10 November 2016

Transatlantic

Yesterday I got up at 3:30 a.m. to watch the election coverage from the U.S. That's 9:30 p.m. on the East Coast, and the vote count had begun. I stayed up all day, making a batch of fig jam and 4 dozen candied figs (figues confites). Overnight I had cooked 9 lbs. of pork shoulder to make pulled pork, so I processed all that and put it into the freezer. In other words, life goes on.


By about 8 p.m., I was pretty tired, so I hit the sack and slept until about 5:30 this morning. Ever since heure d'été ("summer time") ended and we moved the clocks back an hour, that's been my regular time to get up and get moving. Now I'm sitting here in front of CNN again. Am I in France or in the U.S.? Sometime I feel like I don't know.


The plumber called yesterday evening. He'll be back this morning to do some more work, including cleaning out our wood stove and sweeping the chimney. The tile guy sent Walt an e-mail to say he'd be back this morning too. So maybe the wait is over. Five days have gone by since the two of them have been able to do any work on our projects. The job of getting the greenhouse finished and moving in some plants has kept us busy.

7 comments:

  1. As you say Ken... life goes on... and there is damned all we, as individuals, can do about it.
    The planet is in complete turmoil at the present... waether and climate, politics and business... and plate tectonics and vulcanism!!
    Make one realise that the place one needs to be is at home with loved ones... carrying on carrying on!
    Keep on truckin'.....

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    1. I remember when we believed in progress and a better world. Oh wait, I'm an optimist...

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  2. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished bathroom tile work :) In the mean time, these photos show such great color :)

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    1. The company that sells the tile is the problem now. The contractor went to pick it up this morning, and even though the boxes were labeled with the correct code, it was the wrong tile. Not even close — beige instead of dark green. So we have to wait another 4 or 5 days.

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  3. Ugh ! No matter where you are, I guess, the same nonsense with contractors etc.
    We had a massive renovation done in one of our first homes that we bought and it involved removing walls, and putting in all new appliances in the kitchen .. which would go from a tiny space with an eating area, one huge room ..
    I ordered dark green counter tiles for the all white kitchen with a golden hued granite tile floor.
    I got tiles that were gorgeous but ceramic , scratched if you breathed on them heavily.
    I lived with it and the house sold for quite a lot of money but that stupid tile mistake really taught us a lesson.
    Every single thing you order, check and re check, be annoying to the place you are dealing with, but make sure before it arrives at your house.
    Suddenly it will all be finished, it will seem sudden after all the waiting :) and there you are .. in your new kitchen... where you will feel obliged to make a fabulous meal at least once a day .. <3

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    1. In this case, the contractor is not at fault. The first mistake was ours. The second is the building supply company's error. We just have to be patient. I think the result is going to be great once the work is finished.

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  4. The greenhouse looks wonderful.
    About the rest of the week's news, Gah! I suspect that a lot of people who voted for the vulgar orange yam for "change" are going to be surprised at the changes they'll get. Not what they planned.

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