GETTING THERE

We are getting there with the panels and doors and shelves. See my kindling drawer? It holds two rows of kindling. It's great that you don't have to chop some up when you don't want to. It's right beside my big drawer for my logs. There will be 2 raised panel doors, like the one beside the door (notice the new "water" glass above the door) And above the kindling is a shelf where the binoculars will go. I like them to be handy to the outside - just in case you see a moose swimming across your lake. Rejean will work on the doors tomorrow, I'll do the finish on them and then they will be all set to go. The we start the pine. There is enough for the whole wall. I still have a ton more in the garage to finish but I'll do that next week. It will be good to get one wall done. We are already using the panel next to the door where we hang the keys. The fire extinguisher is also housed in there.

We finally are having some winter weather. Believe it or not I missed the winter cold, the snow and flurries. It's winter, not spring. It's nice to be cold.

See Ya Bye

PG13 ADULT SUPERVISION

Rejean set a mouse trap under the hood last night and he got one this morning. He said it was the same one he saw previously - he recognized it by the white on his face - he said he was cute.

We took the car to the garage and took the panel apart and found this other one - the one that was killed in the fan. I always know that when the fan "thumps" the is a mouse being killed. I told Rejean that I was going to put a mouse trap in my car's engine every couple of days. If those mice start chewing wires...I'm sunk. This is one time I don't mind too much that we have to kill something.

See Ya Bey

ROAD TRIP!!

We headed to the Sault today. I had a doctor's appointment so we prepared a list and we actually got everything on it. We first hit the glass store to get the two pieces for over the new door. We picked out the "water" glass but we had to come back later in the day because no one was there that could cut it - do you believe that? But since we had other things to do we didn't mind. We then went to Home Depot and got a light fixture for the entry way downstairs. It is similar to the ones we have in the workout room - the same type glass and same finish. We picked up other stuff like stick pins for our "Wall of Shame/Fame" We needed to get some cork board so we can frame it and display all the great pictures of fish, creatures, escapades etc. of all our company. Can't wait to get it up and going. Beware. No one is safe. We even picked up a new splitting axe. I was swinging it around in Canadian Tire. I wonder why no one was coming down that aisle. I'll be trying it out tomorrow.
While I was getting my bone density test, Rejean took the car to get the oil changed. He had commented that there was a funny smell in the car and he thought it might be mouse urine. I couldn't smell it but knowing that my car had housed another mouse before, I didn't rule it out. He actually saw the little guy when the hood was up for the oil change. He poked his little nose out to see what was going on then turned around and went right back to the safety of the engine compartment. Just as we were pulling into our driveway, there was a thump in the fan again - so I knew that the poor little mouse had found his way to the fan and was probably toast. It was too dark to check it out so tomorrow morning, Rejean will have to pull my car apart again to get at the little corpse. At least we know what it is this time. No surprises.
The weather has been very mild. The lakes are starting to thaw. I wouldn't go out on them right now. We are supposed to get colder weather so we may be ok in the next little while. If it freezes right now we could ice skate on them.
See ya Bye

AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION

Chris asked me last night where we had put all the stuff that was on the wall that we are in the process of finishing. Good question. As you know if you have been up here, we have a lot of "stuff" on that wall, including our fishing rods. Rejean got this idea and he built this stand for 25 - yes 25 rods, that can be pulled up and stored against the ceiling in the garage. Sorry about the one picture - I don't know how to maneuver it to display correctly. But you get the idea. There is even a safety feature built in so that just in case somebody releases the ropes, it won't come down on you and kill or maim you. You have to release the locking mechanism. There is a trick to it. but it is perfect for the rods. You don't need them in the winter and in the summer you just lower the stand and voila - there are your rods. He even put the spools of line on the side for easy access. And his filet board is on the other side.

There is still a lot of stuff we have to remove from the room before we can proceed but it is slowly getting done. Today I sanded and put the finishing coat of varathane on the boards and the cupboard for the keys and fire extinguisher. Rejean finished the door for it today so it is in the process of being finished by me.

Dump day tomorrow. And I have stuff to take.

See Ya Bye

THE DOOR IS DONE

We (Rejean) got the door in place and trimmed today (notice the beautiful finish on the door), and the transom windows are framed in. I did have a doctor's appointment in the Sault tomorrow but they called and cancelled it until Monday so that is when we'll get the glass for the windows. They will be in place probably on Tuesday. We also cut the pine to size and did the "V" cut on the ends. Now my job really begins. I have to finish them all - we have enough cut for the wall the door is on. We also have to put in a drawer for the kindling and we already have a big drawer for the wood. Rejean will put a door on them both. And, you can barely see it, there will be a slot for all the keys to be hung up and a place for the fire extinguisher. One thing I learned early on living up here - you have to hang your keys up or you will lose them. With all our company and all the stuff laying around, it is very easy to lose them - and no, it is not an old person thing.

I really like the door - in the morning, it lets light into the stairway. It is very private too. It distorts images from either side. I do have to give credit to Rejean for he is the one who picked this door out at Home Depot. I had my eye on a 6 or 8 panel french door with the decorative glass in it but he liked this one. And now I like it too.

Weather up here has been very mild. Today it was sunny and mild. Not good for the ice fisherman - but everyone says the ice is fine. Rejean was supposed to go ice fishing in North Bay with the farmers but decided to stay home. There is a spring fishing trip that he will, for sure, go on. John is planning a gathering on Axe Lake off the island. Everyone will have their fishing hole and we'll have a bbq and a big fishing derby. Sounds like fun!!

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FINALLY, I CAN DO MY JOB

I can finally begin my part of the new project - the finishing. You can see the detail of the glass in the pictures.

It is very thick and you can feel the texture on both sides of the door. The hardest part was the discussion of how we wanted to finish the wood on the door. We had choices of leaving it clear pine and just varathaning it, staining it black to match the cabinetry and the bar (future projects) or a stain to match the red in the pine knot holes. We decided to keep the clear pine finish - which means 4-5 coats of varathan with sanding between the 3rd & 4th or 4th and 5th. That is my job and, if I do say so myself, I do a good job. Then there is all the trim for the door and we have to locate a glass similar to the door to go above it in the transom windows - I called some places in the Sault and it sounds like they have what I want. I have a doctor's appointment in the Sault next week so it presents a good opportunity to check it out.
It is always good to be involved in a project. But it is so many details....
See Ya Bye

ps - you can get the same door at Home Depot and I hear they are going on sale - all interior doors 15% off. Wish I had waited.

THE BEGINNINGS OF A NEW PROJECT

Rejean took the door right out of there and prepared the opening for the new door. It is a beaut. It is thick, textured glass and you can feel the thickness and texture on both sides. It is framed in clear pine. It will be magnificent when we get finished with it. And it will go right there.

We are also going to put two small windows of glass above the doorway just like in the bathroom - I think they call them transome windows - they don't open but they look like they do. And they allow more light to enter both areas. I just have to locate some glass to match as close as possible, the glass in the door below it. It'll look good. AND, bonus, we can use the previous door for my sauna when we build it in 4 years.

See Ya Bye