"S" is for Sheds, Snakes, and Sunshine

This week saw big changes up at the top shed.The stone base has all been laid, the plastic sheeting is on top, and the rebar and wire mesh are all in place and tied down. I finally got to help - by tamping down the gravel with a nifty tamper that you pick up and drop 6 billion times, while trying not to hit your feet. There is a particular sound that it makes when you get the angle right, and I didn't hear it very often.  I couldn't complain too much though, as Rob had to first move and place all the gravel (mostly with a tractor, mind!) and then was busy putting in the wood forms, rebar, mesh etc. Actually, he had to do a lot by hand as well. Plus he had tamped it down first with a compactor that had we rented, that basically shakes you and the stone all over. But after he used it, he realized that the level of the stone needed to be adjusted in some areas after measuring the levels, so he had to rake some up and do it again.  He's building up some pretty good arm muscles! Of course this was all done just as the temperatures went back into the thirties, so it was hot work as well. The concrete should be poured sometime this week. We will be getting someone in to do that part. It was a rough week for LCD displays though, and this is what happened to his level after it fell over.

 

 

The shed is looking pretty good! The form outside of the shed will also be filled with concrete so that Rob has somewhere clean, dry and sturdy to put the timbers as he slides them into the shed.

 

 

 

 

I try to go down to the edge of the river every day and look for fish, frogs, birds etc. When I could see something coming up the river, with a small wake behind it, I never once thought of a snake. I don't know why not - I know they are in the river, but I'm just a tad nervous of snakes, so perhaps chose to not really put that idea in my head. At the same time, something large was flying overhead, so I was torn between shots. I went with this one. (Kind of wishing I went with the bird instead!) I went on to some web sites to try to identify the snake, but couldn't decide if it was a Milk snake or Northern Water snake. I'm a member of a google group called the Naturelist, so I asked them for help. This sparked a great discussion, as the members had different opinions. In the meantime I learned it would have been far more useful if I had picked up the snake and taken several photos from different angles. Like that was going to happen..... Anyway, the consensus is that it was a Northern Water snake. Totally harmless, but fond of checking out people in the water in case they are food. Great. I will have to learn not to be so nervous around them!

I visited the farmers market on Friday and found the selection to be much better, as of course the vegetables are now ripe for picking in the farmer's gardens. I have learned not to hover in a 10 foot buffer zone around the vendors - but to plunge in and go talk to everyone, and not feel like I then have to purchase something from every table. I know that next week I will buy from someone else. I do however, have some favourites, and this week I picked up some great organic onions, and yellow beans. Picked up fresh basil and roma tomatoes from another vendor, some mustard base pickled beans from another, and then lingered at the wood oven pizza vendor. We already had a good dinner planned, and I couldn't see eating pizza mid-afternoon no matter how delicious it looked, but discovered they sell their own Italian sausages, made from pork from their farm, so bought some of them. We ate them last night (and the remainder on Sunday!) and they were absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go get more this week. As we have not yet found a local butcher, buying direct from the farms may be the way to go.

On Saturday after dropping off the garbage/recycle, I visited the local library's fundraising event. There I came across a person who was weaving lily leaves, and we struck up an amazing conversation. He scours the land for various plants that he uses - sweetgrass, spruce roots, etc. and weaves beautiful baskets from them. I would have liked to have bought one of his baskets, but our space here is at a premium, so instead chose one of the painted cards his wife makes. We chatted some more, and I was hoping he offered courses, and it turns out that it's something he is thinking about, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I would love to take one. Then, just before I left, after telling him that we had just moved here, and a little bit about us, he reached over and handed me a lovely candle holder that his wife had painted. "I want to give you a gift" he said. I was so moved I almost couldn't speak, but did manage to thank him, and we shook hands, and I left to visit the rest of the vendors. I have his card, and I did email him later to thank him again, and I just know we will connect again sometime in the future.

On Sunday it was sunny and in the 30's, so we decided to do a few things in the morning and then head for the beach again. I don't think we will have too many more days like this! We walked through the woods for about 2 hours in the morning, trying to mark some walking trails. We also want to create a path for Rob's tractor so that he can go up our new road and up into the sheds without marking up any of the common road. It was really good to walk the land and see just how much there is around us. 

 

 

 

We used Rob's GPS to help us find our way, and to keep track of where the property lines are so that we aren't making trails on the neighbour's land. Sprayed a bit of paint on the trees that we will have to remove, but we will try to mostly remove the dead ones. Spruce bud worm has taken out a lot of our spruce trees, so they will be the ones we remove the most of, in order to make some trails.

 

The woods vary a great deal throughout. Sometimes the forest floor is rich in vegetation, and sometimes it's not. There are grouse in some areas, but it's hard to get a photo of them as they head off into the brush and seem to disappear. Rob found a feather though!

 

 

No signs of any fresh bear poop so I guess there is no bear around this year. We could see lots of deer tracks and we've been seeing and hearing the deer a lot, especially around the sheds.

In the afternoon we drove back up to Round Lake. It was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday in August - this really is a secret location I think! It was lovely, the lake a bit choppier due to the wind, but we swam, sat in our chairs on the sandy beach and watched the few people that were there, and then swam some more.  It was sunny and 31 degrees, so a perfect day to be at the beach.

Back home in the early evening, where there was a cool breeze but the air still quite warm. Cooked up some burgers on the grill, and made a nice big salad. Two hours of hiking in the woods and two hours at the lake, and several walks with Jet. A good night's sleep on it's way.