After a few hours of smelling paint fumes on Friday we decided to get out of the house for awhile. I always like to have apples around the house for eating and baking. I noticed we were running low and as I was perusing
Campbell's Orchards website I saw they were having a buy one, get one free special. It is only a 10 to 15 minute drive away so off we went. The country is very pretty along Rednersville Road where they are located. A mix of very old farms, new houses and everything in between! It was another dreary day with peeks of sun.
When we pulled up in the parking lot we saw no other customers were there. We proceeded into the store and were immediately greeted by Sophie the Lab. She came running over for a cuddle. I spoke to one of the ladies inside the store about the special and found out what was involved. We went back outside and were able to pick all the apples ourselves and bag them up. Sophie followed behind. As I was bagging the apples Chuck cuddled with Sophie.
I could hear a cat meowing and turned around and Mac was running across the parking lot from his house across the street. The owners, the Campbell's live in a beautiful farmhouse on one side of the road and their orchards and store are on the other. Mac had a twin brother Tosh (Mac and Tosh, it took me a few seconds to get it!) who sadly was hit by a car last year.
I gave Mac a quick cuddle and went back to bagging apples. He climbed right up onto Chuck's lap and was purring his head off. I finished bagging and weighing the apples and went into the store to have a look around and pay. Chuck stayed outside with the critters.
As I was paying and chatting to one of the ladies the store door burst open and Chuck, Mac and Sophie dashed in. It was so funny, the ladies and I laughed! It was getting rather chilly so they all had decided to come inside.
Campbell's were selling off all their baskets they had used in the store for $5.00 each so I grabbed this one to use for our hats and mitts. Just the right size. Yesterday with the apples from Campbell's I made a large batch of applesauce, half I froze and half we are eating now.
Do you recognize what this is? Up until a couple of days ago it was our only toaster. I bought it at a yard sale 25+ years ago and we have used it ever since. It is from the 1920's. My Mum remembers using one just like it at her grandmother's. Well, for the last six months or so when you plugged it in every once in awhile it would make a "ZZZTTT, ZZZZTTTT' noise. No big deal, to me anyway! Chuck heard it the other day and pulled the plug. I love my toaster but it really is no longer safe. So we bought a new toaster. It was heck trying to find a basic toaster! All we need it to do is toast bread. Finally found one for $24.00. I somehow doubt it will last for almost 100 years as this one did. I will miss burning my fingers as you flip the toast! I didn't throw the toaster away. Chuck is looking online to get parts to fix it.
Incredible sunset a few nights ago.
Tippy is a daily visitor. He comes pretty quickly to the feeders after I fill them. Here he is enjoying a peanut while sitting on our neighbours fence.
Another cardinal photo from the last sunny day. So beautiful!
We don't have much snow left after a day of rain today. We are supposed to get quite a bit of rain and wind today and the temperature will be heading down. It was lovely while it lasted.
Take care and have a nice Sunday!
Robin
Great pix! The apple place looks like a lotta fun. Love your bird/squirrels shots. And, of course, love that orange kitty.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ronna! I always have a soft spot for orange kitties too.
DeleteChuck got the better end of the deal, cuddling with Sophie and Mac. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe basket is great! Looks sturdy and yes, just the right size for hats and mitts. I love wicker baskets...is there such a thing as too many?
I was going to ask why Chuck doesn't just fix the old toaster! But of course it wouldn't be so easy to find parts anymore. I remember our neighbours had an old one like that when we first moved to Gaspé and I was 3 and 4. I have no idea if they ever got a new one, I suppose they did eventually. I remember being fascinated by it, though, and thinking it fun to have to turn the toast over to do the other side. It's hard to imagine how inventive that was at the time, and how amazing it must have been to people to use it decades ago.
Tippy might tip right off the railing some time. LOL. Poor guy or girl. At least s/he is well fed, thanks to you. So are all the birds, the cardinals included.
It's been POURING rain here, and yes, so much of the snow is gone except for the banks. Deep freeze here tonight though, so things might be quite slippery under foot tomorrow. Take care if you guys walk early in the day.
Chuck did get the better end of the deal. I bagged the apples bare handed. Rather cold!
DeleteI love wicker baskets too. I have them in almost every room.
My Mum always loved using our toaster when she visited us. Hard to imagine it as a modern invention! Anything was better than toasting bread on a fork over an open flame!
Tippy does everything slowly and carefully. It is heartbreaking watching him walking across the yard but I imagine he doesn't know any different.
It is raining hard here too. We probably won't walk until later in the day tomorrow after they have salted. Take care Kim and walk carefully tomorrow!
I love your old toaster and hope it can be fixed. You're right about new ones not lasting like the older ones. 42 years ago we bought a 4 slice toaster, no doubt we chose the cheapest one. We use it every single day. Some days you have to take a bit of time so the bread stays down but I intend to keep that thing for as long as I possibly can.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of apple slices frozen but once they're gone I'll have to go looking for some deals. Apples are one of the most versatile fruits I find.
The toaster will be fixed. I won't give it up!
DeleteApples are so versatile. Breads, cakes, cookies, pies......I ALWAYS have them in the fridge. I plan on freezing some slices too.
Take care.
That toaster is wonderful. What an invention! Until then, people had to hold bread in racks over fires, I suppose. It's great that you were still using it. How many pieces of toast has it made in a century? Could the bad part be as simple as the electrical cord?
ReplyDeleteI could not even begin to imagine how many slices of bread it has toasted over the years. My new toaster does not compare to it. I find the old one toasts the outside of the bread quickly so it is nice and crisp the way I like it. The new one seems to toast slower. It did end up being the cord. Now we just have to find the proper one!
DeleteIt looks really cold there. We have sun today finally, but it's cold. Sure hope Chuck can fix the old toaster. It's beautiful and probably made ten times better than what we buy today. I love using antiques! Sure wish we had farm close buy to buy apples from.
ReplyDeleteAmazing old toaster!! Looks like a real nice and relaxing drive out in the country!
ReplyDelete