An experiment in making my own ACV from crab apples started on September 22, using the crab apples from the volunteer tree in the back yard here at Mist Cottage. After four weeks the brew had a knock-me-out alcoholic aroma, so the liquid was strained and placed in a sterilized 1 1/2 litre mason jar, topped with a coffee filter held on with a canning ring. It has been sitting in relative darkness at the back of the kitchen shelf ever since. I drag it out to check on it every so often. A fine sediment is forming on the bottom of the jar, there is no mold, the surface is clear, and it smells a little more like ACV every time I check on it. It isn’t ready yet.
Yesterday Attila and I ventured out to try to find a Christmas gift for Luna’s children. We can’t afford much, and we don’t spend time with the Grandbabies to know what delights them, so it isn’t easy. We finally settled on a family game, which will be wrapped as a gift for all three of them. We found a gift along the same line for Terra’s three little ones. So that is us done with Christmas shopping, except for each other of course. I ordered something from Amazon this morning for Attila, but I am not optimistic that it will arrived in time! No worries, I’ll give him lots of interesting little exotic food gifts, which he enjoys, and a promise of the gift that didn’t arrive on time in a card.
Since my surgery was not done during my outpatient visit last month, I have been waiting to hear from the surgeon’s office to re-book the procedure. Having heard nothing, I called today, and his office is supposed to call me back. He had to research anesthetics that do not contain my allergen, which had not been done before the day of my surgery, even though I told him, and his office staff, about it at every single point of contact. I am feeling a little disgusted at this point, but I must press on, keep pressing him and his staff, and remain outwardly pleasant and patient to get the medical care I am entitled to.
Today the process of moving furniture around in the living room begins, to clear enough floor space to bring in a Christmas Tree.
This is a small house. Mist Cottage is about 640 square feet, some of which is taken up with a block chimney running up through the center of the house, and a stairwell. People live in smaller spaces, tiny houses, cage homes in other parts of the world, homeless all over the world, so we have nothing to complain about here. The smallness often takes visitors by surprise, they knew I said small, but seeing how small it is really puts the adjective into perspective.
The bathroom is 5 x 6, there are no closets in the house. Our lifestyle, and home, is setup to not only cook all food from scratch, buy allergen free food in bulk when we can find it, but also to preserve food by steam and pressure canning, dehydration, fermentation, freezing, and vacuum sealing. All of this activity around food takes up a lot of space.
Our treasures are still with us, downsizing is ongoing. My books I hope to keep with me while I draw breath. Attila too has keepsakes he cherishes, items from his Grandfather’s general store, his Great Uncles home, things that bring him joy. And to make fitting it all in more complicated, I use an elliptical machine, which has pride of place in the living room, as there is nowhere else to put it.
Making a place for a temporary Christmas Tree can get pretty complicated, but I am up for the challenge.
Worldly
Weather
-6°C
Date: 10:00 AM EST Monday 10 December 2018
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 102.5 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: -5.5°C
Dew point: -10.4°C
Humidity: 69%
Wind: NE 16 km/h
Wind Chill: -11
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats.”
Howard Aiken
1900 – 1973
That’s another thing I no longer care about: a Christmas tree. I keep a string of coloured lights strung across the living room window year-round, and a cord hung with coloured glass Xmas bulb ornaments between the dining room and living room. But the tree — having to rearrange furniture in our living room that has no extra space in a house that has no place to put things replaced by the tree, then the tree being there for a month till someone, always me, has to take off all the decorations … I’m done with all that. We have a grandchild now so Scott thinks it’s necessary to do it again. He can if he wants. I just can’t make myself care. -Kate
Kate, I hear you. Attila does all the Christmas tree ttuff, and I do enjoy the real tree, so I don’t mind making room for it. Last Christmas, when I thought I’d be spending Christmas entirely alone, I planned on using the three foot artificial tree, a homely little thing, picked up on sale for $5, but it ended up I wasn’t alone and Attila was here and wanted a tree. I think if I were completely alone I’d not bother, but I don’t know, as I haven’t tried that yet.
We have a single wide manufactured home, a little bigger than your home, and we don’t have a tree. We have a year round string of lights, which brings cheer whenever we turn it one. Let us know how putting a tree in your house fits! ….Joan
Joan, the lights are cheery aren’t they! I tend to leave Christmas lights up until into February, sometimes longer, just to get through the winter months of grey, black, and white. I do love a Christmas Tree though, so I am glad Attila likes putting one up and decorating it. The smell of pine in the house at Christmas is delightful.
Our Christmas tree is up. It’s kind of a joint venture: DH brings up the boxes and sets up the artificial tree, he helps me string the tree lights, I decorate the tree, and he puts up the lights around the house. We enjpy the added color, though not so much the changes in the furniture arrangements.
I’m having more of an interest in doing some Christmas baking this year. We’ll see how far that goes.
Teri, I know what you mean about changes to the furniture arrangements! The up side of that for me is that when the tree is taken down again, the gaping hole in the interior landscape is filled with the familiar arrangement of furniture, and a more comfortable flow to the space.
I love Chrstmas breads and desserts! My fondness can lead me astray though, 🙂