Calm

"Today is the day," my husband said as we woke up. Today the dock comes out of the water. I know there is still going to be warm days, but harvest is coming and we do not want to be in the water when its freezing. So here we are, my husband and the tractor. I would prefer more help but alas the girls are busy and the neighbors have not come out of there houses. So he puts on the waiters and I giggle as I tell him he looks like a frog. It does look as if he has frog legs! He takes out bolts and posts. Then he reminds me not to step on it as it may collapse. Remember where the new board is. I look and touch my leg,still bruised, yes I remember. Now he is ready for the boat. We put the boat under the last section of the dock and float it to shore. Then he can pick it up with the tractor. Sounds easy enough, not... As I'm out in the boat floating it under the dock. I am trying very hard not to get wet. Well I was pushing to fast and the boat went under the dock and I did not fit of course so PLUNK I went down in the boat. The bottom of the boat was green and slimy and now I was wet and green and slimy. My husband in his frog pants was laughing his head off as he put it. I of course did not think this was funny but did when his eyes even got bigger as he sprung a leak in his froggy pants and now he was filling up with water. By the time we both got on shore we were both wet and laughing. Of course that's when help arrived and we all got the dock up on shore so it can rest during the winter months under a blanket of snow. Both dry we returned to the waters edge and enjoyed the sunset and the calm of the water with the lone swan swimming by. Boy... we love this place!

Dock

When we bought our lot it came with a dock that was rusty and had laid in the dirt for 30 years. Needless to say that dock crumbled as we picked up the rotten old boards to see if it could be salvaged, it could not. Then after becoming friends with our neighbor, she to had an old dock in better shape that had not been in the water for years. We decided that if we put sealer on it and put it in the water we would all enjoy it. So, for the past two years we have put that dock down the middle of the property line and...
we have enjoyed fishing off it.
We have sat on it and chatted about our day.
We have tied up our paddle boat and fishing boat on it sturdy steel posts.
We have lit fireworks off it on Fourth of July.
We have jumped off it and swam to the floaty.
We have walked over those boards over and over again.
Then yesterday I was walking out on the dock to see the sunset when creak, crack, clunk. I fell through. I sat there as my husband who saw it all unfold came to my side. Nope I didn't break anything. I just skinned up my leg and was bruised. Actually I felt lucky as I didn't fall in the water.
The next day we went and bought a new board so we can all continue to walk down that dock and enjoy all the fun it brings us at the cottage... at the lake!

Burgers

We were going to the cottage today to work. Yes it is a holiday but it seems every weekend we are free we are working on the cottage. My husband loves it for the therapy and the inner joy he gets from seeing the progress he has made happen. My daughters like it to lay in the sun and chat with each other. Me, well I like my family just being together. I love seeing my girls giggle and laugh. I love working beside my husband building something that will last way beyond my lifetime. Back to the burgers...I always bring more than we can eat as I never know who will be coming to supper. My hunch was right as our daughters brought a car load with them and the neighbors on both sides came to eat when they smelled that the grill was lit. You just can't resit the aroma of grilling burgers. And me...well I had a great evening with family and friends. Sitting in a circle each of us telling stories and laughing together... priceless

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.

Ice

For the past five years I have become an ice chomper. I have about six glasses of it a day. Some people start their day with coffee but me, I start mine with ice. It started when I was trying to lose weight and in my mind I thought water is zero calories. So it seems like I like to eat constantly so instead of chomping food I may as well chomp ice. I do this constantly now. I have had my doctor tell me I am not deficient in anything as I've heard that is a sign. Just a habit. I had my dentist tell me it's really bad for my teeth. But I have had my teeth x-rayed and they show no cracks or stress at this time. So I continue to chomp,chomp, chomp. So for years I fill my ice cube trays half full so its easier to crunch. Now after 26 years my frig stopped working and I picked out a new one that has the ice maker on the outside. Now anytime I want I can have cubed and crushed ice. I absolutely love it. So I am sitting here typing and chomping away on my glass of ice totally content. I find joy in ice cubes!