Anna N

I woke up to a gorgeous morning in Northeastern Manitoulin. It is 14°C with the high forecast for 21° and sunny all day long.

All joking aside, I am hoping that you are OK this morning.

The salad before service. On the plate. First time really using the new kitchen and let me tell you there is something to be said for the work triangle — the one we don’t have here! Both of us are doing circles expecting to find the sink only it’s not where it should be. I have not used a gas range since I was knee-high to a corgi. I was expecting incredible things. This is a Frigidaire gas range. Let me tell you if they had decided to use it to burn Joan of Arc she would’ve barely got a sunburn and that would’ve taken a couple of hours. How I miss my induction range. But dinner was good. The steak was just incredible. And the cocktail didn’t hurt a bit. And to make my evening complete when I went into my room for something or other I found my brand new eye glasses that a kitten had hidden in my fanny pack!

But @JoNorvelleWalker—Are you sure you want to see an emergency room Doctor Who poses as a garden gnome and is pretty high right now on an Eeyore’s Requiem?

So Kerry announced in no uncertain terms that said she had had chicken for dinner yesterday evening and chicken for lunch today so there was no way on gods’ (any of them) green earth that she was having chicken for dinner tonight. So there are three strip loins swimming in the sous vide at 54.5°C for about an hour. One will be for another meal.

Yes I do know this but I’ve always had so much more faith in John Milton tan in the FDA or whoever made that determination. “ The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” Which I have always taken to mean that what we believe becomes so. So copper bracelets for arthritis, a bar of soap in bed for leg cramps, magnets for just about everything else. And if all those things fail then a double scotch (or a couple of mai tais) will usually do the trick.

Outside view of the front of our new digs. We have the lower unit. The mist has cleared and we can see the marina. And Kerry was able to escape the clutches of the emergency department long enough to make a trip to the liquor store. The magazine in front is a freebie as most of you know.

Like shipping coal to Newcastle.

Yep. Tonic water with quinine. Whether it actually works or whether it is only in my head, I find I have fewer night time leg cramps if I have a drink of tonic water on a daily basis (even fewer if I add enough gin to the tonic water). Probably more psychological than anything (or perhaps just better hydration) but I say if it works for you go for it. My sister swears by a bar of soap in her bed as a “cure” for leg cramps. If you believe it works and you believe you have fewer cramps as a result.... so long as these remedies are not harmful I don’t see any reason to change.

Still not likely to make anyone’s heart beat faster but it’s lunch. (Probably better than Kerry’s which I don’t think she even tasted because she ate it so fast. They called her from emerg almost the minute she got back from grocery shopping.) rotisserie chicken, coleslaw, grapes and honey-mustard dipping sauce for the chicken. As an aside and so you understand how much of a tossup grocery shopping can be on the Island, I asked Kerry to bring a bunch of parsley. No parsley in the two grocery stores here in Little Current. She managed to bag the last remaining of that most endangered species – – Schweppes Tonic Water. Sure you can get Canada Dry or Presidents Choice. But Schweppes, the only one worth getting, always seems to be in short supply.

First grocery shopping. Sorry I took the photograph into the light. What you might not recognize there are tiny potatoes and scallions. The makings of a herb garden. Bad photograph but that is enough all purpose flour to make a few bits and pieces. Kerry was reading my mind because I really really wanted some Lays sour cream and onion potato chips wasn’t going to ask for them. Think you can see everything else in this photograph.

Says something about our healthcare system.

What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts. At least that’s the way that Kerry seems to look at it. She has never before been stopped when bringing groceries across the border and she’s done it for many, many years. So duty free cheese for years and years.

Not sure what the problem is but everything is extremely slow uploading. Wonder if it is the network here in this condo that is the problem. We shall find out. But apparently there is something in the aiNot sure what the problem is but everything is extremely slow uploading. Wonder if it is the network here in this condo that is the problem. We shall find out. But apparently there is something in the air: Kerry’s finest impersonation of? I want to assure all of you she does not yet need the walker although after unpacking the van yesterday she came very close. A nice surprise for me. Among the cheeses that Kerry found that warranted 250% duty was this lovely smoky blue. Bread choices are limited at the moment but I had a little of it on a slice of toasted 12 grain. It may look as if I am being parsimonious with the cheese but it is so flavourful that you don’t need much. It was delicious.

If it belonged to either one of us we would happily ship it to you in exchange for a recliner (the one from the old unit seems to have disappeared) or if you’re really desperate Kerry said she’d accept a dough sheeter in exchange.😂

Woke early (5:30) to a misty morning. It is 16°C with a forecast high of 22° and sunshine all day. Kerry is still sleeping and Kira spent the night with her favourite caregiver. Kerry has to be at work by 8 am and should get off by 6pm. This is a new emergency shift this year. In previous years all emergency room shifts were 24 hours. On the bright side — more cocktail time for Kerry. Might be a boring day for posting as we slowly unpack and make the kitchen useable. But stay tuned. You just never know.

Not the most exciting meal but when you’ve been driving since 8 AM almost anything is good. Rotisserie chicken, coleslaw and potato wedges. We will aim higher.

Not sure what the story is but apparently it worked today else we would still be on the other side of it.

Very different kitchen. Will take some time to get used to. Just a very little of the unpacking we will need to do. Kira just before one of her favourite caregivers arrived. You should’ve heard the laughs and giggles that came out of her when she saw M.

so we hit the bridge right at 4 PM and as you can see we were locked out while she swung.

In Espanola. The car just will not go past a grocery store. Kerry is in there getting a chicken and some salads so we can eat when we arrive — very shortly. Kira and I wait patiently in the car because both of us are just too much trouble to move!

OK OK I’m trying to keep you guys up-to-date while we’re on the move. It was a cheese biscuit. 😂

She was so quiet and we couldn’t see her easily so I took a photograph to make sure she was still with us! She looks a bit fed up here.

Those are the best.

Breakfast at Debb’s in Barrie as usual. Eggs Benny for Kerry. Cheese bun from the eggs Benny on the side for Kira. Poached eggs on toast with home fries for me. Fixed to my satisfaction. I momentarily paused at to grab miso and the flour mix for kimchi pancakes. Kerry is under the impression that she can fertilize my cooking mojo and I will be back into my Japanese cooking in the blink of an eye.