Monday, January 13, 2014

Let It Snow

Spence commented that he shovelled more snow this past weekend than he has in the last 20 years combined. We were warned that it snows heavily in the area, but wow.

We're talking about buying a tractor for next year. Seriously.


Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Polar Bear Club

To flush our toilet we fill watering cans from the river and manually pour it into the tank. We've never thought much of it, that is until the snow began to fall. The trip to the river got a bit harder each week and last week it took Spence almost an hour to come back with his haul.

This weekend, the temperature warmed up significantly turning the three or so feet of snow into a substance that was even more difficult to navigate. Yesterday when Spence strapped on his snowshoes and told me he'd be back soon, I nodded and returned my attention to the dresser I was assembling.

A while later I heard his footsteps outside the hallway door and got up to greet him. He looked exhausted. "If... you... fall... through the ice and into the river, the key is not to panic." Then I noticed that there was a steady stream of drops of water falling off his coat. He was soaked.

"All I could think was, 'I gotta get out! I gotta get out! Don't panic! Don't panic! I'm panicking,'" he continued.

Yup, Spence fell through the ice near the bridge and went in up to his armpits, snow pants, coat, snowshoes and all. "At least my hat's not wet!" he concluded. Have to love a man who thinks positively.

He managed to get the water too. Kicker is, though, when I went to use it a couple hours later the tank was empty. I went to fill it, but found the watering cans empty too. What happened? Spence had filled the tank, but a small stick had jammed the seal open ever so slightly. All the water he worked so hard to get had trickled out.

Sure, that was bad news, but on the plus side let's all congratulate the newest member of the Polar Bear Club!

As for me, I finished assembling the Ikea furniture and after three years of living out of a huge red duffle bag on weekends, we finally unpacked our clothes. It felt amazing.

I have to say that life at TP isn't always easy, but it's definitely interesting.

Spence's water collection uniform (pre-soaking)

Our brand new assembled dressers!


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The Story of Brave

On a Saturday back in late fall Spence and I helped friends move to a town about half an hour away from TP. We spent that morning and most of the afternoon making trips between the house and moving truck. It was during one of those trips that a friendly kitten caught my attention. She was extremely skinny and amazingly affectionate; this was no barn cat. She leaned into me and let me take photos within the first minute I knew her.



We were told she was a stray and that two weeks prior she had been extremely emaciated. So much so that a gentleman living nearby had taken to leaving a bowl of yogurt and scraps out for her (the home he lives in has a strict no pets policy). She'd stuck around ever since and while she wasn't packing on weight, at least she wasn't losing any more.

With temperatures set to dip below freezing within days, Spence and I started talking about what we could do to help. With her weight being so low and no warm place to sleep, we were sure she was at risk of death. That afternoon I made a few calls and a neighbour in the city agreed to take her in temporarily while we found her a new home. It was a go! Spence and I picked up a crate and collar that afternoon, but because we didn't have a place to keep her overnight, we decided not to pick her up until Sunday evening when we were heading home. We couldn't risk taking her to the cabin with the dogs because we weren't sure how they'd get along, nor did we know if she had fleas or any other issues.

By the time we headed out on Sunday night, the sun had set and a heavy, cold rain was blasting the area. We thought we'd never find the cat we were now calling Sweetie. Despite it being a 30 minute detour, we decided to give it a try anyway. Once we arrived, we took deep breaths, pulled up our hoods and set out to find her. I hadn't taken two steps away from the car when I heard a meek meow. Then another. My eyes darted around in the dark trying to locate the source of the sound through the pitter-patter of the rain. There she was, standing four feet away from me on the stairs that lead to the front door. She'd come to greet us.

We didn't know what to expect when we tried to put her in her carrier since most cats will fight you tooth and nail to avoid that fate. Spence put on his work gloves and picked her up. She went limp. She made no attempt to stop him as he slowly guided her into what would be her new home for the next three hours. As he closed the door, she curled up into the towel we'd put in there and closed her eyes.

She didn't make a peep the whole way home. I think she knew she was finally safe and grateful to be warm.

Sweetie fit in at her foster's mom's house from the very beginning. She didn't fight with the other three cats opting to be a cuddlebug instead. Within two weeks, she'd been checked out by a vet (she got a clean bill of health!), had her shots, was spayed, and most importantly, she found a permanent home with two amazing people who renamed her "Brave" in honour of her story. They post photos of her once in a while which always make me smile. It's clear she's living a very happy life now and what could be better than that? She certainly earned it.

Photo credit: sandi_bean

Photo credit: shinelightshine

Photo credit: sandi_bean


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Guest Room: The (almost) Final Chapter

I realized yesterday that I never posted pictures of the nearly completed guest room and that just won't do. A couple weeks ago we primed and painted and laid the floor. It made for a long couple of days and we were absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but it sure felt good when we finally got to sit down.

We didn't stay down long though. This was the weekend of the ice storm and we were very lucky to not lose power at Twin Ponds or in the city. Before we knew it, it was time to pack it in and make our way home. And that was when we learned another important lesson for country living.

We started down our driveway, slowly following the ruts in the ice and snow remaining from previous trips. We were 3/4 of the way to the road when we saw it: the weight of the ice had caused a tree to bend to an almost horizontal position which completely obstructed our path.

Spence skillfully backed up all the way to the cabin which is no small feat in the dark because of the driveway's twists and turns. The fact that it's flanked by many, many trees waiting for him to make the slightest mistake doesn't help either. Once back safely, he went to the shed and got our chainsaw which was unfortunately too cold to start. So into the cabin he went, turned on our construction heater, and waited. Five minutes later Spence was back on the porch, newly warmed chainsaw in hand. It started on the first pull. After a few revs that announced, "I'm ready for this!" he turned it off and put it in the trunk.

We headed back up the driveway and once we reached the slumping tree Spence hopped out. He started the chainsaw and a second later the first big branch was severed and the tree righted itself ever so slightly. By the time branch two hit the ground the tree was standing a little straighter once again. Now, to cut off the big branch that will surely let the tree right itself enough for us to pass. Spence raised his chainsaw and just as he was about to make contact the chainsaw sputtered out. Yup.

Luckily using some muscle he and I were able to push the tree out of the way enough to make it past, but it was a close one.

Moral of the story: always make sure you have enough gas. Some extra layers of clothes and a pair of work gloves won't hurt either.





Monday, January 6, 2014

Why Hello, Winter

Floor, floor, guess who has a floor! Spence and I laid the floor in our bedroom and the hallway this weekend. I wish we could say we're done, but we're one box short. Here's hoping Home Hardware still has that particular brand and colour in stock...

More importantly, Sunday marked the first time we stepped out of the cabin and did something not reno-related this winter: we went snowshoeing! We've both owned snowshoes for over a year now, but this was our first time strapping them on and hitting the trails. Mark came along on skis and together we made it almost all the way back to our property line. It felt like there was a bit of magic in the air as we carved a path through deep, untouched powder. Simply beautiful.

On the way home, the snow was coming down heavily and the roads were treacherous. We settled in for a long, slow drive home and turned up the tunes. While driving down a portion of road that often sees the worst conditions, we noticed a car that had spun out into the ditch. There was no one else around so Spence pulled over and went to see if he could help. Shortly after we'd stopped, another car came to a stop on the shoulder behind us. He too got out to see if he could help. The driver of the inoperative car was a woman who'd been driving all day having left Sault Ste. Marie that morning. She was only 10 minutes away from her destination when she lost traction and ended up in the ditch. She declined assistance since CAA were already on their way.

As Spence made his way across the street back to our car, someone else going in the other direction stopped and asked Spence if there was anything he could do to help. Only one car drove by without stopping while we were there. It's nice to see so many people take the time to lend a hand. It makes me smile.



Thursday, January 2, 2014

Welcome 2014!

I didn't get my act together to write anything as 2013 came to a close so I'll make up for it now.

Yesterday was bittersweet. We dropped Aimee off at her new home with two of our friends. It was surreal to pack up all her stuff and put her in her crate for the last time. Thankfully we know we'll get to see her again and most importantly, we know she'll have a great life. Twenty minutes after we left she was already happily lounging on the floor. Shortly after that she was on the couch purring and headbutting and by early evening she was curled up cozily on her parents' bed. Sleeping on the bed is one of her favourite things and something she hasn't had the opportunity to do in more than a year thanks to my allergies. It was really nice to see her peaceful and content in the photos.

Waking up this morning and not finding her sleeping outside the bathroom door really made the move official. I miss her, but I know we did the right thing for her. She won't be alone so much and will get so much more love and attention than she has been with us in recent months. I also know unequivocally that she couldn't have gone to a better home and that makes it easier too.

Here's a couple of shots of Aimee's first day with her new family:



Other than that yesterday was a day to start gearing up for the things I want to do in 2014. There's a few big projects I want to focus on this year:

  • Build a gaming table. One of our friends up north who is an excellent carpenter has offered to help me build it and teach me some basics along the way. I'm very excited about this -- carpentry is something I've always been fascinated with and I'd love to know enough to build our cabinets and built-in bookshelves when we build our house. I spent some time yesterday gathering inspiration pictures. The next step is to start sketching some ideas.
    • Timeline: Mid May/early June
  • Finish the bedrooms, bathroom and laundry room in the cabin. We've made amazing progress lately and it finally feels like everything's starting to come together. This weekend we're going to finish installing the floor and hopefully assembling our electric fire place.
    • Timeline: Everything but the baseboards and trim  in the bedrooms should be done this weekend. The bathroom and laundry room won't be done until the beginning of summer.
  • Rewire the cabin and renovate the kitchen. Once the rest of the cabin is complete we'll turn our attention to the kitchen which needs some TLC. We're hoping to insulate it this year so the fridge can actually function in the winter.
    • Timeline: Summer/early fall
I think that sums up the big projects for the year, but apart from that I want to keep doing some leathercraft projects and maybe come up with some interesting things to do with my summer off. Watercolour painting, biking, and maybe learning some natural building techniques are all in the mix.

Bring on 2014!