The Bad, The Good, and the Beautiful

The last few days have been a bit of a see-saw for us. We were unable to find the documentation we needed that told us the size of the septic system we installed here 20+ years ago, and this determines whether or not we are allowed to put an addition on the cabin.  We had to put in a request with the township to find the information for us, and then wait for the results. In the meantime, we tried not to worry, and to think of some contingency plans.

In the meantime, Rob saw some signs that a couple of the shed posts may not be in the best of condition, and began to worry that his plan for laying a concrete floor in the shed may be of no use, if the building wasn't sound enough.  So we had to talk, and think and talk some more, and see if there was something else we could do that would give us some storage space, and a covered in area to work on the timbers.

And then the bill for the upper road, and final road stone came in, and while we got a very good deal on the stone and equipment that was used, we are of course over budget. We had only planned on the lower road initially, but it looked so good that we went with the upper road as well, and of course, that was a much bigger job than originally thought. At the same time poor Brennan has a leak in his bulldozer and was unable to use it to finish the final part of the road - where it meets the road to the cabin, so we are still unable to drive on it. Seems a shame to have spent all that money on a road we can't yet use.

The sun is setting earlier, and the nights have been cooler. We had our first dinner in almost 7 weeks inside the house, instead of outside on the porch. We are all too aware that the summer is passing quickly. We know we need a lot of things in place if we are going to be able to stay here for the winter.

And then, yesterday, while I was out shopping, I dropped my new camera in a parking lot. A quick check led me to believe it was o.k., but when I got home to check it out properly,  I realized there was a dent on one side, a crack in the case and the upper LCD display was no longer working.

There are definitely some nights when we go to sleep somewhat discouraged.  I guess at 2 a.m. when you are lying awake worrying, it is all too easy to think you've not made any progress the last few weeks and wonder about some of your choices....

But a trip up to the municipal office, and 40$ later, we found out that we put in a larger septic system than necessary when we first built the cabin after all, so we are now able to submit some plans to the building inspector. Good foresight Rob! It's about a 20 km drive up to the township office, but it's a lovely one, and I enjoyed the views of the lakes on the way there, and even more so on the way back!

Rob did some work on the end of the road with his tractor, to at least give us the shape we need, and to clear away some of the trees and branches that were in the way. The truck has a larger turn radius than we thought, so it took a couple of tries to get it right, but we can now drive up the last section of the road, and successfully make the turn towards the cabin. The stone that is in the last section is still just the rough base, and needs more grading, and it will then need the final base of stone, but at least we know it will work. Brennan is hoping to get his 'dozer fixed up and will be able to finish the job soon.

Rob came up with a quick re-design of the concrete floor base in the shed, so that the structure will be sound and safe even if some of the posts prove to be unreliable in a few years. We'll continue with that plan, and see how it goes.  The concrete should be laid next week.

The weather is warming up again, and we have a good forecast for the next few days, with warmer evenings again.

And my camera still works at least. I bought a extended plan on it, and although obviously not covered by any warranty, it gives me a bit of a discount on the repair job, and I will take it in next week and have it sent out for repair. It will take 6-8 weeks, but I still have my old camera to use while it is in for repair.

While we may not be able to drive the road just yet, we walk it every day, several times a day. There is always something beautiful to look at and here are just a few of the things we've seen in and around us this week.

A lovely butterfly, possibly a White Admiral or Red Spotted Purple Butterfly.

 

 

 

We laugh at the antics of the Hummingbirds, and they always cheer us up! We are delighted by the sounds they make, especially when they are vying for the feeder.  They begin early in the morning, and are still there as the daylight fades.

 

 

 

 

I watched a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker for a good long time as it carefully peeled back section after section of bark, taking it's time, doing it right, before it could set to the task of extracting the sap. A good reminder that all things take time, and to perhaps have a bit more patience!

 

A beautiful view of the land around us, on a road that is far, far, steeper than our is, so I'm sure ours will be fine!  I almost turned around, but got brave and drove down this road. But I had to stop for a photo first as the view was breathtaking!

And of course, sweet Jet, who says he has not been featured in this blog near enough. He offered a good sympathetic look when I was checking out my broken camera, and then convinced me that nothing would cheer me up more than a nice walk with him. Which it did.