The Joy of Cooking and Baking in my New Kitchen

…with more storage and counter space

I’m still putting away supplies, dishes and accessories from our old kitchen but much of it was given away, donated to a thrift shop or thrown away. We have a second kitchen in the basement and some of the supplies that we don’t use every day will stay down there until we need them.

On Sunday I had an itch to cook and bake. As many of you know, my husband does most of the cooking in this house. He gets so much pleasure working in the kitchen and now in his new space his pleasure has doubled.

I love making soup and made a large pot of chicken vegetable soup. While the soup simmered I made a batch of lemon cranberry muffins. When I was gathering up supplies for the kitchen I came across a recipe that my sister, Chris, typed up for me awhile ago.

Both recipes were delicious and we enjoyed them for the next three days and there is still enough soup left over for another meal.

Closing the Cottage for Another Season

despite the warm and sunny weather

I brought home all the bedding to wash and the canned and bottled food. There is no heat in the winter so any food left behind would freeze and cause the bottles and tins to explode. All the clean bedding, pillows and paper products age packed in sealed containers or bags so that any mice that might find their way into the cottage don’t chew them up for their nests. Luckily in the last few years there has been little evidence that mice moved in.

It’s very difficult closing the cottage in September. Many believe that this time of year has the best weather. Warm during the day and cooler at night….perfect for sleeping. Normally I wouldn’t close until mid October but this year we have a family wedding to attend and Thanksgiving is going to be at our daughter’s place.

All the outdoor furniture is brought indoors and the propane tanks are turned off and the BBQ is covered and moved closer to the building.

Good-bye Christian Island. See you next year!

Five Plus Two = 7

thanks to Becky B for hosting Seven for September Squares https://thesquaresofb.com/2024/09/30/seven-squares-30/

On my way to close up the cottage this weekend I stopped at Harris Farms. The pumpkin displays were amazing and they let the cows out on the pasture next to the displays. The children loved being able to get this close to the animals. One of them let her bladder empty and a little girl shrieked ‘look Mom, they pee’.

Day 3 for September Squares – Seven Family Members Including the Dog

thanks to Becky B for hosting September Seven Squares https://thesquaresofb.com/2024/09/03/seven-squares-3/

On this past weekend, my family living in Canada got together before everyone headed back home. Winnie is starting grade four at a new school in Moncton, NB and her mom Gaelan is continuing with her masters studies. Brendan, Andrea and Josie continue working from home and in person and Kevin and I are enjoying our retirement. Olive, A & J’s Frenchie, sleeps most of the day but brings us all a great deal of joy when we get together.

Opening the Cottage – June 21-24, 2024

after making sure that someone I know was going to be close by

It’s getting harder and harder to find people to go up the cottage with me to open up but I have to admit that It’s actually getting easier and easier. I’m more worried about falling and not having someone close by to check up on me.

Of course the weekend I chose to open it rained all weekend. I did, however, manage to set up the BBQ, put out the deck furniture, rack the leaves and sweep the the deck. Inside the cottage there was very little to do. For some reason, the mice stayed away this winter (hooray!) so I just had to wipe down the dust and put away the groceries that I brought along. Luckily I had a new book with me so I managed to get a good start on that.

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A very windy evening last night

Naturally, the sun came out today when I was getting ready to leave. The next visit will be easier and I will actually start the refrigerator. This time I just kept my food on icepacks. Maybe I’ll even go for a swim but I’m sure the water is freezing.

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