Wednesday, December 18, 2013

House Planning

We want to build a full time home at Twin Ponds. There's so many questions surrounding the decision like: When should we build? How do we pay for it? How do we make money once we live there? Do we continue to work in the city and commute? Can we arrange to be in the city only a few days per week?

Then, of course, we have all the questions surrounding the house itself. What style? What size? Where? Should we do some of the work ourselves, and if so, what part?

Because there's no way to answer all those questions right now we're focusing on just a few. So far we've decided which builder to go with and last Monday we met with one of their project managers and architects to discuss our preferences. The next step is for them to take what we said and give us a quote to build the bare bone structure. Assuming that part is okay, their architect will take what we told her and translate it into a full plan which we can later take to the township for approval. Before she can do that though, we need to give her a topographical map of the spot we want to build.

That's a big decision.

Last weekend we put on our snow gear and headed out to explore. We took a few photos of the location that's the frontrunner right now. We want to build on the edge of a hill so we can have a walk-out basement while maximizing our distance from our western property line.

The view looking up from the bottom of the hill.

The top of the hill. Luckily it's already pretty flat.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Sanding Drywall

Sanding drywall is hard work, way harder than I expected.

Spence had to head back to the city Saturday night to make a 7 a.m. appointment the following day, so I woke up bright and early Sunday morning and got to work alone. I learned a few things:
  1. A dust mask is a must.
  2. Start with the ceiling because it's the hardest part and your arms will feel like jelly long before you get to it. This will make you wish you could go back in time and kick yourself in the ass for making the decision to save it for last.
  3. I can't stress the importance of this last one enough: have an amazing neighbour who wanders over at just the right time and asks if you need help. Take him up on it before he finishes his sentence. Thanks again, Mark!
So yeah. It took about 5 hours, but the guest room is sanded and ready for its coat of paint. We're two days behind schedule due to some unforeseen complications, but that's okay (did you know joint compound can take days to dry when it's -20C outside?).

I don't actually have a photo from during the sanding process because I couldn't gather the strength to lift the camera, so this one I took before starting will have to do. Just picture me covered in a thick layer of fine, white mud dust.


Saturday, December 14, 2013

Cozy

This is our Saturday afternoon while we wait for the mud to dry... Apparently it feels like -24C outside, but it's nice and warm in here. Have I mentioned how much I love insulation lately? Because I do. 


P.S. The latex glove on Spence's hand is acting as protection for his most recent injury. 'Nuff said. 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Community


Yesterday I met someone who's interested in natural building. He lives downtown, but as luck would have it also owns a couple acres a few blocks away from Twin Ponds. We chatted for five hours over a few pints of beer trading stories. As people came and went in the bar, most seemed to stop and give him a wave or nod.

The idea of community is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, so it was nice to expand mine a bit. I'm hoping to help him out on a few projects around his place and do some hands-on learning about cob building... Depending on how it goes maybe I can build my own cob oven next summer!

Keedo put his paw in my hand yesterday while we were watching a movie



Thursday, December 12, 2013

Christmas Belt

This week I made a belt I promised almost a year ago. For whatever reason this year got away from me when it came to leathercraft. Too many other things on the go, I guess.

It's a little thinner than usual - 1 1/4" wide instead of the usual 1 1/2" - and it has a simple pattern which I think works nicely. Once I got into the project I finished it in a day and a half of intermittent work. Next time I find myself avoiding a project I need to try to remember the hardest part is getting started.



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

More Drywall

The end of drywalling the guest room is in sight! Last weekend we focused on putting up the last two pieces of sheetrock and mudding. We watched a how-to video Home Depot put out and let me just say that they make it look so much easier than it is. The first two pieces of tape I put up ended up having air bubbles in them so we'll need to cut those out before we can put then next layer on. Getting the mud smooth is an art form.

Luckily for us Luke dropped by on Sunday and made quick work of finishing the first layer of mud in the entire room. He said he hadn't mudded in years, but it seemed to come right back to him and is flew through all the remaining seems on the walls then the ceiling. I eventually got the hang of it too so I handled the corners. I think they turned out pretty well!

Next weekend we're hoping to finish the mudding which means we'll be able to paint, and if we manage our time very well we might even get to start laying the floor...






Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Benefits of December

I know the calendar says it's not winter yet, but my body says otherwise. There's something about the atmosphere once we hit December that makes me want to eat homemade bread, soups, and roasts. For all the crappy things winter brings, that sure isn't one of them.

Tonight I made my very first loaf of bred completely in the bread maker. I let it do the rising and the baking. The ingredients couldn't have taken more than five minutes to throw together and that's including the cleanup. It's cooling now so we've yet to dig in. Hope it's good!

Does anyone know when you're supposed to remove the bread from the bucket? Should you wait for it to cool first or do it immediately?


Monday, December 2, 2013

Drywalling

In our effort to have our bedrooms inhabitable by winter, we've spent the last couple weekends focused on drywalling the guest room. We had an interesting discussion with our neighbour about the history of finishing rooms. Many years ago there was a shift from plastering to drywalling. There were various advantages to drywall: plaster was prone to cracking as it dried out or as the house's foundation shifted and it took a skilled hand to apply it correctly so the wall didn't appear wavy. Initially, drywall was hung using nails, not screws like today. With unavoidable environmental shifts nails had a tendency to occasionally pop out and also didn't hold the drywall sheet as securely. Kind of interesting to see how things evolve.

By the time we left on Sunday, 95% of the guest room walls were covered in mould and water resistant drywall.

I've hung drywall before, but I've never mudded it, so I watched a video yesterday about how that's done and learned an interesting fact: drywall should be hung horizontally, not vertically like we did. Hanging it horizontally makes it more stable since it crosses more studs and also reduces the seams by 25%! Not only that, but horizontal seems are much easier to mud since you don't have to bend over. Figures we'd hang it the wrong way. Next weekend should be fun.





Saturday, November 30, 2013

Kitchenette

Yesterday when we arrived at Twin Ponds everything was frozen. The things in the fridge were frozen, the cans we had in the pantry were frozen, the coffee maker was frozen, the antifreeze in the toilet was frozen. The toilet, of course, was our fault; we didn't understand the proper procedure for winterizing plumbing, but we've since been shown the way. Okay, everything is our fault. We should have winterized the cottage after Thanksgiving and didn't. We had this coming.

We spent the day today creating a makeshift kitchen in our to-be laundry room so we can comfortably stay here over winter. We used an old cabinet Mike gave use when he moved to England as our centrepiece and everything flowed from there. Thanks Mike!

We had to take the doors off the fridge to move it and once we did we cleared the doorframe by an inch on either side. Phew!

I love insulation. That is all.






Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Plumbing

It's been about three years now that we've been without plumbing at Twin Ponds. The outhouse that was on the property when we bought it was caved in with no roof to speak of. Not exactly inviting for guests. Although we did have a septic system installed last year, it wasn't until last month that it was actually hooked up to the bathroom in the cabin. We still have no running water, but we finally have draining water. I've never thought about the distinction before, but now that I have I actually think the latter is the more important of the two.

So, as of October we've had a flushing toilet. Need to pee at 3 a.m. in mid-January? No problem!

We top off the tank after every flush manually using watering cans which we fill at the pond -- and now that it's frozen -- the river. You won't hear me complaining about hiking through knee high snow for 10 minutes to get the water this winter, though. I'm way too happy about being able to press that little lever to mind it one bit.

Last weekend, we picked up a fancy schmancy water jug for our newly connected bathroom sink too. We rigged up a support system because that sucker is heavy when it's full and it now happily rests above the sink ready for use. All we have to do is turn the tap and presto: water! No more washing our hands and brushing our teeth in -20C on the show-covered front porch. 

Progress is a beautiful thing.

We realized we didn't have any proper soap so we've been using dish soap to wash our hands


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Making Music

I have very little musical talent, but I love playing instruments.

Last week a new musical member joined our family: a fiddle! She's in good company, joining a couple acoustic guitars, a ukulele, and a mountain dulcimer. There are, of course, some electric guitars and a bass in the family too, but those don't work that well around a campfire so they never make the trek to Twin Ponds.

The fiddle is this year's endeavour. Last year's -- a djembe -- met its unfortunate fate of leaving the same way it joined: sold on Craigslist. Rhythm isn't my thing.

I'm hoping the fiddle is different. I played violin for three years in elementary school and was very happy to see that muscle memory applies. That's not to say it doesn't sound like a cat dying in here once a while, but it's getting better every day. On the downside, it turns out playing fiddle tunes is different enough from classical pieces that I basically have no idea what I'm doing. I'm trying to learn the fiddle part of Old Crow Medicine Show's song, Wagon Wheel and am progressing at a snail's pace. It sounds so easy, but at this rate I should be able to play the first 20 seconds just in time for the first campfire of 2014...


Monday, November 25, 2013

Cedar

We've been busy the last while putting up cedar paneling in the bedroom. It's hard work. Each piece needs to be cut to the appropriate length so it ends on a stud. The cut itself has to be a 45 degree angle to minimize the harsh look of the seam that happens as the wood contracts with weather changes.

Things were slow at first, but before long we found our groove. I cut the pieces and stacked them up in front of the wall they were destined to be nailed to, while Spence busied himself with the thousand other tasks we have up in the air right now. Once the pile got big enough I called him over and together we put the boards on the wall and he nailed them into place.

Unfortunately our measurements were off when we ordered the wood so ran out before we could finish. The rest of the wood is scheduled to be ready on December 21. In the meantime, we set up our bed directly on the subfloor and are using the space as a proper bedroom.

Imagine! An insulated bedroom with a real bed! I can still barely believe it. It was just in the nick of time too. Temperatures dropped to -16C on Saturday night without windchill.

I woke up Sunday morning to Spence walking into the room, breakfast in hand. I'm not usually a breakfast in bed type of person, but I have to say it was a perfect way to celebrate our first night in the cozy bedroom!




Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Welcome to Twin Ponds, Minnie!

Two weeks ago was Minnie's first time at Twin Ponds. She's an adorable ball of furry energy when she's on walks in the city, but folks, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Because she's just a puppy she's easily distracted. We're not about to take any chances with her safety in the land of coyotes, porcupines, raccoons, and skunks so she's not allowed off leash for the time being. Her response is to show her dissatisfaction by walking on her hind legs, pulling with all her might. It's adorable. (Sorry Minnie.)


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Night's Sky

This year it felt like spring lead directly into fall. Last weekend temperatures plummeted to just above freezing. Quite a shock when I remember swimming a mere two weeks ago.

With the falling temperatures came our fall tradition: getting the raft out of the pond. This year we were lucky; not only were there four people to share in the load, but we had an audience of no fewer than six! Guess word is getting around.

While there's a lot of things that I'm not looking forward to with the changing of the season, there's plenty to be excited about. It's time for hearty soup and fresh bread. Cozy fires in our wood stove are about to accompany our evenings. The sun sets early giving us hours of beautiful stars to enjoy before bed. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get myself out of bed in time to enjoy a sunrise or two.


Monday, September 9, 2013

When life gives you tomatoes...

... make tomato sauce!

Sarah, Lauren and I spent last Tuesday evening whipping up some tomato sauce to use up the overabundance of tomatoes we got from the garden this year.

I took up gardening at TP last year with the invaluable help and guidance of our knowledgable neighbour who's been growing his own vegetables for more than 30 years now. More on that another day.

Because of the sheer number of tomatoes we had to work with (most of them cherry tomatoes) we opted to base what we did on two recipes we found online. One called for baking halved cherry tomatoes in a Dutch oven while the second necessitated roasting whole tomatoes on the stove until they pop.

In both cases we veered away from the recipes considerably to accommodate our available ingredients.


Oven Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved (enough to fill an 8-quart Dutch Oven; you'll need a lot)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 full heads of garlic
  • Fresh pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • Sliced fresh hot peppers (we used a variety from our garden including jalapeños and chilis) optional

Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°C.
  2. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and toss them in a Dutch oven until it's half full.
  3. Layer in the chopped onions.
  4. Continue to add halved tomatoes until the Dutch oven is nearly full.
  5. Slice the top off both heads of garlic as you would if you were roasting them.
  6. Nuzzle the heads of garlic into the tomatoes as shown below.
  7. Bake for approximately hour. Tomatoes should be nicely roasted.
  8. Remove the garlic and set aside to cool.
  9. Meanwhile, ladle out 75% of the tomato juice that will have accumulated in the Dutch oven during the baking process. Use your judgement here; you'll want the sauce to have a good consistency once it's blended so removing more or less than we did will make sense depending on how juicy your tomatoes were.
  10. Once the garlic is cool, squeeze the roasted pulp into the sauce.
  11. If you're going to add hot peppers this is the time to do it.
  12. Blend the sauce. We used an immersion blender and opted for a smooth sauce, but you could choose to only blend a portion for a chunkier consistency.
  13. Add salt and fresh pepper to taste.




 Sautéed Cherry Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
  • Cherry tomatoes, whole
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic, peeled
  • Fresh pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • Olive oil

Directions
  1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add enough cherry tomatoes to cover the bottom of the pan and cover with a splatter screen. 
  3. Stir occasionally. Once all the tomatoes have popped, transfer into a large pot (we used a soup pot) and simmer on medium-low.
  4. Once the first batch of tomatoes is transferred into the pot, add the onion and garlic.
  5. Continue cooking batches of cherry tomatoes in olive oil and adding them to the pot once they've popped. You'll need to add more olive oil once in a while to keep the bottom of the pan from drying out.
  6. Once all your tomatoes have been transferred into the soup pot, continue to simmer for approximately one hour, then turn off heat.
  7. Blend the sauce. We used an immersion blender and opted for a smooth sauce, but you could choose to only blend a portion for a chunkier consistency.
  8. Add salt and fresh pepper to taste.





Our initial plan was to try canning, but the risk of botulism (as remote as it is) turned me off of the idea. Instead we picked up some freezer bags and just scooped out single portions. Not only is it safer, but it's a lot less work too! The only limiting factor is the size of our freezer, but sharing with friends is a great way to mitigate that.

And, of course, you have to have a taste. We garnished our sauce with fresh basil. 

Bon appétit!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Photo Post

That's it for posts from the way back machine. I thought I'd kick off returning to the present with a few photos from when our friends Dave and Lauren visited a few weeks ago. It was an absolutely beautiful summer weekend. What better way to spend it than with good friends? All photos are by Dave and Lauren.

Keedo loves to ride on the surf board




We played some Wahoo and Tichu




Thursday, August 29, 2013

Week 26 - Of Birthdays, Friends, and Rain

.: Aug 19-21 2011 :.

This week marked the first time we started doing something that would become our weekly ritual: we drove our neighbours' son up. Since he lives in the city not far from us but does not own a car, he's been making the trip north via public transportation each week. Unfortunately, due to route cutbacks the nearest bus stop is still a 30 minute drive from his parents' place. That means his father had to make an hour+ round trip to pick him up and drop him off each week.  This was not ideal for obvious reasons and it wasn't long before we realized we could easily coordinate our schedule and save them both the trouble.

This week's adventures brought old friends, new friends and lots of games with a side of work. First, our friends Pete and Sarah made their first of many trips up. Pete is quite the chef and prepared fantastic meals throughout the weekend (this, too, has since become a bit of a ritual). The weather decided to be a bit difficult and although we faced on and off showers all weekend I can safely say we all had a great time.

For a few hours on Saturday night we said farewell to Pete and Sarah and joined our neighbours for a birthday party. They'd kindly extended the invite the previous week and it was an excellent opportunity for us to meet their family. From the moment we walked in the door and greeted everyone we felt at home. The warm, festive atmosphere was contagious and before long we were all talking and laughing like old friends.

The evening brought us back to Twin Ponds. We walked into the cabin to find Pete and Sarah enjoying the coziness of the cabin to keep out of the insistent rain. The dull skies didn't dampen our moods, however, and we enjoyed an evening of Gin Rummy. The rain tapered off late in the evening and we took full advantage of the opportunity by building a fire and roasting some marshmallows

On Sunday we opted to take Pete and Sarah to the diner for a great breakfast. With the rain holding off for the majority of the day, we fed the fish, did some barbecuing, and played more games. At one point in the afternoon we walked out our driveway to find that the backhoe had been delivered for the driveway work that was scheduled to begin on Monday. It was time for our dirt driveway to become or gravel driveway.

Land ahoey

Rain can't stop us

Hi

Beautiful night's sky
Yoshi pays us a visit



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Week 25: Back is Black

.: August 13 & 14, 2011 :.

Floating paradise
We had high hopes for and anticipation of the scheduled events this weekend. 

We arrived earlier than usual Friday evening (without any incidents) and we settled in and played a couple of games of cribbage on the deck to kill some time. The temperature gradually started sinking so we decided to go inside and watch Spooks before turning in for the night.

I got up early Saturday morning and while Sim was still sleeping I started cleaning up the forest area that has been my project over the better part of this summer. I was busy moving small sticks and such when out of the blue my lower back locked up and sent waves of pain up my spine and down my legs. I tried to walk it off, but the pain just wouldn't go away. Over the course of the weekend it slowly grew worse.

Wildflower
The pain had started only a few minutes before Sim got up, and it wasn't long after that that Bob and his crew showed up with the new raft on a trailer. It took them about 45 minutes to unload it, get it into the pond, and have it anchored in its designated spot. Once there it looked terrific!

At about 11:30 Sim's parents arrived. There was a little rain, so we hung out on the deck talking until it cleared up, at which time Sim's mother wanted to get working, so she went to the forest to continue my earlier work. Both of us were again impressed by how hard she works - she's like a machine. She completely finished relocating the pile of branches and sticks and the forest area is looking better for it.

Up close and very personal
While she was working I went to the shed to get the red rake. As I approached the shed door I noticed a spider's web in which a wasp had become entangled. The author of the web (Charlotte?) was in the process of wrapping the wasp in a cocoon. I quickly got Sim's attention and she brought her camera with the macro lens and got some really great shots.

By around 2:00 we were ready for a swim! I was the first in the water and onto the raft. Sim joined him, followed by her father. The water was a little chilly, because the weather's been a bit cooler than normal, but it was refreshing and, more importantly, fun!

Anyway, the raft is fantastic - we're very excited for the hours of fun and relaxation it offers us in the future.

At around 3:30 it started to look ominous on the horizon, so we decided to get dinner ready. I had already started the BBQ and by the time we got back to the chalet it was piping hot and ready for the seasoned chicken we'd brought. Sim's parents brought some delightful red cabbage salad and we had a very delicious and pleasant meal at the "new" picnic table.

Pond wildlife
We spent a while longer visiting before Sim's parents got ready to leave and then said our goodbyes as they departed.

By this point my back was killing me, and I more or less passed out for the next few hours on a couple of the open-armed Muskoka chairs. Meanwhile Sim spent some time at the pond taking more macro shots.

We spent the rest of the evening watching a few more episodes of Spooks before calling it a night.

The next morning my back was still causing him real grief. Nevertheless, we went to the local inn and enjoyed a delicious sausage and egg breakfast. It was still overcast and in fact shortly after returning to Twin Ponds the weather became threatening. The thunder on the horizon prompted us to pack up early and head home.

Even though the weekend was regrettably cut short, it was very nice and gave us more enthusiasm about spending time in Pond Superior playing on the raft. Good times to come!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Week 24: Celebration time, come on!

.: August 6 & 7, 2011 :.

August 6th this year marked the first anniversary of our ownership of Twin Ponds. Although the weekend was not a long one, it was exceedingly enjoyable.

Our drive up on Friday was punctuated as usual with a stop in town for a few supplies. Unfortunately, most of what we bought was accidentally left in the grocery cart. When we got back to the car, Jasmine was misbehaving and she totally distracted us. So we basically drove off and threw away about $40 (we checked in with the store on the way home, but no one turned our stuff in -- there's a shocker).

Anyway, we arrived Friday evening around 8:30 which gave us enough time to relax and play a couple of games of cribbage on the veranda before turning in for the night. The weather was perfectly warm and there was almost no wind. Having put the shopping incident out of our minds, it was a perfect start to the weekend.

I arose early Saturday morning intending to head to the nearest store and shortly after pulling out of the driveway he encountered D., our neighbour. He and I drove up the road a bit and D. introduced me to our Mennonite neighbour, E. - a very nice fellow with a cute-as-a-button 4-year old daughter. There wasn't much to chat about though, so I excused myself and proceeded down the highway to the store, where I found replacements for all the items we had left in Orangeville.

I also stopped at a hardware and procured the lumber that was needed to remediate one of the (four) picnic tables left by the previous owner on the property. This hadn't been discussed with Sim, but I  wanted to surprise her with the thought of having a fully functional picnic table to eat at. I spent the morning pulling the rotten wood off the old table and reassembling it with the replacement lumber. It didn't take long before it was ready to be sanded and stained, most of which Sim did. Before we knew it we had what looks like a practically brand new picnic table that will host meals and entertainment for years to come!

Earlier in the week we had arranged for Bob the Pond Consultant to come provide us with some expert advice on clearing up the murky waters of Pond Superior. He arrived late, but it quickly became clear that he was very knowledgeable about ponds and water in general. As it turns out the murkiness is because of the fish themselves, so our intentions to clear up the water for them, although good, are misplaced. Be that as it may we do not really want to get rid of the little guys, so we opted for the time being for some water dye (which has more than a cosmetic effect, we were pleased to find out). Its effect on the water was immediate and profound. We can't wait until next weekend to see what it looks like completely distributed throughout the water.

Apart from that we did not do very much work. I moved more brush out of the area we are clearing for the septic bed, but it was very hot and even more humid, so we spent the rest of the afternoon at the ponds just relaxing.

By early evening it was time for supper, so we started the barbie. It took a bit more time than usual because by that point there was no wind whatsoever. I finally had to start it with gasoline (*poof*).

Finally the food was ready. Neither of us had had lunch so were both starving. The meal was fantastic. We had seasoned pork chops with baked potatoes and niblets corn. What made it most special was that it was the very first meal we ate on our new picnic table. And how appropriate that it was on our first anniversary!

After we cleaned up from dinner (the table and dishes, not ourselves) we drove over to our neighbours' place and asked them if they were interested in celebrating our first anniversary with us by having a toast of champagne. They were flattered and impressed that we chose to share it with them and the six of us (Jazzle and Bubs were there too) sat out on their deck enjoying the company and conversation. As usual time flew by and before we knew it almost 3 hours had passed. We therefore took our leave and headed back to the chalet to settle in for the night.

After washing up etc. we started to watch The Ninth Gate, but I got tired not even halfway through, so we shut it down and went to sleep. I was so tired in fact that I slept until 10:30 Sunday morning, which is very unusual for me.

We didn't do much on Sunday. I went along the path past the bridge to chop down the vast overgrowth of foliage, but it was literally like a jungle so after 20 minutes he came back and got what he needed to go swimming. Pond Superior was characteristically perfect and it wasn't long before Sim joined me.

Unfortunately, by 1:30 or so the skies clouded up and it started to rain, so we packed and cleaned up and headed out, stopping at the neighbours' to say goodbye for the week and drop off a brochure from Bob the Pool Consultant.

On the way home we decided to get a raft for the pond. Bob had suggested that adding a permanent raft to the pond would be a great way to breathe life into it. He said in his experience doing so turns a pond into a party. That sounded pretty good to us! Despite Bob's offer to provide us with free plans to build our own out of wood, we opted to purchase a fabricated one instead. They're not only more durable and require far less maintenance, but it's also a good way to avoid some splinters in unpleasant places. The raft we chose will be anchored in the middle of the pond so we can use it to jump in the water and to lounge in the sun. More on that in the weeks to come.

Despite the rain at the end it was a fantastic weekend. A happy anniversary indeed.


Second life



Inaugural BBQ dinner
Fish wisperer