On land and water

There is a wee cottage for sale on a nearby lake. I am always shocked with house prices. It is a two-bedroom/one bathroom/four season cottage for sale. It's $599,990! It's on lake water, no well, and there is a water treatment system. 

It's the bungalow on the right for sale.

The cottage on the right is the one for sale.
(This is from a canoe ride in 2014.)

This is the satellite photo. It is the one middle left for sale.

In 2015... housing prices are ridiculous. Thankfully, our kids in Vancouver are in a housing co-op downtown. 

For sale! I tracked it down.
343 Mile Pt. Rd. only $459,000
Only 2 bedrooms

Back to the land...

The coyote  is just a shadow in the dark. Now that the bugs have lessened, I imagine there will be more critters out and about.

 

The great crested flycatcher. It's a great challenge trying to videotape them.

  

 

Butch is still running through the forest. There was a lag between momma and the 2nd (or third) sibling coming along. "Momma, wait for meeeeee!"  butch 

 

We were sitting watching our post-dinner TV when I saw the Common Mullein plant swinging left to right, and back again. Running to the front window, I was fascinated. woodpecker 

We are Windsor Fine, upright and breathing!

 Caitlin came over, as I wrote previously [Slow recovery continues], to do some chores for me when I was ill [I am a wreck!]. She said we were 'Windsor Fine!'  AKA – upright and breathing. I promised a story.

 On a Friday night in 2006,  I'd moved to Bala to provide care while my father was having radiation therapy for his brain tumour, and my mom was dying of cancer. Mom's tumours were spreading, she'd been pulled off chemotherapy, as it was making her too sick. 

I knew I had to go to Toronto for my mental health, but mom had a bad morning that Friday. I called the doctor, he came and said she was palliative. (My mom thought we should call him to 'find a solution.') She was so secretive about her health issues. Her best friend didn't know she had cancer. I called Home Care, who'd been providing housekeeping help, and arranged for a nurse to be there for a few hours until my brother arrived home from Toronto. He was staying with Dad in the cancer lodge, where they house people from away getting treatment (radiation). 

Off I went to Toronto, a drive south for a couple of hours. The nurse was there in Bala, and I was confident all would be good. Robin and Dad were on their way home from Toronto. I was giving three Curriculum and Technology workshop to female teachers, sponsored by my teacher's federation. It was an honour to do so.

My poor Mom thought the ER could help her. Unbeknownst to me, my brother took Mom to the ER Friday night, as she wanted them to fix her up. My brother, Robin, left Dad at home asking a neighbour to check in on him. He took Mom into the ER. Mom spent the night there, with Robin returning home late. There was nothing they could do. What a breakdown in communication. I was presenting that evening. 

 They lived on Windsor Drive, in Bala. At the time, Dad had a brain tumour, and had delirium from a UTI. It was not pretty. He would get up at 2 a.m., leave taps running, and tried to light a fire in the wood stove in the wee hours. Anyway, the neighbour told Robin she'd checked in on Dad. He was sitting all alone on the couch. She told Robin that Dad was 'fine!' For years, now, when we ask one another how we are we say we are 'Windsor Fine,' upright and breathing. It's a standard! 

This was the house and the cottage.

We lived there four years. The kids would visit and stay in the attached cottage.

Indoor projects

Our girls came to visit Friday, a PD day. I had projects to do, and they helped. It takes a village...
Outside, the mourning doves, the cardinal and the red squirrels were busy.

1. Recovering the footstool

It's an old footstool, which we use in the basement. The older material, of which there were four layers, just fell apart. The stitching just broke away. The penultimate and previous layer were sewn directly to the first layer. I thought that was interesting. The last piece of material was stapled to the footstool. The early layers used really old, now rusty tacks.
The legs look really old, and well-worn, but still sturdy.

 

My dad had a full set of tools at the cottage, as well as home. I inherited 4 of these. I needed Robertson's though! (Caitlin brought hers!) 

It took me three days to finally get the legs off. I used liquid wrench in the holes, to soften the screws. They were deep into the holes, and the drill didn't reach them in the hole. I took off all but one layer of material. I liked the two pink ones. One was sewn to the patterned pink.

Voila. I took off the final leg just before the kids arrived. I did the sides, but had to think about the corners.

We had a visit, and Isabelle (age 8) made us lunch (sandwiches). Hooper supervised from atop the fish tank.

2. A side table, it didn't come assembled!

It was a team effort. I ordered it online. The poor delivery dude carried the box all the way up the driveway, even though I'd just used the snowblower on it. It wasn't light.

Josephine (11) was in charge of the plans.


Jos and Caitlin took an opportunity to do the corners, faithfully stapling them. Izzy and I took some time with the side table.


I pooched the sliders for the drawer. Caitlin worked on it while the rest of us took a break. Grampa fetched his head lamp to make it easier to work.


Ta da! (I photobombed her!)


Hooper liked the empty box.


Now, I just had to reattach the legs. Ta da! I found the material in the laundry room. I was going to wash it, when I remembered where it was. I figured we're putting our feet on it, why wash it??!!



The material was left from putting up new curtains in the cottage, back in 2002, when we were married. The bamboo curtains decades old, had had their day.


The table was well-packed with styrofoam. We were talking about smartphones, since we have one, now. Isabelle made herself a styro-phone and charger from the packing materials!

3. Next project: bringing in some wood

Just before they left to do errands in the way back to Ottawa, Izzy helped bring some wood in. These pieces are frozen into the gravel. It's awkward bringing them across the back step, as the snow melted right across it and its sheer ice. 

I sent Isabelle out and she happily handed me the wood through the window. 

"Gramma, I found an Isabella!"

She found a sleeping Isabella moth caterpillar. She slid it in between some wood and covered it with bark. We've found them in other seasons, too! (Sept., 2015)

Pyrrharctia isabella

Isabella Tiger Moth or Banded Woolybear

Jos came downstairs with the camera! You can see how deep the snow is behind the house, but the sun was shining.

The fire was going merrily, with wood for Grampa. He had curling to watch in the basement.


In the afternoon, I went snowshoeing, but first hauled some more wood from the shed.

 

4. The tall girl project

The last thing Caitlin did for me was to use to Fun-tak to put the 'secret mice friends door' back snugly. This was from our plumbing The toilet issue. Long story, but it's an access panel! A brilliant, inexpensive cover up, but not entirely snug.

I had some Fun-tak lying around. Teachers use this to hang things on walls. I thought it a good solution. I am a tad short to do it (only 5'4"), standing on the couch, and I didn't want to move the couch (again) and bring in the step-ladder. Caitlin is tall enough (5'8") to reach. 

Another glorious day, today. SUNSHINE!!! The sun is warm enough, now, to melt the ice on the driveway. WHEW!