.... still moving foward.... very slowly...

Well, we haven't been able to do a whole lot of work at the cabin these past couple of weeks... it seems we've been under a winter storm alert, with piles and piles of feet of snow dumped on the mountain... and it makes it a little impossible to drive the truck up the hill... even with four wheel drive...  But, we've been doing other little things that are necessary, so that's good...  

Jim started figuring how many bricks we would need to cover the patio area floor...he calculated and calculated and came up with a number... and, then I reminded him of the pallet load of brick that is still in our backyard and it threw the whole calculation off...  go figure... The bottom line is, we have enough to do the patio and jacuzzi area, and to build the pizza oven.. and then some...  Our trailer is still in  Coalville being filled with one last load also...  The narrative below, is Jim's calculations......

"OK, from the measurements I found that I took of the patio area, without the hot tub area we need 36 layers of bricks.  From this photo I can count at least 39 layers and that’s before we got the bricks from the torn down house.

So, estimating the hot tub area needing maybe 8 layers and the torn down house bricks as being 4 layers and the next load from Coalville being 6 layers I think we have more than enough bricks to cover the whole patio area. 

Mark this phase of the cabin building as completed."

On my travels on Saturday, I found this iron dinner bell. Sounds like a metal triangle thing they have on ranches or a chow wagon...... a little unusual, but I really got a kick out of it.. These are usually in a triangle, but the heart shape was more my style.  Jim told me that we'll put in on the deck, and when I have lunch or dinner ready, I'll have to clang the heart, and he'll come running..  I like that idea.

And, a week ago, we found the cutest store in Orem...(just a couple of miles from our house in Provo...)  I can't quite remember what it's called, but, it's a country type store.. and it has, I swear, the best ice cream ever (BYU Creamery)... We got a treat last week, and went back again last night when we got back from Salt Lake.  Last week, Jim found this little mat, and we thought we would put it by the jacuzzi.  I think it's totally appropriate.  It's about 2 feet wide...

We were in  Costco last weekend, and I saw these sheepskin rugs... I really like them and thought it would be perfect...  As we were picking one out, we had the most inappropriate conversation with a completely anonymous couple... never saw them before in our lives.. younger couple...  They told us what they do with their sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace... told us we should try it...  Um..  seriously.. what's the comeback to this?  After I unstuck my eyelashes, all I could come up with was "If we got down on the floor, on this rug, we've had to call the paramedics to get up standing again..."  It was an educational conversation.... with strangers... Either way, we bought the rug and we're going to enjoy it, no matter what it's purpose is.

It was cold in the house this morning, and when I got up, Jim said that he covered up with the sheepskin and it kept him super warm... I'm encouraged by this update.

We have really amazing neighbours up on the mountain.  They are from Henderson, which is in the Las Vegas area and they are wonderful... (except for the fact that they are Vegas Knights fans.... and, I thought the mountain was Leaf's territory.... hmmmm....) Giggle... They sent us this picture of the mountain a week ago from their security cameras...  As you can see, it's kind of intense..

As always, and even in the snow, the adventure continues...

Love, Jim and Cheri

Day By Day... it's getting closer!

Well, the construction continues with the the siding on the cabin continuing.  This past week, more of the siding has been completed and this is one step closer to having the outside of the cabin protected from the elements in the next 4 months.  The door frame looks amazing, and the siding around it looks fantastic. Jim is discussing the soffit and facia with Howard now.  And, may I just say, Howard does great work!  He's been a blessing.
 

It's starting to look like an actual cabin!  This is a side shot...

..and under the eves at the front of the cabin....

When Jim and I were out running around on Saturday, we found this wood trim.. the price was right so we bought 8 pieces of the smaller trim and 8 pieces of the larger trim. Jim had said that he thought it would look great on the side of the island. I think it's going to look amazing between the wood and the wall in the bedroom downstairs... maybe both... In either case, it's amazing looking. I love it, because it looks like twisted rope, and it's actually wood.

We also bought a couple of newel posts for the stairway going from the great room to the loft.

Jim sent me this picture while he was still in hotel in Panguitch. I had packed a bag with his clothes and toiletries for his trip. When he took out his clothes in the morning, a little friend crawled out. Jim, apparently, did not want the company, and quickly ended their friendship... giggle... I don't know where or when Spiderman decided to take a trip too the cabin, but, his little vacation didn't continue for long... Jim was totally creeped out. Jim wonders how Cheri would have felt finding this in her clothes just before she put them on? (Cheri would have had a heart attack and sent the clothes to the cleaners...)

We have been trying to get Garkane propane to drop off the propane tank on the cement pad that we had poured a couple of weeks ago, and it seems that every time we figured that the delivery was going to be made, it just fell through. So, Jim made a trip over to see them on Monday morning, and apparently, spoke to the right person/people, because on Monday afternoon, the truck showed up, with the tank, and a 2nd truck showed up, and pumped 425 gallons into our brand new tank... that's a whole lot of bbq-ing... Uhuh... I said, BBQ. The guys who delivered the propane, are setting up the tank so that we can hook it up to the BBQ grills... Giggle.

The guy did tell Jim to make sure that he turned off the BBQ grill after each use, because the propane will just run until the 500 gallons is gone...

And, there she is... set on the pad, filled to the brim, and ready to be hooked up to the furnace... and BBQ....and, now I'm thinking... BBQ ribs, BBQ steaks, foil dinners, BBQ country style ribs... you name it...I'm a gonna BBQ it!

Jim met with the furnace installer guy on Monday at noon, and he said he was available to install the furnace/air conditioner and the duct work at the end of December... That's perfect, because this is about the time that it is slower at Jim's work, and he'll be able to oversee the project. This also means that, with heat in the cabin, we'll be able to go during the really cold days, and actually work inside. Not sure without any insulation we could heat it during the nights... ( The last time we stayed over night in the cabin, is was 31 degrees... um, a little too frosty for my taste..)

The island in the kitchen is all installed, and Jim's next project is to install the cooktop and a small sink. And, this is the arrangement I liked the most... I think it fits nicely, and would be very workable.

And, before Jim left to come home, he pulled the skidoos down to the winter storage area. This means, when the roads are too snowy to drive up, we can skidoo up and not have to walk up the hill... which I am totally unable to do. Last year, we didn't get them pulled down to storage until after the first snow.

This was something I bought for Jim as a late birthday/early Christmas present. He really needed a bigger tool box to hold stuff like Skil saws, framing nailers, etc.- I really think that while we are in Provo, the tools are procreating because every time I go back to the cabin, there seems to be more... strange...

So, there's now another home for a little more - than sitting on a table, or in a box...

I guess tools are like teenagers... don't leave them alone because you don't know what mischief they'll get into when they are unattended... Lesson learned.

As this was my birthday week, I have been reflecting on the past... and, it's been a little teary for me..

Every year on my birthday, my mom and I would have a little visit about the day I was born.. In the last couple of years before she passed, I would talk and she would listen, but the story was always the same... My mom passed in March, 2018, so I am now telling this story to you..

On the day I was born, my mother had decided to get ready for my birth, so she decided to haul my two older brother, Barron and Bart, out in the cold, to go grocery shopping. They were living in Port Credit, Ontario, and being that it was December, it was super cold.. She said that she bundled the kids up, aged 6 and 3, and they walked in the cold to the grocery store... She said that her tummy was so big, that her coat didn't cover it all, and when she got to the store, her tummy was super cold... She did the shopping, and then walked with the groceries and the boys back home. When she got home, her labour started, and I was born later that day... She always said that she thought her tummy had frostbite...

When I was born, I had something called erythroblastosis fetalis - that's the Rh factor condition that today can be cured with meds... Here's the part that cracks me up.. The hospital didn't know how to treat the condition, and they wanted me sent to Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto.. So, they put me in a little incubator, and put the incubator in the back of my dad's car, and my dad drove me to Sick Kid's Hospital for blood transfusions... No heat, no oxygen, just a glass incubator, and a blanket.. Can you imagine this happening today? Giggle... (My dad said that after having Bart, and him being so fair and blonde, I didn't look like I fit into the family with an olive complexion and black hair...)

(I remember when Coy was transferred to Primary Children's in Salt Lake, right after he was born... HUGE INCUBATOR, airlifted by Life Flight... flight nurses... pilots, oxygen tanks.... heaters... wouldn't have fit in the back seat of my dad's Nash....)

The rest is history... But, since that cold day in December, so much has happened... I have had the opportunity to live in Canada and the USA, both of which I am so appreciative of. I have a husband who is perfect for me... he is kind, and understanding, makes me laugh, cries with me, and a million other positives in my life. I feel Jim is incredibly intelligent, but truly misunderstood, and if you don't take the time to get to know him, you are missing out on an amazing spirit, generous heart and creative ability... I have two children who have proved to be strong and independent and both have the adventurous spirit of their ancestors. I appreciate Brianne for always striving for more and for better and will put the work into whatever situation to achieve her ambitions. Her husband Lowell is the right man for her. And, my son Brad, is very much like his mother, and has travelled across the country, into the unknown, to follow a dream. Unfortunately, he took the grandkids with him, and I miss them terribly. But, my heart is warmed by little Coy, Brianne's son who is quick with a smile and a hug for this old lady. My life is good, my adventures still keep coming, and I am able to have those adventures with a partner who loves me. Apart from my knees not wanting to have those adventures with me, life is pretty fantastic.

The adventure continues,

Love, Jim and Cheri