I invited myself over to Donna and Ken’s tonight for dinner by promising to bring the main course. I had a really nice chicken and butternut squash in cream sauce lasagna while I was in Montreal, so I decided to make that. It’s now in the oven, two hours after I started, and my kitchen looks so scary I don’t know where to start on doing the dishes. In a ‘normal’ kitchen I would have had room to start the dishes as I cook, but not in Miranda. I found myself have to stack the used dirty things on the floor! Once I can find my counter again and get the dishwasher opened, I’ll do at least one load in there. Even though all that chopping and grating was tedious, the end result is going to be worth it. I might post a picture if it looks pretty enough. 🙂
Author: Rae
Painting Put on Hold
I’ve put the kibosh on the decorating until I get a dehumidifier in here! While I was in Montreal, there was enough condensation in the study to make the paint run down one of the walls. That cemented it for me; I need to wait for that paint job to cure, then start all over again. If the study was too damp for the paint to cure, then there is no hope for the loft.
Bringing in a dehumidifier is a last resort thing for me because of how big and power hungry those things are. One thing that has brightened the scenario is learning that dehumidifiers give off a bit of heat, meaning that I might be able to run it and one heater only and not go over my available amperage.
My intention is to set it up in the loft; that’s the only place where I’d have room for one and there’s a plug nearby. The next issue is going to be getting the water out of it. I don’t like the idea of making holes in my exterior walls or my floor, so I am considering simply routing the hose out of a window.
The dehumidifier purchase as soon as I see a good deal for one after my next pay day. That will give me time to find the smallest and most energy efficient model. I’ll keep using the Dri-Z-Airs in my shower and cabinets.
Contentment
I’m sitting here on this grey and gloomy Monday morning in my beautifully decorated and functional home office, flitting from task to task, mostly focusing on the book I’m writing, petting whichever cat is sitting on my lap at the moment, occasionally staring out at the lovely view of mountains, sipping a good cup of coffee, relaxed and happy that I didn’t have a job to return to after my trip, and wondering How did I get to be so lucky?
Fun in K-Town
My friend Amber from Nugget City lives in Summerland during the winter; that’s just an hour and a bit from Osoyoos depending on traffic. So, we promised that we’d see each other at least once this winter, depending on how long I would be in Osoyoos. Last night she mentioned on Facebook that she wanted to go to a craft fair in Kelowna today. Did anyone want to join her? A craft fair sounded like fun and I’m still not back in my work groove yet, so I replied that I was game. She suggested I meet her in Summerland, almost exactly halfway between Osoyoos and Kelowna, and that she’d drive us the rest of the way. Perfect!
The craft fair is an annual pre-Christmas event. It was a lot bigger than I would have expected. I found that there were more food products than there were crafts. We did a couple of circuits and I decided to buy a few things. The first was a huge bottle of balsamic vinegar reduction, which is vinegar that has been boiled with sugar to thicken it. It’s nice as a dip for bread or a salad dressing when mixed with olive oil, or on its own as a glaze for chicken. The next thing I wanted was a bottle of ‘Moroccan’ spice mix. At $5, that was a bargain since I couldn’t have bought the individual spices for that price. There’s lots I’ll be able to do with that! We were about to leave when Amber mentioned that she wanted a second look at a mustard display that I had tried to avoid. Needless to say, I walked out with another jar of mustard for my collection. 😀 It’s a honey/lime/ginger one that will be awesome on chicken.
Next, we headed over to Cherry Lane mall to grab a bite to eat. There, Amber used her iPhone to check movie listings. We agreed on Due Date and headed off to the theatre. I spent the next two hours laughing. The movie’s a riot! The rare second I wasn’t laughing, I was incredulous. I haven’t seen a movie in a proper theatre in so long I can’t even remember the last time I did and this one was worth the price of admission!
We had a couple more stops after that, then we drove back to her place. I didn’t stay long since I had another hour’s drive ahead of me.
It was an awesome, out-of-the-blue, sort of day, and it was really nice to hang out with Amber in ‘civilization’!
RV Housekeeping Setup Mistake
When I moved into Miranda, I bought some new things for the kitchen that I thought would be more suitable than the beloved, and well storied, things I’d been using for years. Part of my logic was that the things would get broken on the road. I’ve really regretted it since I’ve discovered that breakables last very well in an RV.
Thankfully, I was talked into leaving some things in storage when I hit the road, so I went through five those boxes during my week in Montreal. They contained so many stories of my pre-Miranda life. Going through them was a real trip down memory lane. I finally decided on two boxes worth of things that I can make room for in Miranda by eliminating other things:
My travels pre-Miranda are well represented here. There’s the ‘Sunday morning’ mug I bought at a museum in Halifax; the Las Vegas mug I’d spied in a gift shop but didn’t buy, only to win it at Circus Circus! You can also see the little bowls I picked up in Ogunquit and the big bowls and plates I picked up on an antiquing spree through Wisconsin. There’s also the cat mug my dad bought me, the newer blue willow I’d pointed out in a catalogue my mother was flipping through and which she surprised me with, a nice big casserole dish with a lid that I’d been giving shortly before hitting the road, and my favourite water glasses.
The water glasses are for Alexander Keith’s beer and I love them because a) they are big, so they hold a lot of water and b) they have a good grip. I had four; one was broken on the way back. That’s all I lost. Air Canada did a great job getting my stuff home! I did leave behind the rest of my beer glass collection, some of the original blue willow set my mother got me (the dinner plates are too big for Miranda’s cupboards) and a variety of casserole dishes and mixing bowls. I have firmly parted with what I left behind.
Now, I need to get everything washed and my cupboards reorganized, yet again!
But before I go, I’d like to share the newest addition to Miranda’s kitchen:
I’d bought collapsible plastic measuring cups and spoons when I bought the rig to replace non-collapsible plastic measuring cups and spoons. I’ve always hated the plastic; the measurements wear off and they cups get greasy and impossible to wash. I’ve been wanting nice, heirloom quality, metal measuring cups for years, but they have been very hard to find. I’ve come across cheap sets I knew wouldn’t last and was resigned to paying top dollar at a fancy kitchen store. So, imagine my surprise on my last jaunt to Omak to come across these Oneida stainless steel beauties for $10 a set at Walmart! My Oneida cutlery still looks as great as the day it was given to me thirteen years ago, so I know these will last me a lifetime.
So, dishes, reorganize the kitchen, get groceries, and cook. Sounds like I have a nice weekend ahead of me. 🙂