The Renovation Saga Continues

It seems longer than just last weekend that we had a fresh new snowfall that was so beautiful I took 30 or 40 pictures..I walked down the road in front of our house and all around the yard, everything was so white and silvery. I sent many pictures off to family and friends...a brother who is an artist said he would like to paint at least five of the pictures I emailed to him.

Today we had rain, snow and sunshine. One minute it was clear, the next a real blizzard. This is a winter that people will be talking about all across Canada I think, with temperatures being so frigid and the amounts of snow many provinces are getting...Ontario, where we come from has been blasted with so much snow that it's hard to see many houses from the road. Snow is piled so high that our neighbour's grandchildren call these snow piles "mountains". Lots of fun for the kids this year playing outside.

We are plugging away at our renovations, often getting help from Jim's brother. Yesterday the drywall went up on the kitchen ceiling and today all the walls were done. Now that tedious mudding job will start again. Our new fridge and stove arrived several weeks ago, all gleaming and shiny, just waiting to be put in their proper place. Our kitchen will be very small once all the cupboards are in so on the bright side, we won't have to order much flooring! I also look at it, the smaller the house, the less cleaning I'll have to do.

I'm an outdoor person for the most part (not so much in the winter) so will be wonderful to get the house cleaning done quickly and get outside for the more enjoyable gardening chores. I'm so looking forward to buying some asparagus plants this year, would like about a dozen. Right now I only have 4 plants that Jim's son bought me, but they did survive their first winter here.

We are making strides inside the house although it still seems to move along slowly at times. Ceiling lights have been hooked up, our bedroom is painted and nearly all the trim is done, closet doors are hung and a door put on between our room and bathroom. We have two rooms left to put drywall up in so we certainly are coming along. There are so many days this all seems like a dream, I wake up thinking all this can't be real, that we are renovating our farmhouse and are living in Prince Edward Island. I might have to pinch myself sometimes.

Another aspect of the renovations that happened this week is our heat pump is getting installed. We will soon have a heat source in every room. It's the smallest unit the supplier has ever installed but my husband sees it taking up more space in the basement than he expected, so our storage down there is shrinking. I think we are going to have to do a "lot" of thinking about what we keep and what goes...although building a new two storey garage would solve a lot..

Several weeks ago on a Wednesday it was so mild, sunny and beautiful my sister-in-law and I went beach combing. Yes, we did wear our winter coats and boots, but had a grand day at the beach finding sea shells and beach glass. With all I've collected over the years I need to be sure and find something I can do with all of it. Just not leave it in glass jars to be looked at and admired.

We are very happy to hear weekly Friday night dances are starting next week at the Hall just 5 mins. down the road from where we live. We love to dance, they will help pass the winter months and perhaps in the summer with the doors and windows open at the Hall we can enjoy the music just sitting in our yard under our beautiful willow tree. Or we might even have a front porch built by then....I'm also enjoying my art class and my rug braiding class. It's been a great way for me to meet new people.

As I look out the window we are in the blizzard stage again and hubby has fallen asleep already after a busy day lifting drywall. Any extra rest he gets, he really deserves. He works so hard on our place but he enjoys it for the most part. A person needs to really live in a place before one can make all the decisions, so I just hope between the two of us when we get our heads together, we think along the same lines. So far, so good...

Winter On The Island

 

This is the first full winter in Prince Edward Island for my husband and I, although we did spend a month here in February 2013. Now that hubby has a permanent job here, we will not be leaving until March for our home back in Muskoka. That trip will be bitter-sweet as we pack up all our belongings and wave good-bye to our family and friends.

I was under the misconception that winters here were not as harsh as they were back home. In Muskoka we often had to shovel off our roof as the snow load was so heavy and deep. In fact we emailed a friend back home this past December. She contacted her brother to shovel our roof just before Christmas. I see by the news that Muskoka is getting bombed over and over with 15 to 20 cm. of snow often twice a week, so we are wondering if this is a winter when the roof might have to be shoveled twice...that would be a record.

Another misconception I had was that the temperatures wouldn't be as cold here as they are back home. Wrong again, it's been just as cold here many days as back home. I will soon have to stop calling Muskoka "back home" as the island is our new "permanent" home, it just that old habits die hard. I lived in Muskoka for over 16 years and hubby has lived there for over thirty years. We have been renovating our farmhouse purchased in 2010 for nearly four full years.

Some of the jobs at the farmhouse are enjoyable, the priming of walls and painting help finish off a room and we feel a great sense of accomplishment once the windows are framed and new floors are set down. But the mudding of walls, the constant sanding, sweeping up dust and looking like a pair of ghosts when we are done, dare I say, is not one of our favorite tasks. But it must be done before the paint goes on.

We get most of our work done on the weekends as Jim works five and a half days a week at his full-time job. I decided to give hubby a break from sanding Sunday, so we traded jobs, he painted upstairs while I sanded. Up and down the ladder I went, taking a break when my neck got sore by sweeping up the dust, sending clouds of it everywhere..I imagine we will be vacuuming up drywall dust for a year after we move in.

I have had some fun too, looking for new furniture, planning the new kitchen cupboards with the help of a professional, ordering our new refrigerator and stove etc. I was able to chose paint colors easily until I came to the living-room. The dining room should be the same color, also the hallway to the upper level which can be seen from the living-room..that is a lot of walls to be painted the "same" color or at least in the same color family. I've become really bogged down, I can eliminate many colors, but zoning in on "perfect" one seems to be escaping me. We may move in with just the primer done at this rate.

This will be our first "new" home built within the confines of an old farmhouse. We replaced the roof, all the windows, new heating system, kitchen, added a downstairs bathroom..There are so many decisions to make, so much to buy, things I didn't even realize. I was thrilled this past weekend to find curtain rods on sale to finish all the windows. If I'd gone looking for specific rods I might not have chosen the ones I just purchased but the price was right..

As we finished our work day yesterday, hubby and I talked of our priorities and what we needed to work towards once the bedroom and living-room are finished. Always good to have a focus as it's easy to get off track when faced with a million jobs at once. How daunting it can all seem at times.

It will be wonderful one day to wake up in our own bedroom in our own home, cook in our own kitchen, relax in our own living-room. Right now we are residing just down the road at our in-laws  home. Spring can't come fast enough although I do somewhat dread the "big move", knowing it's a real stressor..but even tho the house might be a real mess with work staring me in the face in every direction I will talk hubby into going for a walk. Across the fields once all the snow is gone, into the woods to look for wild flowers.  As long as we are in the woods, we can't see the work, out of sight, out of mind at least for a short while. Dreamer that I am...

Reunited and Happy in P.E.I.

It happened at last! After nearly 3 months separation from my husband Jim we are together again in Prince Edward Island. The above picture was taken in Victoria, B.C. during the week hubby's son got married, another very beautiful spot in this large country of Canada.

Jim's brother and wife arrived in Muskoka last week, spent two nights with me, then packed up their truck with a few of my boxes, suitcases and off we went at 6 a.m. to head out East. We stopped one night in Quebec to rest up for the last leg of the journey, about ten more hours driving, landing on the island about 7:30 p.m. It was so wonderful to see Jim again, he had been pacing up and down, wondering when we would arrive. We only unpacked our suitcases and left the rest for the next day.

I should have known Jim would get up early before anyone else and unpack the whole truck. His work ethic is amazing. He will work all day at his day job, beginning before 8 a.m., work until 6 p.m. or later, then have his supper. Once supper is over he drives up to our farmhouse and works on renovations for another 2 hours or more. His boss at work was so nice to give hubby Saturday off as I was arriving. So we had two full days to work on our Renos. It was wonderful to see the two fully finished rooms that Jim had worked so hard on to complete. I was thrilled with the paint colors having picked them out while living in Muskoka and not knowing if my choices were good.

I like to hold paint chips up against the walls to be painted in different light settings. I was especially pleased with the color I'd picked for my office, also in awe at how professional the windows looked all trimmed out. Jim is not a carpenter but his skills are improving all the time so that our house will look splendid when finished. It started out as an old farmhouse needing a complete renovation inside and when we get a bit discouraged with all the work facing us, I name off all the jobs we've already accomplished. That cheers us up.

On arrival here there was no snow to speak of, the grass was green. But today we woke up to a winter white landscape. Jim and I are living with his brother and wife. Life is made up of many changes so I find myself having to wrap my  head around the many differences one finds not living in ones own home. Some "wifely" duties do not change wherever you live, doing laundry, making lunches, cleaning our room and I want to do my share of other housework. My sister-in-law mentioned today that next week we'd have a day of Christmas cookie making. She is an amazing cook so I will have to watch my waist-line and get out for a walk everyday....once I get myself motivated and outside, it will become a habit I won't want to break.

Jim and I enjoyed a walk last Saturday across our fields and out into our woods, walking one trail we made together, then walking a trail Jim made while I wasn't here. It's so quiet in the woods in winter, such a pleasant place to explore. We found our creek running with clear, cold water that often dries up in the hot summer months. I can hardly wait to hang up all the bird houses we will be bringing out in March. Our house back in Muskoka sold quickly so we are moving here to the island with a large moving truck, the end of March. For the last three years our farmhouse here has seemed like our "summer place" which we visited, working nearly every waking hour to restore.

When we pack up all our household belongings in March, hoping they will all fit into the moving truck we will be saying good-bye to many family members and friends from many good years living in Muskoka. We will be waving good-bye to our 3 year old granddaughter, her mother and father, my sister and too many friends to mention. Yes, we are moving 3 provinces away, very large, long provinces that seem to go on forever when I'm tired. A two day drive which in New Brunswick includes a view for many, many miles of the Appalachian mountains. It seems like we are a long way from our loved ones but just imagine the anticipation of driving back along those same seemingly endless roads to see our dear ones at the other end. They will visit us and we will visit them.  I must keep this in my heart and mind, knowing our door will always be open to those who wish to visit us, to share in the joy of our beautiful property as we do in all weathers. Well, maybe not so much during black fly season!!

Rolling Down the Highway Again....

 

I'm counting down the days now until I roll down that highway to be reunited with my husband. It will be 13 weeks since he left Muskoka to start a new job in Prince Edward Island. I know the time has passed much quicker for him than me. He works 8 to 9 hours a day, half a day Saturdays and then spends a few hours each evening plus all day Sunday working on our farmhouse renovations.

I on the other hand have been packing boxes wishing I could jump into the biggest one and ship myself out East! Jim's brother and wife are heading my way via Ottawa where they will spend 3 or 4 days with their son and family. Once in Ottawa they are only about 4 hours away from me. After spending a couple of days here, we will load up their truck with my winter clothes plus any of my boxes they have room for. I am getting very excited to leave here although my friends and family have been fantastic.

Hubby's daughter has carried too many packed boxes to count out to the back shed for storing until March. My son has carried a lot of furniture back to the same shed which is now bulging at the seams. Friends have had me over for meals and taken me on errands. In fact I've eaten out so much I need to get on a treadmill! Thankfully my brother-in-law has one in his heated garage. I'll be using it daily.

I'm nearly finished writing up my Christmas cards..it's easier to think of doing them now that the yard is covered with snow. We don't have enough to shovel yet, unlike my daughter and siblings further south. They got bombarded by snow squalls today. But by the sounds of the weather here this week I won't be getting off scot free either. The temperatures here have been very chilling so I'm glad I'm not putting outside lights up this year. I do miss decorating outside and inside but no one will be here to see it. I couldn't resist  putting a few decorations around inside as my neighbours water my plants and my granddaughter is visiting me right up until I leave..I will miss our play times.

I bought all my husband's gifts but will do the rest of my Christmas shopping on the island. Love doing some last minute gift buying. We purchased our flooring this week for our bedroom there as it can't be sanded and saved like the other two upstairs rooms. My hubby did a fantastic job of  refinishing them. I'm excited to see these same two rooms painted with all the trim work done. He tells me he needs someone for clean up after him and I'll be glad to do it. I've missed him a lot.

This will be our very first Christmas on the island but not our first winter months. We were also out there in February and March of this year so know how hard the wind blows and pushes the snow up against the house in high drifts. I have experienced going out with snowshoes on a bright sunny day, stomping across the fields. Not only has the countdown started for my reunion with my hubby but our final move is just months away in March. This spring I will get to see all the tulip bulbs show off their party dresses that I planted in the fall. We will witness the first birds of spring.  As the birds find a spot to build a nest, I will be hopefully unpacking and feathering our new nest. Unpacking all our boxes, hauling in the furniture, the renovating finally done after close to four years. Newly painted walls, new shiny floors ready for  placing our furniture on and once my favorite chair is in place, I'm sitting down!

The Journey Continues

There are two titles I could have used for this post, the second one being " the moving saga continues"..the above picture was taken last February when driving across the Confederation Bridge..I like to think of it as a stairway to heaven..It is such a gorgeous bridge which takes us to our favorite place, Prince Edward Island. It's a bit of a different story when you leave the island, there is a toll to pay and it seems to increase quite often.

In the not too distant future we will be crossing that bridge with a large moving van with all our earthly possessions. All those possessions that I have been scrambling around packing. It feels like I've packed a hundred boxes with a hundred yet to go. Hubby Jim reminds me to  mark them well which I started out doing. Now all I want to do is see the end of it all, throw it into a box and close the lid! Who cares what's inside! I think I'm whining!

Jim is enjoying his new job on the island and it was 5 weeks last Saturday since he left our home here with a trailer full of boxes. He works steadily night after night at the house accomplishing quite a lot in my mind. The great news is that soon I will be joining him for the winter. His brother and wife who Jim lives with are going to Ottawa in November to visit their son and family. Then they will drive another four hours to visit me..they will load up the back of their truck with as many boxes as possible and take me back to the island with them for the winter. At this point I will list our house for sale. (Did I say I'm getting so excited to see hubby again!)

Our neighbours next door who always look after our house while we are away have volunteered to  keep our laneway clean of snow during the winter.  They take such good care of my plants also. Which is another huge dilemma for me. Our real estate agent wants all the horizontal surfaces cleared off except for perhaps one item..so what happens to my four violets? Violets will not bloom if they are not beside another violet. Two of them are blooming right now, a purple and a deep rose.

I have a huge jade plant beside my Christmas cactus which I imagine will start having white buds soon. It's gorgeous when in full bloom..If I leave the plants where they are, my neighbour does a wonderful job of watering them. I've never lost a plant under her care. If I move them to another girl friend's house they may not survive. When I mentioned her keeping some of them for me, she looked at me with horror.."I kill plants you know!"  So that option is out. Perhaps my step-daughter would take the Christmas cactus and enjoy it for the winter. My granddaughter could water it, she'd enjoy that.

Another problem has been solved. Jim has always done all the painting here which means I haven't painted a room for over twenty years. Another friend volunteered her husband to paint one room for me and he has agreed to do it this week. I am so grateful for all the help I get. My step-daughter comes nearly every weekend and moves boxes out into a shed for me plus started cleaning up her dad's workshop. Another bonus to her helping me is I get to play with my granddaughter for a few hours. I found my granddaughter at almost 3 yrs.old is perfect at packing books in boxes, even helped me carry them upstairs. Then she wants to help tape the box, that is a little more interesting.

It's becoming clearer day by day we have too much STUFF! This move may cure my desire for shopping except for food. The funny thing is my youngest sister is packing, renovating and preparing to move to Prince Edward Island around the same time as us. So we can sympathize with each other over all the hard work and messes this creates. Can't wait until the move is over, the boxes are unpacked and life is back to normal. Whatever normal might be.

Jim and I will be living 3 provinces away from most of our family. We will be just a walk away from his brother and wife. Jim's niece and her family live in Nova Scotia so often take the ferry over to the island. We will be a 2 hour drive away from my youngest sister, but an 18 hour drive away from other family members and friends. Flying is quicker so hopefully relatives and friends will fly into Moncton, NB or Charlottetown to take up residence for awhile in our spare room. There will be many adjustments to make I'm sure but gardening is gardening wherever I'll be. It's my joy and solace even when pulling out weeds. Jim will have his workshop like he has here and every afternoon we'll meet under our beautiful willow tree, share a cold drink and ask: "well, how's your day going so far?"

The Bittersweet Separation

It will be three weeks tomorrow that my husband Jim left for Prince Edward Island without me to start a new job. He is really enjoying living with his brother and wife plus using any extra time he has to work on our retirement home. Since he works full-time five days a week plus Saturday mornings, his free time is limited for house renos. He does manage to work a couple of hours most nights after work or go up early in the mornings. He was able to scrape all the window sills and repaint them.

Once the weather turns colder or there are rainy days, he works inside on the drywall. He thinks he will soon be ready to use primer on several of the upstairs rooms. I sure wish I could be out there  working along beside him. He sends me lots of pictures, some of the gorgeous sunsets seen out our  kitchen window.

So far I am managing on my own. Well I'm not entirely on my own as friends and family have pitched in to do what they can. Girlfriends often take me downtown to find empty boxes for packing and after we take care of all our numerous errands we find a nice place for lunch. My daughter calls encouraging me when I most need it and my son came last weekend with a friend. We moved all the packed boxes out into a back shed, plus many smaller pieces of furniture. They brought the couch from downstairs up and put it out at the road for free..A young man came along Sunday and got himself a great bargain, it's the best couch for having a nap on..My husband said he would miss it.

The big quandary is still when to list the house. It would be early spring before my husband could get time to drive up to rent a moving truck for the big exodus. Jim's son called me Monday to tell me he would be willing to fly in from British Columbia to help us move..also my brother-in-law just around the corner has offered to help..I'm keeping my fingers crossed the house will sell quickly.

I've had help with the lawn cutting, wish it would stop growing! We've just enjoyed a week with temperatures in the mid twenties, so the grass is going to need cutting at least once more. I've been weeding, trimming perennials, closing up the vegetable garden and collecting so many large leaf bags of yard waste. It is so fortunate that my neighbour takes his grass clippings to the town dump and takes all my garden waste too..his wife is good to bring me boxes for packing every week.

The daytime hours pass very quickly, I often forget to eat or drink, then wonder why I'm so thirsty! When my son was here he made sure I kept drinking water. I'm not used to cooking for one person, so lunch is never an issue but try harder to take a break and have some supper. Now the house is mostly decluttered and it's looking ready for showing, I've started to calm down (somewhat)..

I'm going out for supper tonight with a friend, another girlfriend is coming up Saturday to spend the night so we can take a cruise on a steamship Sunday. It's a great way to view the fall colors which are so beautiful now. We are supposed to get a lot of rain on Saturday and even more on Sunday which might bring down a lot of the leaves. Whatever happens, it will be a relaxing day.

After each job that gets done here, I see six more that need doing but as long as the weather holds I will keep plugging away. The inside of the house had to be my priority but since it's looking good, I can now concentrate more on the back yard. One of these days I have to tackle hubbies workshop, now that will be a new experience. It's not a place I went into often.

It came to mind last night that we will be able to enjoy our property three years earlier.  I realized one day I will look back on all these challenges I face here with a big smile. I survived it all, probably grew stronger as a person and it will feel like a dream..today I almost forgot it was Friday so must get the garbage and blue boxes out to the curb. My day dreams were over for the day!
There is a good chance I'll be joining hubby for the winter so looking forward to that. It can't come soon enough. Well off to pack some more boxes and maybe my suitcase too!

Surprises, Excitement and Uncertainty..

This photo was taken the second week of September this year. My hubby and I spent 6 weeks in Prince Edward Island renovating the inside of our farmhouse..nearly all the electrical got done and there is very little drywall left to do..hubby works so hard, he had no problem getting to sleep.

Before we left for home we had time to give the front of my garden shed one coat of white stain and I painted the doors and windows red. Since the little building has two doors, I'm contemplating using the left end of building for gardening tools etc., adding a wall and making sleeping quarters on the other end..it would take a lot of thought how best to accomplish this as the building has to be lifted to put a new foundation down..

I got the idea because my brother who is an artist can see himself staying in there.. this summer we dug in hydro wire close to the big barn, so one day the little shed will have electricity..there are great little chemical toilets now, plus we have installed hot and cold water taps outside on the back of the house..once we close in 3 sides around the taps, privacy is assured...

The surprise in my post comes from arriving home on a Wednesday and hubby getting a phone call on Friday that he has a job on the island...so I must quickly pack up all his clothes again, making sure he has his winter clothes and boots. He decides to leave Saturday morning so the rush was on. We are both excited tinged with a bittersweet feeling. I will now be living here alone, packing up our belongings, then calling a real estate agent to sell out house. Is October a good month to list or should we wait until the spring, another big decision.

That's where the uncertainty comes in, how I'll manage all the work here myself,  when to list, what might need changing or fixing etc. My husband always cut the lawn here, so one of my firsts this week was cutting our lawn..another first putting the Blue Boxes and garbage out Friday morning. It didn't take long to realize all the little and big things that were done for me week after week. Perhaps I was spoiled! The gardens, flower and vegetable used to be my domain but hubby even started participating more in the vegetable garden. He always did all the heavy lifting too.

I've started packing a lot of boxes, taking the ones I can manage outside and stacking them on top of a shelf in our carport while on a step ladder....so far I'm able to take out quite a few smaller boxes, but many are too heavy to lift..Thankfully my brother-in-law lives about a block away and is doing what he can to help. He takes me on errands and drops bags off for me at the Salvation Army store. I do not drive..this never really bothered me until now. But I can walk to stores near here and also downtown, been doing it for years..many friends have stepped up, offering their help which I really appreciate.

I've never stayed alone for more than two or three days at a time so more uncertainty as to how I will handle perhaps months of being on my own. Especially during the winter months. Another test. I realize "one day at a time" has to be my motto..Lots of people are alone and manage very well, so I'll be learning how to do new things and if I don't know how to do something will ask the neighbours..the neighbours on both sides of me are terrific, in fact the one couple look after out house when we are on the island.

Every night after dear hubby gets off  work at his new job, he goes right to the farmhouse to work. He is getting all the window sills painted and said they look great. He sends me beautiful pictures of the sunsets or sunrise. We are only an email or phone call away. We had a five year plan to move out there permanently and now it will happen two years earlier. That is so exciting, a great Birthday, Anniversary and Christmas present all rolled into one! My youngest sister is moving out to the island next year also, we are both thrilled to be seeing our dreams coming true.

On our property is a beautiful, amazing willow tree. That is where we relax for a cold drink or our lunch. Sometimes we just sit there and view our lovely property. There I feel so relaxed and calm. I have to be patient now, not knowing for sure what month the big move will take place.  The future holds much promise, spending our retirement together, just down the road from my hubby's brother and wife, also having a sister at the other end of the island....that's priceless.