House Follow-Up

The house in Montreal is now officially under contract with the closing potentially in two weeks.  I was in the city at the beginning of the week for the inspection by the buyer’s inspector.  I drove in on Monday afternoon, getting there pretty easily even with a detour that had me driving in a part of the city that I am definitely not used to.  However, I did recognize where I was and the street names and knew to turn left and not right even though my GPS told me to go right.  Traffic was pretty light until I got to “detour city”.  Not a single road in that city is free of construction of some kind and that includes the back streets and side streets in the residential areas.  Every single street.  Wish I had the contract for the orange cones that they use.  This is the view from my sisters home where I stayed as the other house is not in a friendly mode anymore.  Empty of any comforts except for the staging furniture.  Not a place to stay anymore.

Doing things in Canada, especially in Quebec, comes with lots and lots of forms and lots and lots of people.  I expected our realtor, the buyer’s realtor and the inspector.  I was not prepared for the two architects, two inspectors, the buyer, two of our realtors, the buyer’s realtor and even a potential looker who popped in on the fly.  What an experience.  Things went well and I enjoyed getting to know a bit more about the people who were there.  Never met two architects who seemed to love the house more than the buyer.  Really enjoyed them.  Things came down to the wire on Friday and just before John was to take me away for a 24 hour respite from all the hullabaloo with phone calls and texts, the deal came together.  I was actually able to turn my phone off for 18 hours and was able to relax and enjoy being away.  We recommend the Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, Vermont.  Lovely people who run it, great dining room and a welcoming atmosphere.

Weather has Turned

The beginning of the week brought some misty rain for our walks.  My companions, Wyke and Bean, had a great week in the woods and hills.  Since Little Bean was in heat we really had to avoid going anywhere we might run into other dogs.  There aren’t any houses back where we walk so therefore no dogs, just sheep.  We did see a beautiful red fox and some turkeys but they weren’t interested in us at all.  Our explorations took us up some pretty steep hills which gave me a good workout while quite different from my longer road walks.  I think it is good to mix things up a bit.  It certainly makes me use of a different set of muscles.

We found interesting things in the stream, perhaps a few wee trout that will eventually end up in the lake.  Lots of frogs and grasshoppers too.  The beauty of walking with these guys is their pure enjoyment of anything and everything.  They don’t ask me a lot of questions even though I talk to them all the time.  The looks on their faces say it all.

Football and Food

After our 24 hours of getaway, we headed to our grandson’s football game at Proctor Academy.  He is one of the captains of the football team and we got to see him go out on the field for the toss which was pretty amazing.  Four years ago as a freshman, Jack decided that he wanted to play football.  He had not been a football fan or player prior to then.  He worked hard, played a lot of JV football that first year but got to sit on the bench for the Varsity games.  He was very determined and committed to the sport.  Last season he played on a team that won all their games except for the bowl game at the end of the season.  This year is a rebuilding year and Jack has the leadership skills to help them do that.  We are so very proud of him and what he has accomplished.  The football parents provide food for the players after the game and we got to help.  John was grilling and I was stuffing buns and wrapping the burgers and dogs in tin foil to keep them warm.  I will not be making a career move, my tin foil folding isn’t good enough for Mickey D’s.  However, the guys really appreciated the food and can they ever eat.  It reminded us of our days as soccer parents.  Good memories.

Winding Down in Canada

 

We will leave Canada in a couple of weeks.  The next two will be very busy with moving everything out of the house in Montreal and John and I will be back in New Hampshire kid-sitting while Katie travels again.  We love doing this and it is one of the reasons we are not heading south too early this year.  I read recently that grandparents who take care of their grandchildren stay healthier longer.  What a great idea!!!  The dogs and I will enjoy several more good hikes before we have to head south to a very different kind of walking and I get ready for the Pledge the Pink three day walk with Katie at the end of October.  We hiked together today and our pace was excellent.  We both think we will be able to handle the 10 miles three days in a row and are hoping that it won’t be as hot as it was last year in September.  If you would like to support our walk, we would love to have you do so.  Just click on this link, Pledge the Pink,  and it will take you to our page where you can donate.  We will walk in honor of all who we have loved and lost and also for the many more who are survivors.

Quinoa and Me

We went out to brunch with our family in New Hampshire and I ordered a fabulous quinoa bowl with scrambled eggs.  It was made with wilted kale, red peppers, mushrooms, kalamata olives, feta cheese and some spices.  Delicious.  Here is a recipe for you to try as Autumn is now upon us.  Well, in Canada it is.  Fires in the fireplace again, jackets and warming foods.

Autumn Quinoa Salad
(from Blue Zones)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup quinoa
Salt and ground black pepper
2 green onions, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 (15.5-oz.) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the quinoa and salt to taste. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the water has been absorbed, about 12 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the green onions, carrot and peas, and set aside to come to room temperature.

3. Add the beans, peanuts, cranberries, oil, vinegar and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

The geese are heading south too, hope you have a wonderful week of healthy eating and some beautiful walks.

Love Louise and the happy pups.