Summer Projects

Don't let Himself tell you I don't finish projects.  I do!  I do too!  Some just take me longer than others.

This summer we both got a lot accomplished!

This flag stand, for one.  I got it in my head that I wanted to get these swiveling flag stands for my sons-in-laws and one for Lanny for Father's Day.  Actually, I thought you could buy them and that's what I aimed to do.  When I found out it was a craft project with plans on-line, I enlisted some help and we went at it.

Himself, I will admit, sometimes gets caught up in 'my' DIY projects.  Thanks for your help honey!

I made curtains.

 

Lanny made 4 cabin cots. 

 

We need two more, or at least one.  That can be a fall or winter project.  I made that orange quilt top pillow case, the bright pink one and rounded up a few more throw pillows. Some of the girls did some spray painting of shelves and accessories.  They all brought blankets from home.  It's starting to look pretty homey.   

 

 

Joey and I studied Gramps loft ladder and whipped this up.

 

I found these chairs for Traci.  This is her project now!

 

 

This also is Traci's project, and Craig's.  They have accomplished a lot this summer.  The outside is all painted and trimmed. They hope to enlarge the decks sometime and they have living room walls to put back but they are 'getting there'!

 

Now, there are a couple of big projects brewing in my mind.  Real Big Projects!  It will entail hiring a little help but it's time we did them.  It is time to 'getter done'.  I'll tell you more about that down the road.

 

 

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Audri and Bella, exploring.

 

 
Maddie, explaining.























Joey, problem solving. 

 

 

 

 
Gabby and Maddie performing

Jack, waiting.

 

The new diving platform.

 

 

 
Summer of the Spray Paint

 
Owen, swinging.

 

Fireworks!

 

 

It has been a fine summer at The Cabin with The Grandchildren.  Maddie and Jack didn't get here often enough though and Morghan didn't get here at all!  I swear, next summer I am going to invite Jordan down! 

 

The tree house has a new, easier ladder.  I hated to give up the rope ladder but others didn't.  Joey helped me build it.  The loft bunkroom has had lots of attention, decorating, reorganizing and Yes!  even some sleeping up there!  Gabby and Maddie have slept there.  Jack and Joey once.  Audri, Bella and Owen slept 'up' several times.  It is so nice that the children can.  They go up and go to bed and go to sleep. Almost always. 

 

We have a zip line.  Yay!!!

 

We have used the beach, the new diving platform and the paddle boat.  We have had Smores and campfires and over the 4th of July, a trillion fireworks. 

 

Best of all, we have one more holiday weekend to look forward to.  Labor Day will pretty much make it official though.  Summer is winding down. 



Summer of twenty sixteen

It has been a good, busy summer.  We have spent about half of our time at the cabin.  We try to be here during the week but have been here some on the weekends too, when Craig and Traci are here. 

The weather has been hot and humid but with air conditioners in both cabins the heat doesn't keep us away.  Lanny has been mowing the dam and lagoons for The Lake.  I have been 'doing' for Vi.  I have gardened.  I have gardened successfully in some areas and not so much in others.

The tomatoes took a hit when the green hornworm got in.  I started finding green tomatoes with bites out of them or half the tomato eaten away.  The tops of my tomato plants were being eaten down to nubbins and I thought perhaps a raccoon or possum was getting under the fence or over the gate so I built a screen for the gate.  Just in case, I put landscape timbers down around the fence perimeter to keep squinties out.  And still my plants were being gnawed on.
 

 

Vi, the neighbor lady came by in her golf cart to have a look.  She said, "I think it is the cut worm but I've never seen them eat the tomatoes.  Only the vines."  I waded in and started looking and sure enough I found hornworm poop.  I had looked in Google for information on the tomato cut worm and saw nice, clear photos of the hornworm poop. Isn't it just 'fun' what you can find in the internet?   

 

Now that I knew for sure what I was dealing with, I started looking for the green, greedy, voracious little worm.  I found two of the little culprits. I'm sure there were probably more but I threw caution to the wind, dug out the bottle of Sevin tomato dust and powdered them down good. I would go back after dark with a flash light to snatch naughty green hornworms.   

 

 

I kept this guy.  I put him in a gallon jar with some dirt in the bottom.  He ate up the first piece of tomato vine in just a short time.  I gave him two or three others and he gobbled his way right through them too, then turned his back on me, burrowed into the dirt and started his metamorphosis. He was on his way to becoming a Sphinx moth. 

 

Meanwhile, we have had many good cucumbers from our Amish-bought plants.  We have eaten our fill and shared them with Sally and Vi and our children.  I planted three Parks Whopper muskmelons and the vines have thrived.  We have harvested 4 super sweet, luscious, best ever melons.  There will be more! 

 

The asparagus put in last year has thrived; we'll be able to eat it next spring.  The onions didn't do so well and I have yet to dig potatoes because the melons and cukes have sprawled all over the place.  4 cabbage heads are sticking in there and we might get to harvest them. 

 

All in all, the garden has been a success and the tomatoes are coming back from the worm attack.  We might still get some decent tomatoes yet.

 

 

 

from the internet: Sphinx Moth