Houseplants and a Dental Trip
October 14, 2024
Fall has to be my favourite season. The sun decides it is too comfortable to rise early and put on its shining coat for us to admire. Perhaps the trees drop its colourful leaves to protest the sun’s progressively delayed rise each morning.
As the days shorten and the nights cool, we cozy ourselves with blankets and warm drinks. It is that time—when knitted and crocheted items make their way to the forefront.
A Season For Gathering
My oldest has a penchant for anything snug and homey. Naturally, she reaches for her crochet hooks and begins a project to add a touch of “Fall” to our home’s relaxed decor. Two plush crocheted pumpkins now sit cozily next to one another on our windowsill. The cinnamon stems, lodged inside each stuffed pumpkin, stir an imaginary whiff of nutmeg and cloves.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we welcome this family gathering—a holiday to slow our pace, and to give thanks to the One who gave us all that we have!
Houseplants In Their New Home
As my daughter continues her many pumpkin-making projects—I anxiously fuss over the houseplants we carefully evacuated from our sold home.
Our tiny liveable space, with only two south facing windows; and two large west and north-facing windows—there was hardly enough room to place all the plants near or in front of each window.
To solve this conundrum, Michiel relocated his temporary work station upstairs to accommodate the plants’ needs. The prime real estate for these dozen plants landed right in front of two large south-facing windows. Knowing full well that sawdust and other debris will scatter throughout the entire second floor, a vapour barrier was installed between the windows and the rest of the space under construction.
As the direct light from the sun could potentially scorch the leaves, a quick solution had Michiel installing two white Roman shades in the windows. This allowed ample bright, naturally light to glow through the fabric. The plants’ new space mimicked a mock greenhouse environment—where warmth; bright, filtered light; and minimal humidity became their habitat. It seems the plants are happy with their new home.
Running the Generator and Filling the Propane Tank
A weeklong of cloudy and stormy days had us anticipate power outages. We had to run the generator for full days this week in order to maintain our household electricity consumption at the usual level. As the sun rises later and sets earlier, we had to adjust our usage accordingly.
In the middle of our power outage, we had the unfortunate event of running out of propane for our gas powered stove and oven. The stove was a back-up, in case we didn’t have enough solar power to run our electric stove and mini-oven. Since we couldn’t cook, bake or boil water for tea and coffee, we decided it was in our family’s best interest to head to the nearest location to have our propane tanks refilled. We arrived in Yarmouth, a fifty minute drive, and had both our large and small tanks filled—for a much better price than having to purchase a filled tank locally.
Still In the Learning Curve for Off-Grid Living
During the first year of living off-grid, we have learned that our stored solar electricity during the colder months, is just enough to power the basic needs of our house. These basics include our LED ceiling pod lights; phone charging; running the fridge; and turning on faucets.
The learning curve was steep for Michiel and I. We had to learn to quickly solve problems—whether they be short-term emergencies or long term challenges. One thing was for sure, we were never short of resolving power related issues.
There were times when frustration got the better of us, and we had to take a time-out to reassess the issue from a logical and clear-minded perspective. Michiel vowed that this winter will not be like the last! Fortunately, we can lean on our faith to pull us through these times. We know that if God has put us in this situation, we can surely rely on Him to get us through it!
The Metal Roof Is Here!
Our metal roof arrived this week. Michiel has been busy preparing our roof for installation ahead of the rainy days forecasted for the new week. Even though Michiel did a fantastic job taping the exterior corners and edges of our roof, strong wind in this coastal region really pushes rain through small crevices.
An Emergency Dental Trip For The Youngest
This week ended with a dental appointment in the Valley for our youngest. She had been battling intense pain in two large, baby teeth for almost a year. We made the long trip willingly—anticipating a positive outcome. And, sure enough, our little trooper—who was brave as brave can be—not nearly seven years old—clambered up the giant dental chair and laid there stoic—undoubtedly, though, her parents knew that under the cool exterior hid a little girl with frazzled nerves.
The whole procedure took approximately twenty minutes—a stellar time for an invasive operation. Having one large tooth and one molar removed by a set of skilled, gloved hands—squeezing large, cold, metal pliers is an ordeal not even a fearless adult will welcome, let alone a young, unassuming child.
A Thanksgiving Thankfulness
We are so very thankful that the procedure began and ended on such a good note. Even the dentist and assistants commented with a resounding: “She was the perfect client…and we’re not just saying that because it’s something we have to say”.
My heart is relaxed now. The burden and stress is lifted from my shoulders. Knowing that your child did not endure trauma is a gift in and of itself. There are so many things we are thankful for—even though our daily living may not be as comfortable as we’d like it to be, we are so grateful that the needs of our family is taken care of on a daily basis.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Monday. We thank our Lord, our Living God for who He is.
What are you thankful for?
Dear friends and family, we hope you have a very good night—and sweetest of dreams to you all!
