Thankful....

As we are coming into the Thanksgiving week, our social media has been flooded with positivity and friends and family professing what they are thankful for.  In reading some of these posts, I came across one that seemed to echo what is in my heart, and I would like to share....  I am not going to alter or put my own feelings in here because it has been so beautifully written...  So,  Susan Fuller - I thank you for your thoughts...

"I am so grateful for where I live. I frequently wonder why I am so blessed to have been born in Canada, a land for me that has provided so many freedoms and opportunities.

I am grateful for our home and the building of it. During the building process I increased my ability to change my attitude despite my slow changing environment. I gained the ability to be grateful for each improvement in our home, like being grateful for stairs from the basement to upstairs or a kitchen sink with running water. I'm grateful for having built this home with my husband, the process resulted in more than a building! "

We aren't quite at the running water stage of our building adventure, but I do find I get impatient with how long things take, and I get a little snarky at times... I am thankful I have a husband who is patient with me... I am thankful I am Canadian - I really love being Canadian, BUT, the United States has provided Jim and I with opportunities above and beyond. We are thankful.

It was a super busy weekend... we weren't expecting to be able to get to the cabin at this time of the year because of snow, BUT, the weather has been so mild thus far, we were able to go and work.

The first BIG project was to get the last load of retaining wall blocks from SLC and put on the property. The guy that we bought them from has been super accommodating and we promised we would get all the block off this property by fall, so this was the last hurrah for that. The block are super heavy and being that Jim and I both had surgery recently, we were unable to do the needed work. So, Brianne and Lowell, and their friend Miranda came for the day, and moved the block off the 18 wheeler. I can't express how much we appreciate their willingness to help and their hard work.

While all this activity was going on, Jim supervised with his aching knee...

Coy and his little friend amused themselves as only two little boys on the top of a mountain can. What an amazing playground. Their favourite place was the septic system trench that goes from the house over to the hole where the septic tank is going in... What is funny, is earlier in the day, Coy was standing on top of a pile of gravel that is going to go underneath the septic tank. As he is standing there he asks, "Nana, what is this stuff?" I told him that is was pea gravel and he had this horrified look on his face thinking that I said, "pee gravel" instead of "pea gravel"... and, he imagined that people were peeing in this gravel... I set him straight and he calmed down a little. BUT, I guess it's ok to play in the septic tank trench... they didn't have a clue where they were playing, which made it even funnier...

It was after the boys left that we realized that some of the tools we were working with, were in different places.  For example, the shovel was by the fire pit, but the funniest yet, was the hammer.  I don't know what they were doing with a hammer, but it ended up in an interesting place.  Maybe they though they were Scottish and we in a hammer throw.. don't know.  The whole thing made me giggle...  I don't know about Jim, but I thought it was hysterical...

We are still working on getting the septic tank in - and, still have to dig out a whole lot in the trench and the 13 foot deep hole.  Jim started working on it on Sunday.  The ground was a little disturbed from little boys running back and forth, but he got it dug out and started levelling the pipe... The pipe going from the house was going uphill, instead of downhill, so it had to be fixed.

We are feeling like we are not going to be able to go up to the cabin with the truck much longer, so, we decided to be proactive and pull the skidoos down into a storage area.  We missed the deadline last year, and it kept us from working during the wintertime... This year, hopefully, we'll have a few more weekends to go work, and when the snow comes, we'll skidoo up.  

As we were leaving, the bulls were out in force to say goodbye.  This one particular cow was originally in the middle of the road.  Jim rolled down his windows and moo'd at him, and he quickly ran away.  I told Jim that I figured the bovine was thinking something along the lines of, "What language is this guy speaking?"  I just sat in the passenger seat, watching and listening to my husband moo... was hysterical.  Jim said he must have been saying "get out of the way, but he didn't know it".

And, I'm still collecting things for the kitchens.. We have two kitchens, so I have to be prepared. A couple of weeks ago, I found these beauties.. I was originally thinking they would be great to put M&M's in, or some kind of treats for the grandkids. BUT, Jim tells me, they would be great for breakfast cereal. It would keep mice out if we have visitors. I concur.

And, last but not least, I found a killer deal on towels yesterday. We have three bathrooms at the cabin and one jacuzzi, so I figure we are going to need lots of towels. So, I bought 40. Yes, 40. Get over it! When you come to the cabin, and step out of the shower or the jacuzzi, you won't be lacking for towels.. Giggle. And they were a killer deal!

So, that's our activity this past weekend. We'll be going back the day after Thanksgiving this week and staying until Sunday, and hope we can get that septic hole dug out. The ground is rock hard so we are going to have to take a pick axe and a shovel to dig. Gonna be interesting. Jim keeps telling me that it's the journey not the destination, but this part of the journey is kinda rocky, not my favourite. I hope the weather holds and we'll be able to get a little more done.

Until then, the adventure continues.

Love, Jim and Cheri