Attic

This week my husband has been working on the space in the cottage that he calls the attic. In the cottage it is where a peak in the roof line goes up and so it really will be a space to store maybe a few sleeping bags and some blankets. In our house we do not have an attic. I wanted one but the design of our home did not allow it. So instead I have a storage room. What I mean when I say I wanted one, is that I loved going into the attic as a child at my grandparents. It was a secret place that grandma only let me go in with her very rarely. In the upstairs back bedroom there was a small little door. A door just right for a little girl with an imagination. That room had shelves and boxes lining it. There were old pictures and toys up there that my father had played with when he was a boy. She would let me hold them and look at them, but never could I take them out of the attic. They were forever banished to that room. Sometimes I would go into that room when grandma wasn't looking, open the door and just stick my head in and look around. I never stepped a foot inside as grandma might call for me and I would not hear her. I didn't want to get in trouble, just look at those toys sitting on the shelves. When they sold the old farmhouse I wondered what happened to those toys? Then at my parents house when I was growing up, we had and attic in our room. My sister and I shared a room. When we were teenagers I wanted my own space so I moved into the attic. I put a mattress in there and slept for a few weeks until my dad said the bats maybe moving in. A few weeks ago my mom had me go through the little door to the attic to get something out of it. Yeah, bat poop all over, but looking around I saw boxes and old toys... memories of long ago. I still love attics. My new attic is not a room but I do hope to put some memories up inside it for someone to find... someday.

Painting

We are painting and staining the inside of the cottage. With each coat it looks brighter and cleaner. It looks so nice. What I really liked was that we were all together over there, working and talking,talking and working. It was just fun. The girls said they like winter but they can't wait for summer so they can play in the water again. My husband and I just smile as we just enjoy being around them listening to their giggles. We enjoy being inside learning more about our daughters as they chat and talk with us. So... as we paint and stain all the rooms we will continue to learn more about our kids and they will learn more about us as our cottage gets closer to moving into.

Missing

Yesterday was Christmas. We all opened our packages,looked everything over,played with toys and then went to to cottage. Mainly just to make sure it was still there. It was,standing small and sturdy as we had left if. When we opened the door you could smell all the car siding my husband had put up on the walls. It smelled like fresh new wood. I love that smell. We looked it all over walking around in each room. Missing the fun we have had here. Then down to the lake shore we went. Sticks had washed up on shore. The water was making clapping noises as if to say, " Yeah, you are back!" There were no foot prints by the shore. The shoreline was taking a break and enjoying the quiet. Looking around the property I think each one of us had a comment that said, " I miss this place." So... today we will return to paint some walls and make memories because we love and miss our little cottage.

Missing

Since the crops have been coming in off the field for harvest and since I added two tutoring jobs to my day, we have been missing the cottage. Our #2 daughter was home for Thanksgiving so we went to show her our accomplishments and updates. She was amazed and loved how it is looking. We are missing it. We walked to the waters edge to see the the view. She said how peaceful it looks this time of year with all the docks on shore and the stillness of the water. We are missing it. The neighbors came over for a visit and catch up on talk. We are missing them. We are missing the work, the chats, the grilled food, the togetherness...the cottage.
I hope to return soon!

Color

What a warm sunny weekend we have had! The air is warm and the leaves are absolutely breathtaking. When we ride anywhere with my mother she is yelling ...look to the right, no, look to the left. She is right, the color of the foliage is beautiful to the right and to the left. We just have to take the time to look. At the lake as you look out across the water, you can see the stillness. There are no waves and the water looks as if you could walk on it. Taking in the view from the cottage it looks like a fall picture an artist would paint on canvas. The orange, red and yellow hues are vivid to the eye. Then as your gaze drops into the water its a fuzzy color, a bit toned down, but just as pretty. I feel we are blessed to live in Indiana to see the changing of the seasons. Take the time to go outside and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

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!