A Change in Plans and Counting the Projects

My summer vacation plans were abruptly changed for me.  The new neighbours at the cabin put out Warfarin thinking to combat a mouse problem - and though they have since removed the poison, I do not feel it safe to take my pets to the cabin this year and so am electing to stay home.

I ran the gamut of negative emotions – as you can well imagine. Fury, anger and bitterness being the most violent of what I was feeling, sadness and disappointment now being foremost in my heart.  I had planned my vacation for the end of summer so as not to discommode any of the others wanting use of the cabin this year, but my timing acted against me.

So what am I to do with my two weeks off instead? Well, I’m trying to find a bright side in this.

Trying – some minutes are much harder than others.

I have two weeks now with which to, I think, accomplish some project work.  I’m going to need to be creative in this because with plans being to spend the bulk of my vacation at the cabin, I have no money set aside (or even available) to do anything large.

Yard work can therefore be one of my projects – the fruit on the Damson Plum tree was long ready to harvest and so today I brought in the rest of it, washed and froze it for a time when I can make jam. That will be another project for this next two weeks – making jam, I mean.

A Trug Full!

I have moved the Italian prune plum tree to a slightly more suitable location (it may not survive the transplanting, but I would not be devastated if that happened.)

I additionally need to buy a new hose and a sprinkler – the back yard is dry as a bone and I really do need to keep things alive back there.  That will be one of the minor purchases I make over the next two weeks.

I will need to spend some time combating the newest strain of dandelion that has been popping out. These ones are teeny tiny ones with little tiny flowers on very long stems.  Lawnmower should take care of that, I think. 

The front yard could use some attention and I will also measure up and have a hatch cut for the hole over the stairs at the front steps.

I’m thinking I can spend some time planning and picking out paint options as well – for the outside of the house, I mean.  I’m thinking that the grey blue of the siding would go nicely with white trim and then my red front door will really POP with this as an option… but I will spend a little more time thinking on that option as it will also mean eventual replacement of all of the tin around the house (soffits, facia, rain gutters and downspouts) and while I am at it, I may as well get up there on my ladder and clean the damn gutters out before the autumn rains are upon us.

While not how I planned to spend my vacation, I can take some pleasure in the knowledge that I will have some house-related accomplishment over the next two weeks.

With love across the waters,