I’m so far behind. I think I’m going to start with this past weekend and then go back and tell you about last weekend 🙂
Maureen, my home school friend, sent an email around the ‘community’ about a special even going on at Madonna House in Combermere. It’s about an hour away so we thought we’d head out there to spend a nice Saturday 
afternoon. We used the GPS and found a short-cut. You find all sorts of beautiful things taking the back roads around Wilno. This is just the side of someone’s barn. Another special thing is found at crossroads. Back when this area was settled by the Kashubs, they couldn’t get together for regular church services. So families erected crosses at various cross roads and 
gathered there. Many local families have replaced these crosses and it’s quite the scene to come upon, not what you expect to find when you come around a corner.
Madonna House has a museum and lots of antiques. I found the most beautiful old wood cook stove that I’ve ever seen (antique anyways). I would love to have an old 
stove, though I would need a bigger/better laid out kitchen. I always laugh at places like these. Kitchen displays often show many of the utensils that I still use.
They had a balloon guy. He had a whole book of critters for the kids to pick from. Ella chose a snail. We had a really nice afternoon.
We headed into Barry’s Bay and went for ice cream!
At Home With Us 
I love the old stoves and have cooked on several, but they are usually problematic due to poor maintenance! And they are as efficient as an open fire – that is, they just burn up the wood in no time. I have the same experience in museums and antique stores – they are selling things I still use, so how can they be antique?
Looking at the bake table is proof that Victorians weren’t “so much shorter”. The table is the perfect height for me! I know I’m short, but I’m not midget-like as museum interpreters tend to imply. For that matter, my kitchen cupboards (in my Victorian house) are too tall for me to work comfortably, I usually use the kitchen table.