June 25, 2011
More rain and cold weather. Put heat on for a little while so I could take a shower without freezing. When I got up at 6 a.m., the outdoor thermometer registered 52. No fans again today.
Shortly after 9 a.m. the carpenter showed up with the tiles for the kitchen floor and lots of wood for repairs and for the wall. He began working repairing the boards which had been damaged by the leak in the roof and then laid the new floor. He laid a thin plywood board all over the floor and then applied glue and put down the tile. It looks great!
Before he could work we had to move the refrigerator into the living room?! Not much room left to move around. The kitchen is empty so every other room is not.
But one of these days, it will be more back to normal.
The carpenter worked until mid-afternoon and told us we couldn’t use the room for 6 hours and should not return the cabinets or refrigerator for two days. Turns out it may be longer because the wall when it is installed will need three days of sizing treatment. The sanding leaves fine residue so we probably will have to wait to move back into the kitchen. Some fun.
Lowell and I went to Lowe’s and picked out the wall vinyl but found we couldn’t get it in the car. Too long. Left it for the carpenter to pick up Monday or Tuesday.
We decided cooking was too much with the carpenter working in the kitchen so we picked up pizza on the way back from Lowe’s.
John and Peter went fishing and caught some bass which they did not keep. Lots of good fishing with the rain.
The wood was so wet they did not have a fire tonight and did not stay out too late.
I had planned to go to Mass today but with the work on floor and getting the vinyl, we decided to wait until tomorrow.
No sign of the skunk but we added more ammonia to the rags around the camp.We were worried the chipmunks would be affected by the ammonia but they were out looking for peanuts bright and early.
The forecast for tomorrow is showers and some sun.
No matter, everyday is a great day on the lake in Maine. Thank you God for creating such beauty and letting us use it.
June 26, 2011 Sunday at Maine Camp
Lowell and I were up at 5:30 a.m. and it turned out it was a good thing. A little after 8 a.m. the electrician drove into the yard and said he was going to do the work on reconnecting the kitchen outlets and getting ready to reinstall sink so we could begin to use the kitchen as soon as the wall is finished. I had just finished cleaning the wall of debris from the walls and roofing when he arrived. He informed us the carpenter was not far behind and the two worked most of the morning. We left them here when we left for Mass and they were gone when we returned at 1:30. The insulation and wallboard were up and the electrical boxes were in the wall. The sink connecting piping was not installed so I guess they will be back one of these days. Both have prior jobs Monday and Tuesday so it could be several days before we see them again. And then maybe not.
The roofers may come tomorrow since we had only a little rain tonight. But they can’t work if the membrane is not dry. It will take two days once they begin to lay it.
We had a great treat today watching a family of loons float down the cove and into the lake. The pair surrounded two young loons who last week were riding on the backs of the mother but are now swimming. They were out front of the camp for sometime and then floated down to BeatleBug. They were distressed by the water skiers and skidoos riding close to their location and made shrill calls to alert the babies to stay close. We watched them trying to cross the lake to Horseshoe Island but they finally moved back to Clarke’s cove and then back into Farr’s Cove. We notified the game warden of the harassment by the skidoos and water skiers but couldn’t see numbers on the vehicles so he couldn’t do anything at this point.
They were still upset this evening and they may be worried about the turtles or the Osprey who also have young they are raising. Already the Osprey has taken three chipmunks to their nest.
Peter went out fishing for awhile but John stayed and fished off the dock. I didn’t even try to fish today because of all the boat activity on the lake. No respectable fish would come to the surface with the boaters out on the lake on weekends.
We were able to dry some of clothes which were damp as well as towels and rugs which I washed. Still washing dishes on the two stools on the porch. Not the easiest or most efficient way to do it.
Tomorrow will be day 16 of shifting and being creative with meals and all. We are getting along okay but it is somewhat frustrating not knowing where things are and having to keep moving things to make room for things while the work is done. We try to sweep and clean up as best we can but it doesn’t look like we have. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have the stove hooked up on the porch. Thank God for the electrician and his idea to run the temporary line so we could use the stove. Too bad we couldn’t hook up the sink but we are managing after a fashion.
The chipmunks have developed a routine of coming up to the screen on the sliding door early each day to wait for breakfast. Today we also fed the pair who live in front of Paul and Linda Voyer’s camp. They were delighted to be included. Usually they come over here when they see us feeding the ones under our camp but our two tend to chase them away.
No sings of humming birds in all the rain but the woodpeckers continue to come and peck on the pine and birch tree. John W. put up my woodpecker feeder and the smaller one was feeding at it two mornings until the squirrels and even a chipmunk climbed up and started eating.
Didn’t do much today other than finish touchup on sink doors and painting the bottom panels to get ready to move the sink back into the kitchen. John W. is reinforcing the shelf under the sink with sheets of aluminum left over when we roofed the porch and kitchen roofs in 2002-2004. The shelf was rusted badly in several places and we hope by using the aluminum we can save the shelf and store the cleaners etc. there. The sink itself is in pretty good shape and the electrician-plumber wants us to get new faucets because he said the one on it was leaking pretty badly when he was checking it out before he disconnected the pipes. He already installed new faucets in bathroom when he fixed the leak under the bathroom sink. What a difference it makes in the sink.
I have flowers sitting in their containers waiting to plant but didn’t get to them today. I waited until the roofers finished tearing off the old roof and then the rains came and they are still in the containers from the greenhouse. We did get the daisies in last week up on the terrace.
Better get to bed. Lowell has been dozing in his new chair which he really likes. I thank God he didn’t make me send it back. I probably would not have ordered it if I waited until we got here and saw all that had to be done but I ordered it a month ago when I discovered a sale with no shipping if ordered by May 20. We still haven’t figured out where to put the wood rocker but maybe we can use it on the deck and cover it in bad weather. Not a priority at this point. It sits with other chairs at the far end of the porch where the two new beds are. We will have to get the chairs out of there before the grandkids come in July.
The loons are talking out in front of the dock. I hope the babies are OK. They seem to be louder than usual. What a great place to be with all the creatures and sounds around the lake.
Thank you God for Maine Camp and for the people who are helping us keep it standing.
~ Grandma Joan T.
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