Just wait 5 minutes.....Week 17

A new year... fresh start..... clean slate..... a blank page.

I'm not one to get on the resolutions bandwagon, not to imply that I'm perfect but I am where I want to be, doing something that I love and enjoying each day.

The new year puts me more in the “spring” mode. All the decorations are down, (the tree did this on it's own) and are now packed away. Following this was a major clean up. How pine needles managed to find there way into the pockets of my sweatshirt, the sock drawer and in the fridge I don't know.

Leftovers from the holiday turkey and the new year's roast have been sliced, portioned and frozen for quick meals later in the month. Two big pots of soup were made the other day and they too will be frozen. The chocolates and nuts, cookies and squares have been ........eaten.

The feeling of spring cleaning continued in the basement. Five freezers jam packed in August are now showing signs of the many meals eaten. Time to take inventory and consolidate. And now there are three.

Outside we had propane tanks to change, an oil change to do and the battery in the “tinney” to be swapped out for a fully charged one. The water tanks get topped up and the boardwalk swept.

What a mixed bag of weather we have experienced in the last week.

Sunny and unseasonably warm,

     than snow.

For 2 days and 2 nights bit by bit small chunks of snow would slide off the roof and THUMP! You'd think it would just slide off the extremely steep roof in one big sheet, but no. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Rain than sun washed away all the signs of snow.

Today our world has closed in on us. High winds, rain and hail.

I knew these gloomy days would come sooner or later. Time to start a puzzle. This is the first place we've been where there is room enough to actually leave my puzzle out on the table. Always knew the 18 ft long dining table would come in handy.

Till next week,

Heather & Mike

Christmas Day.....Week 16

It's been more years than I care to tally that I have lived somewhere that has had a fireplace. Much of the year a fireplace is just a space which is decorated according to seasons, occasionally an actually fire may be lit but at Christmas time it becomes a place to hang the stockings with care and the best spot to leave a plate of cookies and milk for Saint Nick. Not having any stockings to hang, our work socks somehow just wouldn't be all that attractive, but I could leave a midnight treat for the jolly old soul. I remember as a kid coming downstairs early to find the plate empty, undeniable proof once again that Santa does exist.

Realizing that he's going to overload on sugar and dairy, I thought something more to his mature tastes. Scotch and a dish of peanuts. I'm not quite sure what Santa's route for this particular night may be but the scotch could be a welcome fortification to the task ahead or a welcome break from a job well done. Either way I think he will recall our chimney as a favourite.

Ken, our boss sent happy holiday wishes and said that he hoped Santa would find us at our new home. Well Ken he did, not only was there not a trace of scotch remaining or a single peanut left behind but also evidence that he is still using the same mode of transportation that obviously has served him well since 1823. Just outside on the deck was a antler. I can understand using the deck as a landing pad, the roof is very steep and clad in metal making for a rather slippery if not noisy landfall. The antler is not large, possibly from a reindeer in training?

Our cloudless blue skies have moved on and Christmas day began under a grey ceiling with a light covering of snow. I'm not preparing anything fancy for our dinner. The turkey is in the oven, potatoes and squash prepped, stuffing is in the turkey, dinner rolls going through a second rise, Drambuie caramel sauce ( for steamed pudding) made earlier in the week and tested on a dish of vanilla ice cream. This is what we call quality control. Passed with flying colours although might have to make more.

Not wanting to spoil our appetites we need something lite to tide us over till dinner. What about a nice pot of tea and fruitcake?

As the day worn on the gloomy clouds were pushed aside to revel the blue skies we have come to expect. A walk on the beach is beckoning.

The bird is still roasting but now the smells of turkey are competing with the scent of pine. Smells like Christmas. Time for some bubbly. Mike pops open a bottle as only a bottle of champagne can pop and we toast to the good life.

Till next week,

Heather & Mike

Deck The Halls.....

   I can't say for sure but I think this is the first time that the Outpost has been adorned with boughs of pine, bowls of pinecones and an odd assortment of my homemade decorations.

                                                                   Cheers!

We're in a forest, but where are the trees?......Week 15

The day has finally arrived. It's a crisp clear day, a perfect day for finding that perfect tree. The only thing missing was a coat of snow blanketing the forest floor, I'll have to settle for the recent snowfall on the distance hills.

    I can't recall the last time I had even purchased a tree which has been trucked in from some “tree farm” let alone go and cut one down. Our “home” being a 47 ft sailboat doesn't allow for the traditional 6 ft Christmas tree.

Armed with saw, clippers and camera we head out to get our tree. Mike takes the lead as he remembers seeing some smaller pines in a clearing not too far away.

During our walks through the woods we had somewhat kept an eye out for something which would be suitable but now when we are looking ready to chop one down they don't exactly fit the bill. Too big, too small, not a very nice shape, kinda sparse.

Forty-five minutes later we are still rambling about, our necks now beginning to ache from looking upwards and our eyes straining to seek out that tree which we had come for. We decide to head back, empty handed.

Here we are surrounded by tens, hundreds, thousands of acres of forest and we can't find a single perfect Christmas tree? After lunch I decide to walk along the beach to see what I could find. Everything we came across inland was way too big. I would love to have a twenty foot pine but really how would I reach the top to put the star on. I meander along the beach enjoying the weather , looking for treasures that have washed up as well as sizing up a suitable vessel to hang all my homemade decorations on.

Another nippy cloudless morning and the mission continues. We head off armed with saw, clippers and camera. We’ve traipsed so far from the lodge now that even if we did find a tree it would be quite a chore to drag it back. This is getting ridiculous, so many trees but they are either 80 ft or 3 ft. Where do they keep the standard 6 foot ones? Another hour, another day and I'm beginning to think that my magnificent towering pine may not be found. We head back, empty handed.

Are we not seeing the tree because of the forest?

   Yet another wintery blue sky day, well at least the weather has been absolutely fantastic, if I wasn't so preoccupied with finding this......tree.....than I might have taken the kayak out for a paddle.

   Today is the day. No matter what I will return with a tree.

It's a “Charlie Brown” tree. Go ahead and laugh, I see you smirking so go ahead.

Yes it's a very mournful dispiriting looking little tree. What can I say, we tried. You'd think finding a tree in these boundless acres of wilderness would be a simple task.

Mike was kind enough to be very .......enthusiast ?....in my choice. He didn't even laugh, not until I did, anyways. “It'll look fine once you put some decorations on it.” Truthfully it didn't look this pitiful standing among others. It had the right height, was a size I could easily saw through and the side that I could see appeared to be full and thick. Half a doz clumped so tightly together was very deceiving. Imagine my shock as I dragged my prize out from the clutches of the close knit group and half of my tree remained behind!

No matter which way I turn it, it still looks forlorn. My “salt dough” decorations weigh the branches down to distort it's shape even further. The single string of lights only seem to highlight the gaping hollow spaces.

It may not be what I had envisioned but years from when I say to Mike, ”remember our Charlie Brown tree?” we'll chuckle and instantly recall our Christmas at the "Outpost."

Merry Christmas

Heather & Mike

Presents & Produce.......Week 14

Christmas arrived early. I was a bit apprehensive that Mike might get stuck in Masset but the weather has been surprisingly wonderful for this time of year.

I had no sooner gotten the breakfast dishes done and started on lunch that I heard the plane. Half a doz boxes had to be unloaded than Mike appeared. Anxiously I waited to hear what the doctor had to say. It was a week ago now that Mike had taken that fall down some steps while we were going out to shut down the genny. We hadn't noticed the frost, 1 step down and both his feet went out from under him. He fell pretty hard onto his back and actually bounced and hit again. Prognosis from the doctor, nothing broken or cracked but definitely take it easy for a couple of weeks and DO NOT lift anything heavy. That good news was my first Christmas present.

A large mound of boxes had materialized on the dock, “did I order all that?” Well I did plan for this food order to last us till at least mid March possibly till April. That's 3 ½ months, 113 days or 339 breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The bulk of the canned goods and baking supplies had been shipped in during the summer and the freezers still had a good assortment of butts, rumps, ribs, shoulders, wings and thighs ( breasts were coming in on the plane) so this order was odds and ends, items that make planning numerous meals a little more exciting.

Some spices, nuts, different dry pastas, pickles and jams. Store bought bread which I consider a nice change plus Fat-Free puddings and low calorie yogurts for post holiday season desserts.

Treats such as ice cream, chocolate covered almonds, those delicious little mandarin oranges that seem to only appear during the holiday season, some whipping cream to make a mousse plus my eggnog will all be savoured.

This is my second Christmas present.

When I tell people that I am a caretaker living in the middle of nowhere more often than not the first question is what do I do about food and more specifically dairy and produce. Milk, fresh OJ, butter and cheese can all be frozen, although vacuum sealed cheese last for months just in the fridge. Eggs and yogurt last waaaaay longer than what the expiry date says. In fact last week I used the last doz eggs that were purchased in August and I'm still here!

As any cook knows we all adhere to the saying, “if in doubt, throw it out.”

Produce is a challenge. How much is too much? Don't want to end up feeding the fishes but would be nice to still be eating something fresh and crisp 3 months down the road. In the first month we will munch our way through all the lettuce, spinach, broccoli,peppers, mushrooms,tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers and grapes. We get our fill of salads, relish a ridiculously overloaded bacon & tomato sandwich, barbequed steak smothered in fresh mushrooms, a lot of stir-fry’s. Than they are gone.

Squashes, cabbages, carrots and potatoes last forever, well 4 months anyways, this I know for sure so the quantities seem high, even to me.

100 lbs of potatoes! Mike and I like our spuds. Baked, twice baked, boiled, mashed, whipped,roasted and scalloped. Home fries, french fries, oven fries. Potato salad, potato cakes and potato chowder. Have I missed any?

I try to keep a running list of all I order and all we eat, gives me reference for future orders and also how close I was on the amounts that I guessed at.

A couple of last minute gifts ordered on line all made it to the airport in Masset in time to be put on the “Christmas” plane. Love the internet. That's all my presents and now it's time to start thinking about finding that perfect tree to put these gifts under.

As you recall from last week or maybe you don't but Roger and Robbie are here to put the 20kw generator back together and buck up some wood for the summer season.

Work begins at the “crack of dawn” which is 9 am. Now this has always been a saying of my dad's , a family joke so to speak ........but dad, the sun here really does raise at 9 am! Before you know it the sun is down and it's dark outside, time 4:30pm.

Six days fly by, the plane has been sheduled for an afternoon pick-up. The weather is closing in, will they make it out? Bags and bales of insulation ( still packing them out) are waiting on the heli pad. Do I start thinking of what to cook for dinner?

NOPE! There's the plane. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Very quick hugs, gotta get moving, the pilot says it's snowing like “heck” over the mountains.

Till next week,

Heather & Mike

                                          Outtakes from the Week

We're having company....Again!.... Week 13

It's been a week of planning, cleaning, doing those jobs that have been put aside and just trying to get all my ducks in a row.

When a date was confirmed, as much as a date for a plane arriving in the month of December can be, I shifted gears from my general routine of not having a routine to making a list of all the things that had to be accomplished before Ken, Roger and Robert arrived.

First item on the list, well in my head, was get up earlier. This meant actually finding my alarm clock and than actually getting up when it rudely disturbed my beauty rest. Did you know that it's still dark outside at 8 am?

My days are now filled with purpose, although I can get along just fine without one. Instead of sitting down in front of the computer with my morning coffee(s)

I surround myself with cookbooks. The challenge is to find a few new recipes that don't involve me running out to the store (wish) or being able to substitute with items I already have. All too often I forget my mission and get absorbed in looking at all the pretty pictures. I look at them differently these days as I am starting to photograph food. Mike just shakes his head as I walk around the entire lodge with a sheet of cookies, hot out of the oven, looking for just the right light.

                                                                                  

I envy the cook who can walk into the kitchen without the slightest idea of what they are going to make and half an hour later a 3 course gourmet meal is on the table. That is not me. I plan. I plan for everything that is going to be eaten for the entire time we have company. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts and maybe even an appie or two.

Breakfast is easy. Get it yourself. Sorry guys. I'm not a breakfast type of cook, never got the hang of making those perfect eggs over easy. There will be fresh hot muffins and scones just out of the oven along with hearty homemade bread to toast, maybe a quiche. I wonder if these are the type of men who eat quiche?

Rest of the menu, piece of cake. Speaking of cake should it be a 4 layer double chocolate or banana with vanilla cream filling and butter frosting?

Jobs that have been put off due to my previously busy schedule make it to the list. Wash windows, there are a lot of windows, wash floors, sweep boardwalk, sweep basement, sweep away all the cobwebs outside ( I keep the one inside under control) burn a bunch of boxes that I had emptied a while ago and make up 3 rooms. Take down to the crew shack those 58 bales of insulation that I dragged out of the attic earlier in the week. Don't mind that job, gets me outside and allows me to stretch my legs.

Vacuum upstairs hallway where said 58 bales of insulation left a trail of yellow prickly fibre. Vacuum living room, dining room, bedrooms.

Stock the fridge with juices, pop and water.

Stock the cookie jar.

Whew! All is ready. Lets hope the plane makes it in on Wednesday.

Here they are and early!

The morning was grey with enough of a drizzle to make the boardwalk slippery but otherwise a fine day for flying, and so we assumed we would see them before noon. It's only 8:30 so naturally I pour myself a second cup of coffee and sit down to check emails. “On our way”. What! Their already in the air, so much for that second cup. Nothing urgent to get done except maybe get dressed and do something with the “bed head” hair. No sooner had I poured that second cup of coffee...again, that we heard the plane and seconds later there she was taxiing up to the dock.

Handshakes and hugs of welcome. The 400lb crate that left back in October, a couple of bags and 3 men was all the plane could hold so grocery order will be on the next flight. Didn't take long to unload and for the pilot to untie the lines. A change in plans though had taken place in this short interval, Mike was flying out. He took a nasty fall earlier in the week and seeing a doctor wasn't a bad idea and since there was a plane flying in again tomorrow to pick up Ken and deliver the food order the timing was perfect. Quick hug, kiss and off he goes.

A fresh pot of coffee awaits and I finally get my second cup.

Till next week,

Heather & Mike

Rain,rain go away.....week 12

I'm waiting for a heartbeat. It's been 3 hours now and nothing. The monitor shows a slight change in numbers but it's not stable yet. Nothing you can do except get another cup of coffee and wait.

While technology allows us to have access to the World Wide Web without being tied into the mainstream grid, nature still rules.

It's a finicky piece of equipment. Doesn't like the rain and when a 5 day forecast can read something like: light rain, scattered showers, cloudy with showers, isolated showers and heavy rain it's a wonder we do connect.

Heavy cloud cover, snow or hail can also play havoc with the signal. Yet there are days it could be raining cats & dogs and we have no problem, go figure.

Line of sight is everything. I think it's kinda odd that we can nail a satellite dish to a tree and receive a signal from a orbiting satellite hundreds of miles above the earth yet a branch that has grown just that little bit more can disrupt the entire operation.

I have a friend, who knows exactly what I am talking about. She was telling me how her internet goes down when the PALM TREES swaying in the warm tropical breeze disrupt the signal. My mind sort of wandered at the mention of palm trees. Visions of walking barefoot on white sand beaches, turquoise water and the requisite tall fruity drink with an umbrella in, it took over.

Whether it's a palm frond or a reaching branch from a 50ft hemlock we share a common problem.

Friday night we had a visitor. Didn't stay long, just ate and ran. Messy eater.

Not sure whether he will show up again but he's well known here at the OP, if he should return I hope to see him, from a distance of course, nothing up close and personal is necessary. This fellow has a reputation of being a mean old black bear.

Somebody, OK  me, didn't secure the door of the incinerator 100%. Following a trail of garbage I came to a clearing where he must have sat down and licked clean half a doz pudding cups and and a molasses container. I guess this answers the question that bears really do sit in the woods.

A caretaker's life can involve any number of jobs to be done. Today we spent the afternoon in the attic. Clean and well lit as far as attics go. Didn't come across any mummified critters or hairy legged creepy spiders, good thing cause spiders give me the heebie-jeebies.

Our task was to haul down bags of insulation which are needed at one of the other lodges. Fifty-eight in total, now have to be brought down to the crew's shack where they will await a plane. Going to be interesting to see just how many we can stuff into the “Beaver”. The “Christmas” plane is coming in next week bringing with it not only produce plus treats and presents for the holiday season but also Roger, Robert and our boss, Ken.

Till next week,

Heather & Mike