June 18, 2012
6:45 AM
When people ask me,
“You know what sucks?” I usually say “Yes, yes, I do.” Partly
because it pisses them off, and partly because I can usually come up
with something that sucks worse than whatever they were about to
complain about. I am usually a very positive person and I cope with
these things pretty well, I think, but I had a “this really sucks”
moment last night. You know when you wake up in the middle of the
night and really have to go to the bathroom? That sucks, right? Even
under the best of circumstances, when you wake from a deep sleep with
an urgent need for the facilities and you have to get out from under
the cozy covers into the chilly air and make those 6 or 8 steps to
your ensuite bathroom...that sucks. But, what if when you woke up in
this state of distress and had to get out from under the cozy covers
and find a flashlight and put on pants, and socks and a sweater and
go down a ladder and find your boots and get them on and go outside
and trudge 100 metres or so uphill through the bush to the outhouse?
And there is a violent thunderstorm going on? And you find a
gazillion bugs taking shelter from the storm in the outhouse. Yeah,
that sucks. On the other hand, getting back into bed, after getting
rid of the wet clothes and drying your hair a bit...priceless!
It's a grey, wet,
chilly morning. Again. I am getting a bit tired of this. I hope
all this rain hasn't drowned my garden. Oh well, another day of
finding indoor stuff to do. Starting with sweeping in preparation
for a workout. Somehow, no matter how often I sweep, there seems to
be sand and dog hair everywhere. Holding the plank down on the floor
really brings the need for sweeping into sharp focus.
Yesterday I figured out
how I would like this blog to work. I am going to write every day.
Obviously I can only upload when I have access to the internet. So I
am going to upload batches of blogs and have them publish one a day
so that there should be a steady stream of them between times I am in
civilization. They will be a little out of date because I only have
internet about once a week, but for those who find this interesting,
they will go up regularly.
8:20 AM
I have done the dishes
I was too tired to do last night. Amazing how washing dishes in
really hot water can warm you up when you're feeling chilled.
It's not actually cold
in here, 15C but humid, damp even, which makes it feel colder. I
made a cup of mandarin orange green tea when I boiled water for the
dishes.
Here is where I do my
dishes:
I have determined that
everything hanging behind the propane range needs to be taken down
and scrubbed. Yucky and dusty.
The wood stove needs
blacking as well...
So there's some indoor
jobs for me if it keeps being lousy outside. I went through the
cereals on top of the stove hood. Threw out all the stale ones.
Doesn't leave much but porridge and Optimum Slim.
Speaking of throwing
things out, I have a system here. Obviously there is no curb-side
pick-up. I can pay a couple of dollars a bog to get rid of it at the
dump in Kenora. But garbage tends to be heavy and smelly and it's a
long way up to the truck. Plus, the bears will get into any garbage
left up there, even in cans (or they did, until I built – with Ty's
help – a magnificent wooden box my garbage bins fit into).
The solution to the
garbage issue out here is to sort the garbage into “burn” and
“carry out”.
Plastic, glass and
metal get carried out. Food scraps, floor sweepings, and paper
products get burned in a big fire bin down by the lake. It isn't a
perfect solution, but it works and it's the best I can do.
I pondered composting
very briefly. I do not generate much compostable garbage on my own –
a few carrot peels and so on – plus, I am concerned about both
attracting wildlife and spontaneous combustion in the pile. As much
as I want to be green, I don't want to set out a bear buffet, or set
fire to the forest. So, it is what it is.
The dogs haven't really
bothered to get up yet today. They looked outside when I first got
up, sighed, and went to lie down again. Guinness sang along with the
opening music to The Current, as he always does, but remained lying
on his couch while doing so.
9:00 AM
Saw a really big frog
just now. At least someone appreciates the wetness.
Must eat something. I
have the kettle on for herb and tomato couscous. Mmmmmm! Breakfast!
And the sun seems to be
trying to shine!
Noon
Ate breakfast and did
the dishes. Swept the floor and got out my yoga mat. I made it all
the way through the Workout A once. As in, without the repeated sets.
It is tough. Took an hour, partly because I had to double-check
form. I am very sweaty. I'll do the same tomorrow with Workout B.
Then, on Wednesday, I'll try to do A with all the sets. I can see
how this could be a very effective workout. It focuses on
micro-movements a lot. Excruciating small actions that don't look
like much, but feel like a whole lot.
We have been out for
the past hour or so, enjoying a bit of sunshine and frolicking in the
lake. Then , suddenly, I was really hungry. We came in, but now I'm
not sure what I want to eat. A mushroom omelette? An asparagus
omelette? A mushroom and asparagus omelette? Cereal? Salad? Grains? So
many choices!
My cucumber, what was
left after I made the salad, is frozen. Ugh. I have adjusted the
fridge, but that's it for cucumber until next weekend.
The red spots on
Guinness' belly seem to have faded. Wonder what it was...
Hmmmmmm..... Eggs and
mushrooms. Sounds like a plan.
It's about 17C in the
cabin, but it was closer to 25C by the thermometer on the cabana. If
it continues to be warm and not raining this afternoon, perhaps I'll
try another swim.
1:15 PM
Yummy omelette for
lunch. Did some writing and was just considering going back out with
the dogs, but... I am hearing thunder. Sounds like the storm is off
to the west, but it also sounds pretty aggressive. I don't much want
to be out there when the storm breaks here.
2:00 PM
The wind has picked up.
They have been blasting at the quarry, tearing open wounds in the
earth to put granite on people's countertops. I can't tell if all the
rumbling is from there. I still think some is thunder. The blasts
are sharp shocks, the other is a low rumbling that growls along. The
light has a peculiar hue, although the sky is only partly clouded.
Ah, yes, the rain has
begun. Even though I can see blue sky, drops are spattering the deck.
2:15 PM
Oh, nice. The radio has
just announced a tornado warning for the area. Large hail, high
winds, potential twisters, thunder, lightening... Uh-huh. Take
shelter as storm conditions approach, they say. Take shelter where,
exactly? No storm cellar out here. We're sitting on solid rock.
The lake has picked up
quite a bit. White caps out beyond the bay. Excitement, off-grid
style. I wonder if I should bring the deck chairs in off the dock?
Another announcement
from Environment Canada. Sounds like the tornado warning is now a bit
east and moving away. Still feels like we could get some unsettled
weather here for a bit yet.
Another blast at the
quarry. They make us all jump. Guinness looks alarmed. Seamus
snuggles against my legs. It's a horrible, violent sound. They are
miles away. How awful it must be up close!
3:40 PM
After the rain stopped
we did venture out to the water for a bit. The weather stayed ok (no
rain or storm while we were down there) but the bugs became
maddening.
6:20 PM
Remember those
chickpeas I started soaking yesterday? Now I've drained them and put
them in a pot and covered them well with water. I have them on the
propane stove too bring them to a boil, then I'll reduce the heat,
cover them, and let them simmer for an hour. Slow, slow food...
As it comes to a boil,
I skim off the thick foam on the top. This removes some of the starch
that is commonly found in legumes and which contributes to, ahem,
gassiness.
So, at 7:30, I can
start the next stage. Actually, I can begin chopping veggies any
time up until then. I think some onion and celery would be good in a
chickpea curry.
7:35 PM
I have drained the
chickpeas. They are now soft, much as they would be from a can.
However they have far less sodium in them. I chopped onion and celery
earlier, so I'll begin making my curry.
- Heat some olive oil in a pan or pot (I use the same pot I simmered the chickpeas in – why dirty more dishes?)
- Add garam masala powder, minced garlic, minced ginger, minced chilies, and saute a few moments.
- When it starts to smell spicy, add onions and saute, stirring constantly. Don't let them get really brown, just starting to be golden.
- Add the celery. Keep stirring.
- Add the chickpeas and a bit of water if it has become dry.
- Simmer for a bit for the flavours to develop and blend. Stir once in awhile.
- Enjoy!
7:55 PM
My chola is simmering,
I added a bit more water than I meant to. Kettle poured a bit fast.
So, it will take a little while for some to evaporate. It's raining
again, quite hard.
I saw a big mushroom
down by the cabana yesterday. Made me shudder. 2009 was the summer of
rain. Garnet and Katherine and Guinness and I were out here for the
summer and I think we had 5 days all season that it didn't rain.
Frogs and mushrooms. That's what grew out here. I have photos of at
least 50 kinds of mushrooms and funghi from that summer. Thanks. My
album is complete. I don't need another summer like that.
Great. The thunder has
begun again. One of the great things about being off the grid is you
never get your power knocked out by a storm. You are self-contained.
The down-side of being as remote as I am is the nagging fear that
some storm, someday, is going to bring a tree down on the cabin, or
lightening will start a fire nearby, and there will be no way to call
for help. Storms are just a reminder that out here I am totally and
solely responsible for my own well-being and that of my dogs, who I
treasure. Any danger that might present itself – fire, bears,
whatever – it's down to me to deal with it. There is no back-up.
Not that I usually dwell on it. But violent thunderstorms make my
adrenaline rise.
8:20 PM
Dinner is served! I
made a lot, enough for several meals.
10:00 PM
It seems to have got
very dark. My candles are barely sufficient. Time for bed.
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