Let It Snow

This morning greeted us with a windfall of the white stuff, but the warm temperature (+3 or so) meant that it didn't last very long.  Our lawn will remain bare of snowmen for a little while yet.

Rub -A-Dub-Dub, We Have A TUB!

Drywall taped. Drywall mudded. Tub installed. Tub test-driven by S who was careful to keep splashing to a minimum to keep the drywall just that: dry.  

If I Knew You Were Coming

"I'd a baked a cake"

J decided to bake a chocolate cake from scratch, so he scoured the recipe books for something with the word chocolate in the title, and made an amazing delicacy with minimal assistance.  Deeee-licious!

Studs: Now You See 'Em ... Now You Don't

The bathtub is installed and the drywall complete! It's coming along nicely ... 

A Vast Expanse (Back)

Here's a view of the back yard where two poles were removed.  Now there's a completely unobstructed view of the NAV Canada tower! Yay.

Not having those hydro poles and lines anymore means no more bird chirping at dawn, which is sad on weekdays but welcome on Saturdays, and no more birdy gifts on the minivan, which is appreciated every day.

p.s.  Those aren't pre-dug graves back by the fire-pit; they are gardens awaiting topsoil for flowers and vegetables in the spring.  

A Vast Expanse (Front)

Here's the front driveway and yard ... pole-free! Notice the nicely smoothed trench area courtesy of our neighbour and his dozer.

More Goodies From the Basement

The boxes in our basement are less in number as each day goes by. I love discovering things I haven't seen in months, like the Mark Twain books that belong on the top shelf of the bookcase, the square glass vase full of all the rocks the kids have found on all the beaches we've ever walked, and best of all, the mirror above the couch! 

Bigger Bikes on the Dirt Pile

The bicycles were good ... and dirt bikes are good, too.  After grooming the pile to make it motocross friendly, the kids donned their gear and hit the dirt, until they ran out of gas and had to push the bike back to the garage for a refill.

And who was looking on with envy?  

"Pile of Dirt" ... the movie

Dirt and Dirt Bikes

After grooming the driveway, our neighbour piled the leftover soil in the middle of the small oval track beside the house and it only took a minute for the kids to grab their bikes and try for air time.

Curb Appeal

I thought I'd post an up-to-date photo of the front of the house for comparison to the old one on the blog header.  There's still a lot of work to be done, but it looks considerably less like a place that had been abandoned for 18 months.

Tidying in Action

Firing up the chainsaw, nicking out a few notches, yelling TIMBER! and feeling the ground thud as the pole came down ... it all happened quickly.  Luckily, all three poles came easily out of the ground having not been cemented in, and they've left great holes, perfect for planting a tree in!

Cleaning up the Yard

Our neighbour has a John Deere that he's exceedingly eager to put to use, so he offered to help tidy (or rip out of the earth by sheer force) the remaining hydro poles in the yard.  Take a look!  A little bit later he came back and plowed the heaps of dirt back into the trench then drove back and forth to pack it down and scraped it so that it's nice and even.  The driveway's all ready for some new gravel ... which is on the To-Do List for the spring.

Latest Action from Hydro One - Part 4

One day our yard will cease to remind me of a war zone, with its leaning poles and remnants of wires, and I truly hope it's not too far in the future. At least the wire's been coiled up and isn't loose in the grass like a big snake ready to scare the poo out of me.

latest Action from Hydro One - Part 3

As our friends at Hydro One chatted and hung out by the road, our trusty electricians were disconnecting the meter at our house and re-connecting a new one.  

Now, we have a 4 ft trench around 2 sides of our house and all the way down our 100 ft driveway, not to mention 3 tottering hydro poles to deal with! Yay!  I was wondering what to do with my day tomorrow.

Latest Action from Hydro One - Part 2

Next on the agenda was putting in the new hydro pole at the road.  With the heavy clay soil, the hole proved quite a challenge but did these exemplary employees give up?  No! They toiled and toiled and made me think it was worth every penny we paid!  The fact that we didn't have a choice in the matter didn't even cross my mind. 

Latest Action from Hydro One - Part 1

At 8:15 am today a convoy of Hydro One trucks came barreling down our road, ready to battle the great exchange, tearing down the old lines and burying the new one.  Like ants they scurried around, and before 9:00 am they had the line and the transformer in the backyard down. 

Late season ride

The weather was so awesome the boys had to squeeze in one last zip around the back track before the snow falls, and a couple friends joined us!

Do you have a license for that?

Learning to drive is pretty low stress when the teacher is laid back and easygoing even if he's only 13 years old and there's heaps and heaps of open space to try.

Mysterious Animal in the Tree

Last week we found unidentifiable scat at the base of a tree in the woods and now we know the perpetrator:  It's a porcupine.  Take a look at him (or her?) peeking down at us from a treetop hideaway.

Autumn Visit

Our city friends brought their dog Willow for a weekend visit.  The weather was FANTASTIC and we hiked all over the back 40, forging new trails and discovering some old ones. 

Wonderful mum!

I love this plant!  I dug it up out of our previous garden and could not for the life of me remember what colour the flowers were.  What a beautiful surprise!  In real life they are a bit more purple-y/ lavender-y but this pic makes them look pink-y.

Halloween horrors and heaps of treats

Although the trick-or-treaters at our house were few (ok, none) we bundled up and drove to a nearby village where the spirit of Halloween was alive and well and lots of families were out and about, chatting and following their kids from house to house. The weather was mostly clear and mild with a spooky moon peeking through the clouds.

Exploring the back 40

Our goal was to walk the eastern property line all the way south to the river which is impossible during warmer months because of the boggy marshland, but these crisp autumn days are perfect for hiking that area.  We followed the century old fence most of the way, discovering woodpecker holes, mysterious scat and one of the biggest trees in the forest.

Another Happy Birthday!

We helped Grandma M celebrate her special day with a yummy meal (lasagne & bread & salad) and a fabulous raspberry dessert.  

Sling Shootin'

S&J have been practising with their slingshots at some old tires and farmy targets. With limited success, I've tried it too!  But I value my eyesight so I'll leave it to the pros.