Service Master was here on Thursday and the "contents guys" went through and assessed what should be written off and what not. They photographed everything to be discarded which goes to the insurance company. That is, every one of our fully damaged books - we have (had?) a lot of books and the boxes in the basement were awaiting new shelves. We are following up however as some books should be discarded and were not placed in that lot and some are irreplaceable, no matter what their condition. This goes for some furniture too....
Friday I shovelled manure and cleaned out the box stalls in the Small Barn. My goal was to complete this in March and then the barn flooded as thawing began. It is now completely dry. And since removing the manure has dried up even further. I open the doors daily to let the air move through and allow nature to do her cleaning.
Saturday morning my shower ritual was interrupted with tepid water. Little to no hot water was the situation. After awhile the list of breakdown and household challenges becomes rather wearing and expletives flow in an effort to relieve the pressure. I didn't cry. Of course, this is a long weekend and after business hours but we did get someone to come out in the afternoon; the company that installed the new hot water tank in December. The electrical outlet into which it was plugged had failed. We wonder if this is related to the basement flood and have alerted Service Master to this. The Service Person did assess the tank for flood damage and said it was fine and did not advise replacement.
We went in to Mallorytown to get the G&M, cold meat, etc. Then we went to Lansdowne to the LCBO. And we cleaned. With all of the service people that have been in and out, the drywall dust all over the basement and the dog tracking in mud - it gets pretty grotty. There was also planning for our Sunday and Monday guests.
On Sunday I worked on bedding the newly cleaned stalls with straw. When the hay was delivered in late March I had them place the one large square bale of straw outside the Small Barn. Now, with all of this time elapsed, and despite having covered it with a tarp, much of it has spoiled. Not only that, it is still frozen at the bottom. So, I hacked through it, putting the good stuff in the barn and making a pile of poor stuff for garden mulch. At least it is not a total loss as I can use the spoiled straw to mulch my new, yet to be created vegetable garden.
Sister arrived mid afternoon on Sunday.
After a tea we went for a hike. We avoided the wet areas - which can be a challenge - and decided to find a way to the top of the rock with the table on it. We discovered the cut path after encircling the entire outcropping.
We dubbed it "Table Rock". It is a lovely chunk of the Canadian Shield bursting forth from the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. This view is north and the summer neighbour's outbuilding can be seen. We surmise our property goes to the base of the trees in the distance, and further east / right.
The view is amazing, just lovely. This is looking south, back to the house or the north side of the barn.
Very late on Sunday while getting ready for bed I discovered a deer tick on my shoulder. Hubby removed it successfully and we kept the specimen. Unfortunately, in the morning I discovered a second one which did not come away completely. We researched online, I called Telehealth, etc. Transmission of disease requires a latched on period of 24 to 36 hours, so I should be fine. However, I will be following up with my doctor to be sure.
Monday was our Easter celebration with some of hubby's family. His Aunt and Uncle and two cousins and their spouses, along with one grand-cousin, and my sister were all at table for lunch. There were ten of us, with nine in the photo as Sister was the photographer.
Sister and I enjoyed pulling together the food with contributions from our guests. It was a lovely meal with the "not-on-anyone's-diet potato dish". After eating we went for a walk to the cabin, to the back field and then looped back to the cabin through the bush. Everyone admired the lovely wood stove in the cabin. Uncle stayed back to mind the fort and nurse his tea along with the G&M.
Following this there was a closer look at the barns and the animals, in particular Henrietta who loves to be the centre of attention. We are learning that her posturing is a warning but also her way of introduction. She is incredibly social and when you get her humming you have a friend.
We were greeted with huffing and upright posturing. This did subside as the remaining photos indicate. She was delighted to have all of these new friends.
She has a soft spot for hubby. And she is very photo ready - once she puts her ears up.
Even visiting pooch got a close look at Henrietta.
Grand Cousin found a very special friend in Henrietta. She kept snuggling right up to him - in her way.
Henrietta is an in-your-face gal, pushing right up to the chin. Yes, she does have lovely eyes and her face is very soft.
We are grateful for a fine Easter Weekend. We enjoyed lovely weather, a terrific luncheon with family, and hot water by Saturday afternoon.
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