Horseradish

The night before last, Saturday night, the temperature fell below freezing, just by one degree. It is the last of the below freezing predictions from the weather people, a very very welcome event here at Mist Cottage.

Attila has been out in his garden every day since the daytime temperatures have stayed above freezing. He moved his truckload of compost to spread in the back garden. He build enhancements to his little greenhouses that sit on the raised beds until official planting time. He uncovered the strawberry plants, moving the straw to the sides. Apparently most of the plants survived the winter, and he said yesterday that there was a blossom forming on one of the plants. These strawberry plants seem very vigorous, he has plans to create a ground bed in which to plant the runners.

The first garden harvest of the season was made yesterday, horseradish root. I do not care for horseradish, Attila loves it. He brought it into the house to wash and peel. NOT a good idea. The washing was no problem, but the peeling created fumes, to which I had a strong reaction. I began to sneeze, and could not stop, my nose ran profusely, my eyes watered, it was very unpleasant. So despite it being cool and windy outside, Attila moved his operation onto the back porch, and I opened the windows for relief. I recovered quickly. The result of the project was a quart of ground horseradish, preserved with brown sugar and vinegar.

Attila took issue with my description of my personality as sombre, after reading my post “The Quiet Morning”. Quite the opposite he says, and I take his point. Sombre really was not the word that captures my meaning! Thinking more about it, I might better have used the word pensive to describe my personality, and the sound produced by the cello.

Within a few months I will have my first appointment with the ophthalmologist who will do my cataract surgery. I am trying to be as kind to my eyes as possible leading up the appointment. To further that goal I have downloaded and installed a piece of software, LookAway, that will remind me to blink when I am spending time on the computer, and also enforce regular breaks, where I can focus my eyes at various other distances. So far the software is working well.

Usually my eyes become quite weary by the time daylight begins to fade, and the interior lights are lit. Yesterday I followed the programs guidance, and the only time my eyes had difficulties was when Attila was peeling horseradish in the kitchen. So far, so good, with the software intervention.

We usually take 2 one mile walks a day, one early in the morning, one in the afternoon. That is our winter routine. We are trying out a new routine for the warmer months. As of yesterday we do all our walking in one go, 2 miles, in the morning.

This, if it is viable, will please Attila, as he can then plan his day in the garden with no interruptions except to eat. It will please me because I have lots of energy in the morning, and it is a lot easier for me to walk after fasting for 16 hours, than it is to walk after I’ve entered my eating window for the day. The downside for me is that my arthritis acts up a bit after about 1 ½ miles, but that may right itself as my body becomes accustomed to the routine, or not, we shall see.

Aging, like all forms and stages of growth, demands changes. Attila and I find ourselves constantly adapting to the changes, tweaking our lifestyle, and our expectations, as time and experience move us forward into the future.

I think it a rare thing for the old to explain experience to young people, who have yet to learn that there is no substitute for experience, and many have yet to learn the art of listening.

Worldly

Weather

8°C
Date: 6:00 AM EDT Monday 13 April 2026
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 101.1 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 8.2°C
Dew point: 4.6°C
Humidity: 78%
Wind: SSW 19 km/h
Visibility: 23 km

Quote

“No wise man ever wished to be younger.”
Jonathan Swift
1667 – 1745

But would it not be grand if our bodies maintained the vigour of youth until our time came?