The power was on again in the morning, so I got a warm shower. I also got to check my emails. There was one from the manager at my local Canadian Tire. They were going to be closing the store permanently and as a regular long term customer, I would be amongst those offered first dibs on all products at 60% off sticker price. This was a one day only sale and everything had to be cleared by the end of day. This sale would be held tomorrow.
There were two other emails of interest. One was from a guy off the same board as Mike and I. He had been talking to Mike. He and his girlfriend lived in a basement apartment in Cabbagetown and needed to get out. I thought about saying no, but then remembered that he volunteered at the Riverdale Farm. I emailed him back and asked what would be happening to the animals. He said that he and two other workers were currently caring for them all but they needed to either get them out, or they would be killed. I told him to hold for five and ran for Eric.
“I’ve got the opportunity to get more farm experience and animals,” I told Eric. I then explained about Steve & Nettie and three others and the Riverdale Farm.
“I haven’t thought of that place in years,” said Eric with a laugh. “I think we did a school trip there in grade 5 or something. It’s a good idea. Those animals will be used to being handled and by inexperienced people. How many do they have?”
“Six sheep and four goats, varieties unknown... Two jersey cows, both just bred, and one unrelated bull calf… a donkey… a four-year old Clydesdale mare and a six-year old Clydesdale gelding… four tamworth sows and three gilts… and about 2-dozen chickens,” I told him. “I have an idea for some of the housing. I just had an email from Canadian Tire and we could get their prefab wood sheds to use as shelters for the smaller animals and then use some of the garages on the abandoned properties for the larger animals… but getting them means at least six more people. Do you have space here?”
“Yeah… the Gallianos are moving over to Cooperstown with their son and his family. The Smiths have decided to go to his father’s cottage near Sudbury. The Haggerties just pcked up and left a note under my door. The O’Neills were able to get a flight to Belfast so they are going home for good. O’Gordon’s wife has asked him to come home…” said Eric ticking off the empty units.
“O’Gordon?!?” I said. “But his wife is nuts! And she accused him of hurting the kids”
“I know but I helped him move. When we arrived, she had her things in some guy’s car and as soon as we pulled in, she waved goodbye and left. According to the neighbours, she has been telling them for days that ole Gordo is coming to get the kids. Turns out that she sold the house, pocketed the money, and the closing is tomorrow. So they are all back and in one of the 3 bedroom 6th floor apartments... I don’t think he gets how far he is going to have to hike to get water. For kids who were supposedly hurt, they sure were happy to see him,” Eric told me. “Anyways point is that we got lots of apartments and the landlord is lowering the rents again because there is no guarantee of water or electricity and soon there will be no guarantee of heat either.”
“So I can tell him yes?” I asked.
“Yeah,” said Eric. “Is he one of your survivalist friends?”
“Preppers…” I started.
“Yeah… yeah… you know what I mean,” laughed Eric. “I am just not keen anymore to be renting to people who can’t look after themselves.”
“Well Steve & Nettie definitely are. I don’t know anything about the others but I would imagine that they have a large variety of skills,” I replied.
So I went and emailed Steve back. Told him to bring as much from the farm and farmhouse as he could.
By 7:30am I had already done a full days work. John and his kids were on time and we got everything together prepared to go. Jack was going to drive the PT Cruiser, while I took the Jeep and John took his van. I made Jack memorize the license plate number ADGG*702.
We arrived at ten to eight and there was a short line already. We joined at the end. A staff member, escorted by two armed guards, came down the line. We were asked for the make, model and license plate number of our vehicle. As we gave it, he repeated it into a walkie-talkie. Out in the parking lot we could see kid on a bike checking each vehicle. When it was radioed back okay, we were given a blue checkmart.
“Here are the rules,” the young man told us. You can spend as much as you want but its cash only and you can’t come back until next week…”
“If there is anything left…” one of the guards muttered under his breath.
The young man smiled weakly. “Right. Now you will be accompanied by a staff member and a guard. The staff member will have a calculator and their tally number is final. No argument or you lose your purchase and get banned from here. You pay at the cash desk and then both will escort you to your vehicle. Do not tip either, we don’t want any robberies in the parking lot.”
I nodded it was pretty much like Monday except the dollar amounts had been eliminated. I made the guys go in ahead of me. I wanted to hear the mood of the line-up and no one was going to say anything in front of John – his whole demeanour screamed cop. When they went in, I could hear people relax and start to chat.
The lady behind me started talking about how she was cooking over a fire pit and that the investment of sending her grandson to summer camp had paid off. He was doing all the cooking. Another woman was talking about being careful about eating what was in her fridge after a neighbour ate something that was off and ended up in hospital. Another man said there had been break-ins all up and down his street. For cover I complained about having to haul water from the basement tap to my 6th floor apartment. The conversation revolved around and I heard that dialysis was being postponed, babies being sickened by heat, too many people just wandering about with nothing to do, offices closed and people not getting paid, money becoming short, tempers beginning to fray… It was my turn to go in.
I had Lucy and Diego to escort me. We began again with large bags of sugar, flour, rice, corn meal, oats, potato flakes, high fat dried milk, semolina, and Red River cereal (commonly referred to as bird seed)... jugs of maple syrup, corn syrup, fancy molasses, soya sauce, black bean sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable oil, olive oil, Tabasco and Frank’s Red Hot sauce… cases of pasta – spaghetti, macaroni, fusilli… peanut butter, tomato paste, mandarin oranges, peaches, pears, jams, mustards, ketchup, and more spices… boxes of teas, hot chocolate, powdered drinks.
“How are thing over in the meat department?” I asked Lucy.
“Nothing left… nothing came in…” she answered.
“What about the dairy aisle?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said. “Lots there.”
So we pushed the carts to the dairy section. I got the whole milk in bags. Ten bags with 3 x 2-litre bags for a total of 60L of milk. I had decided that even with all the powdered milk, I was going to can some. Now it has to be chilled before drinking but it’s just fine right out of the jar for cooking and baking, and soups just plain taste better when you use canned milk. I was also able to get several liters each of heavy cream, butter milk and whipping cream
So to can the milk put 2-½” of water in the pressure canner and place on the stove. Fill clean cold quart jars with fresh milk, leave 0.5″ head space, making sure to wipe it off and spills on the rim. Put into the canner. Once filled, put on the lid, tighten down and turn on the heat, and let it exhaust steam for at least ten minutes before closing the exhaust nozzle. Take the pressure up to 10lbs, then turn off the heat and allow the canner to cool a long time before trying to open the canner. It is safe to open the canner if no more steam escapes, then. Let the jars cool for 24 hours before checking to make sure they are sealed and moving to storage. Label them with the month and year the milk was canned. It should keep for 1-2 years or more if stored in a cool dark place. It is normal for the milk to turn a slight tan color, as the milk sugar will darken the milk at high temperatures. The cream will rise to the top, just shake well before using.
I also picked up several more bricks of hard cheese. The good thing about Costco is sells cheeses that are already brined and waxed.
I then turned us towards the area that sells individually wrapped items for resale or for motels in individual packages. I got chocolate bars, peanut butter, jams, honey, sugar packets, soup packets, jerky, nuts, and crackers – especially the little goldfish crackers that Zeb loves. As soon as he saw them he began to bounce in the back pack. Lucy was laughing at his antics.
“What are we at price-wise?” I asked Lucy.
“$467.92,” she said and the guard winced.
“Ouch!” I said. “Okay for $32 dollars more, what shall I round it out with? Ah… I know.”
I lead us back to the baking aisle and took three jumbo package of chocolate chips.
“Done!” I said.
At the checkout, I handed the girl the correct amount in $20 bills and got $5.11 back in change. We then went to a curtained area where everything was packed in boxes away from prying eyes. The boxes were then put onto a cart and pushed by the clerk to the jeep. The line-up was longer but still not as long as I had expected. Guess some people were still holding onto hope.
Jack was sitting in the PT Cruiser beside me. His father was still not back. I asked the guard to radio his team inside to see where John was in the process. The guard, Diego, looked at me quizzically.
“They say there is no one by that name/description inside…” said Diego. “That is weird because I know I saw him go in ahead of you. I am going to look…”
I looked at the man and appreciated what he was going to do. “I will wait here but I am sending his kid and mine home,” I told him.
I made a call while removing the car seat. “Eric, John is missing. He went into Costco ahead of me and now the some of the guards are claiming he was never here. The van’s here but I also have Jack and Zeb with me. I am going to send them home. Can you get Mrs. Moretti to come and take Zeb from him and can you and a couple of the guys come here. I don’t mind saying that I am more than a little weirded out.”
Jack was not pleased about being sent home. At sixteen, all he wanted to do was prove that he was a man who could defend us. I asked him to defend Zeb and his sister and brother.
I had sent Lucy back with Diego and I kept an eye on the line-up and the parking lot and I will admit relief when Eric and Mike showed up. There was still no sign of Diego or of John and the crowds were growing. Eric then told me to make tracks. He and Mike were going to call on la famiglia and get some answers. How he thought that white bread Canadian Mike was going to help out with a family issue was beyond me, then again the Irish and the Italians had a long history of cooperation in the name of the Blessed Virgin.
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Canning Milk -
http://thehomesteadinghippy.com/canning-milk/