Pursuit Of Idle Pleasures: The End of September Already

Friday, September 30, 2011

The End of September Already

Another month has come and gone, only 3 months and we’ll be celebrating our first year of retirement. It has been really great so far and is only getting better as we adapt to the freedoms we now have. This September has had more beautiful days than I can recall – I think I had more swing afternoons than I did the rest of the summer! The days have started to blend into each other, each day similar to the last. Is this a good thing? I’m not sure yet.

Although the days seem a blur we still seem to manage many out of the ordinary work-a-day pastimes.

Wednesday we met up with friends Ruth and John for lunch. The food was great as you can see from the empty plates (restaurant in Kemptville called The Branch) but the company was even better. I haven’t seen Ruth for ages, maybe even close to a year (could it be?) so it was great to get a start on catching up. Hopefully we’ll get to finish that catch-up next week with a camping sleep-over. I had many visits with Ruth when I was sick all those years ago – they were a great mood enhancer and helped me a lot with my recovery – we always had so many laughs! I still feel grateful to her.

After the restaurant we drove over to pick up our dog meat order. 125 pounds of raw ground up meat, bone and organ, with a bit of fish added in for good measure. The food is frozen in blocks about the size of bricks – I bring them out of the freezer and into the fridge the night before so they are softened enough for supper the following night. The dogs LOVE their supper. The raw food, with no un-necessary additives like corn or other grains, helps to keep their teeth nice and clean, their poops firm and easy to pick up, and their coats glossy. It’s worth the extra bit of effort.

Once we got home and the food was loaded into the freezer we headed back out to pick up the camper. The new fridge was already installed! The service department at Ottawa Camping Trailers has really impressed us. Their service was punctual and professional. We will go there again (but hopefully not for a long time if you know what I mean!). As of today (Friday) the fridge seems to be working okay. I’ve gradually been putting the food back into it so that we can get a good test before heading out on our next trip.

Thursday was rainy in the morning but stopped for the afternoon. As soon as it stopped I was outside in the camper reloading all the stuff I had removed for its sleep over at the repair shop. Then I dragged out the camper’s fall decorations and gussied it up for colder weather – sheepskin on the chair seats, cosy burgundy blankets and pillows. You know, not so summery looking. I may be the only person in RVing land that does this, but it’s fun and actually I’m an interior decorator at heart. I probably get this gene from my mom who would also has an entire new set of “stuff” for each season and holiday.


I picked up some fabric for the trim of the quilt I’m making. I hope to finish it this winter.

After the camper was all re-decorated my friend Christina arrived for a cup of tea. So we grabbed the teapot and mugs and headed out to the camper for some good girl talk. It makes a great escape.

Thursday night I made a new recipe – Roasted Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Olives on Pasta. It was a typical Italian meal – easy! First I cut up and blanched the cauliflower, then patted it dry, tossed it with olive oil and laid it out on the roasting pan. Into the oven at 400 for about 1/2 hour. Meanwhile on the stove top I sautéed 4 cloves of garlic and some red pepperoncini in some olive oil, then poured in a can of tomatoes (smushed up). That reduced for a while. When the cauliflower was done it mixed into the sauce along with some chopped kalamata olives. Then I tossed the cooked pasta (spaghetti) and served with some grated parmesan. It was good – Carm gave it a 4.5 out of 5 so I guess it’s a re-do. Oh, and a bonus, it was pretty diet friendly using only 2 tablespoons of oil which could probably be reduced.

The dogs are all hairless since the poodles got their hair cut last week so they tend to jumble together in any sun spot that they can find. Kabira can curl herself into the most tiny ball you can imagine – which is something else for a 65 lb. dog!