Here we are, December already! I have been living in Mist Cottage for about 12 weeks now; Attila has been living here for 10 weeks. We have come a long way with our purging and unpacking, and we still have a long way to go! We are in a constant state of flux, furniture and belongings moved from here to there constantly, as the space is too small to set things aside easily while working on a project.
Yesterday I donated two boxes of items, and a green garbage bag full of clothing, to a local charity. The items have been unused for the last 25 years, and the clothing no longer fits. While in the city I also had new tires installed on the car that Attila uses to commute, and had my printer cartridge refilled. While I was waiting for the printer cartridge, and the tires, I walked around Costco, for over an hour, and I managed not to buy anything. We call Costco the $500 Store. It felt good to get all of these errands accomplished, while Attila was home sleeping in preparation for the night shift.
It was fortuitous that the tires were replaced yesterday, because the roads were very slippery due to ice, on Attila’s commute home from work this morning. He was able to navigate the roads with ease and confidence, and arrived home safely.
We purchased beds with storage drawers beneath, and they are to arrive next week. We also purchased a wardrobe that was on sale at an unbelievably low price, as part of a Black Friday sale. It wasn’t the one I was dreaming of, but it will serve the purpose, even if it falls apart after a short time, as cheap furniture often does. When Attila has assembled it, we can relieve the congestion in the one closet in the house, and perhaps begin to wear some of our regular clothing.
Last weekend Luna, Janus, and the Grandbabies arrived at Terra’s big country house, for a family Christmas celebration. It was the only time all of us were able to be in the same place, at the same time, for the next few months. We had a grand time! Terra prepared an outstanding turkey dinner. I brought pumpkin pie squares, which were gobbled up completely, to my surprise. As well, I brought a batch of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, and those too were gobbled up quickly. Presents were not the focus of the event, but Attila and I could not resist wrapping up little surprises for everyone to open.
When we lived in the country house, we were able to burn garbage that had sensitive information on it. This cannot be done at Mist Cottage, so we have been accumulating quite a bit of material in our “burn bag”. Luckily, we brought the “burn bag” with us to Terra’s house, and Lares was out in the back with a large fire to burn errant branches. They heat with wood, and Lares, with the help of Attila, Janus, and Elf, was busy felling the last of the trees for firewood, sectioning them, splitting them, and stacking the wood in the wood shed. I took the opportunity to incinerate the contents of the “burn bag”, assisted by Imp, and Elf, and Tink. They couldn’t get close to the fire, so we made paper airplanes out of the paper items, which they then sent sailing into the fire. Great fun!
My Mom is experiencing a health issue. She is receiving the medical attention she needs, is as cheerful as ever, and it isn’t slowing her down much! Love from all of us Mom!
The day slipped by me today. I went for my walk, in spite of the cold and drizzle. The trick was not to wear my glasses, which blur my vision when raindrops cling to them, and fog over completely when I come in from the outdoors. They are reading glasses, and I don’t need the when I am out walking.
I baked bread, and a batch of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, as squares instead of individual cookies.
Tonight I have the problem of deciding whether to sample the homemade bread, or the cookies. I am trying very hard not to sample both!
Worldly Distractions
Weather
5:37 PM EST Tuesday 1 December 2015
Condition: Light Drizzle
Pressure: 101.3 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 13 km
Temperature: 7.1°C
Dewpoint: 6.1°C
Humidity: 93%
Wind: SE 28 km/h
Quote
“Years ago my mother said to me, ‘In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.’ For years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.”
Written by Mary Chase (1887 – 1973
Spoken by character Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) in “Harvey”, 1950
[I love this movie!]
First, best wishes to your mom for a quick resolution to what ails her.
It really sounds as if things are coming along and that, despite the challenge of the ongoing sloshing, the move is delivering all the benefits for which you had hoped.
Your baking has me longing for the days I used to do the same! One reason is a diabetic husband-it would be unfair to have baking around for only me to eat. I’ve never found sugar substitutes that worked as well as sugar!
Wishing a quick and full recovery to your Mum, too!
I’d always thought I’d like one of those beds with the drawers underneath. I hate looking under a bed. For the first time ever, I think, I have nothing at all underneath my bed. It sits up high, too, and has quite a bit of space under there. But when I cleaned up my room about 6 months ago, I found places for all the shoes etc. that were underneath the bed in storage containers. Now there are just fur-balls under there all the time!
Thanks Wendy, Mom reads the blog, and I know she appreciates good wishes!
You know, we moved from our beautiful Muskoka home, and have not looked back! Neither of us miss it one little bit. The decision to uproot ourselves and start over at Mist Cottage is one of the best we have ever made, no regrets at all.
Our life here isn’t one that would hold up to a glossy magazine spread, but it certainly holds up to everything we hold dear. We have each other, enough $ to survive if we tighten our belts, and we are thrilled with our little house, that becomes more and more like the home we envisioned.
Oh my, Lucky Few, it would be so very difficult to give up baked goods! We love our treats. I know what you mean about sugar substitutes just not being the same as sugar. I did make some fruit oatmeal squares with Splenda, they turned out rather well, but they were quite spicy, so the sweetness wasn’t the main event.
I used to love buying a single cinnamon bun as a treat, but since I developed anaphylaxis I can’t risk eating that sort of treat, unless I trust the label. With restaurants, and bakeries, the labels are not usually all that reliable, so I can’t buy just on cinnamon bun and enjoy it. I HAVE to make a whole pan of cinnamon buns, poor, poor me, 🙂
Thanks Bex, Mom will appreciate your good wishes! She is amazing, this hasn’t slowed her down, she was out playing cards last night. That’s my Mom!
I love the idea of drawers under the bed! What I really like is that they pull out, and I do not have to get down on my hands and knees to fish things out of from under the bed. We desperately need the storage space. Those shoes! I have shoes that are over 25 years old, and I just won’t get rid of them, they still have life in them yet! We have too many shoes though, I must put out the ones closest to wearing out, wear them out, and not replace them.
Hi, Maggie. Here’s your test post…
I am so glad that worked Teri! I don’t know what happened to your original comment, it is a mystery. Thanks for letting me know about the issue.
Maggie, I’m so glad to hear your whole-hearted belief that the move to Mist Cottage was the perfect choice for you and Attila. That’s wonderful!
Sending best wishes to your mom, and all the rest of you!
Thanks Teri! When it is right, it is right. From the time we bought Mist Cottage I wanted t live here, it felt right. It surprised me completely that it felt right, because logically the place did not tick any of the boxes related to what I would logically be looking for in locating my abode.
Thanks also for the good wishes form my Mom, she is carrying on as usual, damn the torpedoes. She has always approached life this way, and so do her kids.