The Christmas Cactus decided that April 1st would be a good day to bloom!
It is Saturday. I like Saturdays these days, Attila has weekends off, and has done for a few good years now. Weekends are something to look forward to, a time of shared activity, a bit of conversation, and a break from the endless isolation that is my life.
Attila has had a chance to work outside today, the temperature rose to about 6C, balmy. He is tackling the roof facia this weekend. Animals, squirrels and grackles to be exact, have chewed through the fascia all along the south side, to gain entry between the rafters and setup housekeeping. Attila is installing new fascia boards that should last a few years before they too are chewed and pecked through by our unwelcome guests.
We had a nice discussion this morning about the new wash station for the back porch, resulting in a final design sketch, and a cut list. Because we keep almost everything that comes our way, there is enough wood here to complete the project, and stain to make it look nice. The stain is left over from staining the deck at the Country House, which we moved out of almost seven years ago. The countertop for the work station will be constructed from the cupboard doors that were removed to install the refrigerator, and the dishwasher in the kitchen. When the pieces are cut, I will begin to stain them. The weather should be above 5C most days in the weeks to come, so I can work at my own pace during the day.
As I am sitting here writing, I watch Attila rummaging around in the refrigerator. Attila loves the kitchen. He loves to cook. The refrigerator and range we have in this kitchen at Mist Cottage were not intended to be long-term appliances. They were the cheapest appliances we could find on the market after we purchased the house more than 11 years ago, when Mist Cottage was our second property. We had imagined that when we moved we would bring our higher end appliances with us, but they sold with the Country House. And here we are, these bottom end appliances are functioning fine, getting the job done, carrying on, totally unaware that they would not be our first choice. They show a few signs of wear. One burner on the range only works if the setting is medium or higher. One vegetable drawer in the refrigerator has cracked and been repaired with duct tape.
This led me to think about my Granny’s refrigerator. As long as I can remember, which is a long time now, she always had the same refrigerator. It would have been purchased in the 1930s or 1940s, my Mom might remember when. Life without refrigeration is unimaginable to me. By the time I was born Granny’s refrigerator was standing near the door in the kitchen. It did the job until at least into the 21st century, to eventually be stolen from the house after my Grandparent’s had passed away. I remember the interior of that refrigerator, the open wire shelving, the hum of the motor in the kitchen, the smell of cold food when the door was opened, the freezer that had to be manually defrosted. And best of all, I remember the cookie tin on top of the refrigerator, where my Granny kept her date filled oatmeal cookies, a memory that has lasted a lifetime!
Worldly
Weather
Updated on Sat, Apr 2, 8:05 PM
4°C
FEELS LIKE 1
Mostly cloudy
Wind 8 SW km/h
Humidity 64 %
Visibility 25 km
Sunrise 6:45 AM
Wind gust 12 km/h
Pressure 101.4 kPa
Ceiling 5700 m
Sunset 7:37 PM
Quote
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.”
e e cummings
1894 – 1962
The Christmas cactus is beautiful! Will it continue to bloom during warmer weather?
This will show my age (I was around 5 years old) but I remember our next door neighbor getting deliveries from the iceman. He had big tongs to pick up the block of ice and would then walk up two stories with the bock on his shoulder. We had a regular refrigerator but i think the freezer part was fairly small. Seems like yesterday…
Sandy, the Christmas Cactus last bloomed in December 2020, and then again now. There is the full bloom, and one bud only, so I think when the bud blooms that will be the last for months or years. I am not sure why it is blooming now, the weather doesn’t seem to be a factor in when it blooms.
What a wonderful memory, the iceman! We lived on a farm when I was growing up, so we didn’t see much of how other people lived beyond our Granny and Grandpa. How different our kitchens would be without refrigerators!
Hi, Maggie! Hope things are going okay with you, though I know they could be better. We’ve been busy here, putting things away in the new place, final cleaning of the cottage before selling it. We couldn’t have asked for better timing, as the increase in prices for the cottage will give us a small nest egg for retirement. You never know what will happen or what your needs will be as you get older.
The big thing that happened this week was turning on the gas fireplace for the 3rd time since we moved in a month ago. It was running 5 or 10 minutes and the fan had just come on to circulate the heat – and then the glass exploded! I was so lucky that there was a mesh screen between me and the glass, as I was seated only a few feet away. A few small pieces made it through the screen and some fine glass “sand”.
We called the builder but had to leave a message. They didn’t get back to us until this morning. They’re ordering a new glass today and will repair it tomorrow.
Talk about timing, we’re also supposed to be going through the home warranty inspection tomorrow. Fortunately, mostly tiny, fiddly things that need to be done. Except for the dents in the garage door, where one of the workmen backed into it. That makes the door bang and shudder when it opens and closes.
Do you have any plants up, yet? I’ve seen some snowdrops blooming locally. Not on our block, though. We’re still all mud around us that still needs to be graded before they can even put in any grass.
Teri, so glad the financials on the cottage sale are working out so well for you!
I’d not heard of a glass door exploding on a gas fireplace before, who’d a thought! That would have been quite a surprise. Good that they are coming to fix it right away. I hope your inspection goes well, and that all the nigly bits are fixed and proper.
We have day lilies pushing up in the front the front garden, and rhubarb in the back. The wild geraniums are up and have small leaves growing. The branches on Granny’s Rose are a lovely green colour. Not a lot going on in the garden just yet, but the next week or so will make a very big difference.
You will have fun landscaping your new yard once the grading is done!