Life Off the Grid 31 –
July 14
7:15 AM
The lake is calm and
misty. Playing with the doggies.
7:45 AM
Just after I took these
photos the still was disturbed by an old man on a jet-ski. I haven't
seen a jet-ski on the lake for awhile, and certainly not driven by
old white-haired guys. The kid across the lake used to have a sort-of
jet-ski thing that he built out of who knows what and he used to bomb
around on that, but he must be mid to late twenties now and hasn't
been out on it for years. This thing today was the real deal, a
Sea-doo or similar, all yellow plastic and roaring engine. I can see
why people don't like them. People that don't have one, at least. He
buzzed into our bay and out again, bringing noise and waves.
8:00 AM
Going to have to have
breakfast. But hey! I have leftovers!
The plan for today:
breakfast, medicate the dog, finish brushing webs and old paint off
the cabin, start painting. After it gets too hot there's Spanish
lesson and organizing the tool boxes. Marinading prawns. Some
writing, I hope. Dinner, and medicating the dog round out my day.
High of 31C today, with
the possibility of some thunderstorms this afternoon.
8:30 AM
Dang! Propane's out on
the fridge and range. Time to be a mosquito buffet...
9:00 AM
Propane tank changed.
I'm going to have to bring down the full tank pretty soon. I so hate
carrying propane tanks down the path.
I had a yummy breakfast
of dahl and stir-fry veggies. Boiled water for dishes. Just waiting
for some cold water to drain through the filter so I can get the
dishwater to a temperature I can put my hands in.
9:35 AM
Dishes done. Dog
medicated. Slops bucket dumped outside. Maybe I should explain
the slops bucket. We have a two-stage dishwater removal system. If
you dump the dishpan full of water outside, you wind up rummaging
through the shrubs for bits of silverware that went out with the
dishwater. So we keep a bucket beside the sink stand. Dishwater goes
in there and any silverware is contained and can be easily retrieved.
Also, water used for boiling pasta or other things goes in there.
Also, it is where some of us spit while brushing our teeth. It is a
nasty bucket. But it beats having to carry heavy pots of boiling
water outside to drain things, and it also beats having to crawl
under the deck to find a spoon.
11:00 AM
Whew! It's hot out. I
went and found the stiff brush and I have been brushing loose paint
off. I have encountered some off-putting things.
And what the hell is
this stuff?
Ewwwww!
The dogs came out with
me but hid in the shade of the solar panels.
I think it's already
too hot to paint. I have done a bunch of cabin-cleaning. What's
next?
11:15 AM
I did a bit of a test
paint. Mostly because I couldn't wait any longer to see how the new
colour was going to look.
It's going to be a huge
change.
It's 32C outside.
Fortunately it's only 22C inside.
12:00 Noon
My mung beans have been
soaking since about 5 PM yesterday, so I have drained and rinsed them
and put them in the fridge.
I find that my prawn
recipe has not made the transition from my cookbook in Alberta to my
lake cookbook. I shall have to wing it.
I buy frozen raw easy
peel prawns. You can cook them with the shells on, which certainly
has a unique look. But when I'm eating I don't want to be fiddling
with undressing my food. I'm going to assume others feel the same
way. These are fairly large prawns and, being raw, they are
grey-black rather than the familiar pink of cooked shrimp and prawns.
Prawns, by the way, are really big shrimp. Not nearly as big as
lobsters, but bigger than the salad shrimp you see sometimes.
So I peel them all,
including carefully removing the tail shell. It is an icky process
and one I would rather undertake well before I get around to eating
them.
So, all peeled. The
package promised between 26 and 30 and there were, in fact, 26.
Next, make a marinade.
Olive oil, hot mustard, minced garlic, oregano, lemon pepper and a
bit of cumin.
Mix the marinade up to
make a sort of yellow paste and then stir the prawns into it. And
refrigerate until it's time to BBQ.
Mung beans (probably
curried), foil roasted vegetables, and spiced prawns. It is going to
be an amazing dinner.
1:00 PM
I really want a swim. I
want clean hair. I cannot let Guinness get in the water. They will
go mad if I leave them behind in the cabin and go in the lake.
Hmmmm...
1:30 PM
Did a bit of clipping
on Seamus. He is not impressed. Time for Spanish.
GAH! I cannot continue
until I activate my course online. It says if you have no internet
access, there is a number to call to get a special off-line code to
finish activation. What if you also have no phone? Huh? What about
people trying to learn a new language out in the woods without
internet or phone? What about them? Grrrrrrrrr!
5:00 PM
Oh dear. It was so hot
I decided to read, and I did, for a time. And then I woke up just
now. The boys think they want to go out and play. But it is still
far too hot for them. Perhaps we will go and sedately wander about.
Yeah, right.
5:40 PM
Went out and threw
balls and sqeaky things. It is still brutally hot. And the bugs are
bad. There is a mist on the water from the heat and I see someone is
out at Windy Point. They have a sailboat in the water.
We have retreated
inside and I think we will all sit quietly and pant for a bit.
Seamus has found the ceramic tiles around the fireplace are probably
the coolest piece of floor there is.
Tomorrow is going to be
a big day. Have to go up to the truck early and tidy up. Hang up a
couple of balloons at the road and the trailhead. And then prune the
path, marking the trail with balloons. And clean the cabin again, and
sort the tools. And somehow bathe and wash my hair! I don't want to
look like some derelict when the roof estimator comes. “Next week”
was the best time-line they could give me. Could be first thing
Monday morning or end of day Friday. I hope it's earlier, rather
than later.
6:00 PM
Vinyl Tap is on the
radio in an hour. Something to look forward to...
It's so hot. The dogs
are just panting, flattened against the floor.
I've been checking my
cell phone all day, just in case another text came through. It was
like magic, connecting for a moment with Jeff last night. I mean,
how strange was that? He said he was going to order a cell booster
when I spoke to him on Wednesday. I hope he did it. I hope it comes
in time for him to send it with Katherine and Ty when they come out.
Oh, yes. I have
Katherine and Ty coming out July 28th. They are taking
the Greyhound to Winnipeg, so they will be leaving Calgary at noon on
the 27th. It could be a grand romantic adventure for
them, but I suspect they will be tired and grumpy when I pick them
up in Winnipeg. I will have to come up with a list of stuff for them
to do. Ty gets bored out here very quickly and needs things to do.
Plus, if I am paying for their trip back, they are going to have to
some things to help around here. They are staying until August 9th.
What will I do with them for two whole weeks? I think I have turned
into a terrible hermit out here...
7:00 PM
How can I be sleepy? I
slept this afternoon. I'm not even hungry either. All that food
prep...
7:40 PM
I am using the side
burner on the BBQ to cook the lentils. I went to start the BBQ and
the electronic ignition wouldn't work. I tried a new battery. Nada.
So, it's matches, and one of those long fireplace lighters goes on my
shopping list. Those electronic ignitions are always the first thing
to go on BBQs.
But the side-burner is
great! I don't know why, but I never seem to use the side-burner. I
guess most of my barbecuing in Albert is done when it's chilly and I
would just as soon cook the side dishes inside. But I really have to
use it here when it's hot. Really so much better for the temperature
in the cabin.
Added some Vindaloo
curry paste. Going to be yummy!
Veggies wrapped in
foil.
I grease my BBQ basket
with olive oil before I use it. Helps keep things from sticking.
9:00 PM
Things are cooked.
Except for veggies. I'll give them another few minutes. Just sampled
a prawn... Amazing. Better than I have ever had in a restaurant. I
kid you not.
Everything is
delicious!
9:15 PM
I just heard a boat and
now Guinness is barking. He doesn't get “the barks”. If he barks,
there is a reason. He is agitated, pacing, and barking occasionally.
Maybe it was just the unfamiliar boat noise. One evening last summer,
the dogs went mad with barking just at dusk. I couldn't see anything
outside but I was concerned about bears, so I didn't let them out.
Awhile later they went nuts again. The moon came out from behind the
clouds and I could see a boat at our dock, which was quickly
populated with guys. And they took off. I am much more wary of
two-footed intruders than bears or wolves.
Fortunately, my dogs
love me. And they are fierce, especially Guinness when he is
defending. I would give them a better chance against a human though.
Guinness can take a coyote, and maybe a wolf, but a bear would
probably be well out of his league. However, if Guinness were to leap
at a human with his Cujo face on, snarling... Well, I am sure whoever
he was leaping at would be seeing a hungry wolf. I envision wet pants
and a desperate running away. And, I'm ok with that. If they are
going to come onto my land and try to mess with me they certainly
deserve to be scared out of their skins. I don't believe Guinness
would actually hurt anyone (well, at least not as badly as he could
if he really wanted to), which is why I am ok with it.
9:37 PM
I am not sure if I'm
tired or not. Pretty sure if I went up to bed with a beer and a book
I would be asleep fast. It's quite dark now. Days are clearly
getting shorter.
Wow. That was an
amazing supper. Sorry to blow my own horn, but there's nobody else
here. And it was so good. I recommend it next time you are having
company (without fish allergies or aversions). Everything prep ahead,
and then just keep an eye on it while it cooks. And it will taste
phenomenal. Don't forget to start soaking the mung beans the night
before!
10:00 PM
I think I will go up to
bed, Maybe if I read for a bit I will fall asleep... Guinness has had
his meds. Nothing to stay up for now...
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