I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting an update on the health of my cottage appliances (probably as anxiously as you’ve been anticipating a sequel to Beetlejuice, which may be arriving at a screen near you soon). The good news is the zombie dishwasher remains mostly undead, as long as I whisper encouraging dish-cleaning words and […]
Cottage Status Report 20240929 Read More »
My friend Michelle “threw off her mortal coil” in her 61st year last week. And I use that expression as the most apt I could think of in this circumstance. Michelle was a fierce defender of justice, a rabid protector of lost souls, a not-to-be-trifled-with trivia maven, a Fluevog shoe flaunter, a clawed defender
My Friend Michelle Read More »
At the cottage, we use our iPhone hotspots to access the internet. This works pretty well, except on summer long weekends or when it’s raining, when everybody and their progeny piles on to the cellphone tower. Are there other options to reach the world wide web? Kind of, but suboptimal for heavily wooded islands. But
I am pleased to announce that the Broken Appliance of the Month award goes to the dishwasher. Even though we’re not quite through July, I’m pretty confident nothing else will swoop in to claim the title. (I’m looking at you, stove replaced last October to salvage Thanksgiving dinner). The cottage dishwasher has lost its mind
Cottage Status Report 20240729 Read More »
As I have mentioned, I have experienced an unexpected reversal in my aversion to crossword puzzles. This is partially because they have evolved considerably from their previous incarnation, which was rife with clues involving Chinese currency and Biblical references. It’s true that Adam, Eve, and their progeny still show up with some regularity, but there’s
We have water! It was a simple thing, really. Turns out it wasn’t the controller for the pump, it was the pump. A new pump was purchased. It didn’t even cost more than $1,000! And, they’ve made great strides in pump technology over the past 20 years: instead of three wires it has only two,
Cottage Status Report 20240601 Read More »
When we got back from the cottage on Wednesday night, there was a Canada Post ‘pick up a parcel’ slip attached to the front door. This was decidedly odd. Normally, the mailman leaves any parcels in the parcel sequestering area of the super mailbox. This being suburbia, mail does not arrive on its own to
Suburban Status Report 20240524 Read More »
The dock spider was waiting when we pulled up in the tin boat to wake the cottage from its winter slumber. Actually, that’s not quite accurate. One of the dock spiders was waiting. The rest of the extended family was probably still asleep. Australian mutants not-withstanding, dock spiders reset anyone’s notion of what “big
Cottage Status Report 20240427 Read More »
Apparently, hotels can’t build suites (as opposed to run-of-the-mill hotel rooms) fast enough to keep up with the demand. I guess the Russian mafia is still solvent and rock stars will always need enough room to house their entourage and hangers-on in the manner to which they have become accustomed. Those of us who
I’ve launched on a Marie Kondo-ish spree, decluttering closets and cupboards. My rule is if it hasn’t been touched in five years, its useful life is over, at least in my universe. Especially if it’s clothing. All of the suit jackets, even ones with exquisite buttons that look like intricate knots, even conservatively pinstriped ones
