Beautiful weather... NO SNOW!

It's been such crazy weather this year... Usually, we can't get into the cabin until the end of May - and then, it's really super cold... But, this year, we have had very, very little snow, and we have had days that the furnace has been off... interesting story... Before we drive to the cabin, we always call our neighbour Ben and ask him to turn the heat up so it's not so chilly in the cabin when we get there.  We did this with the most recent visit.  When we got there, the temperature inside was in the low 60's.  Jim went downstairs to check the furnace - he said it tries to start and then shuts off. We waited until the next morning to call Garkane Propane.  The first thing they said was to check the tank and let them know how much propane was left.  Jim checks it, and for the first time in years, we were completely at zero!  We have a 500 gallon tank!  When the tank was being installed, we asked for a 1000 gallon tank, but they didn't have one and the last time our tank was filled was last September!  I always make sure we have money on our account, because we never know when they are going to show up - but, the company made a quick trip up the mountain, and, $1200.00 later, the tank was filled. We asked for a larger tank, and they said they would get our tank switched out.  Empty tank - it was a milestone.

I am always looking for interesting things for the cabin, and I have been looking for an antique chiminea for years.  I finally found one!  If you don't know what a chiminea is, here's a description:

A (British English: chimenea)^[1] or chiminea (US English)^[2] (/ˌtʃɪmɪˈneɪ.ə/ CHIM-in-AY-ə; from Spanish chimenea [tʃimeˈnea], in turn derived from French cheminée, "chimney") is a freestanding front-loading fireplace or oven with a bulbous body and usually a vertical smoke vent or chimney.  

I wanted a terra cotta chimenea because of all the red earth around the cabin.  We have the antique brick around the jacuzzi, and I think this with the lizards around it, is perfect.  I don't know if we are going to use it as a heat source, but it looks really cool...  When I told Jim that I had bought for the cabin, he had his "what the hell did you buy now" look, complete with the pursed lips and tense jaw... But, when he saw it, he agreed that it was pretty cool looking.  When I bought it, I got the top part out of the car, but had to get the neighbours to get it from the car to the carport.... it's super heavy.  Jim is now a fan... and, I think he still loves me.

Brea played her final hockey game of the season... although they didn't win the tournament, but played really well, and we are proud of their game.  It is live streamed, and of course, we had to watch it.  Brea is a solid little player... she's also the smallest player... with the biggest heart!  She earned the A on her uniform!

We, rather I, decided to change the wall covering in the main floor bedroom.  It originally was just going to be painted, but I liked this look, so the change was made.  Poor Jim - it takes a little convincing, but, I am always glad he is open to change.  I love this look.  This is not our place, just an example of what it's going to look like.  We are going to pain the wall a chocolate brown behind the oak slats.

And, this is the product all ready for installation.

And, this is preparing the wall.  My job this past week, was to mud over all the nail holes before painting it.  My question is:  If planks for the floor is called "flooring", why aren't planks for the walls called, "walling"?  I asked this question of Jim, and he just kind of looked at me.  I think I still had the after effects of anesthetic.

Jim had me on limited work projects - I had a little surgery on Thursday, and it kind of took me out of the game for a couple of days.  I do not bounce back from general anesthetic, so while the guys were working, I was sleeping.  Feeling a whole lot better this week.  

And, I found some more glass chickens... This is another one of those moments that Jim just shakes his head and doesn't say anything..  Giggle.

Poor Jim... sometimes, the hard work gets to him and he just has to sit down and take a rest.  I know the feeling.

The work on the tongue and groove ceiling in the great room continues...  The guys ran out of finished wood to install, so they had to set up the system on the deck and start plaining, (I think I spelled that wrong) and cutting and varnishing.  This is the first step in the process....

.. it's a two man job...

And, here's more of the installation... it's looking amazing.

And, here's Jim showing off a piece of "blue" pine.  I love the different colours of the planks and the knots here and there are great!

Ben usually stayed up on the scaffolding, he tells Jim the length of the individual pieces that are needed, Jim goes outside, cuts the piece and then hands it off to Ben who tacks it into place.

Soooo pretty!

Here's a different angle.

While they are doing actual work, I am doing "nonsense" work. (Jim read this paragraph and told me he didn't like that I called my work "nonsense".  He says I should change it to meaningful and told me that what I do is, as he says, "a representation of what is to come".  He says what I do gives him a view into the future.)  I guess I will stop calling it nonsense work and start calling it "meaningful".  While I appreciate his sentiments, and love him for trying to make me feel better, I will respect his feelings and change my wording.  

I dried these birdhouse gourds last fall, hollowed them out, and Jim drilled the holes for me.  The last step is to lacquer them so they don't totally fall apart in the weather...  The bigger gourd will be a bird house, and the smaller ones will be filled with seeds... Hopefully, the stupid squirrels and chipmunks won't eat all the food!

I just think they look so cool..  Weird, but very cool.

We had this one beam in the main level bathroom that I wanted some texture on it... So, we've been playing around and finally got our technique to the point that it looks good.  This is the first step in the application... put plastic around the perimeter so the mud doesn't splatter everywhere...

Here's my mighty husband making sure his wife is happy... I'm totally happy...

And, here's the application... it's still super wet... I'll have to dry before we can paint it.

Here's the wall a little dryer... but, still not ready to paint!  I have a warm light brown to go on this part and I think it will harmonize with the walls and floor in this room perfectly.  I am so stoked with this!

I purchased the chiminea from a lady in south Provo, and while I was there, she asked me where it was going to end up, and I told her about our cabin.  She said she had some decorating that she thought would look amazing, and she gave me a couple of these brass pieces.  I actually really like them.  Jim says he would like to put them on the front of the cabin.  I agree!

Here's a smaller piece...  Jim wants to put the pieces clustered together.

And, Jim actually found this piece for me.  I put it next to the door so you can see the size - I'm not quite sure where I'm going to put this pot, but, I really think it's cool looking.  So, thanks Jim - you've got the vision!

And, our front door has this amazing stained glass... that you can see right through into the cabin.  That makes me a little nervous because every once in a while, we have people breaking into cabins... so, I wanted something to cover up the clear glass.  This covering is just a film that sticks up with water.  So, I applied it, and it looks great - stops anyone from looking in, and makes me feel a little more protected.  We just had a sheet of paper on this door for years, and it was getting a little ratty. So, this was a quick and easy and inexpensive fix.

This past week, Jim and I went to see the rock opera "Tommy".  I had always wanted to see the rock operas when I was considerably younger, but never went.  I wanted to see Godspell, and Jesus Christ Superstar for example.  My parents were not in favour to say the least.  But, the 50th anniversary was this year and I dragged Jim to it.  Saying it's one of the weirdest shows I've ever seen is an understatement.  Jim and I agreed that The Who must have been on some really heavy stimulants when the music was written and even when the play was written... Very strange... we do not recommend.  But, it was an experience, and my parents were absolutely right for not wanting their impressionable daughter to see it!

 I got a little blurb from facebook AI analyzing my writing style...  I am always nervous about writing the blog because I know I probably break all the rules.  I have a sweet friend who is an English teacher and I particularly freak when she reads my blog - but, she has always been upbeat and affirming - even though I am sure she uses part of my blog to show her students what NOT to do... (love you, Lori)  Giggle. I also have a brother who is a published writer, and I am sure he doesn't read my blog - probably would give him heart failure (he's on best seller lists etc...)... Anyways, AI says my style is "using a casual tone that feels conversational; has a strong personal relationship with her audience; uses humour; has an engaging tone, is relaxed and friendly, informal, treats the audience as family and overall, the writing style is engaging, personal, sarcastic and conversational, which suits her audience and Facebook platform"... (talk about a run on sentence!) And, my content is relatable and diverse.  Ok... they're being nice!  It made me laugh.

With that, the adventure continued - take life with a smile, and talk to you soon!

Love, Jim and Cheri

"If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you.  If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you."

Canada/USA Olympics... still proud of Canada!

I finally got the 2025 edition of "Me and Manzanita" printed and received a copy from production.  This year, I set it up myself with a little help from our graphics guy... This definitely is not my forte.  But, it turned out nicely and I am pleased.   

Coy is truly turning into a young man.  He is still playing hockey and is loving it.  He had his feeding tube removed in the fall and is still maintaining perfectly. He's had the tube in for about 10 years.  He's almost 5' tall now!

And, for a place that just hasn't had a whole lot of snow this year, we got absolutely blasted this past week.  I still hate the snow, but it really is pretty... in pictures.

This was our neighbour's deck... Just looks cold.

And, this is our deck... not much on the deck because it's covered, but down below, there's lots and lots of stupid snow.

On Saturday night, Jim and I went to the candlelight concert in SLC.  It featured the music of Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.  It really was well done. The pianist was exceptional.  She is a student at Utah State in her senior year...  She played the Nat King Cole music beautifully..  When the music starts, all the lights turn off, and only the candlelight illuminates the place.  It was amazing.... and very romantic.

And, we're into the Olympics!!!  And, guess what sport we were particularly interested in??

The Canada/USA Olympic hockey game was played on Sunday... Uhuh... I'm sad Canada lost, but proud of the work and effort the boys put into the game... It was well played. In my opinion, and it really doesn't count for anything... the Canadians played exceptionally well, but the American goalie was amazing...  These crazy people below, got up at 3 in the morning to go to a restaurant to watch the game... I had problems waking up at 9... not a morning person here...  Sidney Crosby was injured in a previous game, but showed the world what a gentleman and true team captain he was by stepping down and letting a healthier player take his place for the Canada/USA game.  Must have been a hard decision, but the right decision.  Go Canada... Still proud of my country.

I live in the USA and I've been here for about 45 years, and I can truly say I appreciate the life that I have here and all that the USA has afforded Jim and I... but.... I still have little maple leafs and maple syrup running through my veins... I just wish the Toronto Maple Leafs would pull their heads out and play a decent game of hockey every once in a while... It's getting embarrassing.

I'm still all excited about rolling a pattern into the ceiling of the bathrooms..  I decided that I want a different pattern in the ceiling of the loft bathroom, and the basement bathroom... And, this is it.  It's actually a flower pattern, but it's a little hard to see just looking at the roller.  

I snagged this picture off the amazon website... but, this is what it looks like... I like it... Actually, I really love it and I think it's going to look amazing.

So, I'm in the grocery store on Saturday and as I was leaving, a lady behind me touched me on the arm and told me that Jesus told her to give something to me... And, she handed me this little Jesus... It's about an inch tall and rubber... Um... I wasn't quite sure what to say, but now I know... Jesus loves me...

And, I saw these garden stones and I want to incorporate them into the patio bricks for the jacuzzi area... Jim is away right now, so you know the saying... "When the cat's away, the mice will play..." Well, this mouse got these two stones and is going to use them... (After I write each blog, I ask Jim to proof-read it for mistakes etc.  He mentioned the "cat's away" line with... "really".  All I could answer was...squeak!"  He has no idea what he's going to come home to.. giggle... But, I really like the garden stones.. Here's the dragonfly...

And, here's the butterfly....

And, this is what they are going to look like on the brick that we have.  They are a little different, but I really like the effect.  The guy I got them from... really quite interesting.  He was telling me the metaphysical qualities of butterflies and dragonflies...  The butterfly represents those who have passed on, and are watching over us.... and, the dragonflies are bestowing fertility on all who are blessed with their grace... Um...  At 68 years old, I don't want fertility coming anywhere near me... just sayin'...  I'll go with the butterflies, but I seriously hesitate with dragonflies...  Giggle... I think I've been attracting some serious nutcases over the past week... Maybe I should just stay in the house for a while.

We've been downsizing... getting ready to move out of the house in Provo, and move into the cabin in Bryce Canyon...  it's going to take a while, but I'm really working on it.  I found all the Blue Mountain pottery that my mum had been collecting over the years.  I don't have her whole collection because you can't ship this stuff very well, but I have quite a few really nice pieces.  So, I'm going to put this in the cabin.  I think it will pair really nicely with the existing decor.  I love this stuff.  The Blue Mountain Pottery business began in Collingwood, Ontario just after WWII and closed it's doors in 2004..  Collingwood is about 75 miles away from where I grew up.  There's lots of imitations, but if you have pieces, they are marked with BMP Canada or a 3 tree symbol on the bottom.... Kinda collectable at this point.  Jim asked me what I wanted done with it after I am no longer, and I don't have a clue.  I just don't want it thrown away or trashed. Here's a little bit of the collection... The rest of it, I packed up ready to drive it down to Bryce.

And, you saw the picture at the beginning of this blog of what the cabin looked like after the crazy snowstorm.  This is what it looks like as of yesterday.  I can only assume that the road coming up the hill is a muddy mess... so, I don't think we are going to be visiting for a while.... sad.  This picture was from 3/1...

And, this picture on 3/6.  It's slowly melting.... I love the security cameras.. can you tell?

With this, this edition has closed... the adventure continues... and, we're happy.  Life is pretty darn good.

Love, Jim and Cheri

“The road to success is always under construction.”

New Post

 Well, it's Olympic time and Utah is in full swing.  I received this picture from my grandson - he and my daughter, Brianne went to the opening ceremonies in Salt Lake City - looks like they had fun!

...kinda cool...  

Side Note: Team Canada men's hockey is in the semi finals after beating Czechia 4 - 3 in overtime.  Let's go Canada!!! (Today, Friday, Team Canada played Finland and won 3 - 2 with 35.2 seconds left in the third!  This means, Team Canada will play either the USA or Slovakia on Sunday for the Gold.  They make us proud!)  Go Team Canada!

My grandson, Ben, had his final tournament of the year this past weekend.... he's the goalie down front.  He had two shut outs, and then lost the final two games.  The team was really disheartened, but, I'm sure they'll come back for next season with a vengeance.  Ben really is a solid goalie and I'm sure his team appreciates his efforts... And, the assistant coach is pretty amazing also.

Jim asked me about what I wanted on the ceilings in the bathrooms... He didn't want the hassle of installing any more tongue and groove wood, and didn't want the same as the kitchen, so I thought we would try out rolling the ceilings.  We've been experimenting with the whole idea and this is what we came up with.. We're both really unfamiliar with this type of application, but we enjoyed trying out different pressures and thickness of mud... this was the last try we had before coming home.  I like it and think it will look amazing in the bathroom.

This was the first try...  we immediately learned a LOT!  As you can see, we are improving!

This is the roller we used.  I did some research and you can put down mud and then roll over it, or you can paint the roller and then paint that design on the ceiling.  I like the first idea.

And, the installation on the ceiling in the great room has continued.  It's really difficult work and at the end of the day, the guys are truly tuckered out.  

Going up and down the scaffolding is intense, so it's always a two man job.

Code tells us that after you put the insulation in, you have to cover it with a sheet of plastic... Which in itself, is difficult working entirely over your head.

And, this is as far as they got after this past weekend.  It's so exciting to see the progress. And, this is why Jim doesn't want to do tongue and groove all over the whole cabin...  The craftsmanship is absolutely exceptional and I couldn't be happier.

We are clearing out the house in Provo, and storage areas, and I found more of my Manhattan depression glass.  Jim groans every time I find more... I love this stuff.

Jim was brave this past weekend, and actually USED one of my drinking glasses....  I had a minor freak, but with looking at his sneaky grin after I said something, he really just wanted to poke the bear...  brat.

My mother in law collected turtles for years and in cleaning out storage this past week, I found two pieces of her collection.  I already have several pieces and I intend of building them into my outside shower.  But, that project is for a later date... too much building still to do before starting on the outside.

When we left the cabin on Monday, we were under an extreme weather advisory.... we were supposed to get a major snowstorm starting at 5 in the afternoon... Our drive back to Provo was absolutely beautiful... BUT, last night, the storm blew in.  This is what came yesterday and more last night.   Duck Creek, that is just up the way from us, got 17 inches of snow overnight...  Sigh... I hate the snow... This is why Canadians go to Florida for the winter.

This is what it looked like the day we arrived... and the picture above is the day after we left....  I'm glad we avoided the storm...

With that, this edition has ended.... the adventure continues...

Love, Jim and Cheri

PS:  I did the most exciting thing today - something that I haven't done for years and years... I kicked the ice block that had formed around the wheel well on my car... It was truly exciting!  Giggle.)

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer".