One day last week Michael and I spent a day at the trailer. Yes, the one I sold last summer. Happily we still have access to it as we sold to friends.

It was wonderful to do all of the things we love to do: go for a bike ride, check on the growth and health of our many plants (well, technically not MY plants anymore but since I bought and paid for them, planted them and tended to them they still feel like they're mine), have a campfire, watch the sunset, eat outside etc

This fern that Michael transplanted is doing very well!

 However, the "dance floor" we installed two years ago is looking a bit uncared for!

 We forgot to bring our music with us so no dancing...just as well I guess.

The day lilies are close to blooming and the huge piece of driftwood that Michael carried up from the beach now has a solar light to illuminate it at night - we approve!

 The plants that Michael transplanted around the lamp post are doing extremely well - everything is way ahead of its usual growing season.

 The spirea really needs some trimming - I can't believe how much bigger these two bushes are from last year, but they are looking a bit spindly.

 The clematis is doing well - its almost to the top of the porch which is higher than it's ever grown before.

 The last item that I purchased and planted is this lilac bush - it looks to be thriving in this location.

 The virginia creeper is doing its thing - concealing the neighbour's trailer!

 I regretted not keeping the words "Hope" and "Inspire" to take out east with us. So Michael being Michael he hopped on a bike and rode to the gardening store where we'd purchased them. They had ONE word left and sold it to us for 30% off - our new word is DREAM!  We brought it home with us and now it's on our patio fence.

 I love the rays of the sun reaching down to caress the surface of the lake.

 No day at the trailer is complete without a meal (steak and lots of veggies), a summer beer and a good book.

 The last time we had visited the trailer in March we purchased several bags of wood so we enjoyed a good blaze.

 The sunset was especially  glorious just for us.

 The coastline looking towards the pier on the public beach.

Lookout point - such a gorgeous night! Hopefully we'll get back for another visit before heading east in a couple of weeks.

This post is about me avoiding the topic of WORK. I'm really good at avoiding things....once it has all been processed and worked over endlessly in my brain then I'll get it down on paper...so to speak....but don't you like my pictures? (changing the subject...)

Making Your Own Firepit

As I sit here by the fake fireplace at Starbucks my thoughts turn to Crofters Lane and the firepit Michael built there in August.  The house wasn't "officially" ours yet but the owners allowed us to "camp out" in the house until we signed papers at the lawyers in a few days. Michael had some very definite ideas about what he wanted to accomplish during the week we spent at our new home - first was the firepit, then he wanted to transplant some spruce seedlings from our forest to build a wind break to the north of the house.

It was an interesting week - we had a small bar fridge and ate a LOT of sandwiches. We had an old table in the diningroom and a couple of mismatched chairs. Upstairs we had a king-sized air mattress, some towels and toiletries. Although the owner loaned us a TV we had brought our own source of entertainment - a six-inch black and white TV with AM/FM radio. We found K-Rock 105.5 and turned it up high. This was one place where we'd be able to play our music as loud as we wanted to!

And then, Michael got busy!

 We used rocks from our driveway which had recently been levelled. There were literally hundreds of rocks in the culverts on each side of our .4km driveway to choose from and Michael spent a good while hauling them up in a wheelbarrow.  He picked the perfect spot for the pit and started digging.

 We didn't have a lot of tools but we had enough. Michael worked up a good sweat digging the firepit hole in the distinctive red PEI soil. Me - I was cleaning all of the woodwork inside...hence the yellow rubber gloves:)

 A spot was carefully dug for each rock and each rock chosen for its particular shape and size. Nothing left to chance.  Gradually the firepit began to take shape.

 Michael really gets "into" his work:) However, I would suggest that next time he pick a different coloured T-shirt...perhaps reddish brown??

Certain flat stones were chosen to be "set in" for seating or as small tables for holding candles and/or drinks:)

Looking good Michael but I think it's starting to get dark! The sun is starting to dip down behind the forest.

 Let's put out some candles - it gets REALLY dark around here at night - it's nothing like the city!!

Michael brought up a lot of extra rocks - he's thinking about expanding the "lip" of the firepit, or he might save them for another DIY project.

                                                                             It works!!

                                                                  All cleaned up.

And this is how you cook when you don't have a stove or a BBQ! A couple of good sturdy sticks long enough to reach across the top of the firepit and a small metal rack to hold our food.

There's a well-seasoned chicken inside that foil - we felt a bit like pioneers:)

Except I don't suppose they had tinfoil.

It was scrumptious!

Working hard.

Isn't it beautiful??

Functional AND mesmermizing!

We burned up a lot of stuff - two musty old dressers that were left behind, we broke them into pieces and fed them into the fire.

There's enough fallen limbs in the forest to keep the fire going for a long time.

If you're driving down Butcher Road next summer and you see a glow from a campfire, drive on up our laneway and sit a spell by the fire.

You'll always be made welcome:)



So How's Your Week Going So Far??

Some scenes from the past weekend - I spent two warm sunny days and gorgeous evenings at my trailer in Bayfield.

A friend just asked me "so how's your week going so far?" I thought I should address that question.  If you're like me, sometimes you just push thoughts about yesterday, today, and tomorrow into a file folder in the filing cabinet known as your brain and focus only on a goal off into the future - that being PAY DAY (Friday) for me.  If I can just get through til Friday....yes Friday all will be fine, my bank account will get a shot of life-saving plasma....I can put a little cash in my wallet again...

So now I will take a moment and examine how things are really going, right now. Actually - not too bad.  I needed "no spend" days and I am having them - nothing spent yesterday, nothing spent today. I was going to take out my last $20 of misc. spending to have a beer tonight after volleyball but I've decided to skip the beer and save the $$. Tomorrow is Thursday, I have a meeting after school and then will come straight home, will NOT pass GO.

Then when I wake up it will be FRIDAY!! YAY! And I'll take out that $20 and put it right into my Crofters Lane Jar! That will be much more rewarding than that icy cold Stella after getting all hot and sweaty playing my favourite game....oh, the sacrifices we make:)

So things are going ok, thanks for asking!

Oh Money - Where Did You Go??

Last Friday I once again took $40 out of my misc. account leaving me with a mere $22 to see me through until payday next Friday.  No problem, I thought, I won't spend it all. 

Hah!

It slipped through my fingers faster than water.  I had loaned myself $10 out of our Crofters Lane Jar because I was going out to breakfast with some girlfriends and didn't have time to go to the bank. So the first thing I did was repay to jar. OK, down to $30.

Later in the day when we arrived at the trailer we found that the hydro was off. It seems that someone who had perhaps closed their trailer for the season had flipped off the wrong switch. Easy problem to solve but everything in the fridge was spoiled. It wasn't much - nothing in the freezer and mainly condiments and drinks in the fridge. We needed cream for coffee in the morning so off I went to the variety store as the grocery store had just closed. So a measly little pint of cream and a newspaper was about $6.00.

Then I spent close to $20 on a nice bottle of wine to drink around the campfire. See how quickly my $40 disappears?? Nothing but loose change left.

This morning I decided to treat everyone to a coffee from Tim Horton's as we lazed around the house.  Loose change?  Gone!

So now I face the remainder of the week (4 days til Friday) with only $22 left in misc. spending. $10 of that is earmarked for my volleyball game Wed. night. So looks like I'll have to have a couple of "no spend" days between now and Friday.  Can I do it??

I sure hope so!