a peek inside the fishbowl

Highway 7 between Ottawa and Marmora – where my mother lives – is twisty and scenic. It’s one of my favourite drives. And if you happen to be taking the trip on a sunny fall day, well, that’s just a bonus.

If you ever find yourself on this route during daylight hours, make sure you stop at the Fall River Grill and Gift Shop about 15 minutes west of Perth. Someday I will hit it at the right time for lunch, but the shop is full of neat stuff. There’s a separate building for drive-through coffee and homemade snacks. I am pretty sure I had the best latte and date square I’ve ever had in my whole life there today.

The best thing about this drive is that there’s a lot to see. The worst thing about this drive is that if you’re the driver it’s hard to keep your eyes on the road.

Ahem.

On this particular drive I saw turkeys, turtles, trees, rocks, rivers, lakes, swamps, hills, valleys, trains, towns, bridges, junk shops, taxidermists, vultures, farms, motels, rusted out cars, sumac bushes so red they look like they’re on fire … and more. It’s quite a journey, and it’s never the same twice.

Someday I would like to take the time to do it justice with a proper camera. Maybe I should consider biking it next summer?* It might be the only way to take it all in.

* According to Google maps it’d take me 11 hours and 2 minutes to bike from my place to my mother’s house. Hmmm.

Do you remember this little rhyme?

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot, nine days old.

I’ve never really thought about it before today, but according to Wikipedia, the rhyme refers to a type of porridge made from peas, pease pudding, also known as pease pottage (in Middle English).

I like pea soup. Hot. And for the record, I definitely don’t like it when it’s been sitting around for nine days. Ha ha.

Did you know that pea soup was a staple meal for sea-faring folks once upon a time? Ease of storage must have been a big reason for this, but it also doesn’t take much to make something out of them. A few cups of peas, an old onion, some water and a ham hock can make a great dinner for a shipload of pirates. Arrrrgh matey, think of the fibrrrrrre!

I was in the grocery store when I had a sudden hankering for split pea soup, but I’ve been leery since the last time I tried to make it. So I gave myself a pep talk, made a mid-aisle U-turn, and checked all the packages of dried peas for one with a recipe on the back.

Here is the result:

The recipe is a little bit non-traditional, not like the soupe aux pois commes les habitants, but it’s cheap and makes a good hearty lunch. And it’s very easy. I added a bit of cooked bacon to it (otherwise it would have been totally vegetarian), and it was good, but I think the next time I make pea soup I’m going to add some sausage and really kick it up a notch.

Here’s the recipe I used:

Pea Soup for Pirates

1 large minced onion
1 minced clove of garlic
1 cup dried split green peas
6 cups of water
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp celery salt
black pepper to taste
1 shredded carrot
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, saute onions and garlic until softened. Add cumin and stir it in, heating until fragrant. Add the celery salt, pepper, peas, and water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat, leave covered and simmer 60-90 minutes until they’re tender. Add the grated carrot and parsley and simmer another 15 minutes. Serve to your hungry pirates before they set out for the seven seas.

Got a recipe to recommend? I’m all ears.

p.s. OF COURSE THE KIDS DIDN’T EAT IT. Silly rabbits. But they tried it. Which is good. And I’m ok with that.

Our architect sent us revised exterior mockups based on our revised designs. And I like them. I really like them.

They were sent in a 3D-modelling format called Google Sketchup, so we are able to see the renderings from all angles. Sketchup also has a neat feature in which I can see exactly where the sunlight will be hitting the house, any day of the year, any time of the day.

But these are just screen shots. Nothin’ 3D about these things… but you can click to embiggen!

And there are two options for the rear view. Which do you like better?

A few things:

– In terms of cladding we’re considering a dark grey Hardiplank (which is a fibre-cement board). There are a couple houses in our neighbourhood that are done up with these and I really like them.

– Also, what do you think of the car port that’s not really a car port? It’s a pergola with storage in it! Do you think it’d be feasible to tuck a sheet of clear acrylic underneath the open roof… something to allow vines to grow along it (this is our plan – we have grapes!) and make the space underneath a bit more waterproof?

Your thoughts, as always, are welcome!