u/Disastrous-Wing699

My mother is purchasing a house in Dominion after selling hers in Newfoundland. There will be a gap between when she, my uncle, and the dog need to be out of the old house and the new house would be vacant. Does anyone know of any good options where they could stay for upwards of the full month of August? It needs to be furnished, since she's only got whatever fits in her car.

I've done some cursory internet searching, but only come up with pricey vacation rentals, or places that want a year long lease as 'short term'. Any information appreciated.

One half of an old aluminum extension ladder left behind by former owners. Too structurally unsound to be a ladder, but perfect decorative fence material.

The same ladder, now cleaned and painted a dark green. I used spray paint, but were I to do it over, I'd get a can of the same paint in a brushable form.

Example of the salvaged 4x4 used to make the posts. This bit looks extra worse for wear as it was used to pound the post spikes into the ground.

A finished post, along with the scrap 2x3 used to hang the ladder from the posts. Both pieces of wood were stained with dark brown exterior stain.

The finished fence, topped with solar lights that originally topped the posts of the deck the wood was salvaged from.

Last summer, we demolished the deck off the side of our house so that that portion of the yard could be graded away from the foundation. Because getting rid of demolition waste is such a pain where we are, we took the time to salvage as much of the wood as we could, removing fasteners and any bits too far gone to reuse.

Some of this wood has been used to make raised bed planters. The rest of it has been languishing in the garage, waiting for a good idea. This one as much as came to me in a dream - one of those ideas that floats through your mind just as you're drifting off.

I'd bought myself a shiny new (and safe to use) ladder to replace this one, and that's before I knew the extent of the structural compromise this ladder suffered from. Thankfully, those faults are only a hindrance to holding up the weight of a human person, not itself.

This project was pretty fun. The fence is purely decorative/architectural, and adds a nice dimension to the rather lackluster curb appeal of the house.

This recipe more or less requires a blender of some kind, but is a great way to whip up a no-cook, no heat meal (or accompaniment) for a couple of dollars.

No-Cook Budget Borsch

1 398mL can cooked, sliced beets

1 398mL can diced tomatoes

1 C water or broth

Drain the liquid from the beets*. Add to a blender, along with tomato and water/broth, and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve hot or cold.

*I saved this liquid and mixed it with 45g iced tea powder (or other drink mix powder), about 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, then topped it up with enough water to make 2L. Mixed well and refrigerated, this makes a lovely, refreshing beverage, similar to a switchel or an unfermented kvass.

Found someone's cat deceased by the bus stop in front of the armory on Sterling Road in Glace Bay. Black cat, medium length hair, stumpy or missing tail.

If you live in the area and are missing a cat matching this description, I'm sorry for your loss. This may also have been posted to Facebook by my mother-in-law, because she has Facebook and I don't.

Just made some of this today. It takes 200g of dried soybeans, which is a total of $0.76 CAD where I am, some water and basic seasonings, a mechanical blending device, and time. It makes 4-6 servings over rice, especially with the addition of greens, which I consider optional depending on availability.

Lazy Tofu (recipe from Chinese Cooking Demystified)

200g dried soybeans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed

1L (4C) water

2 tsp chicken bullion powder

1 tsp each salt and sugar

1/4 tsp white pepper powder (optional. don't go buy this just for this recipe)

2 C leafy greens of choice (I prefer frozen chopped kale)

Blend the soaked beans with water. I happen to have a blender, but this can also be done with a stick/immersion blender. Using a larger pot than you think you'll need, heat the bean mixture, stirring continuously. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE THIS POT UNATTENDED. The mixture starts off quite foamy, and boils over quickly and easily. When the surface begins to steam and/or you can see the liquid begin to bubble, turn the heat down to low. Keep stirring, gently but continuously. The mixture needs to cook this way for a minimum of 20 minutes. I usually do 30*. If, for some reason, the mixture gets too thick/dry before the 20 minute mark, add a bit more water and keep it cooking.

Once it's been more than 20 minutes, wait for the mixture to achieve the texture of porridge, polenta or dal. The bubbles should be 'borbles' or 'burbles', and your stirring implement should leave a distinct 'wake' as you pull it from one side of the pot to the other. Now is the time to season and add in the greens, if you're using them. Give it another few minutes on the heat - no more than five - then remove it to cool. You can eat some right away, but I always like it better the next day. Always serve over hot rice.

This dish is so cheap, but so tasty and satisfying. When I went to double check the price of beans (because I just used up my last few), I couldn't believe HOW cheap they are.

Enjoy!

*I have a stool I can pull up to the stove so I'm not standing the entire time.