The Daily EO: August 27th, 2012

Well, it is official.  I am never moving again.  I’ll be one of those old people with two bum hips hobbling around my house – unable to get to the upper floors – but intent on dying in my home.  Surrounded by my unpacked things.  Then someone else could pack up my corpse and my things and leave me out of it.

Despite my efforts to have little clutter – what is it about packing that results in small gatherings of weird stuff- but somehow valuable – all throughout the house?  I mean, you look in one corner and you find your “color palette” when your mother took you to have colours done as a teenager, a mixed tape that your brother made you, a brass “McMaster MBA” business card holder and a pair of plastic handcuffs.  In another room is 10 gold hooks, an attractive empty glass candle holder, a green highlighter, and 3 American dollars.    Over there, a stone that has sentimental meaning but you can’t remember why, a $5 Casino Niagara chip, a hand towel that is stained but could be good for packing and a lid for a stainless steel canister because you know you will find the bottom somewhere around here.

These little collections do not plague me when I am not packing and moving, yet they come out to haunt me when I don’t need the added pressure.  Yes, Yes, I know, I know!  No matter how much planning I do, the last 2 days before a move will suck.  I know it.  You know it.  The little collected piles know it.

Sigh.

Today I wasted time baking stuff – because who wants to pack when you can bake – to use up what I had on hand.  I made a mixed berry crumble; a papaya, pineapple, strawberry, pineapple and tomatillo crisp; and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.  This effectively used up all the frozen fruit, pumpkin puree, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, plantation raw sugar, cake flour, chocolate chips, safflower oil, tomatillos, add eggs.  Hoorah for me.  Good work!

August 27th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Realizing that “using up” resulted in Emile and I having to eat 3 dozen pumpkin cookies and 2 full-sized crisps in less than 2 days.  I feel a bit sick.

 

The Daily EO: August 26th, 2012

My husband is a big fan of science.  And eating.  And so when he discovered Good Eats featuring Alton Brown he became a big fan.  He likes to watch it while eating dinner.  And then plan the next night’s meal.  Or just dream about the next nights meal.

We watched a very old episode one night about fruit deserts – crumbles, grunts, buckles, cobblers, crisps, etc.  I had never heard of a buckle (or a grunt really) before and it struck me as an odd word.  I had frozen blueberries, edge of rotting fresh blueberries, butter, almond milk and sugar that I wanted to use up before we got out of this old house.  So, with the word “buckle” tumbling around in my head from this episode we watched 3 months ago, I looked up blueberry buckle on the internet.

A buckle is kinda like a crumble crossed with a cake.  You basically put cake batter on the bottom, smother it in fruit, then put a crumble topping on it.   I mean, hello?  What’s not to like?  (save for the I’m sure 400 calories a slice).

The recipe suggested whipped cream as a topping, but we’re down to the cans at the back of the cupboard, so creamy things are pretty scarce here.  But I had some unsweetened 0% fat greek yogurt in the fridge – surely that would add the needed goodness.  But unsweetened?   Hmmm.  That can be a little sharp.

Emile and I won a spot dance at a Christmas party (yeah, really they still do those), and we won a President’s Choice Black Label Gift pack.  One of the items in the basket was a bottle of blackberry syrup.  And although it looked tempting, we had maple syrup, and other syrups on the go, and so poor, sweet little blackie languished at the back of the cupboard.  Destined to be forgotten if not for current circumstances.

Do blackberries and blueberries go?  Well, I don’t know normally, but here, in this house, they do!  And with that our blueberry buckle with greek yogurt and blackberry syrup was born.  The sour yogurt, the crunchy crumble, and the just sweet enough syrup were a perfect combination.

August 26th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Finding dessert out of kitchen scraps that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  On the same day.  We tested it.

The Daily EO: August 25th, 2012

I slept fitfully the night before – nervous about the garage sale.  Yes, nervous about a garage sale.  I worried that nobody would want my stuff – cast-offs yes, but my things that I had gathered in my life.   I wanted all this effort to be worth it.  But I am always anxious about something I plan going well.  I am not casual, nor spontaneous.  I plan and worry and reconsider.

You can make bets with yourself about what will sell and what won’t – and you’re always wrong.  I mean, I would have never guessed that all of my paperbacks would go, or that nobody wanted Ansel Adams prints that were mounted beautifully and in perfect condition.

Turns out about 5 other houses along the road were also having garage sales so the traffic was brisk.  Some wackos, some friendlys and cheapos of course.  Can you have a garage sale without someone negotiating on the 25-cent items?

And the garage door opened.

August 25th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Stuff turning into $800.

 

The Daily EO: August 24th, 2012

Today I started to cry because I couldn’t get the garage door open.  Not the garage door at my house, but at a friend’s house.  ON the other side of that door was the contents of my garage sale.  One that I had spent most of the day setting up and pricing.   I am not prone to crying that much – though I admit cell phone commercials tend to get me – but it was just the middle of a series of long days without relief for a week yet.  I am so tired.

The garage has a “human” door as well, but I had set up tables for things very close on the inside, so I could only get it open about 6 inches.  Fortunately, enough to squeeze inside, but getting myself dirty.  But at least I was inside.

My husband had run a marathon of his own that day.  He sprinted to the city for a last minute job interview, then made his way back to pack, approve my pricing at the sale (yes, really), and then head out to the bush for a fishing/farting/ATVing weekend with the boys.  Yes, he left me with garage sale (which I said was fine – stupid me).  And because of this job interview, left all the set-up to me too.  I wonder if he just put on his suit and went to hang out in a park just to get out of it.  Because it sucked.  Really sucked.

So, here I am yanking on a garage door with nobody to help me.  My husband had left, the owners of the garage were both away for the weekend.  HELLO?  HEllo. . . Hello. . . .hello. . .  I could see tumbleweeds rolling by.  I squinted in the sun.  I was selling a crowbar, I tried that.   I was selling a hammer, I tried that.  Stupid, stupid, stupid door.

Okay, I am just going sit for a minute and calmly think this through.  A calming pause.   Wait!  Look there!  An instruction manual by the door.  I’m reading it cover to cover.

The springs. .  pulleys. . . .okay, rollers…..  The Springs aren’t aligned!!  Two of the rollers have also pulled out of the track.  I can fix this.

August 24th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Getting that damn door up with elbow grease and greasy fingers was pretty good.  But brave enough with my repair to close it knowing I’d have to get it open first thing in the morning too – that’s extra-ordinary.

 

The Daily EO: August 23rd, 2012

Some of the Random Food Things in my House:

Zucchini
Cherries
Tomatillas
Beets
Tat Tsoi
Coconut Almond Milk
Salba
2 packages of firm tofu
15 tomatillas
Coconut Milk
Left over stirfry that I am too scared to open now because it might be rotten – I’ll wait until I am sure it is rotten.

I have a week to use them up.

Tonight:  Cherry Zucchini Muffins
Tomorrow:  Lemon Honey Glazed Beets, breaded baked Tofu, Stir fried Tat Tsoi

I’m going to have to get inventive.

August 23rd, 2012 Extra-ordinary:  Record Breaking Cherry Pitting with the vintage pitter my mother gave me.  I still have 2 zucchinis left.  Aack!

The Daily EO: August 22nd, 2012

My brother gave me money for my birthday.   He intended to give me a gift card to Sephora, but since Sephora makes it nearly impossible for Canadians to buy and use gift cards, he decided to just give me money with intentions attached.

What does this mean?  It means next time you see me, my fine eye wrinkles will be visibly reduced and I may smell a little better.  or Worse.  Or only different, it depends on your perspective.

I await my Caudalie Eye and Lip serum.   Hurry.  Hurry.   These eyes aren’t getting any younger.

August 22nd, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Guilt free cosmetic purchase.

 

The Daily EO: August 21st, 2012

There is a woman in Muskoka who wants to buy my pine trunk as a toybox for her granddaughter.  That is great.  She sends me an email every couple of days telling me this, but never answers my responses.  This morning’s email advised me that her husband was coming to pick up the trunk “sometime today or tomorrow”.  Don’t leave the house!

The 6 drawer dresser ad on Kijiji has garnered 6 people asking “Is it still available?”.  When I answer “yes” (usually immediately upon receiving the email), I get no response or follow on questions.  Is there a bunch of people in Muskoka who just want to know if Kijiji works or not?  And in the 2 minutes it takes me to reply, have they realized they don’t need a dresser?  Or did they pull out a magnifying glass and look at the picture more carefully and find some flaw?

August 21st, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Exploring the subculture of the buy and sell classifieds.

The Daily EO: August 20th, 2012

My husband is selling his 1996 black Honda Prelude SRV coupe.  When I first met him, the Prelude was his baby.  He spent ample time washing it, waxing it, and certainly nobody else drove the car.   I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the line, he realized that the Honda Prelude was just a car. There were other things more important to him. After dating for about 3 years, I actually drove it. And the washings petered down to a couple of times a year.

His friends still ask after the Prelude – always referring to “her”.  It was part of Emile’s identity – he drove that black Prelude, he was that guy around Celestica.  It drove like a dream, cornered like mad, yet each month, just not the same.  Rattle here, rust there,

He held on to it – it was paid for, and if he could just squeeze one more season out of it, we could avoid putting the money out for a new car.

But now it sits in the garage – knowing its fate, I’m sure.  I can only hope that someone comes along who loves it as much as my husband did.

August 20th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  She had her day, The Prelude.  Sometimes things are more than just things.

The Prelude in her Youth

The Daily EO: August 19th, 2012

I received a postcard from someone who lives in Malaysia who had vacationed in Thailand.  She took a picture of part of the culture and then told me a story about it on the back:

Fav Postcard from Thailand

She told me that the Thai believe that the protective spirits live all around us, but to keep them happy and satisfied, the areas they live must be decorated.  So they tie bright bands of clothes around objects.

I don’t know this person, she just sent me a card via www.postcrossing.com and so far this is my favorite.  I’m getting greetings from around the world and sending my own.  16 sent and 13 received!  Here is my pie chart so far:

August 19th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Getting a homemade postcard and learning something about the Thai culture.  Trips to the mailbox have such potential.

 

The Daily EO: August 18th, 2012

We have a gang here in Huntsville.  There are 6 of us.  We have been trying to recruit more members, but our initiation procedures must be too daunting for the invitees.  Most beg off.  It’s too bad, because once you are in, you’re in.   You get our undying loyalty.  We’ll never leave you alone.  If someone needs to be told off sternly, we’ve got your back.  We’ll agree with you when you’re wrong.

Here are the tasks for completion if you want in:

1.  You must finish all of the food left on the dinner table so it doesn’t have to be put away.  “Finish it Up!”
2.  An interpretive dance representing your feelings about The Gang must be performed under a full moon at the side of a bonfire.  Props are greatly encouraged.  (Full moon is optional if you decide to complete your dance naked).
3.  You must eat so much dessert once that you either have to lay on the couch clutching your belly or be taken to the hospital. (you can drive yourself as well, but you must leave a note).
4.  A foreign country must be visited with us – you can pick which one.
5.  Perform one barter.  If you have no skills, then barter other gang members’ skills.
6. A period of six months of unemployment or underemployment must be served.  (Your spouse can serve the time for you).

Beware!  Punishment may come for arbitrary infractions. You will not know when it is coming – it could when you least expect it that someone will leap up behind you, put you in a choke hold and punch you in side of the head.  But not too hard.

It is so worth it.

August 18th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Partying . . . ahem. . . sitting by a bonfire with my gang until the police came “due shots fired according to the neighbours”.  Um, wha?!   No guns, officer, how would I hold my Bailey’s or bananatini and pull a trigger?