A Soggy Labour Day weekend 2011

Renee and I can't seem to catch a break with the weather. This was our second straight year with overcast and rain every day except the day we arrived, so we weren't really able to enjoy the finer things about Keywaybeek. However, we were able to confirm that our dog really likes to swim, even though she never quite figured out how to jump off a ledge. She would wade in on the side where the boat docks and then chase after tennis balls or rocks, anything that would make a splash in the water. We cut the trip short after waking up on Monday and realizing that the weather gods were not going to give us a good last day.

I think I can safely say Renee and I won't be making Keywaybeek an annual trip for a while, since we'll be moving to Seattle at the end of September. Hopefully we can still make it a part of our travel once every two or three years.

Enough about us, on to the cottage. The jukebox worked without fail, Carol was quite impressed with it. I didn't bring the correct cables to add any music to it, so the library was left unchanged by us.

Given the weather, we weren't able to do anything outside in regards to some of the painting mentioned in the cottage notes, nor were we able to contribute to the wood pile, as neither Renee nor I felt comfortable picking out trees and taking them down with a chainsaw.

Tony had removed the boat from the water the week before we arrived due to a tornado warning in the area, he was concerned that the saf-t-mate would take on an excessive amount of water and sink. He also mentioned that he really had no idea what the schedule of anyone was as far as the cottage being in use, so maybe we can find a way to keep him in the loop about plans. Not sure if he owns a computer or has an e-mail address, or would have any idea what a blog is, but he was such a fury of motion that I didn't have the chance to ask.

That's about it for us.  Sorry we couldn't contribute this year to any improvements or assistance with the cottage. Wood chopping used to be our exclusive domain, and we wouldn't leave without the wood pile stacked to the brim, but we couldn't even contribute that this year.

Jim's 2011 Cottage Notes

D'oh!  I almost forgot about these.  Here's the stuff I wrote in the Cottage Notes binder.  (I left out the blah-blah-blah about the weather.):


JUKEBOX:

See separate instructions.  The above is from testing the jukebox in my back yard, using my iPod as a source. We've got about 68 days worth of music at our disposal.  Let's keep it covered up with a flag or a towel when no one is here, so anyone sizing the place up for a break-in doesn't see the ten year old computer.

BIFFY:

There's a new magazine rack made from the "floater" chair that fell apart last year.  There's also a TP roll holder for open packs hanging from the ceiling.  It's made from an old busted ax handle, and will hold up to five rolls.  There's also a TP bag holder made from a coat hanger.  It's kind of half-assed, but it works if the bag is put in there right.

TRASH:

The raccoon-resistant trash can stand has been beefed up with some electrical wire I found in Sundridge.  A week's worth of chicken bones went unmolested.

KITCHEN:

The pump stopped working on Saturday 8/13.  The bolt from the handle to the plunger somehow became unscrewed inside the pump head.  It took about 2 1/2 hours of futzing, reassembling and priming, but I got it working.  I changed the handle angle a bit so it doesn't dominate the right side of the counter so much.  I think the trick to keeping it working is to go slow and don't go all the way down with each pump stroke.  Toni says it's due for some new rubber and leather parts one of these years.  Having seen the inside of the pump head, I can understand the need to boil all the water that comes out of it.  Yuck.

Dad's got some old white formica-topped counters out in his garage (see the picture in the previous post).  I've taken some measurements and will see if they can be used here.  (They can)  I'm sure I'm not the only non-fan of white surfaces, but if it works, it's free materials.

If the shelves on the fridge side of the kitchen get updated, how about fitting the microwave in there somewhere?

MISC:

A bolt fell out of the stand-fan, which caused the top part to flop around and make an odd noise when oscillating.  I put it back in, but if the top comes loose again, look for a bolt on the floor about 1 1/2 inches long.  It would be easy to replace the living room light with a ceiling fan and move the current head-banger into one of the bedrooms.

There's a new battery tester hanging from the lantern over the fridge.  Very high-tech.  The nub on the battery contacts the flashlight bulb.

The little floppy table next to the recliner has had a piece of driftwood added to make it a little more usable.

There's a salvaged piece of plastic over the gutter (and under the shingles) above the front door to keep the rain from running behind the gutter.  It works pretty well.  We had enough rain for extensive testing.  All I could find for adhesive was some window caulk, so it may not make it through the winter.  (Nails at the roof edge are a bad idea.)  If there's a black piece of plastic about three feet long on the ground out there in 2012, that's where it will have come from.  Don't toss it.

Speaking of tossing, what happened to the leftover bricks from the chimney?  I was hoping to build a brick & rock barbecue eventually.  How about instead of tossing all the kitchen extras, we put the semi-useful but redundant stuff up in the attic?  Wooden spoons break, and who knows how long that coffee maker has left?

I went with something a little different for this year's CD.  It's in the little green lamp along with the previous ones.  It looks like we're down to one chipmunk and a tail-less red squirrel, so the peanuts aren't disappearing as quickly this year.

-¥eem