Kitchen is almost ready for guests to arrive

The kitchen is as ready as it is going to be for Thanksgiving!

Tiling Fish into the Countertop

When choosing the tiles for the long part of the counter, AO discovered a fish in the tiles.  Can you see him?

The fish is mostly in place now! His tail still needs to be set in place but that will happen today.

A few more tiles installed next to the wall oven. 

There have been a lot of tiles that require cutting into the correct shape for their new homes.  HK has given every tile a name so that it doesn't get lost between the countertop and the tile saw. Here sit Dudley and Aloysius, but we also have Theodore, Ben, Bucko, Ezra, Pete, Horace and Floyd and there are many more to come :)

Its all coming together well, though there is quite a bit more cutting and setting to be done. The next steps will be grouting and sealing, electrical completion and plumbing hook-up....then we cook the big Thanksgiving turkey in the new kitchen!

Kitchen, Laundry and Garden Changes

The back of the kitchen island has granite tiles on it. They are black and a golden orangy red colour. They change colour quite a bit with the light and generally look black until you get close or the light hits them just right. 

Island tiles have been installed and grouted.

Close up view of the granite tiles prior to completion of grouting.

The sink is in the process of being installed. It's quite fiddly work to make sure that an undermount sink can come out again without damaging tiles. 

The green marble passed the water test and will start to be installed this weekend. 

AO installed the forgotten laundry room cove tiles. There is still a white tile quarter round to go in front of the pretty cobalt blue cove tiles.

AO's best thing....wrecking stuff. The flowers in the garden had become moldy in the August rains so they had to go.   Red clover and oats have been planted for green manure crops so I hope the beds will be full of plants again fairly quickly.
In the meantime there are more beans to eat than we can manage and fortunately the bean plants did not get blight..

Kitchen Tiling and Countertop Prep Starts

AO installed the Ditra membrane on the plywood countertops. The waterproof membrane has to be present to prevent water from seeping through the tiles and grout lines; if it did that the plywood would swell and crack the tiles. 

HK started installing the granite tiles on the back of the island. 

Kitchen Work

The kitchen is slowly progressing towards being finished by Thanksgiving!

The sink hole was cut today in preparation for the countertop installation that will start tomorrow.

The island is ready for countertops, butcher block and cook tops.  The wine fridge will slide into the end of the island.

Holes have been cut in the island for an electric cooktop, propane cooktop and a pop up vent hood.

August Garden Developments

Bumblebees are everywhere in the garden, they particularly seem to like the Statice.

The beans were planted fairly late again and they just have flowers now. Here's hoping for an extended warm fall so that we actually get to eat garden beans this year.

The Wisteria sent a leafless runner along the ground last year. This spring he grew leaves and we trained him up the side of the carport. We hope for pretty purple flowers next year and are taking bets on how far he's able to travel this summer. 

Vigorous growth requires frequent training and direction, but we like his attitude!

Saying Goodbye to Frodo

Today was Frodo's last day; the impermanence of life is palpable in my heart. 

Today we celebrate 22 years of travelling life's path together. She was my company when life hurt so much I could barely breathe, and I was her stability every time we moved to a new place, and she had to adapt to yet another mode of transportation, a new house and a new routine.

Her resilience offers a wonderful lesson in the ability to adapt to change.  She asked so very little of me and I demanded a lot from her.  We moved together 17 times, from Victoria to Saskatoon and back several times, to Winnipeg, Boston, Cape Cod, back to Victoria, Nanaimo, Cedar and Yellow Point. She has been on airplanes, cars, busses and the subway.  In all of that moving and changing she didn't miss the litter box until the very end of her life, didn't stop eating or drinking and offered only comfort once each move was complete.

It took only a short time for her to adapt to each new home.  A quick once over with the sniffer, have some supper, find a comfy spot to sleep and doze off. If only I was so relaxed....

Blessings be on you little cat, you were my friend and confidante and I will miss your furry face!

In the last while there was more sleeping than anything else but that's ok when you're really ancient. Frodo still liked to be picked up and cuddled in the last few months.  She begged at the table for food even in the last few days of her life and desperately wanted to be in someone's lap when dinner was on the table so she could take part.

Last month when we were installing the new kitchen cabinets, Frodo still had the get up and go to get into the open cabinets.  She was a bit wobbly on the way out, but she still wanted to explore the new environment. 

Back in 2009 she was a bit porky and there was nothing she liked better than to lie by the fireplace and soak up the heat.  Sometimes her coat was so hot I wondered if she would catch on fire.  She always had the best spot in front of the fireplace.

In the spring and summer she would seek out the sunny patch on the bed and lounge there.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like to sleep that much, it certainly looks really good. 

Christmas trees were always a favourite place for Frodo to hang out. The smells and sights were irresistible to a an inquisitive little cat.  Fortunately for us, she never tried to climb the tree and we kept the tinsel out of the house because she'd be sure to eat that. 

Frodo lived up to her name (I never told her she had a boys name).  In 1996 when I was spending the summer in Woods Hole, Frodo lived with my parents in Winnipeg.  My Grandmother had lost her wedding band and we all assumed it was lost forever.

My little Frodo had always had a habit of picking things up, like apples by the stem, and bags of onions on the kitchen counter that just needed to be dragged off the counter in the middle of the night. She would pick up her toys and carry them in her mouth across the room.

Frodo located Granny's wedding band underneath a radiator and picked it up in her mouth.  My Mother noticed the situation unfolding and in great joy, realized that little Frodo had found Granny's lost ring.  Now the ring is not at all evil like the ring in Lord of the Rings but it is definitely precious and I now wear it around my neck.   Her name was prophetic.