Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

One of the hard decisions in building, once you've decided where you want to put the place, is what you will have to change, to make it work. Some changes are easy: Mom isn't up to gardening any more, and I don't have the time for it, so removing the vegetable garden made perfect sense even if we weren't building right there!

You can still see the outline of the garden, but a lot of stuff has been cleared away.

Taking out the boathouse....well, Iain has cleaved his skull on the small doorway my Dad built (and I don't know why he built it so low, as he was about Iain's height, but I'm guessing it had something to do with the length of the boards he had available) so very often that he is glad to see it go. I am ambivalent about losing it, but it looks like it will end up on my sister's property, reincarnated as a shed, so it won't really be lost.

The "skull-cleavingly low door" as Iain calls it.

What has been very hard for me is the decision to remove two large trees. The red pine isn't a huge loss for me - it's never been one of my favourite trees, and for several years has dangled dead branches in a most menacing manner. However, it is a mature tree, and that's always a loss. The one that bothers me is the ancient cedar.

This cedar has stood here as long as I can remember. It shows up in many picture from my youth, and I have a lot of memories with it. Sitting beneath it, hanging chimes in it year after year, planting a little garden beneath it...

Years ago - thirty, probably - a pileated woodpecker took an interest in the tree, and made a number of serious holes in it. We thought, "That's it, the tree's gonna die." But I'd been reading a bit about tree patching and pruning, and took some large wooden stakes my mom had, pounded them into the holes to fill them, and cut them off fairly even with the bark. They're still there, as you can see in this picture.

Now, though, her time has come. She's sparse on top and, like all Eastern Cedars, hollow in the middle. If we wanted to keep her, we'd have to limb up the side next to the new cottage, and she wouldn't look the same. So we are taking her down. Next winter, she'll warm the new cottage as kindling for our fires.



Just a few kitty pics from the last few weeks.

Onyx likes the bay window. All the cats use it, on a rotating basis.

Very toasty when the sun streams in.

"What DO you want?"

Snaps was keeping an eye on him from the other side of the railing.

And now, an explanation. Mom braided seat pads for the wooden cottage chairs, years ago, and sewed them onto foam. I thought they were looking a bit grungy and brought them home for a wash. They were mostly dry when I laid them out on the dining room table. Onyx decided they were perfect for reclining on!

He wasn't moving just because I said so!  But when I came back to the room a few minutes later he had decided on a more comfortable position...

Two Weekends

Another weekend at the cottage! I meant to post after last week's trip, but the week caught up with me, as usual – just planning what to bring for the long weekend, packing, shopping, getting the house ready to have the cats on their own for 3 days (hat-tip to Cassie who checked in on them), and a very busy work-week filled up the time pretty quickly.

It was too bad that Myles was incapacitated and couldn't come up, but we did enjoy Dodie's company on Saturday and Sunday. She was kind enough to bring Mom up on Saturday so there wasn't any rush for her on Friday night, and Mom really enjoyed being there. I took very few pictures on Saturday, so I didn't get a shot of her enjoying the gazebo, but I can report that she wasn't stuck in the cottage the whole time.

As usual, the flowering crab wasn't opening its blossoms any earlier than it usually does, so we may not get to see them this year, again. Last year we were all set for them, and the hot weather finished them in just a few days. It would be nice if it would bloom when Mom is there, just once!

Ready to come out, soon; but not this weekend.

Work on the lot continues. Last weekend was "take out the garden fence", and Iain just about wore himself away doing that. In some spots, trees had grown right through the fencing, and couldn't be saved (fence embedded in the bark!), so he had to cut them as he took up the fence. Rolling up the fencing for the scrap heap at the Quadeville waystation (formerly "the dump") was partly my job. I really did try to help, but I am a bit feeble physically so Iain did all the heavy work. I moved a few lupin plants and Iain helped with the asparagus (two of them).

Also, we went to put the down-payment on the cottage blueprints, so the project is really, truly, happening!

Iain hard at work on pulling out the old fencing.

You can see a pile of rubbish behind Iain in the picture; it's the rotten boards we had taken from the shed last year. Saturday and Sunday we took all of it down to a dump spot Lloyd is allowing us to use on his property, where it can continue the process of rotting away to nothing. Four loads of bad boards....we are SO glad to have the pickup! Also a load of rolled up rusty fencing and such, to the waystation.

 

 

We made a trip to the contractors' place to firm things up with them. The Lorbetski's are very nice to talk to, and we are glad to have them working for us. They have a lovely home (probably a good sign, eh?) and run a maple syrup company on the side. They gave us a quart of what promises to be delicious syrup!

 

 

On the way out, we found that a beaver dam (or a natural one) had let go and a huge swamp had drained out too quickly for the culvert below it. Half the road was gone, but there was still room to squeeze by. By the time we got back, the road crew had marked where not to drive.

A bit of a mess.

Iain attacked the old willow-of-many-trunks on Saturday, and also the long-dead cedar, a few balsams, and about two million alders. I exagerate, but it SEEMS like a lot of alders. They are all down and ready to be hauled away.

The willow-of-many-trunks, which has been on a 45 degree angle for years, is finally down.  It was a persistent tree, but not an attractive one.

One of the sweetest little tools Iain owns is a rechargeable lithium powered chainsaw. Ryobi discontinued making these (or at least Home Despot discontinued carrying them) and he snagged the last one in Ottawa (well, Barrhaven, actually – we had to drive out in search of it last year). Now, I know what all you REAL chainsaw guys are thinking, but he really enjoys firing up a saw that stays running. We own a Mastercraft which has been tuned, sharpened, retuned, babied, sung to, and cradled lovingly... and will never run when you need it to. It is a piece of crap. Iain wants me to tell you his record for it is 30ft. He's not kidding – I've seen him throw it! Yes, the Ryobi takes a bit longer, but it is reliable and good for small jobs.

Using the handy Ryobi battery-powered chainsaw.

So next weekend we go after the other two million alders. *sigh*  It wouldn't be so bad, except for their buddies, the two million black flies.

We had to decide what to do with the little maple tree we've been wanting to save. We finally just dug it up and moved it, and said a little prayer. It probably won't make it, but at least it has a chance. I do wish it would survive, the hollow we put it in has been crying for a tree, and it looks so attractive there.

The sweet little maple.

More to follow...

Dear goodness, where did April go?

Well, it went to a few places:

Don't know why it uploads with all that space around it, but no matter. You can see it is a cute little thing.

1. Cottage dreaming and prep:  We've decided it's time to build anew, so we have spent the last month working on preferred layouts and cottage styles.  The one we've decided to go with is small but efficient.  Iain has been very busy with contractors and I have mostly just played with diagrams.  It probably won't be built this year, but there is an outside chance it could happen if everything falls into place.  We'll have to gut the old cottage, but intend to keep it as a storage shed/workshop if we can.  Much more to come on this in future posts!
2. Spring cleaning:  To be honest, this never gets done the way it should, but we did manage to clean the windows inside and out, and scrub the front siding and porch.  Much more to do, but when?
3. Baking:  We just had our spring bake sale and yard sale at the church.  For that I made baked beans, and cookies:  shortbread, chocolate chip, skor/pecan, almond macaroons, oatmeal; and a couple dozen buns.  Also trucked down some stuff for the yard sale, and spent Saturday morning helping to run it.  If you think I baked a lot, it pales in comparison with the scores of pies and loaves made by Carolyn and Pastor Tom and Dodie.  Of course Bill contributed his famous date squares, and Marlene brought lovely "cookie pops" made by her and her kids, and Kim came in from Pembroke with Earl Grey tea shortbread paired with books - a nice little package, suitable for mother's day.  It was fun to do, and was nice to see everyone who dropped by, but I think the sale is becoming a bit much for me:  too few workers, so we have to do a lot of baking, rather than having everyone just bring a couple of things.  It may be my last one.

I have been stepping back a bit at church.  I'm no longer a deacon, which makes me very content; it was never a comfortable fit for me.  It was one of those situations where I answered the call to serve, but - how can I put this - I've always felt more comfortable in administrative roles than in managerial ones: does that help?  Anyway, I still have lots of things to do there, being involved in the audio/video end of things, and I'm still the church clerk.  But I'm looking forward to the summer, when I am away more than I am there....I need a break.

Today is Mothers Day, and we are having a pot luck at my mom's.  Afterward, we are heading to Ottawa to spend the day with Sheila and take her out to dinner.  So blessed to have our moms still!



Just cats being cats.

There seems to be nothing our cats enjoy so much as lolling around in the rec room.



Onyx looked so silly I had to get a picture.  This is right in front of the fireplace, his favourite spot on a cool evening.



We've tried to disuade Jezebel from sleeping here, but it is just too toasty warm for her to resist.

The Puzzle Box

Cats love to eat.  And eat.  Darn near anything.

Most particularly, Snaps - who is a rescued stray - loves to eat: as though he doesn't know where his next meal is coming from (he does know, of course, because he always comes running at the sound of the cupboard door being opened).  He has pretty much doubled his weight since we took him in, last fall.  My guess is that he weighs at least 15 lbs., now.  He is certainly not the svelte orange tom-in-need-of-fixing we allowed into the the laundry room to escape the rain.

He seems to have levelled off at this weight, finally comfortable that he has enough spare fat on his frame to see him through whatever befalls; but he is still hungrier by far than the rest of our furry horde.  Rather than just let him have an extra bowlof kibble, however, we have started to give the extra snack in the "puzzle box".

Jezebel loves it too, and will often leave the others noshing from their bowls, to sit by the box and fish out her snack on her own.  Onyx participates somewhat unwillingly, but takes part anyway (as he seems to feel he must be a part of every activity in the house, making sure the others KNOW he is in charge of the situation).  Stitches avoids the whole thing.

So, who else out there has insomnia?

This isn't a problem I'm used to, but it's just one more post-menopausal joy, I guess.  Bedtime begins with such snuggly promise:  although I don't fall asleep quickly, I do drift off to a nice, comfy nowhere.  And then, for some reason - I'm too warm, need to pee, have indigestion, or some other minor discomfort - I wake up...and can't fall back asleep.  I lie awake.  For hours.
Or maybe it only seems like hours.  Perhaps I drift in and out, though it doesn't feel that way:  it feels like I am fully awake.  I try to occupy my mind, usually with prayer.  That doesn't always help, though.  Sometimes I start to worry about things, instead.  Then I'm REALLY awake.

Worst of all, I'm disturbing Iain's sleep, too.  Ever try to lie perfectly still when you aren't asleep?  It's not easy.

Well, I guess I will go back to bed; my glass of milk is empty, and I'm getting cold.  Wish me luck!

Free TV

Pursuant to the next-to-last post:  the only thing we were missing, after putting the satellite feed on hiatus, was live sports.  Iain and I enjoy hockey, in particular, and were missing our Hockey Night In Canada fix.

I did some research on antennas, because I had heard something - somewhere - about over-the-air broadcasts.  When we started with Bell Expressvu, we purchased our PVR, and it has an input for OTA.  Some posts I read cast doubt on whether we could use it that way, but we decided to invest $30 (on sale) for a set of rabbit ears with a gain boost.  Iain actually understands this stuff; I just sort of wing it.  At any rate, he was willing to spend that much to give it a try.  It turned out to be money well spent.  Have a look at the picture above.  This is a shot of our television screen, when Five For Fighting was performing.  Not bad for rabbit ears, huh??!  This is the broadcast out of Ottawa; if we lived in Ottawa, we could pick up a lot more HD channels.  The only other one available here right now is SUN tv.  They show some movies...so we might turn it on occasionally.

My next mission is to write a letter to the CRTC, complaining about the CBC plan to shut down their repeater tower at Foymount.  I want digital OTA at the cottage, too!  And am not prepared to invest in a dish for a place where it will get so little use:  I want my free tv.  The thing about it is, I am already paying taxes to support the CBC, aren't I?  So I have, at least, the right to complain...right?

By the way, our opinion (I am speaking for Iain here, too), is that Five For Fighting is the best band name ever.

A Young Author with Talent!

"The Frog In The Hole" by Emma Lindsay; wonderful!

A brief update from the island:

Things have been fairly quiet around here of late, as is usual in winter for us. We are spending a lot of time planning and dreaming, as it has become obvious that we'll have to do something about the cottage, within the next year or so.

Our hope had been to raise the building, putting a new foundation beneath and renovating the interior to better suit our needs. After consulting with a contractor, however, we were advised that the lifting would be difficult, expensive, and would leave us with so much work to still do that it made more sense to remove the old building and start anew.

Not that we have decided to do that, either. The old girl still has some life in her, after all; so we are considering other options. They all cost money, though, no matter what we end up going with. Lots of money, *sigh*.

We've been noticing how some of our bills just keep getting more bloated. The Bell bill is one of those. The cost of call answer just went up another $2 (plus HST, of course). Since we were in the market for a new telephone anyway, we picked up one with an answering machine built-in, and cancelled that feature.

The other big ticket on that bill is ExpressVu. We love to watch sports and movies, but most of the rest we can live without. Sad to say, TMN is not showing much of interest right now, and it looks like the Senators aren't going anywhere this year. So we took some advice from Holly and Larry, and signed up for Zip.ca, and put our satellite feed on hold until the end of April. (Not that it was easy to do. The Bell online service doesn't work worth a hoot, and I ended up having to phone for assistance several times. Their system is so annoying)

We're also watching some of our favourite shows via internet. The broadband feed is surprisingly good, and we pipe it right to our tv.

The only thing we are really missing is sports. There is no substitute for live tv when it comes to hockey (unless you go to the actual game!). For the time being we are living without it, and just watching the highlights on TSN.ca.

Well worth it, to save $100 per month. And we aren't feeling deprived in any way, having lots to watch just by surfing and getting the videos from Zip (we are finally watching 24, which we have never seen, and are deeply engrossed in season one!).
 
Iain got to see Down-Under Dave and a bunch of our other favourite people on Friday, an occasion I was sorry to miss.  Saturday was spent getting Iain's Mom hooked up with a new computer, and it is now Sunday evening, and we are looking forward to another work week.  Haha.
 
I am off to attack "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" again: I'm down to the last quarter and it's hard to leave it alone.

PUPPY LOVE (PUPPY LOVE, 11 Feb 2011, Page C1)

So much like our Puck, except missing the tassles on the ears!

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PUPPY LOVE

Ottawa Citizen
11 Feb 2011

One of 11 puppies abandoned near the Canadian War Museum last week seems to be enjoying life in foster care at a Stittsville home on Thursday.read more...

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