Near Miss

As Pax and I were riding/running to Sandy Beach I kept looking over my shoulder and thinking, "Pax, this is something you don't want to see." Fortunately, he didn't look back, so we got to the beach, went for a swim, and moseyed on our return route as usual. But, just about when we got to Donna and Al's place, Pax twigged to the threat and scrammed for home. When I caught up to him he was under a bed.

Alas, his exertions were for naught. The thunder-cell grumbled on by to the north giving us nothing more than a few score of big fat drops and a lot of lovely clouds and noise.

For all intents and purposes, we have finished trimming out the upper deck. Anyone looking at it would say, "Why, a one-armed paper hanger could do that in 20 minutes." Alas, again, that's probably true, although it took us the better part of three good days. In our defense I will not bring in old age or incompetence, but rather, meticulousness, instead.

Turn and Turn Again

Last year's load of manure has composted nicely, and this soil is beginning to have a little fertility. But that makes it a hot spot in a nutirent starved forest, and as a result, roots snake in from far and wide. Whereas most gardens suffer weed invasion from above, this garden is attacked from both above and below.

The only strategy I can figure is taking a spade all around the perimeter slicing as deep as possible, then working in toward the middle pulling roots along the way. I remember once going to the old compost bin behind Pinebox looking for a little soil to find nothing but a thick, impenetragle tangle of roots.

Cool, with occasional light rain. Almost finished the upper deck battens, trim, and paint. To the Roosteraunt in Mindemoya where we hooked up with Murray and Elaine for a pleasant dinner. We felt quite cosmopolitan and urbane.

On The Water

Sunny, high in the low 60's. Tinge of green on the bluff. More trim work inside—door frames, baseboards, and battens. First time this year actually out on the water.

The Long and Dusty Road

(It is fun to try coming up with headlines that sound like the title of novels.) We finished our shovel excavation of a road ditch (prizing out boulders and chopping through roots) and it is now running merrily, leaving behind a drying road.

We saw our first hummingbird this afternoon as we were sitting on the deck. What he's doing here is a mystery since there is nothing even close to a flower. Bugs and balsam sap probably. And then there's the resident woodpecker (red breasted, I think) who begins hammering on the firewood lean-to at dawn and continues, almost without pause, until noon. Somebody's getting a headache.

Warmest day so far this season, and we thought about not putting a fire on at dinner time.
But then, it's fun to snuggle in with coals glowing in the grate while we watch an episode of Castle. Sue said that while she is looking forward to summery stuff, she is going to miss our chilly days.

Ditch Diggers

We invested quite a bit of time and effort today in creating a ditch on the up side of Serendipity from Kerry's to Tyson's. Nowadays, that stretch of road is the only wet stretch, so we turned ourselves into human backhoes. Although not yet quite done, we have the water running down and the road drying out. A bit of heavy work, but ever so much fun to make rivers and to watch them run.

Mostly sunny, very cool, wind west north west. Our fun outing today consited of a trip to the dump and a walk along Fraser Beach. 

Board Stiff

Bright, sunny, and very chilly.

Today, mostly ripping, staining and polyurethaning the last of our homegrown cedar boards to use as upper level door trim and baseboards.

On our way home from an errand, Sue pointed out people on the roof of the the Old Mill/City Hall. Sure enough, roofers doing a hot tar job. Back home at 11:30 we found no internet service. It took a minute or two to make the connection, and then I raced back down to the village before City Hall closed at noon, as they do every Friday, and were gone for the long weekend, quite certain we had seen the last of the internet for a good long while. (Our wireless interent service is beamed across the bay from an antenna on roof of city hall.) No warning, no assurance of restored service, and after 12 o'clock, no one responsible. But, as this blog demonstrates, service was resumed, thanks, I would say to Vianet, who seem to have some concern for their customers.

We may have to raise the boardwalk (although the level is fluctuating greatly)

Water Runs Through It

Steady rain all day. Everywhere you look, water is running down.  Swales swamped, culverts conveying, channels chuckling.

And, what better on a rainy day than going to Mum's? We both had the traditional Manitoulin breakfast with brown toast and bacon crispy.

On arrival home, we found the power out again—for the second time since we have been here. Ontario Hydro has it figured out—you pay all year, even when you have the place completely shut down (including a delivery charge when nothing is delivered), but once you get here and turn the power on, it only works sometimes.

We moved the chopsaw onto the entry porch and used it (once power was restored) to cut battens in order to finish trimming out the the upper level. Compound mitres are tricky. But we got them done, and are now on, tomorrow, to simple bevels.

Sandy Beach—more water than sand.

Water Is Up

A day of many things. Planed boards. Stained boards. Put up some of the planed and stained boards up as corner trim (after dealing with a clogged compressor hose).

Gave the herb garden its spring cleaning. Cleaned some clogged gutters (which required use of  the extension ladder).

Cleaned the kayak and moved it closer to the water. 

Cool, but pleasant, partially sunny day.

Foggy, With Thunderstorms

Heavy, loud storm this morning. More rain this evening.

Fog

View out to Gooseberry, Clapperton, and the LaCloche Mountains

Rocks

Swale grass (or whatever it is called)

Horsetails or Equisetum, a most primitive plant

Planted today a red oak, a white birch, two white pines, and several spruce, my "pay" for working the Green Living Expo. Sue has remaianed resolute in her determination to get stuff stained and painted. She is now out walking Pax, both to get his mind off precipitation and to clear her lungs of fumes.

Flower Confidential

A crisp, bright morning rapidly deteriorated into a cold, gray damp. But, projects proceeded (albeit at our snail-like pace), and we went to Gore Bay to stock up on vittles since we were down to wilted lettuce and cracker crumbs. As the above photo illustrates, the yachting season in Kagawong is a bit in the future (but do note the green grass).

Yesterday morning was quite beautiful—sunny and calm. And quiet, as only this place can be. Until: a gaggle of geese got grumped up about something or other, and a group of sandhill cranes started sounding off with their trumpeting tones, and some gulls got into a noisy squabble, and some jays started screaming bloody murder, and several woodpeckers started hammering, and a few crows chimed in, and then the merlins got going, and the grouse started drumming. I could be mistaken, but I do believe that a few wrens were adding their descant above all the cacophony.  Luckily, the loons are mostly nocturnal.

Reading Amy Stewart's Flower Confidential, on eletronic loan from the Kagawong Public Library, and finding it quite worth while.