August 28

 Dear Cindy, 

I started the morning in the garden picking cucumbers for future pickles and hunting for tomatoes. With all this heat there were surprisingly no tomatoes ready to bring in yet. 

Then Gilles and I transferred some apple/cherry wine into the secondary fermenter. LOTS of fruit left behind. It's going to be good stuff. 

I left the house a little after 9am for a reflexology and pedicure appointment. Some ME time that I didn't realize I needed. 

It's still stupid hot out. Gilles and Luc are cleaning garlic. Patric needs to clean his room. 

I'll do laundry and try and organize the house one bit at a time this afternoon. 

Lunch was sourdough toast with basil pesto and fresh tomatoe sprinkled with some morel mushroom salt. ALL THE FLAVOURS. 

When I need a break from the heat, I come inside and watch the Handmaid's Tale on Prime. I'm on Season 3, Episode 1. It's very mind-blowing to think of a society like that. I have the book cued up to read on my kindle. 

August 27

 Dear Cindy, 

Today was focused on cleaning garlic and hiding from the heat. 

The river levels are decreasing with the season, so the beach is getting a bit slimy. But the water is cool and refreshing and a full body dunk is required to cool the core down. What a great resource we have in our front yard. 

I noticed my sourdough is rising in the fridge, so I need to cook it this morning. Once we eat half of that loaf, I'll start making two more loaves. 

August 26

 Dear Cindy, 

Today I picked tomatoes, pears and green beans. 

We've harvested the onions from the garden, and they were on the same watering circuit as a patch of lettuce and carrots, so I need to handwater those patches. 

It's still hot. 

I think we're going to change our days around and watch a movie in the basement in the early afternoon to get out of the heat and take a break. 

Our onions (approx 500) are curing nicely in the shelter by the butcher area. 

August 25

 Dear Cindy, 

It's going to be super hot for the next few days. 

Yesterday I made up two sourdough loaves into cast iron loaf pans. I let them both it proof in the fridge overnight. This morning I took one out to bake it - because we're out of bread for our fried egg sandwiches. I'll leave the other one in the fridge until tomorrow or the next day, and let the flavours get stronger. It will also give us a chance to eat up the loaf that baked today. 

I harvested pickling cucumbers, leaves and dill to add to the already picked cucumbers I've been saving in the fridge for 6 days. That's the first project today. I made 9 jars of pickles - the 10th jar broke in the water bath canner - so it was disposed of - cucumbers and all. 

Well, it should be the first project, but I cooked up a rabbit (dated 2023) that I found buried in our freezer. It was just done in the slow cooker, with water - no seasonings. I shred it for Moka as a treat topper to the regular dog food. 

I drove Patric to a friend's house. Gilles will get him after his shift. 

Luc and I both spent some time cleaning garlic and making it pretty for winter storage. 

Luc did inside detailing of the white truck which needed to be completed from our travels. It's like new again. He does a good job. I pay him for it as it's a job I would not really do myself, but pay someone else to do. He has requested an Amazon purchase of an ant farm. 

August 24

 Dear Cindy, 

We tried our hand at apple juice today. We have two trees that produce early and sweet apples. 

We determined that the fruit crusher is meant for grapes and not apples (it didn't work very well) and the juice is 100% delicious. 

August 23

 Dear Cindy, 

Today I picked cucumbers for future pickles. I've already made 15 jars of pickles, but there's still more cucumbers coming - so I guess I'll make more. Patric was taking a pickle in his school lunch every day. I think he was using them as a commodity in the class and trading them for other treats his classmates brought. 

And we picked green beans to be frozen for winter eating. To freeze the green beans, I blanch them in boiling water for about 2 minutes - until the colour changes. Then I quick cool them under running water before putting them in to ziploc bags. 

I also cleaned up the dehydrator of the plum and apple fruit leather I made a few days ago. I made two batches of 6 trays. Plenty of snacks for the future. 

August 22

 Dear Cindy, 

It's the end of the summer and it's going to be HOT here. My previous letters to Gilles didn't include dates (though I know the posting dates are included). I will title these letters with the dates, and if I continue on, I'll think of something else distinguishable for the next year. 

Today's priorities includes picking the the pickling cucumbers for future pickles. I have 15 jars canned already. Picking green beans that are too high on the pole that I need a ladder/step stool to reach some of them. And I need to start bringing in tomatoes for sorting, freezing until I make sauce and for fresh eating. 

I love tomato season. My go-to breakfast, lunch and snack is tomato on sourdough that has been spread with my basil pesto. YUM. 

Later today, Patric will get the stitches in his hand removed. On August 16, we were picking wild blueberries. Patric was walking along a blown-down tree, when the bark slid off and he fell forward, bracing himself with his hands first. A piece of bark about two inches long/1/2 inch wide - lodged itself in his palm. 

Luckily Gilles was with us, and made the immediate decision to drive 45 minutes to town and the hospital emergency room. We had Moka with us, but no leash. We had gear in the back of the truck and no way of locking it up. So, Gilles and Patric went in to check in with Emergency department and Luc and I stayed in the truck. 

This was one of those very efficient days, with the the services staffed and all available that Patric was in and out in two hours. He was brought in for examination right away, while Gilles was still filling in administration details. He was given anesthesia for two stitches and then x-rayed to make sure there was no damage, and to make sure there was no wood left behind. 

I was able to let Gilles handle the whole process, and had no need to get involved. I'm pretty squeamish with human anatomy issues and find myself fainting if I get too involved. 

Once the stitches are out today, we'll explore a few local businesses and the Art Walk. Then, we'll pick up a pizza and head to the toy store, where the boys will spend 2.5 hours playing Dungeons and Dragons and I'll head to the local nature park and read a book on my kindle. 

I'm currently reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Attwood. It's confusing, and I have a hard time getting in to it. But that's my fault, as I tend to read it in 3 minute increments just before bed. So I'm looking forward to a solid block of time just for reading. On that topic - I have the book as part of a 4-book set that included the Handmaid's Tale. The Prime series is a hard watch, in a train-wreck sort of way. I need to read the book to know all the details that a tv-show can't include for logistical purposes. 

Letter Spin-off

 Dear Cindy, 

Remember when we got together with you on DAY 23?  

I didn't tell you I was going to write to you and you probably don't remember telling me that you would read my blog if I created a blog of my regular every day life. 

I really like the format of writing to someone real - rather than the interweb-verse of anonymity. 

I also know that not many people find my ramblings, but this gives me an outlet to document some of our home activities and keep track with verbage to go along with them. We've never been penpals or note exchangers. I think we tried it once. But our geographic proximity growing up never allowed for the distance required to make letters worth while. We could just meet at the corner and chat it out. 

If you stumble across this before I have a chance to tell you about it - probably the next time I see you on an annual basis - send me a note. 

Our daily worlds are so different, I hope you enjoy this piece of rural life and at some point in the future - you'll come out for a visit. 

Cheers! 

Transition Time

 Dear Gilles, 

We've been back for 24 days. I'm still trying to figure out where to put things in the house and generally clean it up to an organized state again. 

You're at work. Your email does not work. 

So, here, I can keep you semi-updated on the adventures of home. 

Patric, in order to avoid outside chores, has taken an interest in baking. 

He made banana bread. He made spritz cookies, complete with lemon icing. 

And today he made salt water taffy. 

It's candy. 

It's not worth the effort. 

There was a lot of crystallized sugar to clean up. 

I also cleaned up some more patio stones in the back yard - from the encroaching grasses. 

And we stripped the front yard of the tall weeds so we can re-landscape and plant grass. 

The orchard has been watered and the front maple trees have been watered. 

I'll have to figure out a way to label these posts so their not dated, but can be kept in some sort of tracking order.