2017 Cottage Notes

Hi Everybody-

Dad and I got there 8/22.  Toronto traffic seems just as bad as L.A., if not worse.  (In L.A., major construction on the freeways is always done at night.  Duh.)  The cottage driveway was a muddy mess and there were puddles all over where I've never seen them before.  It rained a little more the next few days and then stopped.  After that it never got completely cloudless or hot.  Three or four nights were down into the 40's F.

Here's how high the lake was relative to the ladder & swim rock:

Toni and Ray used Toni's trailer and some plastic trash cans to get two loads of free sand out by the 11 to subdue the mud in the driveway.  It worked really well.

Steve got in on the 27th, and left on the 30th.  He brought white Vermont cheddar -- some with bacon, some with habeñero peppers.  I made some habeñero cheddar cornbread in the toaster-oven that I'll have to try to replicate at home, but without the fancy Vermont cheese.  (I grow habeñeros, sometimes successfully.)

It was too wet and cold to consider a camping excursion, so we hung around and did cottage stuff mostly.  Dad and I left on the 30th.  There are no unusual critter sightings or injuries to report. If there were loons on the lake, they weren't very vocal.

Here's what got done this year:

1. CEILING FAN

The brackets and blades I brought up fit the ceiling fan perfectly.  It turned out they're about the same length as the old blades, so it's still possible to get whacked going up and down the ladder.

They seem to blend in better with all the wood up there than the white ones did.  I also fixed the wobble by sacrificing two clothes pins to use as four wedges between the fan's motor and the board it hangs from.  FYI:  The clothespin halves may wiggle loose eventually and end up on the floor or the dish hutch.

The old white brackets were bent back to a correct-ish angle and put away in one of the attic boxes along with the blades -- in case the "new" ones get bent.

2.  MIDDLE BEDROOM PLUG AND LIGHT

Instead of getting a light fixture with a pull-chain, I got one like the other BRs have, and ran power from a plug in the KBR to a new outlet under the recent shelf in the MBR, and then to a switch that controls the light.

Like the lights in the other BRs, this one's a plug-in.  The shelf I put in there last year is now another good place to charge electronic gizmos since the plug is nearby.

All the stuff I bought for the cottage this year was for this project.  The light fixture, wire, chain & electrical stuff were $49.72 US.  The metal backside of the old KBR plug that I ran the power from may get a custom wood cover next year.  Steve scraped his foot on it one night.  The cover would also hide some of the new wire.

3. BOOKSHELVES

There are two new bookshelves in the living room, in the existing bookshelf area, with plenty of room for donations.  There's also a small new shelf in the corner, to the left of the mirror.  The one on the bottom right is deeper than the rest of the shelves (about 8"), to hold the big books that tend to fall out of the other shelves.  It sticks out a little, but with the table always there, it's unlikely to be a shin-barking hazard.

The other new bookshelf is under the gizmo-charging shelf.  It's a good fit for paperbacks and small hardcovers.  I put some of the Legal/Thriller/Drama overflow from the CQ door frame there.

The corner shelf is a little deeper than the top of the mirror, and about 11 inches wide.  The old trophy is less likely to tip off of it than where it was on the mirror.  (I forgot to take a picture of it.)

4. BACK PORCH SHELF 

The mostly triangular shelf on the back porch was upgraded.  Toni donated the plywood.  The blocks that hold it onto the rails are from the boxes of window frame leftovers in the woodshed & biffy.  There are 5 or 6 different kinds of screws holding it together, so the "medium screws" drawer in the sorter may need replenishing.  It's way more stable than the old shelf, and just as detachable.

White probably isn't the best choice for a paint colour, but that's all that was around.  Every bit of tree debris that falls on it stands out until it gets wiped or blown off.  If anybody wants to paint it a darker colour, go for it (oil-based exterior paint only).  I can do it next year if paint is provided or budgeted.  Staining & varnishing the plywood wouldn't have worked.  It had more water stains and old pencil marks than I could've possibly sanded out of the wood by hand.

5. CLOTHES HANGING ROD

A new clothes-hanging rod was put in the corner of the CQ to replace the saggy wood version.

It's an old aluminum shower curtain rod cut to fit the corner, and held up by 2 fat screws.  It's about 4 inches higher than the old one, which makes the space on the table below a little more accessible when suitcases are on it.  My "new" bathrobe and old jacket share a hanger next to the old white rocking chair, which might be useful again now that the deck has been built.  (Should we strip the paint off the rocker & spiff it up?)  (Has anyone used the ironing board this century?)

What's left of the old shower curtain rod would fit between some of the studs around the outside walls.  It's not strong enough for a grab-bar, but could be used as a place to keep towels and pants handy if it's in a bedroom.  It could also stylishly hold a spill-towel at the ready if used in the living room.  Preferences?

6. LARGE CHARCOAL/WOOD BBQ

The BBQ next to the flammables shed has been fixed.

I used the wire from a political sign that someone poked into my yard last fall to replace the rusted out wire that supported the upper shelf inside the BBQ.  It was bent to replicate the old wire that's laying across the top level in the picture.  It'll work better than the rock I've used in the past.

MISCELLANEOUS:

The ladder needs a new rope.  The current one is fraying and prone to tangling and twisting.  Does anybody know how long it is?  How about a slightly longer rope with a small end weight?  When the ladder's down, the rope retreats all the way up to the wall pulley, which I can't reach without a chair or a fork.  A small weight on the end of the rope would keep it within reach when the ladder's down.

Most of the wire for the shed light along the top of the walls in the CQ  has been covered with stained strips of old wood from the biffy collection.  I never heard back about the little pirate flag to cover the part where the wire goes through the wall, so I didn't buy it.

I tried to replace the busted vacuum cleaner belt and struck out.  It's a Bissell 1520C vacuum.  The part number for the belt is #1604895.  The belts they sell at Home Hardware don't fit.  Walmart down in Huntsville may have them, but it wasn't worth the drive.

The "Do Not Lift This Box" label on the wood box behind the jukebox computer ain't kiddin'.  Lesson learned?  I didn't update the music library this year.  We'll just have to get by with what's already on it.  The date on the jukebox was still in 1969 when I got there (see previous post).  Did anybody try to use it?

I rolled up the red & black screen tent and stored it under the porch bed.  It seemed to function more as a bug concentrator -- enough that big spider webs were well established in all 4 corners of the roof.  I bet it would work better on level ground with no gaps at the bottom of the tent.

Steve brought some unused 3 tab shingles he wanted to get out of his garage.  They're on the floor of the biffy shed.  (It may have changed the level of the weed whacker storage.)  He also brought a partial roll of tar paper to go under them.  The short section of the wood shed looks like it may need new shingles in the near future.  The flammables shed could maybe use some too.

Steve used a scanner he brought to digitize most of the photos in the cottage.  He's currently cleaning them up on his computer, and will put them somewhere on the internet or a cloud or whatever when he's done.  I'll put a link on here when it's finished, and let everybody know.

I wrote down a tool wish list as I was working on things this year, but I can't find it.  A not-so-pointy phillips head screwdriver and big channel lock pliers were on it, I'm sure.

I'm not the person to ask about the deck project.  I've got a picture of Toni's plans and that's about it.  If it gets built, let's save the current front porch (or most of it), and move it next to the back porch.  The back porch clutter (water jugs, coolers, dirty or wet shoes) can sit on the old front porch.  It wouldn't block the path to the rock.  I already measured for, and shared, this idea with Toni.

Oops.  I just heard from Carrol that the deck has been built.  She even sent a picture:

Anyway, let's save the old front porch.  I'm waiting to hear back from Carrol about where it's stored and how much of it is left.  I've got a use for it next year.  It's up there in the crossed out part I don't feel like typing again.

Here's this year's pix of my new flags:

It's Yugoslavia, Tennessee, Texas and a 48-star US flag.  The pink & white cottage Canada flag has earned a retirement.  It's beyond fixing without a sewing machine, and it tangles on the bark of the flagpole.  Maybe it could be strategically folded to cover the shed light wire in the CQ.  Want me to look for a new one on eBay?

That's about it.  Questions, comments, objections and obfuscations can all go to the usual places.

-¥eem

2016 Cottage Notes & 2017 Project Ideas

2016 COTTAGE NOTES:

I put off writing my 2016 Cottage Notes (and eventually forgot) because I got de-motivated by the disappearance of a few items I left up there to use every year. They weren't important, but replacing them from LA won't be easy.  Anyway, here's what got done last year:

1. Porch Box Cleanout and Cap:  While BBQing 7 or 8 years ago, I noticed that a squirrel was carrying nest materials to the area behind the green boards over the back porch, where the hydro meter is.  That's why there was firewood up on top of the boards for years - to keep critters out.  Here's how it looked when the bottom board came off, thanks to the new squaredrive screwdrivers:

The mess was cleaned out, and a new cap for the top of the space behind the boards was made and installed.  (The cap could use a touch-up where the hammer hit it, by the next person to use white paint.)

2. Sanding & Staining the Porches:  With Toni's borrowed belt sander, I got the front porch and part of the back porch ready for refinishing.  All the horizontal surfaces of the front porch were done, along with the steps and handrails of the back porch.  Dad stained the front porch, I did the back porch.  The pictures are from before staining.  They probably wouldn't suffer from another coat of if one felt inclined...

The sawhorse also got new stain last year.

3. Bulletin Board De-Uglification:  The old chunk of styrofoam got replaced with two corkboards.  It looks quite a bit better.  All the dump info is in the folder at the bottom left.  The white paper next to the fire extinguisher is a consolidated phone number list, with email addresses on the back.  Don't hesitate to add to it.  The open area at the top would be a good spot for some braggy fish photos.

4. Middle Bedroom Shelf and Hooks:  There's a new shelf in the mid BR along the wall shared with the kitchen BR.  Toni's belt sander came in handy for this project too.  It's not perfectly straight or level because the boards that support it aren't either.  Close enough.  There's also some fancy new double hooks along that wall.  The old wire hooks were moved to the wall that's behind the door when it's open.

5. Main Shed Light:  The power was run from one of the plugs in the CQ.  Don't pull too hard on the on/off string.  It's kind of a Rube Goldberg configuration to make it easy to find in the dark.  The lighting is better than it looks in the picture.  I put the fixture up in the corner so that the bulb is less likely to get broken.


6. Kitchen Appliances:  The old chrome tea kettle and the elder toaster have been fixed.  There was a Melita brand tea kettle that wasn't fixable because of a cheapo auto-shutoff sensor that went berserk.  It would only turn on for about 15 seconds at a time, then shut off.

This is the third time I've fixed the plug on the chrome teakettle.  It'll help in the future if the orange plug gets pulled when unplugging it, not the cord. Also, try not let a wet wire hang straight down after using it.  Water will run down the cord, get into the plug, and oxidize the connection between the wire and the plug.

The toaster needed a little tweeking.  The electrical contacts that turn on the heat when the toast goes down just needed to be bent a little.  The left two (of four) slots don't always stay down on the first push.  Keep trying, gently.  We left the new toaster that Dunc & Elaine bought on a shelf over the fridge.

7. Living Room Radio:  I used the new can of contact cleaner to get the parts behind the knobs working smoothly.  It doesn't make crackly noises when adjusting the tuning or volume anymore.  If there's improvement in the radio's ability to tune in weak stations, it's marginal.  It was made in China in 1988, so it was probably never all that precise.  It turns out I have the same brand of radio/cassette thing, made in 1989.  The wood box looks different, but the guts are the same.

The cassette player still works.  I intercepted an Anne Murray tape Dad was about to toss, and left it next to the radio just in case anybody's into that ilk of music.

8. Board Games:  I thought it would be nice to get the board games out of the orange hutch and use some of the new space under the middle BR bed, freeing up the hutch to hold some of the front porch clutter.  I heard later about a note I never saw about keeping a specific game or two, or something.  None of them were tossed.  If they're back in the hutch, that's cool.  Please save the banana box they were in.  I can use it for something else.

Here's the easiest way to take the bridge up (or put it in) while keeping one's feet dry:

Note the rags in the rock notch, and the way the rope is attached.  The initial pull up from horizontal is the hard part.  Don't try this in the rain or wearing flip-flops.  You'll need good footing.  (I narrated as I was shooting this, but it didn't record.  My new camera is pretty complicated.)  If the video won't play, click here.

Here's last year's obligatory flag pictures:

North Korea & Cuba.  Not great countries, but good lookin' flags.

Liberia.

Turkey Time.  The breasts were cooked separately.  I may take a shot at fixing the grates on that old BBQ this year.  It needs a sturdy new wire to support the upper rack.  That's a rock holding it up on the right side of the bottom picture.

Mobile Discussion Group - Topic: "Those Damn Kids"   

Clean-Out-the-Fridge Night @ Keywaybeek

Heading Across the Mackinac Bridge

The weather was pretty normal.  It rained a few times and didn't get too hot, cold or windy.  No unusual critters were spotted, but it sounded like there were more loons on the lake than in previous years.  With all the projects, I didn't get any fishing accomplished, but I did leave a small red and white cooler in the biffy shed for use out on the lake.

2017 PROJECTS:

I'm officially low on ideas for new improvements.  Except for an overhead light in the middle bedroom, the cottage seems to be wired about as much as it needs.  I originally brought about 110 feet of the white 14 gauge AC wire 4 or 5 years ago.  It's down to 5 feet or so.  I can bring more as needed, since I bought way too much of it for a home project about 15 years ago.

The wiring for an overhead MBR light could get ugly if it needs a switch by the door, because the nearest plug in the room is on a perpendicular wall.  Wires would need to run over the door, and then up to the light.  If I get a light with a hanging pull-chain (and not put in a wall switch) the wiring can be simpler and all run along the same wall.

The other main idea for this summer is to build a free-standing thing next to the back porch, near the chimney, but not attached to the cottage or porch.  A rack or shelf would be the best way to describe it.  Most of it would be to get the water jugs off of the back porch.  It would have some extra room to store big coolers and other stuff that can get rained on, but would stay cleaner up off the ground.  It could also include some cubbyholes for temporary storage of lifejackets, frequently used boat items and further outdoor whatnot.  I don't have a particular design or material in mind, so suggestions are welcome.

I ran out of time last summer to cover up the wiring for the main shed light on the CQ side of the wall.  The wire up by the ceiling can be covered by staining and nailing in existing wood scraps from the biffy shed.  The area between the studs where it goes through the wall into the main shed needs something about 12-14" across to cover the wire.  Given that it's the Captain's Quarters, here's a 12"x18" $5 possibility I saw on eBay: 

Yarrrrrgh!  Get yer ass outta bed, Matey!

The overhead fan's blades look like they're crooked, which makes the fan wobble.  It's not the blades themselves, but the brackets that connect the blades to the motor that are bent.  I found a set of 5 possibly shorter blades (with brackets) in my "barn" that may fit the existing motor.  If I take them apart, they should fit in my bags OK.  They aren't heavy at all.  Shorter blades would make it less likely for us get whacked while going up and down the ladder, which is probably what bent the brackets in the first place.  It's happened to me 4 or 5 times.  D'oh!  If they don't fit, I'll try to bend the old ones back into alignment.

The old clothes hanging rod in the CQ might get an update.  Dad said he saved something for this purpose that presumably won't droop as much as the current one.  I won't know if it will work until I get a look at it.

I've got a new movement for the kitchen clock.  They're almost giving them away on eBay.

If it hasn't been done already, there should be an extra copy of the shed lock key somewhere at the cottage, just in case.  A First Aid kit upgrade wouldn't be a bad idea either. 

Speaking of bad ideas, I heard about a pulley system to get the new chair up to the attic.  I checked it out, and it doesn't seem like there's any place to anchor it that wouldn't break the board that it's attached to, or rip the screws out of the old wood.  Toni agrees.  That chair is just too heavy to lift as dead weight.  Even if it gets built, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it.  My only preference in the chair vs. couch debate is to not have to move furniture every year.

Regarding project suggestions, please keep in mind that I'm gradually joining the "Old & Creaky Club".  I replaced about 70 feet of a wood fence along my backyard this spring.  My knees objected loudly and often, but it was my back that had the final say as to when it was quitting time each day.  Hauling and mixing concrete for the posts was the worst part.  The fence came out looking great, but I was still sore for about a week after it was done.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Dad was surprised last year when his cell phone didn't work once we got into Canada.  It turns out that the Canadian phone companies stopped using certain frequencies in May 2016.  I got him an old Motorola flip phone for his birthday, which should work up there once there's a SIM card in it.  Not having a cell phone myself, researching which phone to get was a confusing alphabet soup of acronyms and techno-jargon.  A "GSM Quad-Band Worldwide Device" is what to look for, apparently.  Here's an article that can 'splain it better than I can, or want to:  Mobile Phones in Canada.

The first person to use the jukebox computer every year may have difficulties with the mouse, or general weird behaviour (by the computer, not the user).  The problem is that the computer's battery, although it still works, can't keep enough juice flowing over the winter to preserve the settings.  All that has to be reset is the date.

To do that, click on the blue apple in the upper left of the screen, then select "System Preferences" from the menu.  Use the trackpad if the mouse isn't working.  A new window will appear.  Click on "Date & Time".  The window will change to the date and time options.  Set it for anything 2003 or after.  Time doesn't matter.  The laptop was made in 2001 or 2002.  I have no idea why, but it reverts to 1969 or 1970 when the power dies, which causes the odd behaviour.

I may have a 1000+ tune update for the jukebox.  Any Oingo Boingo, Mark Knopfler or Bob Dylan fans?  It depends on whether I can fix a hard drive that broke down.  I bought what I think is the right part to fix it, but haven't yet mustered up the gumption to do the itty-bitty soldering required.

The Tigers are mostly terrible now, and it's not easy to care.  Here's something I wrote a while back about José Valverde, adapted for a recent Tiger closer who's just as awful.  (It's meant to be read in a deep voice as one of the old Direct TV ads that took logical progressions of events to illogical extremes.):

When you watch F-Rod Pitch, you yell at your TV.

When you yell at your TV, the neighbors think you're crazy.

When neighbors think you're crazy, their kids don't come by on Halloween.

When kids don't show for Halloween, there's a lot of leftover candy.

When there's leftover candy, you end up with a big fat butt.

Don't get a big fat butt.

Don't watch F-Rod pitch.

Here's Herb & Dorothy's marriage license from 1932: 

It was an Ancestry.com freebie, sort of.  I'm still paying the price in email spam.

Dad and I haven't nailed down any dates yet.  Steve might come this year I hear, which might mean we'd move our stay toward the middle of August.

That's about it.  Any questions, comments, suggestions or obfuscations can go in the comments below or to my email.  Or you could call, keeping in mind my summer vampire hours are usually in effect. ¥éémøütwé$t@¥åhøø,çøm or ßlß-4Øl-47lß.

-¥eem