The decision my partner and I made last year to downsize from a house to a condo was driven by several factors. I wanted to be able to (mostly) retire, so we wanted to reduce our monthly living costs; in particular, we wanted to live mortgage-free. We wanted less space, inside and out, so we’d have fewer of the labour-intensive responsibilities that go along with owning a house — snow removal, repairs, yard work and the like. I wanted to eliminate stairs from my daily life.
However, it wasn’t easy to leave behind Peter’s beautiful gardens. Although the work of maintaining them was enormous, he took pleasure in it and enjoyed the connection it gave him with passersby who stopped to ooh and ahh. The gardens provided the perfect spot to sit with a good book or with friends for cocktails when the weather cooperated.
In the months since our move, we have accommodated quite well to this new way of living. No mortgage! has meant less time working and more time reading for pleasure. I’ve read the condo rules carefully and, for the most part, we manage to follow them. We both enjoy having all our living space on one floor. The floor to ceiling windows in the main living space give us as much light as anyone could want and also provide the perfect environment for our house plants. Someone else puts out the garbage and recycling, clears the snow and washes the outside of the windows. There’s even composing.
New ways to be outside
As spring approached, we wondered how much we would feel the loss of outside space. It’s certainly not the same as living in a house, where getting to the outside just means opening a door. And the outside space is not private. But, it mostly works for us.
Because we have a corner unit, we have two balconies. One is occupied entirely by pots of flowers and herbs, which bring colour into our living space and make it easy for me to grab a bit of rosemary, thyme, basil or parsley as I am cooking. The other has a few plants, but it’s primarily a spot where we sit to read, sip a cocktail or two and enjoy looking at the trees that surround our building — without the nuisance of mosquitoes.
There are lovely flower gardens throughout the property surrounding the condo, kept up by a crew of residents, with lots of spots to sit and visit as well as a couple of barbecues and picnic tables.
There is community and conversation among those, like Peter, who have their own small garden plots. While the garlic he planted last fall won’t be ready for a month or so, it’s thriving. We had our first salad with home-grown arugula a couple of nights ago, and the tomato plants are coming along well.
New cocktails
After a cold and wet spring, I was ready for some warm evenings and, with them, some new cocktails. Each of these recipes makes one cocktail, so if you’re entertaining or want to make sure you have enough for a second for yourself, you should increase quantities accordingly.
I’ve been trying out different kinds of Canadian whisky to replace the bourbon I no longer buy. A few weeks ago, I saw an Ontario-produced smoked maple whisky and decided to give it a try. I used it to make this cocktail, which I’ve named Resisting Despair:
Combine 2 ounces smoked maple whisky with 2 ounces ginger lemonade concentrate and juice of one orange. Pour over ice and garnish with a twist of orange rind. Sip slowly along with some smoked gouda or cheddar cheese and crackers.
Since this is rhubarb season, last weekend I went looking for rhubarb cocktail recipes, and found one for rhubarb sours. I replaced the lemon juice called in the original recipe with orange.
First, make a batch of rhubarb syrup: Combine 1 cup sliced rhubarb, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup water and some orange peel in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the rhubarb has turned to mush. Press through a sieve and discard the rhubarb pulp. Let syrup cool and store in the fridge.
Combine 2 ounces tequila with 1 ounce rhubarb syrup, I ounce orange juice and 1 egg white in a mason jar with a lid. Shake vigorously, then add ice and continue shaking. Pour the cocktail into a glass with ice.
Head to the balcony and enjoy.