Just odds and ends being done at the cottage right now.

Last weekend Iain and I both went up on Saturday.  Installing plugs, switches and checking the breaker circuits was time consuming, and Iain went back on Sunday to tackle more of it on his own.

I helped as best I could, but am more comfortable having him do the wiring of the plugs etc.  My part was stuffing the plug or switch into the box, screwing it in place and applying the face plate.

Before we left, Iain took a reading off the meter.  Hopefully Ont.Hydro will accept the reading, as we have been using space heaters and we need to start paying for some of that power; I'm worried about getting a huge bill when they get around to reading it in the spring.

Today, we marvelled at how the mild weather has brought the dirt road into view!  I can't recall ever seeing so much melt in February.

Today we met with Susan, our kitchen designer at Home Hardware in the Bay; just trying to finalize things, and we're not quite there yet.  Gotta wrap it up soon, so we can get the cabinets on order.  After a quick bite to eat at Vito's, and a brief stop in Combermere, we went back to the cottage.  We have one circuit that is giving us grief:  it has a hard short, and we're having trouble tracking it down.  I can report that the heaters are all wired in and working perfectly, however:  Iain took a day off work on Friday to install them.  I couldn't get the day off, and I would have liked to go to my Aunt's funeral in any case (I was glad to attend the wake on Thursday evening, and pay my respects).

We probably won't do more this weekend; Iain has been working hard on it, and deserves a rest.

A Goodbye

Mom's oldest sister, dear Aunt Margaret, passed away last night.  She had just celebrated her 99th birthday on Sunday.

I think the secret of her longevity, if there was one, was in living well and simply.  She was straightforward, down-to-earth and loving.  Her children and their families will miss her immensely. 

Those of us in her extended family remember her with fondness.  Some people are dragged into nursing homes, kicking and screaming, but Aunt Margaret found pleasure in spending time with others and she moved into the Bonnechere Manor quite happily.  She liked to take part in the crafts they offered, even before she moved in, and I recall being amazed at the talent she showed, the first time I saw hand-painted notecards she'd made; I'd had no idea she was so gifted. 

Katrina, Wanda and Janet still like to talk about the time Aunt Margaret came to the office where we work, for an eye exam.  (It was a few years ago, while I was away on summer holiday, but I've heard this numerous times.)  The front door must have been left open a crack, and a garter snake found his way in.  Katrina made the effort to be brave, but didn't want to tackle the snake herself.  Janet and Wanda were up on their desks, scared to be on the same level as the snake.  Aunt Margaret came to the desk and offered, "Give me a glove to wear, and I'll catch it for you!"  A woman in her nineties put them all to shame; they didn't take her up on her offer, but I've no doubt she would have done it!

A wonderful lady; she will be missed.

A Beautiful Weekend

The weather has been beautiful; this is the warmest winter I remember.   It's been great for us, having to run to the cottage on the weekends.  Normally, February is not the time you want to be doing outside work, but as you can see in the picture below, Iain is able to install an outdoor fixture without wearing his gloves.

This time the sun shone when we were at the lake.  We sat in our living-room-to-be and ate lunch, looking out at the view(s).  This picture is out the south side window, but looking south-west.

This is our view out the front window, from where we sat munching our sandwiches.  I mentioned to a friend, a few days ago, that it all seems too good to be true.  We are so very, very blessed.  My greatest hope is to have the place in dwellable shape by spring, so my mom can come and enjoy it with us!

Water, water everywhere

Last weekend's trip to the cottage revealed several things:

1. Nothing adds humidity to a place like mudding the drywall, and
2. All efforts to remove said humidity by use of paper towels will be for naught (though one feels useful in the attempt).

We had lots of work to do, so Iain was a bit nonplussed at my picture-taking.  In this shot, he is just about to move out of the way because he thinks I'm trying to get a picture of something behind him.  I'm really taking his picture, though.

 Look at this ceiling! We love it.

The peaked ceiling is as nice as we'd hoped.

This may not look like much, but you see that grey conduit in the middle?  It was a son of a gun to get together.  We were glad to be finished with it.

I'm not sure what Iain is working on, here.  It didn't seem like we accomplished too much, but the time went quickly.

 It snowed while we were there.  Some of the local lads were out at the fish shack; had a fire going and the tip-ups set.

The driving home wasn't very nice, because of all the snow.  Next weekend's tour should be better; almost no snow in the forecast.