weather. I think when the weather turns cold here it will be an extreme and sudden change, but time will tell. Aren’t freezers just the bees knees! You can put harvested vegetables and fruit on hold until you have time, or inclination!
Teri, it sure is summery! We went to the building centre this evening to pick up the baseboard, and I was so overdressed! Long sleeve flannel shirt, socks and shoes… I wasn’t very comfortable. It does sound as if tomorrow I will be able to wear the same clothing, and might even need more, lol. I do hope the freezing temperatures hold off for a while, it would be nice if a few more tomatoes ripened on the vines. Green is good too though, so if we have to pick them green they can be ripened indoors.
Removing old tubs is certainly cause for pause! You will be glad when it is done though, because once it is out you will be done with that part of the project. Bathroom renovations are complicated endeavors, so much to remove, and then so much to put back in. I will be very glad wnen our little bathroom is completed. Unfinished projects have a way of sticking in the back of my mind, and I don’t like that. I like to get things done and out of the way. But the bathroom project was just one of many, such as the garage roof, and had to wait its rightful turn for attention. Now is the time, yay!
Hi Maggie,
I have been out of the loop for a very long time so I am not sure what is going on. Are you still moving into Mist Cottage? Am I reading that right?
I can relate to moving from a larger place to a much smaller one. Due to health problems hubby and I recently had to move into senior subsidized housing and our apt. is 650 sq. ft. We have not even started to unpack yet. It is not an ideal situation but we did not have much of a choice and actually were very lucky there was something immediately available so we did not have to wait on a long list. I was even happier the place in the same town (5 minutes it ends up) as hubby’s cousin I like so much.
There is a lot left to do and I am tired already. BTW, I did not like selling either. People were unreliable at best. Donating was much easier.
Hello Nora! Glad to see you here!
My reference is to completing the job of moving in. We moved here in September of 2015, just over three years ago. At the time it was desperate measures as to organizing things here at Mist Cottage, chaos reigned. The main floor of the house has gradually become more and more organized and comfortable, BUT the basement was in limbo, things have remained in a choatic state because the garage could not be used for storage or projects, the leaking roof was just so awful, so much mold and mildew. Attila took a week vacatoin in late spring and got going on ripping off the old garage roof, it took until the end of August to actually complete the exterior of the roof replacement project. Attila was flat out exhausted after that!
Since then he has been slowly working on cleaning up the garage and beginning to organize it, very slow going. Moving into the garage is the second phase of moving in, three years later! I anticipate it will take another year before the dust settles moving into the garage and organizing the basement.
Your new place sounds lovely, and I know how small 650 square feet can feel! The location does sound lovely though, so hopefully you can take your time unpacking and set things up just as you like them. What good fortune that the place was available when you needed it, someone up there is looking out for you!
Ah, selling, definitely not my kind of thing. I make a lousy salesperson, I know it, it just isn’t one of my talents. I try, but to no avail, I think you either have the knack or you don’t. I definitely do not have a knack for it, and I dislike it to boot. It is amazing how friendly people are when you are giving them something for free, much easier all round. My philanthropy outstrips my means, lol!
Hi Maggie,
Wow I have been out of the loop for three years. I do recall now the move to Mist Cottage. Did you sell camp? That I can not remember. I think I left off with huge gravel piles for the driveway and some curious fox though that could be way of course.
I’m glad that the garage roof got fixed and gives you more space. By now I think Attila has recuperated. You both are always involved in a project. Never a dull moment.
The new place…well, much to be desired but it will have to do. Lucky in the sense it appears to be quiet and there is just one floor in this old school so we have no people under us or above us and share just one wall with ‘Johnny’. He is our cute, elderly neighbor. Seems because there are just 17 units there that everybody knows everybody and they watch out for each other. Our last apt. complex housed 400 apartments and for me was a nightmare.
I don’t mind selling on Etsy but up close and personal is not my thing. Yes, people are much different when there are give-aways!
Our weather has suddenly gotten a lot cooler. Looks like it will be this way for the rest of the week. It’s 72* in the house right now and was just in the 90s outside last week. My friends out on the west coast are also having cooler weather and I see you are too. Not to much longer we will be bundled in wool!
Hi Nora,
You missed a bit of excitement here and there in my life, things have settled down for now, hopefully a long period of relative calm is in store.
We still have both our camps, the Traditional Camp near my Granny and Grandpa’s house, which we didn’t get to visit this year, and our Rideau Camp, which we put a trailer on and still visit frequently. The gravel piles were levelled the summer before last , and Grace the trailer was purchased, a 2001 model, quite luxurious compared to little Iris the trailer, who sits in our driveway at Mist Cottage.
Nora, your location sounds just wonderful, people make all the difference, and not having anyone above or below makes such a bonus. It sounds like a lovely little community.
It cooled down here last night, down to seasonal October temperatures. Yes, soon enough we will be wearing our woolies!