Mark got a chance to work with his new sawmill, which he is loving. It is in almost mint condition. It runs quietly, which I am sure the neighbors appreciate. He got his first paid sawing job done with it tonight. Several improvements to the design help make work go quickly. It was worth the drive to Missouri! Thanks to David for driving and hauling it with his Explorer while the van was in the shop.
The logs are being set for the base of the shop. Each dovetail joint takes time to cut, and the first one was the most challenging. Once the pattern is established, the cuts following are not as time consuming. It is looking great so far!
We replaced the woodstove in the house we live in with one that actually works. The first few fires have been so nice to take off the fall chill. Good news on the house - the survey has been completed on the just the land surrounding the house, and the seller agreed to Ann and David's offer!! Until it actually closes I think we will all be holding our breath a little, but this was great news. The property that they are buying has old railroad grade running through it, and the property was never really surveyed correctly. It could take some time to get the rest of the swamp surveyed, but once the house is theirs it won't matter as much about the rest of the land.
This photo features the barn on the property that was built in 1914. The light was so great coming through the trees. Everything still looks pretty green, but the leaves are turning fast!
This is the other log structure which seems to perhaps been used as a house at one time. It would make a great guest house someday!!
This house is very small, and having a noisy toddler makes that very apparent. We had quite the week with Fiona going to the doctor on Monday to find out she has a double ear infection, pinworms and is cutting her 2 year molars! Her nights have been so terrible that both Mark and I have had to tag team to make it through. She is a sweetie during the day, which makes up for the kicking, screaming, hitting and general madness that she is during the night.
Fiona loves Grandma Ann's grape jelly on grilled cheese!
Cora and Raif are amazingly patient with her, and very protective. They seem to sleep fairly well through the bedlam luckily but I know that some nights it keeps us all up. They have been busy with activities. Cora has piano, dance, art club, and safety patrol as well as the middle school yearbook. Raif has two more cross country meets, and has joined the middle school advisory board and chess club. They both are looking forward to Nordic Ski team starting in Nov. I will be helping out with ski practice, so I am excited too!
This is a great pic of Raif and his competitor sprinting to the finish at the end of a 5K varsity race. He did beat this guy!
My job has started to be really busy now that I have students to see. I work with 26 different kids throughout the day in pairs for about 20-30 minutes. It keeps me hopping, especially since I have to walk over to the elementary three times per day for sessions. I am lucky to have a slot in my schedule during the musical theater class which allows me time to help out with choreography. So fun! We are in the midst of auditions for "The Lion King" which is such a fun show!!
Mark has been hunting grouse in the evenings with Toby. They got 5 earlier this week, and then this morning took Raif with and got 1 more. Mark is so happy to be back in the north woods tromping through the woods spotting grouse. He spent so much time doing that as a kid, and for some reason it just wasn't the same anywhere else but in the north woods.
One interesting piece of news is the possible appearance of a wolf in our neighborhood. Mark and Cora saw one on the way home the other night. Now we have been finding large piles of scat in the yard. I have some photos of the evidence.
The crabapple tree has so many fruit!
It appears to be gorging on our crabapple tree, which is seen in the piles quite clearly. The apples are eaten a few feet up on the tree, but not high enough to be a bear. Our neighbor Steve caught a wolf tail on his trail cam too. Strange to have an animal staying around and defecating in the same place so much! I can't tell you how many piles of poo there are around that tree! It might be a sick animal from the looks of that stuff.
The weather has changed around here, and we are loving the beautiful fall with crisp leaves, cool air, and wonderful smells. I reorganized the furniture in the house somewhat tonight, and that small change is making a difference in how the place feels. It is hard to keep neat with a toddler anyway, but having too much stuff in a small place is a challenge. Not to mention potty training with carpet in the kitchen...all things that we will definitely be thinking about as we plan our new house.
The woodshed with the peace flags and the tree behind were an irresistible photo op.
We are moving forward however slowly but surely. The decision was made that we will not be attempting to put in a basement for the house this fall - not enough time to get it done and covered by snow fall/freeze up. Focus will be on the shop, sauna, work, planning for the house, sawing and cutting the lumber and possibly making doors or cabinets for the house in the meantime. Of course skiing, skating, sledding, and sipping as well!
This is the coolest gazebo ever with the fire ring inside, screened in windows and chimney in the center. Ann and David re-roofed the building already and it is a sweet spot to hang in once the sun goes down!
We have grilled burgers and fish over the fire, as well as too many marshmallows to count!
Thanks to our buddy Paul Fisher we now have the coolest beer can accessory for the fire gazebo as well.
Happy fall to all!
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