Life Happens

Once again, I find that I've not updated in far longer than I like. But it's boring and annoying to hear the apologies over and over, so I'm moving on.

I often jokingly complain that I have no life. But the past few months have been unusually busy for me, starting just about before the annual cottage vacation, and they seem to be starting to wind down now. And, aside from a few exceptions, all of the things that have kept me busy have been very good things: travelling and friends and family. I'm just not really used to being so short on 'me' time, and when I don't have it, I find that things start to break down. Important things like my patience, my temper, and my living room.

But, like I said, things are starting to wind down, and it feels like the perfect timing, really. The days are getting shorter and the leaves on the trees are fewer and fewer. The nights are cold and the air is definitely crispy. It's getting close to hibernation time, and I have to admit that I love the chance to curl up under blankets with steaming mugs of tea and hot chocolate, watching weather lashing against my window. I'm sure I'll feel very, very differently in a few months, when I'm longing to open a window and go outside without layering, but right now, the beginning of winter feels like a comfort.

Keeping up so poorly with things lately does mean plenty of fodder going forward, and so here's a taste for now of the lovely things I've been up to.

Clover

As usual in my world ‘tomorrow’ is a flexible term.


So, the most lasting memory of the cottage? Was one I brought back with me in a very real, very physical form.



This is Clover.

When we arrived at the cottage, there was a box of cat food and a note left on the kitchen island. “Please feed the stray cat and call the Humane Society”. Various clues led us to believe that the cottage owners probably don’t visit the place between renters, and so the note was most likely from the group who had rented the cottage the week previous.

The stray cat in question showed up that day, and he was a very friendly, warm kitty. The next day he brought his girl. And the day after that, we’d apparently cleared the security check, and they brought the kids.




We were in the back of beyond, not close to any municipality that had a humane society, and we know that they don’t come to pick up strays anymore in any case. So we just continued to feed them and let them hang out on the deck with us.



A few days into the week, the grey kitten wasn’t around anymore. There was no one in any of the nearby cottages, so we were left to conclude that something had happened to her.

At the end of the week, I couldn’t stand to leave the second kitten to a similar fate. So Clover came home with me.



But Sebastian is a one-cat cat. And he’s that cat. A new home was found for Clover after only a week. It was hard to see her go, but I’m confident that the person who came to pick her up will give her a wonderful, loving home.



So all’s well that ends well. I just hope our next cottage doesn’t come with similar residents. It’s too hard on my heart.

Home Again, Home Again

I'm back from the cottage now, and working on getting used to things as they are. No lake view, no whispering pines, no friends waiting in the living room.


Sigh. Back to the noise and limited views of my little neighbourhood.
But it's still nice to get home.

It was a great time away. We all spent a lot of time reading, and Charlotte and I played with our sticks and string. I finished my one project, and started three more. Apparently, the limited attention span that develops while on vacation can prompt a wicked case of startitis.

Charlotte may also have done a little recruiting.



We had one evening enlivened by a visit from this little guy.



We were very brave for city folk, and did manage to drive him back out the patio door. Unfortunately, we also succeeded in inviting in several hundred mosquitoes during the fracas. I was tempted to invite the bat back in to deal with it.

Charlotte and I also spent lots of time playing with our cameras.



There was plenty to snap.





But the most tangible memory of the weekend is one I'll share tomorrow. All that relaxing has worn me out and it's time for me to get to bed. My own lovely, soft bed.

Sunset Number One

We're surreptitiously using wifi from an unknown source, so I won't upload all the pictures I'm taking until I get home, but here's a taste of our first evening here.



We're in the Kawarthas this year, and it's lovely so far. We drove in through the rain, but it cleared up a bit later. Today's been a bit overcast, and we're waiting out a thunderstorm right now, but before then, it was nice enough for a quick dip in the lake.

Happy Sunday!

The Cottage

I am back. Back at work, back in my own bed, on my own couch. And, as promised, (and to prevent further 'boo'-ing - geez, you'd think I had some kind of history of blogging reliability or something. heh.) ready to present a few pictures so that we can all make believe that we are all there, lounging on the Muskoka chairs.

John and I drove up from Toronto, and Charlotte drove down from North Bay, and we somehow managed to meet up at the McDonalds in Gravenhurst at just about the same time, through some miracle. We continued to drive, Char following, through Gravenhurst, noting the locations of grocery store, beer store, and fruit stand as we passed.



We arrived at the cottage, and got the lay of the land from the owners as they downed their wine and ran out the door. (Our kind of people)
(This is Charlotte's picture - I somehow managed to take no shots from the non-lake side of the cottage. )

After choosing our rooms and doing a quick tour of the cottage, we changed into bathing suits and headed down to the dock. Now, I am very physically uncoordinated, and so it should come as no surprise to learn that I am not a swimmer. So it seemed just serendipitous when we were told that the bay - our bay for the next week - was shallow. Shallow enough to walk all the way across. The chances of me dying on this vacation dropped greatly.



The week unfolded without fanfare, and with much nerdiness.

We had no schedule, no tasks. We woke up when we were rested, read so many books we could have stocked a small library. We ate when we were hungry, jumped into the shallow bay when we were too warm.

We spent copious amounts of time reading, moving, sloth-like, from deck chair to couch to muskoka chair. In the early afternoon, when the sun was high in the sky, we'd jump into the bay to cool off, then lay in the sun to dry, then move to lounge in the shade. Meals were prepared by whoever was feeling energetic, and we ate well. Our week started with healthy snacks like veggies and fruit, but had degenerated to chips and dip by the end.



There may have also been some drinking.

Maybe.


Thursday, we designated as 'Town Day', and we ventured into Gravenhurst and Bracebridge, somehow stumbling into used book stores in both towns.



There was some knitting, but no finishing. I have joined in on the Mystery Stole project, but it hasn't really taken off for me, as I'm more used to knitting that I can do while watching tv or talking. The laceweight wool and teeny little beads were particularly poorly suited to knitting by the bay in the Muskoka chairs, so I am still on Chart A. (Fifth time's the charm, right? Cause that's how many times I've restarted. So far.) There was Trivial Pursuit, and some cribbage, and some watching of Torchwood on a laptop. (Stick to Doctor Who. Really.)

The cottage was wonderful, amazing, peaceful, calming, fulfilling, enlightening, rejuvenating, invigorating. I didn't know how much I needed this time to refocus and recharge.

Now I have to go to bed. I didn't have my midafternoon nap on the dock today, and I'm beat. More pics soon - I have to stretch every bit of blog fodder I've got!

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Vacation

For the first time in my life, I am on a do-nothing, lounge-by-the-water vacation.

Here are just a couple of pics so you can share in the loveliness that is a week at the cottage. More when I've charged my laptop battery better, and get back into town for the wifi.