Three years ago October 1, 2019, we closed on the purchase of 11 Jenny Lane. We have come a long way since that first day here and we are celebrating that achievement. We had absolutely no idea what we were in for and I honestly think that if we had had an idea we might have just started running and not turned back. We were so full of hope when the first dumpster arrived. The last one left about a month ago. John started taking down walls immediately and we just laughed our way through it. Living in the chaos was not something we had really thought about. We simply wanted a project to keep us amused while “babysitting” for Libby.
We actually brought over a table and two chairs and some wine glasses and a candle to celebrate. I look at the original picture and cannot believe that it is the same house. The only thing we did not replace were two large picture windows in the side of the living room that looks out into the woods. So today we celebrate our three year anniversary and the actual completion of the majority of the house. I was away this week for a couple of days and while I was gone the sink was installed in the laundry and the rest of the shower fixtures (still no glass) and a new toilet in our bathroom. So we have a fully functioning laundry and bath on the ground floor now. IMO the laundry is the heart of the house and now it works as it should.
A Quick Visit South
I was lucky enough to have a quick trip to Asheville to spend some time with our littlest grand daughter. She and I had a wonderful time visiting the Biltmore, looking at the trains there and all the farm animals and then we visited The Arboretum where she walked almost three miles pushing her baby doll in her new carriage. Then a repeat visit to the Biltmore, at her request, to have lunch and visit the pig! What fun we had. There is nothing better than a two year old who is figuring out the world on a daily basis. While we were at The Arboretum she introduced her baby doll to the statue of The Great Spirit somewhat like a scene from The Lion King. In fact, she spent quite a bit of time taking baby doll out of her stroller and explaining to her what the plants were in the various gardens. Such patience and curiosity. She even noticed that The Great Spirit had bare feet, which she was able to touch and that the statue of Frederick Law Olmstead did not. He was wearing shoes. Once again, observation!
The Final Harvest
Our garden is done for the year. No more zucchini, no more tomatoes, no more yellow squash. Still lots of dahlias but they are going fast. However, what we had an abundance of was kale. What do you do with all that kale – make kale chips. Libby likes to cook and said she would give it a try.
Wyke and Surgery
Wyke had a little surgery on his ear this past Wednesday. He has stitches and a drain in it after having a treatment for a hematoma. Poor guy. He didn’t act like it hurt him but then he is a golden and they don’t complain. He has been so good that we haven’t needed the cone at all as he is not bothering it one bit. We do keep him right with us so we can see that he is not scratching or rubbing his head at all. I actually think he feels so much better that it really isn’t an issue for him. We have to treat it with warm compresses twice a day and keep it clean but he seems to enjoy the attention. Goes back October 19th to get the stitches and drain removed.
Baked Kale Chips
Ingredients
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
Directions
Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove kale leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale leaves with olive oil and toss to combine. Spread out in an even layer on the baking sheet without overlapping and sprinkle with salt.
Bake until the edges start to brown but are not burnt, 20 to 30 minutes.
To all my friends and family in Florida and The Maritimes, thinking of you and remembering what it was like to go through Matthew a few years ago as you work on your recovery from Ian and Fiona.