Golden days

Enough of the moose already.

We interrupt this blog for a public service announcement:

HAPPY 44th ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!

AMBERLEO'S 22nd BIRTHDAY IS ON IT'S WAY TOO!

Ok.. back to the regular programming:

Even though we had started unpacking we had done so a bit prematurely.... on purpose. We had decided at the last minute... sorta... to use pine floor in the living room area. There was a tad bit of a problem with the laminate so we adapted. The only thing is we moved in before we put a finish down on the floor. We were just so excited to have our own place again we could not wait. Well, the other day... couple of days really... we cleared the floor and put down the finish.

I have to tell you after being a by-stander while my Dad did the floors in our house I was afraid of the toxic soup that I thought was going to be in those gallon buckets. I was worried it was going to smell, it was going to make us dizzy and then the floor would not set right. Brain cells were in danger and the dog's noses would be burned out from the chemicals. I was sure it was going to bubble and blister and then we would have to do it all again... to say the least I was concerned... but I was mistaken.


We used a clear matte type finish and did two coats. David and I have the patience of gnats so that was about all we could squeeze out but I must say it did NOT stink and it went down super easily.... it did not make us sick, did not bubble, and did not hurt the dogs. Also... it looks great! I hope the color starts to warm up soon just like the ceiling did... it is going from the lighter pine color to a nice honey color.. a natural change and it is very pretty.

Phew... once it was dry according to the time recommended on the back of the bucket we brought the furniture back in and unpacked... again.

Someday I will have to pick wall paint colors. Geez.

The time between coats we went to Rhinelander in Wisconsin. Sounds like somewhere Vikings still roam doesn't it? Well, they do.

Anyway that's another story... but while in Rhinelander we bought a TV and a wall arm mount thingy... you can kinda see the TV in the picture above in the corner. It is VERY cool... 32" HDTV and its like being hypnotized when it comes on...

I have to admit it has actually been kinda nice not having a TV for awhile. I read quite a few of the books on my 'to read later' list. Poor David has not been able to read though he has been too busy working.

Well, we noted the other day as we have been doing nearly everyday since fall started the change in the colors.. we have now gone past the orangy-red thing into full on yellow gold. This yellow gold color is so bright it glows... I have seen many garden magazines suggest that people plant moon gardens. The moon gardens are to be filled with white flowers and grey foliage so that they can be enjoyed in the evening hours. Let me tell you this bright yellow lights up the day AND it does seem to brighten up in the evenings. Extends the sunshine a little bit longer now that our days are getting shorter.

Here is the road past our house:

and then our driveway:

the driveway looking back towards the road:

below is just past one of our woodpiles next to the shed:

and of course this next photo is the secret hobbit path across the street.
You know the one, it is the path Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are on right before they feel the Nazgul coming and the leaves all start swirling around and they have to hide under the roots
of that tree with the spiders and worms and stuff....

ummm.. you Lord of the Rings nerds... I mean fans...
don't act like you don't know EXACTLY
which scene I am talking about...

anyway...

the view that afternoon to the lake :

and then below the pictures below of Squirrel Town.. no not Funky Town...

Squirrel Town.

(Squirrel Town is between our place and Kennedy's white cabin) .
There is one red hold out in all that yellow:

Oh... and this below is the view from squirrel town back towards our house:

I am not sure if I explained about Squirrel Town yet. The squirrels and chipmunks lay here in wait for our dogs. They patiently sit and watch until we let the dogs out the door. Then they squeak loudly to get the dogs attention. You can hear them chuckle as they watch the dogs barrel out the door sprinting towards them. When they see the whites of the dogs' eyes and the frothing of their jowels they scramble up the nearest tree.

Man oh man does that make the dogs crazy.. they get so frenzied they try to climb the trees and run in circles around the trunks... and just when they are about to give up a squirrel on the other side of Squirrel town will squeak and they run over there to start it all again. The squirrels love it... so do the dogs actually and it keeps them busy.

Every once in awhile a dark cloud passes over and you hear a .22 rifle cracking a few times and the squirrels are quiet for a couple of minutes ( a moment of silence I presume) . The dogs are confused a little but then you hear another squeak and they go back at it...

a few less squirrels in the game...
just to make things even dontcha know.

Friday Morning Sunrise
Not much can be said about this... just look... be sure to click on this one.

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
as I have seen in one autumnal face

~ John Donne

Signs...

Every day I drive from Jerry's to our home at the lake the trees have turned a different shade. Brighter, lighter, orange- er, red- er, and there is a chill in the air. I love autumn. My sadness about the tomatoes not ripening has passed... for now... and I look forward to the fall changes with great anticipation. This area is known for it's autumn colors... unfortunately overlooked by those who think Maine has a monopoly on maple trees. A ride around the U.P. will open your eyes quickly to what this area has to offer in terms of natural beauty. Maybe the fact that is a bit of a secret is a good thing. Keeps the hordes of tourists away.

I heard from Joy (Jerry's sister) that the hummingbirds have disappeared and have been gone for a couple of weeks... that is early. When we were giving Keith and Heidi (David's other brother and wife) a tour of the house we heard geese honking. Becky and Bart Kennedy told us the geese have been going for about a week or two as well. Also early. We are in for an early winter. That is a sign when the geese move out... even this California girl knows that.


And...
speaking of moving out...

David is finishing up the floors in the main living area and kitchen today!

the appliances will be delivered on Friday, we will be moving into our new home
this weekend!

Time to tuck into our nest...

Badgers, Wolverines, and COSMO the Magnificent

First of all, please excuse the font weirdness in the post.. I dunno what the heck is going on with it. Hope it is not too distracting.

It has been kind of a mixed bag of things going on lately. My knee is still sore and I am wearing a brace around… but I ditched the crutches because they are awkward to maneuver… but then again so is a twisted knee. duh Becca. The only thing really different this time is that I seem to have a bruise down the back of my knee along the calf muscle area. Not sure what that is about but it does not hurt any worse than when I have done this before… Anyway…

We have been doing so many different things, tying up loose ends on bigger projects and starting on new ones. All with the goal to get moved in which may happen in a week or two! Really! I keep saying that but really just a week or two!

For an example of the detail jobs we have been doing, I had started putting the knobs and pulls on the cabinets. However, some of the pilot holes were a teeny tiny fraction off so David had to redrill them. He finished installing them and now all the pulls and knobs are on. I love them!

The cabinets are great! They are knotty alder with a lighter very slight cherry kind of color. I wanted a touch red but not a lot of red. The grain and the knots in the wood are very pretty! I even started putting my dishes in them! Might as well unpack them! They have been in boxes since March and that is an easy job to get out of the way… with the added bonus of making me very excited that we are getting nearer and nearer to being in the house!

I also moved my hippy chimes to the patio downstairs to a new temporary home.
They sound pretty with the wind coming up off the lake:

and we have been watching the grass pop up between the straw on the hill facing the lake.

Ya kinda have to look closely but it is there! We put that down not only to get some grass growing but to help hold the soil on the hill.

Froggy got moved up the hill near the house. Right now he is on a rock in the east side garden area of the house, over looking the driveway. He likes his new spot and has a good view from the top of that rock... also keeps the dogs from peeing on him. That's always a good thing. I had Dickie Bird put that rock there after he placed that bigger one on the west side of the house.

After a difficult battle that I won't go into here because it pisses me off, we have picked and chosen through the laminate flooring we purchased and have started to install it. It has been some work let me tell you... but it is looking o.k. Here it is halfway done in the loft bedroom:

As one always does when you build a house, we have adapted and changed stuff around a bit. We will still use the laminate in our loft bedroom, and will try it down in the office and guest bedroom. We had to pick a different tile for the guest bathroom and will probably have to end up doing a different treatment on the floor in the main living room area. The changes came about because of a problem with the laminate and the decision of the company to not assist us. We will be dealing with that later.

Anyway... the main living floor which consists of the living room, the kitchen, and pantry. We had originally planned on using the laminate throughout most of the house... well.. that is not going to work.

SO.... we are considering flooring on that level with the same stuff we used on the ceiling.

Pine wood floors.. yes yes yes we know.

Pine is soft.

But we think it will be nice looking... here are a couple of example of pine floor. (We plan to have a matte finish not glossy) and once we get that kitchen area floored we can move in!

Yep.. move in... in a week or two! ;)

The dogs have been troopers,
except for Cosmo who has turned into part wildabeast and part wolverine

who keeps embarrassing us by his ferocious behavior towards man and beast. No one here probably believes us, but he really is a truly lovely boy who just wants to be near us.

Us and no one else... ever ever ever... mine mine... and no one else can get near!!!

Poor boy, he is just confused and tries to rule the pack around here… the home pack here at Jerry's house that consists of:

Chuck a ridgeback, greyhound or afghan hound cross and Beau a Newfoundland/lab cross

and a lab / german shepherd cross. Speaking of her... here is Ms. Delta getting a play stick:

Notice the resemblances below?

Cosmo on the left... wolverine on the right.

He has all the big dogs giving him a wide berth. Not so much because he is so tough but because he is a tenacious snippy little bastard who will just not give up!

He has no fear. Imagine that... a Jack Russell /fox terrier cross with no fear.

Hmmmm. Anyway, he continually goes after Beau… the Newfoundland lab cross who really is the pack leader and is normally very gentle with Cosmo until Beau has had enough.

At first Beau would just step on Cosmo with his great big paw and hold him down… he was like:

'Dude.. that's just wrong. What is your problem?!'

Except probably since Beau is not a west coast dog but instead is a Midwestern dog he probably really said:

' Ooooo.... What is wrong with you?!... Hay?'

However, the last time Cosmo started in on Beau, Beau took Cosmo by the scruff and gave him a little shake down. I have to say, it did not matter so much. Cosmo STILL bared his fangs (not hard for him to do as they stick straight out on their own) and growled ferociously and snapped and snarled... while Beau slobber was dripping down his neck.

I have seen them all sitting in a room... all three big dogs huddled on one side, together and then Cosmo on the other staring at them all. He controls Delta, who is the biggest dog around here, with just a look. If Cosmo is sitting on the couch and is in a grumpy mood when she walks in, she looks to him and he must give her the doggy secret evil eye or something because she will drop her head and slink back out. Geez. Most of the time they get a long pretty well although she does always defer to him.

Maybe this is a closer resemblance...

That one thing is a badger by the way... a friendly little fellow. See him smiling? Ummm.. the first one... without the blue collar.

I was thinking about Cosmo and his behavior the other day and put it down to being a terrier. I just happened to see this commercial on t.v. the other day and it made me think about how he acts with these big dogs. It sure fits and Jack Russell/Fox terrier owners would probably all agree. He just does not get it... that whole size thing does not matter to him.

And finally a couple of sunflowers that I planted when spring finally came around a few months ago. I got the seeds from Lynette as a moving present. I was not sure they would make it but they sure are cheerful. This one I planted at Jerry and Karen's house. I will put some in at our house next spring!