The upshot of my issues accessing my web sites from my home computers is that the composing software I am using accesses a particular file too often, so my account is then automatically locked. Then I have to contact the web host to have my account unlocked. Of course, you can see the post, it is just me who can’t! I am experimenting with composing offline without images, which I will upload and insert online. Perhaps that will resolve the problem. The hosting company offered to suspend the security algorithm that limits this type of access, I chose not to go that route.
Since the hosting migration, I’ve been assessing my sites. Two of them were hacked with malicious files, which I deleted. One of the sites had peripheral software installed that had become obsolete, and therefore insecure; it was uninstalled. One site was password protected so that the security scanning software could not access it properly. There was a bit of learning curve on that fix, the new account user interface is unfamiliar, so there was quite a hunt to find the settings to disable that password protection. It is done, the site was scanned and the three critical security risks were remedied. This kind of work eats time!
Attila is working on the wall and roof where the garage and the new garden shed adjoin. This is tricky, finicky design and construction. He began working on it at 8:30 a.m. this morning, but waited until after 9:30 a.m. to use the Sawzall and other saws.
Our climbing peas were doing wonderfully. Last night some critter, I think it is a squirrel, came along and bit through the stems of most of the plants, killing all the luscious growth above the bite, which was most of the growth. I could swing for that squirrel! Our climbing peas have been destroyed. Nothing was eaten, no foliage, nothing, the nasty little beast just went along and severed all the stems.
The child’s water canon has been successful in chasing away the rabbits. They still come back to the yard, but now their ears perk up when they hear human sounds, and when approached they run for the hills. Before the water canon, I could get within a few feet of them, and they paid no attention.
This morning a loaf of bread is baking in the bread machine, in the kitchen. The recipe for tonight’s dinner is in the construction stages. The ingredients have been decided, it remains to figure out the way to put them together in the instant pot to create the meal. There will be sautéing, and pressure cooking, involved.
Squash muffins are on the to do list for today as well. Another work week is starting tomorrow, best to prepare for those packed lunches while the hydro is on off-peak prices. Also, it is cool enough today to use the oven indoors, which is desirable, as Attila needs the only functioning exterior electrical outlet for his saws and equipment.
It might be “fun” to see what lurks in the vegetable drawers in the refrigerator, the basis for adventures in meal planning. That is where the cabbage was found, and even though the outer leaves were beyond redemption, there was a sound core that was used to create two meals in the Instant Pot. A bag of carrots was found, they were all beyond redemption, and went directly into the compost bin. Food is seldom wasted here at Mist Cottage, but sometimes ingredients are lost to time, which happens more frequently than it used to, as the time-of-use hydro prices hobble the natural flow of food planning and preparation. Still, the bag of carrots, and a few cabbage leaves, were the only casualties of time in the refrigerator. Someday the composted carrots and cabbage will be used as soil for the garden.
I will be making my Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore later this evening, closer to the time when I think I can persuade Attila to put away his tools, have a hot bath, and then relax with a hot meal.
Today Attila has to make time to go through the stuff under tarps in the garage, to decide what to throw in the dumpster before it gets carted away tomorrow morning. We usually do not do well with these situations. If I express even the slightest bit of disagreement, offence is taken. Quite frankly, the task itself is challenging enough without having to navigate a landmine of emotions. But it must be done. I will be holding my nose (literally, mould and mildew), thickening my skin, and plunging into the task. After all, it only has to be done once.
4:37 p.m.
Attila took a break from renovations to cut the front lawn, he had to stop before getting the back lawn mowed due to the pouring rain. Now he is back at it in the garage, working on the last bit of roofing where the garage joins the garden shed. I am hoping he will throw in the towel by 8:00 p.m, I think I have him convinced it is a good idea. After all, he has to get up early and get to work tomorrow.
Acting as “runner” again today, I was off to the building centre to pick up a few needed items. Each new stage of the renovation brings to light different things that are needed and that must be fetched.
Several hours were spent this afternoon sorting through “stuff under tarps”. Some of the tarps did a good job of keeping the leaking water out, and some did not. There were some very disgusting things growing under a few of those tarps! After the first heated discussion about throwing out an item, Attila decided to leave all the decision making to me, and went back to his renovations. This worked very well. I made several dozen trips to the dumpster: rotted items such as leather and cardboard; rusted items sitting in pools of water in cracked plastic containers; fabrics that who knows how it ended up in the garage… the list goes on. Actually, I can’t really fault Attila for the random piles of stuff, he did move us down here single handed, and we did have so much stuff that there was no place to put anything, or even unpack everything, and he has worked full time since the very first day he lived here.
After throwing everything into the dumpster that belonged there, I decided to leave the cleanup in the garage for another day. It will get drier through time, which will make the cleanup easier. There is quite a mess, mouse droppings everywhere, sawdust from the sectioned pieces of the old roof, and lots of bits of shingles, all wet and soggy. The best thing for it is to let it dry a bit, then spray everything down with hydrogen peroxide, or with aqueous oxygen. Aqueous oxygen was what was used to destroy the mould and mildew in the basement, and it worked quite well.
After spraying, I’ll go in wearing work clothes and breathing mask, and sweep it all up, wipe it all down, then wait for it to dry again, spray again, wait for it to dry, and finally vacuum the whole garage. This will take a few weeks. I will probably never have to do this again in the garage!
The other thing I did was to rummage around under the back porch, to see if anything there needed to go into the dumpster. Sure enough, there were a few items that were of no earthly use to anyone, so in they went. While I was in there I found a box of coffee mugs and an antique canning jar with glass a glass lid. How the heck did that end up under the back porch! That was another job, to clean the dirt and leaves out of the mugs, then rinse them, and put them in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.
The renovation is at a stage where a lot of effort goes in, but there is little change to photograph. That will change this week, when Attila gets to the point where he can begin to install the metal roofing.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
18°C
Date: 10:00 AM EDT Sunday 24 June 2018
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 101.0 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 18.3°C
Dew point: 15.5°C
Humidity: 84%
Wind: ENE 10 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“Friendship makes prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it.”
Cicero
106 BC – 43 BC
