I continue to attack the mildew odour in Iris’ cushions. The worst affected are the back cushions of the dinette. The foam has been removed from the covers, the covers washed and one of the foams was soaked and washed. This morning the covers still retained a memory of mildew, and the foam has not dried, so that it is not possible to tell just yet if the washing has succeeded. I washed the covers for a second time, which seemed to marginally improve their aroma. I fear that these 39 year old cushions and covers cannot be restored to an acceptable quality for use. New cushions and covers are expensive, I am currently looking for a local source of good quality foam. I am considering covering new foam with makeshift “cases” made from shower curtains; it wouldn’t be pretty, but it just might be functional. If we do manage to get new cushions they won’t be stored in Iris over the winter!
We have a few mosquitoes here at Mist Cottage. They are a lethargic lot, easy to kill, if spotted before they have a chance to bite. I notice that they are stirred up when I walk through the grass on the lawn. There is no standing water here, so I wonder where they are breeding!
When we were visiting with Mom a few weeks ago, staying with my sister-the-oldest-girl, my sister gave us some rhubarb that had thrived in her garden. Tuesday morning the last of it was used to make a rhubarb crisp for Attila’s lunches; it was in and out of the oven before 7:00 a.m., when the cost of hydro increases.
The call came on Wednesday afternoon from the country GP’s office, he requisitioned tests to find out what is going on with the Chronic Kidney Disease diagnosis. I dropped in at the lab to see if the requisition for the tests had come to them, it hadn’t yet. It wasn’t a worry though. At the local lab’s suggestion I called the customer service number on Thursday morning. The requisition had indeed arrived at the central office, and was distributed to the labs immediately, I was good to go. Now I will wait for a call from the GP’s office to let me know about his assessment of the test results. This GP is a real gem, I wish all of them had his skill, sense of ethics, and compassion, it is really a shame I am so far away from his office!
It was definitely chilly this morning, 4C, but I think the weather will now warm up substantially, the high today of 23 will be lovely.
The preparation for our evening visit to the Rideau Camp is under way. I sprayed four pairs of cotton gloves with permethrin yesterday and set them aside this morning to put in the camp box. This morning I sprayed one of my light coloured t-shirts, and two pairs of light coloured socks with permethrin, all to be worn when we visit the camp. This should prevent mosquitoes from biting under my large man’s shirt, our hands as we work, and offer some protection from ticks as well. We now have two serious diseases to worry about from the biting insects in Ontario, whereas during my youth there were none. Both diseases are the indirect compliments of human progress.
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I received a call from my sister-the-youngest-girl, her oldest daughter, my niece, an Engineer who is working out of the country at the moment, has just become engaged to be married. No details at this point. It isn’t difficult to understand how old you are with the younger generation around!
Worldly Distractions
Weather
4°C
Date: 6:00 AM EDT Friday 20 May 2016
Condition: Fog
Pressure: 102.3 kPa
Tendency: rising
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 4.1°C
Dewpoint: 3.5°C
Humidity: 96%
Wind: ENE 5 km/h
Today Sunny. High 23. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight A few clouds. Low 8.
Quote
“I did not see anything [New York 1886] to help my people. I could see that the Wasichus [white man] did not care for each other the way our people did before the nation’s hoop was broken. They would take everything from each other if they could, and so there were some who had more of everything than they could use, while crowds of people had nothing at all and maybe were starving. This could not be better than the old ways of my people.”
Black Elk 1863-1950
Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux
I wonder, at what point in history did our branch of the human species begin to think that greed was normal. It seems so ingrained in the way we see the world, history assumes is was always thus, so it must have begun before written records were kept.
“Goats are very hierarchical, they aren’t a social animal, so you need to work out where you are in the pecking order.”
Thomas Thwaites
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/goatman-calgary-thomas-thwaites-1.3590342
That is interesting, hierarchical goats are not considered social animals. It would fit then that hierarchical humans are not social animals, which would mean that the power structures in our present social structure define our species as “not social animals”… it makes sense in an oddly disturbing sort of way.
Maggie, I wish I had a cure for the mildew odor, but you know all the tricks I do. Perhaps with the warmer weather, you’ll have some strong sun, which is the one thing you haven’t had a chance to try yet.
Have you thought of putting dried lavender flowers into the cushions under the covers, near the foam? It might lessen the moldy smell.
Good news on the medical front.
Wendy, I have them out in the sun today, and when I sit outside I can smell from a distance, not good, but I’ll give it some time. I guess it would be a bit unreasonable to expect more from cushions that sat enclosed in a damp trailer for years.
I haven’t thought of that Bex, but anything is worth a try right now, 🙂
I’m so relieved to have had the lab tests!
Maggie, are the cushions a standard size? If so, maybe you could get some replacements from a discount store or flea market?
Yes, the weather is lovely here, too. I think maybe we’re supposed to be slightly cooler than you. So glad the long weekend is here and that it’s going to be beautiful weather!
Doesn’t sound like Black Elk thinks greed is normal, and I don’t either.
Teri, unfortunately the cushions are not a standard size, I will need to cut the foam to fit, which isn’t hard once I manage to find the foam.
It looks like the weather if going to be just about perfect for the long weekend.
It is interesting to read about impressions that other cultures have on the European social and economic structures. Black Elk makes a lot of sense.
Maggie, have you been to Len’s Mills? Here is the locations map for Len’s Mill Stores. They have zillions of sizes of cushions and with different densities, too. Plus they’re a discount shop. Prepare to be blown away by the variety of what they have if you go there, everything almost literally from soup, to fabric, to nuts. DH and I go in for one thing and end up at least looking around for a good hour, even if we don’t buy anything extra.
http://www.lensmill.com/locations.htm
Recently found a FB page for my tribe. I was disappointed to see that when some political posts were allowed in that some of the folks could get down to the lowest common denominator. OTOH, it wasn’t long before others were complaining and the political posts then got ignored. In the end, I’d say the healthier tribal philosophy (for lack of a better term) won out.
Thanks for the map of Len’s Mill stores Teri, I have visited them in the past but not in the last 15 years or so. None of them are close, but you never know, it might be worth the trip just to get the foam.
Politics are everywhere, glad to hear that cooler heads won out!
I’m glad you have such great weather. We are stuck in a gloomy cycle of dry wind, lots of cloudy skies, and no sunshine! I’d like it to either rain or shine, nothing in between!
Hm, you’ve got me worried that Scott is right when he says the furniture my dad gave us will be mildewed and the smell will never go away. I’ve been sure it could sit out in the sun and that would do the trick! Oh well. It’ll be a disappointment, but c’est la vie. When you leave upholstered furniture sitting in a damp basement for years, what can you expect? And that was the case here when we had no place to move it to.
Diane, your weather sounds wearing. I have only been in British Columbia three times. Once to meet with a PhD supervisor, once to be the maid of honour at a friend’s wedding, and once during my first marriage when my oldest daughter was four. All three times I was lucky enough to experience sunny, warm, weather, so that is how always envision Victoria, Vancouver, and all places British Columbia.
Kate, I hope your furniture does loose the smell, but it does sound iffy. The cushion covers actually smell worse every time I wash them, and I am afraid to use bleach on them because I think they will dinintegrate the way the curtains did. If you discover any good method of getting rid of the mildew smell do share it.