How well did we plan?

If we were judging by the ferry schedule alone, we are approaching the half way point in our little winter adventure. I thought it might be time to assess our rations.

This year has been unusual in many ways, including how it has affected our supplies. The boats came out late and the ice stayed away, so this helped us get over more goodies than we could count on in a typical year. However, it has also been very grey, which has meant our fuel consumption is up.

We were three weeks between trips to the gas station/convenience store aka the Northside Restaurant in the summertime (read Mom’s cottage). However, we haven’t had to run the generator since Monday so here’s hoping the current barrel lasts a bit longer. We also changed the propane tank on the new stove this week. I am curious to see how long this tank lasts as the pilot lights on the new stove are not always on.

The hardwood is a godsend, We are going through it, but we have more than half left and should be in ok shape.

I knew we would be eating differently this winter, I just didn’t know how. I should have bought everything I thought of. I mostly did-lots of things sit untouched from cornstarch to corn meal. However, there are some things I thought of in the fall that I figure we really wouldn’t use-allspice, cloves, and fluff to name a few. Of course, all these things are non-perishable and can easily be order in the mail too.

It is truly remarkable how much we go through of a handful of things-ketchup, bbq sauce, dish detergent, and mayonnaise would all make that list.

As expected, as winter goes on, the contents of our banana box have changed slightly. This week, the baked treats that we usually order made way for some actual bananas and I had to make cupcakes instead. Of course, the old standbys remain-celery, green peppers, etc. we went twenty days between banana boxes at one point and I was looking pretty forward to tomatoes. Otherwise, one week I regretted not ordering a cucumber and this week I accidentally missed carrots. Although it was our onions I was most worried about, it was actually our carrots that didn’t make it, much to the enjoyment of the local rabbit colony. I’ve heard they recommend sand, but one Islander seems to be having decent luck with peat moss. We’ll just be sure to include them in our banana boxes for the remainder of the season.

Mom visited this week, and we told her we would feed her in exchange for her bringing us some delicacies. We requested bonus items, like McCains’ savoury frites and two pork chops. Mom allowed she didn’t know what she would be eating while here, but she was pretty confident it wasn’t going to be pork chops when we only asked for two. Speaking of mom, we are getting close to emptying her freezer, but ours remain well stocked.

Photos taken February 11, 2021

Overall, our diligent planning seems to be paying off. We will have food left come May and we won't go hungry, which is the main thing!