Weekend Visit

We. Had. Great. Weather. 

We did have great weather this past weekend.  I took a day of vacation Monday so we had a 3-day weekend. 

I hate to say it out loud as I'll jinx things but I think I already have -- just by thinking about it. The weather is jinxed because the forecasters are saying words like "rain, cool, snow, cold" for the next 5 to 7 days -- depending on who you listen too.  I sure hope they are all wrong!

This past weekend we enjoyed 70 degree days and the last two nights were mild enough to sleep with the windows open.  It was wonderful! 

Plants and trees and flowers are starting to bud, flower or leaf out.

This creeping phlox was bought and planted just this spring. 

We have high hopes. 

 

Himself has been planting this bank full of flowers so as to avoid mowing it (Gramps rolled his rider down it a year or two before he sold out to us; I think it scared him.)  Himself  bought some bulbs and dug some up at home and brought transplants.  These tulips blooming out side my door just brightened my day each time I stepped out.  Cheery! 

I'm hoping I have hollyhocks started.  Hollyhocks will come back year after year if they like where they are planted and are magnificent when they bloom. 

 

We had some welcome company.  Traci, Gabby and Bella were down Saturday and Sunday.  Craig and Joey had baseball but Joey had Strep : ( 

 

Little Bella is a cabin girl . . . and Gabby is there right behind her.  Bella says something like "we going to our cabin house?"  maybe cabin home.  Cute!   You can tell she likes it and wants to stay. 

And after the company, the construction work and the gardening, there was a little porch sitting time.  It was a good weekend. 

You all come back, ya hear. 

Bring it on . . .

It is almost cabin season. 

 

I know. 

 

I KNOW it!  

 

I keep saying that and then Iowa and Missouri "W E A T H E R" keeps throwing in a monkey wrench and we take 3 steps backwards.  This past week we have had about 2" of rain and the temps fell like a lead balloon.   70 degrees last weekend turned into 40 degrees daytime highs this week.

 

Some of Iowa got snow yesterday.  Nebraska and the Dakotas got ice and snow.  Minnesota and points north and east were buried with snow.  We were lucky here and just got rain.  Welcome rain. 

 

Meanwhile, I have Cabin Fever.  Need to go.  Need to be there.  Need to get outside.  Need these . . . 

 

 

Nature. 

Need some outdoor, up and personal Nature.  Snapping Turtles and all. 

I need rain clouds and low clouds and Thunderheads and high clouds

 

. . . and Spacious Skies. 

 

I need lake views. 

 

And more Spacious Skies. 

 

2001 must have been another weather eventful year. 

 

What a combination -- Great Skies and a good camera. 

Reality Check

A working weekend at Too yanked me back from the pastoral reverie at III.

Oh it was a good weekend.  The weather was Fine.  The nights were cool but not freezing and the days were pretty much glorious although Saturday was windy.  And it felt good to be out from behind my desk --  up, down, climbing, stretching, walking, nailing and building muscle.  It felt great.

In my next career, I will be doing something physical.  Rock climbing?  Road construction?  Mason?  oh who knows what!  I can't wait though as there are some interesting part-time jobs out there.  Park Ranger?  Yes, I could go for that one.

In my way of thinking we have finally made some progress!  Himself will argue this point as he has been making progress right along.  Making progress with the drywall.  It is simply fact that I removed myself from the drywall stage.  I turned my back.  Crawled in a corner and sucked my thumb.  Okay, maybe not.  But I wanted to!  It is a character defect in me -- ignoring the parts I don't like.  I need to learn to appreciate all phases of construction!  And I will.  I promise.  Next time.

This weekend we got to the 4" tongue and groove pine board walls.  I committed to this task.  Accepted it and embraced it. 

Hand me the air nailer and get out of my way : )

THE PINESA GOIN UP April 5, 2013

 

We began the new season a'runnin. I packed all the tools that I needed for work at home during the winter, chop saw, paints, compressor, caulking, and we lit out for the cabin on Friday evening. Saturday, herself lit out for town(s) unknown. I started getting things ready for whatever we decided needed done. The choices was paint the porch deck or get going on the living room. As it was to windy to paint, we decided to start putting up some of the pine planks on the wall. I always try to purchase materials well in advance of us needing them, but it allows me to find the best prices, and when we need it, it is there.  So, the pine planks were purchased September of 2012 and have been stored away in the loft all this time.

So, we started by installing a base board, making sure it was perfectly level, then started installing the pine. It actually went quite smoothly, the pine being full of knots, knurls,  holes, and quite rough in places. But, that's what we want: rustic.

 

 

 

The next day, I worked on trimming out the windows while herself continued installing the pine boards. We only had one chop saw, but most of the time no one had to wait more that a minute or two to use it.

Herself did GREAT!! She had to cut out for the outlets, and I have to say, they were as close to perfect as anyone could have done. As the windows take quite a while to trim out, herself just plugged along and went right up that wall, and was waiting on me to get the window in the south wall done so she could continue. I was holding her back!!

These two days were the most herself has been able to help me at one time, as usually she keeps busy corralling grandkids, shopping, cleaning, and cooking. So this was a real treat having help. We accomplished more than I had ever envisioned. So, two walls down, and two to go. Then we will have to decide on a coating to put on the pine.

 

Heart Strings



I have been reading a book of journal-like entries.  An Indiana farm wife, back in the 60s, with a bent for writing.  She published her diary with the entries arranged by season and as my Iowa March waned into April, I was reading her Indiana March and April spring entries.

She was naming wildflowers . . . She named names.  Haha 

Trillium, Salt and Pepper, Mayflowers, Dutchman's Britches . . . and it all put me in mind of my early spring discoveries in the timber at III. 

 

Himself and I found a whole river bottom of Bluebells several times. 

I have never seen anything like it in all my years.

Extraordinary. 

 

 

We found the Fairy Flowers.

We only had one super-duper Fairy Flower year but it was a 

spectacular display of Fairy Flowers

amd worth the wait.  It is something I will always remember.

 

We had young lady redbuds dressing in their spring finery

wafting through the timber.

 

We had leaves frozen into the ice on the pond.

 

We had moss and fungus and puffball mushrooms

 and things I had never heard of before. 

 

Don't be eating any of those mushrooms!

I can only identify the Puffballs 'rooms and

there is not a single solitary morel in the bunch.    

Don't eat these at home. 

 

We had all manner of insects . . .

bees and ants and beetles and walking sticks.

 

 

 

Looking back through all the photos of these beauties of nature and top those off with memories of my children and grandchildren at III and all the adventure, and misadventures and you won't have to wonder why the memories of III still tugs my Heart Strings.