Something I have come to realize over time, is that the possessions that you own, own you, in various ways.
When I was younger, with far more energy, and far more interest in fitting into the world around me, I collected possessions. At one point I enjoyed a modest affluence, hard earned, with lots of possessions. That lifestyle and those possessions dissolved with my first marriage. Surprisingly, rather than feeling loss, I felt liberation. I’ve not viewed possessions in the same way since.
My treasured items are things like books, gadgets and gizmos that make food preparation and preservation easier, the parka I purchased in 1992 and still wear, copies of my degrees and publications, pictures of my loved ones, etc. My treasures are either functional or sentimental, or both.
The only thing I found at my Granny and Grandpa’s house that I know was treasured, after they had both passed, was an envelope containing a lock of baby hair, my Granny had kept it, it was my Aunt’s hair. I gave that to my Aunt’s daughter, my cousin, who has since passed away.
The items I have that belonged to my Granny and Grandpa are things they used every day, and therefore I treasure them, their energy; I feel connected to them when I use these things. These items are not “decor”, they hold no interest for those in search of vintage decor. My Granny and Grandpa’s house was stripped of the potential “decor” items by unknown persons, which happens in that area if “vintage” items remain after the occupants are gone.
One of my treasures is my Granny’s bread board, rescued by my sister, on which Granny kneaded all of the bread eaten by the family. I was allowed to knead little balls of dough on baking day, on that bread board, when I was just a toddler. It is one piece of solid wood, that came from the small non-commercial sawmill owned by my Great Grandfather. My Grandpa made it for my Granny just after they were married, just as the Great Depression got going.
Another piece is a worn and beaten aluminum dipper, hooked at the end of the handle. It hung on the milk can that held the spring water, hauled in for drinking. Many is the time I, and the people I love and loved, used that dipper for a sip of water on a hot summer’s day.
I also have my Granny’s good dishes, and her dining room table, which was carefully and partially refurbished by my brother-in-law. Unfortunately Mist Cottage is too small to accommodate the table, it is carefully covered and stored in our garage. The dishes await a celebration.
Attila has his own collection of treasures, similar in kind to mine.
Mist Cottage is full to bursting with possessions, mostly functional, some sentimental. The decor here is “crowded house”.
We have been very very busy!
Yesterday we canned 13 500-ml jars of apple sauce, and 2 1-litre jars of apple juice. Those jars, along with the jars I canned last winter when we ran out, should last until apple harvest season rolls around again. We constantly seek easier ways to preserve food.
This year the Gala apples were cut in half after removing the stems and blossom ends with a little gizmo I found on Amazon, that I’ve never seen for sale locally or anywhere else. Attila did that part of the process.
After the apples were halved they were added to the steam juicer, and steamed for about an hour or two. The apples were cooled and run through the tomato mill to remove seeds and skins. The resulting applesauce was heated, and brought to desirable consistency using the apple sauce just made. Then the jars apple sauce and apple juice were canned.
Yesterday I also made a loaf of bread, and a batch of Kombucha.
Today we are canning Salsa Verde. Attila harvested tomatillos from the garden, which were roasted with onions, jalapeno peppers, and garlic. They were cooled and pureed in the food processor, added to a pot with cilantro, black pepper, salt, cumin, black pepper, and lime juice (a variation on this tested recipe). This yielded three jars and a little bit left over for Attila to snack on.
This is the busiest time of the year for me, all this food preservation!
Attila shares the work on these projects now that he is retired, so my work load has been considerably reduced. Attila has a busy time of year in the spring as well, getting the seeds going in his little greenhouses, and planting the garden. Luckily for me, Attila loves to be busy, loves to keep moving.
Worldly
Weather
20°C
Date: 2:00 PM EDT Thursday 24 September 2026
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 103.2 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 19.5°C
Dew point: 5.6°C
Humidity: 40%
Wind: E 15 gusts 27 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it’s just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it.”
David Sedaris
1956 –
When you write something, and someone who reads it honours you by sharing what they have brought to it… how great is that!!
Maggie, your comments about possessions certainly resonate with me. I have my great-grandmother’s bread bowl and bread board and the board gets used regularly. While I never knew my great-grandmother, my grandmother used then as well.
When my mother passed some 20+ years ago with very little advance notice, it was a real shock to my system. However, I remember saying to my best friend sometime after, “I still hate that Mother is gone, but at least I got her Pyrex bowls out of it.” It’s rare for a day to go buy that one of them doesn’t get used in this house.
Wendy, I love your appreciation of the items that were a part of everyday life for your Mom, and your great-grandmother. Cherishing these things creates a continuity, a connection, a recognition of the the human chain that is based on love and affection. This is the basis for continuation of our species, in my view. Those who have lost this connection, however it manifests itself, have lost the human thread, in my view.