Upward

My husband is working on the ladder up to the loft in the cottage. Its a small area over the kitchen. If you don't sit in the middle of the roof line you will hit your head. However it is going to be a place to fit some extra bodies to spend the night when everyone wants to stay over to have just one more day at the lake. I also vision the grand kids thinking it's a clubhouse up there or a secret room just for them. Even the neighbor children have been over as we are building it and asked if they can spend the night, once it is done! HA. Anyway...the ladder has been built this week upward to the loft. I can't wait to hear all the giggles that come from that direction.

Fishing

Today my husband took the day off work. That means he did not go to work, he did not work at home and he did not work at the cottage. Instead he said to me, I'd like to take you fishing." So he put the trolling motor on the fishing boat and we rounded up the life jackets, tackle box, fishing poles with bait and oars in case we needed them. We set out on the lake... me I was full of anticipation hoping we would catch so many fish that we would fill up our wire fish basket and eat them for supper. Needless to say we would stay in one area then...no fish. We would move to another area of the lake and again...no fish. This continued for two hours then my husband caught a small fish which we threw back. We had thought we finally found the hot fishing spot. Another half hour and...no fish. After moving to another spot out motor started slowing down. That means the battery was losing juice and we had to start rowing. Thank goodness we put those oars in the boat earlier. On the way to shore my husband said, "We didn't catch many fish, but I sure had fun not working and spending time with you." How sweet is that! So I said, " I didn't catch fish but I caught you!"
You know we all need to slow down and take time to enjoy the small moments as that is where the memories are formed. I loved fishing with my grandpa when I was a little girl as he taught me all I know about fishing. He would say, "Isn't it fun just being out here together on the lake, just you, me and the fish?" He was right because at this moment I have enjoyed just being on the lake with my husband in the rowboat. I hope you all get to go fishing this summer!

Bonfires

When we cut down 7 trees around the cottage we also had to pull out the stumps around the house. Our contractor that put on the porch is also a farmer. He brought his big backhoe over and pulled them out and loaded them on his big loader truck and trailer. He then took them to his farm to rot at the edge of the woods. However one was so gigantic with a mass of twisted roots that intertwined with dirt it could not be loaded. So in the middle of our yard is a big stump. Not just big, but huge. Needless to say we have had many bonfires this past year to try to burn up that stump. We have burned all the scraps that we're building with around it. We have burned all the fallen down branches from the yard on it. We have brought in a trailer load of dry scrap wood and had such a tall flaming fire it singed the tree that was nearby. It's been a year and still the stump remains a fixture in our yard. The neighbors have taken bets on how long it will be there. Some say we may as well put Christmas lights on it this winter! But... I know one thing each time that stump gets lit all the neighbors come with their lawn chairs and visit. Each talking about the stump and their day. So me, I'm thankful for that old stump as it has brought shade to the old cottage for many, many years with its green branches and its just not quiet ready to leave the old property. So it has stayed already an extra year still making conversation and memories with all the neighbors at the little cottage.