Time Flies . . .

"The satisfaction to be derived from success in a great constructive enterprise is one of the most massive that life has to offer."  

- Bertrand Russell

The past few weeks have gone by quickly with every day jammed with activity towards prepping and keeping up with the drywall boys.

Before they could start we had to tape around all the windows and floor for extra weather proofing.  All of a sudden it seemed like we have a lot of windows in our new addition.

We went through a number of rolls of Tuck Tape but hope it does the job well.

Right behind us the drywall crew began.  They started in our little bathroom upstairs and have been working hard here for a number of days now.  It was thrilling to see the first boards of drywall go up.

In the meantime we learned that the propane people were coming with a new, larger tank for us to help service the needs of a new generator we are installing to take us through the numerous power outages we suffer here.

Immediately Sherwin got to work preparing a spot first for the propane tank and new generator.  He moved a lot of rock and dirt and then brought in loads of gravel to level the spot.  He did find some rock treasures while he worked, rocks that we both appreciate for their future use in walkways and walls.

We had a lot of discussion and Sherwin did some serious research to make sure we were putting our new generator in the correct spot...you can see below where he chose.

He built a beautiful wall to hold the dirt and gravel to make a good bed for the generator to sit on.  He worked hard all day Sunday, not even taking the time to watch the US Open Golf Tournament, which he usually would not miss for anything.  He started at first light and was still out there after dinner.  What a guy!!  It was a scramble to get it all together in such a short time.

 Thought I would throw in a photo of our weather this past week...lots of cloud, some rain and some reluctant sun.  It isn't cold, particularly, just not hot!

Our little tractor is the greatest tool and is such a benefit to us here.  Sherwin got this 400 pound generator up next to the new platform he had just built and with a push and shove he had it over in place and ready to go.  The prepared pad is there on the lower right of the photo near the gate to the decks.  Below it is another garden bed for me to enlarge my gardens on the east side of the house.  Sherwin loves rock work.

On Monday we picked up the generator in Sidney and Sherwin had it installed before breakfast on Tuesday morning.   The propane was hooked up and we are sort-of-set-to-go...they had picked up an old tank (actually a piece of trash) from another location here on the island that they thought they could place here but when they saw what a lovely spot it would sit in they decided it wasn't aesthetically right for the spot. They 'condemned' the old tank and hauled it away.  They ended up moving our present tank to the new spot, temporarily, until they can get us a much bigger, better tank.  That will probably happen in the next couple weeks.

What you don't see in any of the photos is the trench that Sherwin had to build from the generator to the new propane tank placement.  It was 25 feet long and 18" deep in most areas and in areas where he couldn't get that deep he had to saw out some bedrock.  Sherwin's sister Dolores and husband Merritt were here at the time and Merritt helped Sherwin, mixing the 4 wheelbarrows of concrete for all the rock work that had to happen.  Dolores had a quiet afternoon knitting and watching the game, reporting to us the ups and downs of the golfers.

The two fellows who worked on the propane installation on Tuesday, were two comedians.  They laughed and joked and carried on like they should be on stage.  You couldn't help but smile while they worked through the day.

I thought about taking photos too late...I was moving plants that I didn't want mashed by their propane hoses in the future so about the time they were done I ran for my camera.

In doors the drywall continued to go up with James and Cory working very hard on those high ceilings.  You have no idea how thankful we are for their careful work.  Can you imagine Sherwin and me up there?  Sherwin, yes...me, not so much!!

On Thursday I noticed that our first Tiger Lily was blooming.  We have a special fondness for these lilies so we were both so happy to see this happening.  These Tiger Lilies have all come from little plants bought now and then at a the grocery store over a few years...now it is a luxurious spot of wild colour every June.

I also promised a photo of my prized peony...the colour here is not completely true...it is more bronze than pink but it is very beautiful and delicate.

 And of course, the summer is not complete without roses sitting on our dining room table, cut from my rose garden.

One last photo of the drywall progress shows James up on the scaffold finishing up the installation of the board around our new skylights in our bedroom yesterday afternoon.

There will be remote controlled blinds to keep out the heat and light when we wish.  Sherwin did a lot of research to find the right equipment so we can close down when it is too warm and sunny.

So, we have been busy...too busy and tired by nightfall to even write a post.  Hope this brings you up to date, somewhat.