Rejuvenate cast iron

Its been pretty quiet around here, Brad has been working on a project so I've been busying myself with cooking and cleaning mostly but as Robbie is now allowed to get back to walking I've taken him out a few times on some trails that run through this property and beyond. Trying to slowly work him back up to the looong walks Brad takes him on regularly.

A bush tunnel

Miss Stacey and I went to Giro yesterday (a re-cycle store) and I picked  up another cast iron pan for $8 which I think is a great price since most of what I've seen in there for cast iron is $20+ and in the 'normal' store they are $50+. I brought it home and rejuvenated it as per. For anyone interested the process is below...

Before

Scrub thoroughly with SOS or other to remove all rust (inside and out - including the handle) and obviously -- Rinse VERY well.

Put on high stove burner approx 3 min to remove all moisture

Take dog for a walk while pan cools completely

Waiting on the slow poke Mother

Thoroughly coat with oil of your choosing, I used Olive Oil.

Put pan upside down in 500F oven with tinfoil on lower rack to catch residual oil

for 1 hour. Be prepared for a smokey haze in your home.

Freshly seasoned cast iron.

Never clean with soap.. scrub with salt & baking soda if necessary.

Hand down to your children's children's children.

Here is a shocker for anyone who knows me.... I bought a nuker! 

Mostly for reheating the tea I constantly forget to drink or such.

Microwaves are handy for reconstituting FD meals was really the biggest reason so there it is.

For the difference in price, I chose the one with the AirFry option

And I've made french fries a few times already.

It is a convection oven also which would be handy if I ever get to make a big family dinner again.

 

Confessions of an eye ache

So recently I've been having issues with my eyes aching... I know its because I need glasses but I've been in denial for a really long time now. However, just reading my 'blogs I follow' each morning has been causing me pain now for a couple of months. Recently, it has been bad enough that I booked an appointment with the local optometrist here on the island.

While my eyes are not 'bad', they are out of wack. I have been (mostly) using 1.50 reading glasses circa Walmart for several years now but that just hasn't been enough. So the optometrist tells me I'm a 2.00 which explains why Brad's 1.75-2.00's have been working better for me. However while the optometrist says my eyes are 'unremarkable', it seems the ache is coming from the strain of adjusting from near to far...

With prescription in hand off I went to the local eyeglass shop. I knew with the amount of time I spend on the computer/laptop/ipad/iphone that I needed a blue screen filter on my lenses and I also wanted sunglass tinting and obviously progressive lenses too to help with the near/far focus adjustment.

The very first pair I picked out are the ones I ended up with. I was in the shop for maybe 20 minutes and only because I sent pics back to Brad for his input and he also chose the first pair I picked out... 

Here are the options I picked to choose from:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

I had narrowed it down to 2:  #3 and #5

     

                      #3                                                    #5

In the end I chose #3

#3 is the winner

The guy at the eyeglass shop said they will be in next week...... fingers crossed.

PS If I look miserable its because I hate shopping!

Now you know why I haven't been posting very often. This actually hurts my eyes.

This past week

I have now begun a powder line for smoothies, soups, dessert toppings, etc.. So far I have apple and asparagus completed. We are calling the line Dust.

Apple Dust

Asparagus Dust

Brad made another batch of Beef Stroganoff to feed Betty

We were invited for a walk along the waterfront with Stacey and her husband Jon

(she knows about the coat, we've all told her. LOL)

On our walk we came across our friend Jim (left) 

My favourite part about this island is this: Often times when it is dark and gloomy everywhere, this island - Entrance Island, is lit up brightly by the sun illuminating the sharp white buildings with their red roofs.

This past Saturday I was invited to join the popup market again and I was able to use my new banner, although I need a larger table, for sure.

My two favourite boys looking for a noise Robbie was sure he heard, Daddy is being supportive.

We took Robbie to the vet again yesterday (Tuesday) for his 2nd in a series of 4 arthritis shots. He is noticeably feeling better, she will not weigh him again until the month is up because she says weekly weighing can be depressing. I hear that.

Tomorrow (Thursday) I am off to Nanaimo for MY massage - I know, right?!. So excited for that although my back is so tight I'm not sure she'll even be able to touch it but we'll see how it goes.

Update on Robbie

Robbie

We took Robbie to the vet on Tuesday, he has been having difficulty maneuvering and we've noticed that he has been acting strange and looking at us in that way he has when he is in pain or uncomfortable. 

With pause before going up the stairs and then hopping both back legs up each step instead of one back leg per step as he has always done, we knew something was off but with the holidays...

Anyway, we were finally able to get him in, seems he has developed arthritis in his upper back. Which is why the symptoms were coming and going. He has gained 6 lbs since his last visit to the vet 3 months ago and so has been put on a strictly enforced diet which should help his back as well, obviously. He has been put on pain and anti-inflammatory medications as well. He also received a shot of arthritis medication that needs to be repeated every week for 4 weeks. He is not allowed to walk for the month either and will be gradually increased in his walking ability once he returns to it.

 

...And the New Year begins.

Nothing has really been happening here so far this year. Other than Pickleball has returned from the holidays. We are only allowed to play singles which means one person per side of the court instead of the usual 2 per side. We are all happy to make that work but I think I speak for all of us when I say we want 'normal' back.

The local online market shop reopened on New Years Eve and I received 2 orders that night. I've been averaging an order a day since then so I'm happy with that since I was sure Jan/Feb would be a wash after Christmas but it seems word of my product is spreading. Asparagus and Brussels are still the hot ticket items with Rainbow Chunks (salt water taffy) coming in 3rd but only because there is a woman on the island who is addicted - she buys so many I have created a special discount for her so if she gets 5 she gets 1 free. 

We've finally begun making powders, which we call Dust. So far I have made Apple Dust and Asparagus Dust with Kale coming online shortly. These are powder for use in soups, on deserts, smoothies and the like. Most people will use the vegetable powders for smoothies I assume but then I wasn't expecting Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts to be such a hit so you never can tell.

I've been online sorting through seed options for our garden and have a load waiting in my 'shopping cart' that I need to review and purchase. We also want to get a hot house (greenhouse) and I've chosen one on Amazon but I think we'll take a look at Costco because I hate buying expensive stuff on Amazon although I have done that without any trouble in the past..

Robbie has been having some issues with his hind legs so we are off to the puppy Dr this morning to have him checked out.