September already. We’ve had a couple of small fires in the woodstove on chilly mornings, and this morning, it being gray and damp, I put in two nice dry logs after Randy left for Digby to see his mum. So cheery; a fire in the woodstove. Predictably, I’ve been shedding clothes and opening doors trying to cool down. It seems like such a good idea at the time. 

Randy’s mum Marj just made it through another Wharf Rat Rally in Digby - thousands of motorcycles descend on the town and take over the main street for four days of bike stuff. Lots of noise, lots of money spent, big crowds of gawkers (us included), and a huge economic benefit for the town. When it gets too much, Marj takes out her hearing aids. 

Damp and rainy after a spectacular July and August. Drought conditions in many parts of Nova Scotia, but back here in the woods, things seem to stay green, leafy and lush. I seem to have lost the gardening impulse. Mowing the back lawn now and again is about all I can muster. Our surroundings do very well on their own, and outdoor work seems to be more about minimizing our human bits and piece. Yes, outdoor housework. It seems to matter little whether we’re on a boat or in a big or little house,  we accumulate and disorganize our stuff until we trip over things. I have very effective bursts of energy now and again, so we have yet to be invited onto Hoarders. (I’ve just heard about it, never seen it - having one or more functioning tvs is not part of our particular problem.)

No time for tv anyway in the summer. The population of the village balloons, and there’s dinners, hikes, road trips, more dinners and drinks with friends. And bridge! Once in a while, we stay home and cook, but not often. Rowing has been wonderful, and we’ve had Peggy out for a sail several times, but recreation is balanced by various projects. 

We’ve added to the small boat fleet. Neighbours in Lake Annis approached me at a gathering and asked if it would be okay if they offered to give Randy their sailboat. Call me suspicious, but I asked if it was going to be a big project. No matter, they offered, he accepted, and he’s spent many hours in their boathouse with epoxy and fiberglass, repairing leaks, adding new knees and getting it ready to go in the water. It will be a brief dip, scheduled for tomorrow, and she’ll be towed and trucked to our garage for further refurbishing over the winter. It’s a pretty Paceship Falcon, around 16 feet, fiberglass, and he’ll be building new seats and adding paint and other snazzy bits. Proper launch next spring. 

She’s unnamed thus far, although we’ve got a short list. Suggestions? 

So Randy’s been busy, as much as his hand will allow. Fine motor skills are still in the future - he can’t get his hand closed yet, and varnishing…well, he may have to teach me. A cry of anguish from the Captain at the very thought.  We’re still thinking that we’ll have to travel to Florida at the end of October.  There’s a plan to bite the bullet, sit down with a glass of rum and a pencil and make a plan. If we do invest further time, painful elbow grease and very scarce dollars in ND, we’ll likely place her with a broker. 

In the meantime, the boat is in the back of our minds every day.  She was our home and our lives for so many years, and we both feel sick and sad that she’s languishing on the hard. I think it’s that guilt and the resulting angst which drives me to tackle the disgusting jobs around here - like tearing out the basement, which is almost done. God, that was gross. Today’s job will be crawling around in the attic trying to find the source of the smell that’s permeating the guest room. A decided pong of dead squirrel we think. If it’s not in the attic, we may be tearing out a wall in the bedroom…

While I procrastinate, I’m burning up an alder branch containing a big nest of tent caterpillars. Very satisfying. Life in the country!

See below for lots of photos of summer activities.