Last Days of Summer

Is this what qualifies as "dog days"???  I want to know.  I've heard the phrase, but never really got the specific gist.  It's been glorious out the last few days (mosquitoes not withstanding) and Ron is taking every advantage of the good weather to get the house "winter-fied".  He's painted most of the trim on the lower level and done the two windows in the front.  He tackled the big bay window in the living room and our pretty house looks fantastic now as you come up the drive.  I've been sitting in an office, smouldering, as the A/C is on the fritz and wishing I was out frolicking in the sunshine.

Porch & trim complete (except for the 3rd floor!)

Besides that life is pretty good here in little PEI.  We received a free 50 pound bag of potatoes and have distributed them amongst my work folk.  (I mean, who can say "no" to free ba-day-duhs?  Yes, there is no "T" in potatoes here, at least not traditionally.)

Our apple trees are full and we're at our wits end as to what to do with them all.  Our oldest tree has Gala apples, but it's been hit with blight, so most of the apples are ruined and the Granny Smith tree has been invaded by bugs of some sort, but some of the fruit is okay.  Only our little Macintosh tree has good edible apples, but it has tons of them!  I can only make so much apple sauce and it seems unwise to have a still in the outbuilding...tempting, but definitely unwise!  I've never had apple jack.  Perhaps I can figure out how to make cider.  The finches and hummingbirds have headed south for the winter, so we are left with only the blue jays, morning doves (or are they mourning doves...I'm not sure) and crows for amusement.  The leaves have yet to change, but that means the cold weather is coming and we aren't in any hurry for it.

Mac, Gala & Granny Smith - fruit from our "orchard"

Little Macs, all cleaned, in our kitchen sink

Afflicted Granny Smiths, some are salvageable.

Our "go to" Macintosh tree, no bugs thanks to the potato farmer...I think that's what's fogging the apples.

We're coming up to the one year anniversary of our permanent arrival on the Island, so we've been wandering down memory lane by reading the small journal I kept on our road trip.  On this day last year, we left Albert Lea, Michigan and headed for the Windy City, we got stopped for speeding and pleaded "metric" (who knew it was a defense - but our car has a digital readout), which seemed to work, as we got off with a warning.  We stayed in a hotel on the outskirts of the city and took the train in from the airport.  (Bless free airport shuttles!)

Ron's got a wacky idea in his head about starting a food truck with just desserts.  He figures we could make a killing at the university and colleges.  I think I'll put up survey to see if you think it's a good idea or not.  I recently saw something in an email about a guy who lived in a converted garbage truck.  (Not the traditional kind, something more cutting edge and NOT used!)  It made me think of doing the same thing for the food truck and calling the business "Garbage"...as in food that isn't good for you, maybe spelled out in desserts that look like the letters!  Too much?  Maybe.