Rain Times Two

One of the things I love about living at the float cabin is weather watching. This time of year we get lots of rain, so that's a no brainer.

One thing I've never noticed before is two types of rain happening at the same time. I was watching out our sliding glass door and saw a fine mist hitting the water beyond our deck. At the same time, huge drops were falling and making large rings on the water's surface. Rain times two.

It was hard to capture the two types of rain in a photograph. The fine misty rain was coming from a low hanging layer of stratus clouds. This is because the moisture falls as soon as it forms into droplets int he clouds. The large drops that made giant rings were from higher level cumulus clouds. They grow in size because they are carried in updrafts through the towering clouds until they become too heavy and fall. If I didn't live facing a watery front yard I might never have noticed this unusual event. -- Margy

Merry Christmas

Lake Christmas

with credits and apologies to Irving Berlin

I'm dreaming of a lake Christmas
Up where the wind does like to blow
Where the wood stove blazes
And chimney smoke lazes
O'r the roof frosted with snow.

I'm dreaming of a lake Christmas
With every day that comes to pass
May your year be one of gladness
And may Christmas be one you can't surpass.

Merry Christmas
from
Wayne and Margy
Powell River Books

Cabin Cooking: Persimmons

I remember seeing my grandmother eat persimmons. She enjoyed them after they became soft enough to eat with a spoon. Recently, I saw an article in Sunset magazine.

I saw persimmons at Quality Foods and bought one. It was bright orange, but hard, so I put it on a shelf to ripen. After three weeks I decided to give it a try. I cut it like an apple, removed the center, and peeled the skin. It was juicy, but to me didn't have a distinctive taste.

This is a Fuyu persimmon and it's best eaten fresh and firm. The one I remember Grandma eating was a Hachiya. Those are eaten soft or used in cooking.  I think I prefer the firm kind even though I've never tasted a soft one.  Do you like persimmons? Which kind do you like? -- Margy

Solar Sweeper

Making solar power in winter can be difficult. With only two hours of direct sunlight (if we get any), our batteries get a minimal charge. Add to that a dusting of snow, and our capacity drops to nearly nothing.

That's when I send out the solar sweeper to clear our panels. He's better at it than I am, especially with the two on the cabin roof and the one on top of his writer's retreat boat, the Gemini. I guess I could help out with these smaller panels that run the fan in our composting toilet, but why mess with a good thing. -- Margy

Woodstove Ironing

Our cabin uses off-the-grid sources for electrical power. That really limits the things we can use. Here's a useful chart about the watts needed for common appliances. An electric iron uses 1000 watts to operate. Yikes! That would suck our batteries down in one big gulp.


I got to thinking about other ways to get the job done. In my great grandmother's day they used irons (made out of iron) that were heated on a wood stove. Here's her iron. I still have it. What could I use?


I went to my favourite thrift store, the Economy Shop, in Powell River. I purchased an iron for $2.00 and took it up to the cabin. I wrapped up the cord and placed it on my wood stove to heat.


I used a towel and sheet on my picnic table to make an ironing board. I had to reheat the iron several times, but it worked like a charm. I wouldn't want to use it on delicate fabrics, but for cottons and such it was hot enough to press out the wrinkles, yet cool enough not to scorch. I may end up cutting off the cord. For sure, at 1000 watts, I'll never plug it in off the grid! -- Margy

Semi-Homemade Curtains

My "new" window in the downstairs bedroom has been waiting for curtains since John completed it in 2012. I wanted to use heavy winter suiting like my other curtains, but I couldn't find any in the right colour. Finally, I found some store bought curtains at Fred Meyer in Bellingham.


They were long enough for a full-sized window, but the price was right. For the two panels, with my "senior discount," they were $17.99. So I got my scissors out and cut them down to size. A hand sewn hem got them ready in sort order.

Wayne installed the curtain wire for me. I had enough left over from my bathroom curtain, so that part was free. It's a simple solution that includes a PVC coated wire, hooks and eyes. There's enough in the kit for three good sized windows.

The curtains are thin, but do the trick. I keep them open when we're home. They close only when we're away. I may make some replacements if I ever find the right material. But for now, semi-homemade will do the trick.

Come back tomorrow to see how I got the wrinkles pressed out, and the hem ironed flat. You just might be surprised. -- Margy

Cool and Crisp

I love living up the lake this time of year. Everything is cool and crisp.

The summer visitors have gone and the lake belongs to the work boats traveling through First Narrows and us. Do you like being alone? Where is your quiet spot? - Margy