So, here is what got done at the cottage. All the insulation was done (walls & ceilings) and the plywood was installed on all the walls. Lorenzo says the house has a heavy quietness to it, which is good. Previously, if the radio was playing on the main floor, you could every word from upstairs. Now the sound is muffled.

The pillars which support the second floor were boxed in and Lorenzo says he's happier about these posts than anything else he's done. Why, you ask. Well, they're BIG and they're BOXY. And there's electricity running through them, so what more could a guy ask for. Big, massive hulking posts that can fire up a super charged ear-splitting power-tool if one were so inclined...

Lorenzo installed the lights in the bathroom...

He said is was so nice to just turn on a switch and have the bathroom light up. No more having to use a flashlight. If there was ever an invention that pulled us out of the Dark Ages (literally) it is electricity. Lorenzo said it feels as if the cottage now has a soul - it feels friendlier...

There is still so much to do that we both get tired just talking about it. The ceiling needs to be boarded, then the fireplace brick will be torn out. We plan to install a real wood-burning fireplace and it will be moved slightly northward to allow more room in the eating and kitchen area...

Lorenzo has done a lot of reading on how to install a fireplace and feels confident that he can pull it off. After this is done, the doors will be replaced, the pine paneling will be installed, then paint, then flooring, then....it just goes on and on. We are doing a complete renovation on this cottage, including electrical, plumbing, windows & doors, hardwood flooring, kitchen & bathroom...all for $25k. If we had been paying for labour, we would have run out of money a long time ago.

I just can't believe how long this is taking. It would have gone much faster by now if my husband was willing to accept the many offers of help which have come his way. But he prefers to be alone - he finds making conversation and being in close quarters with someone for days on end too stressful. He loves that show which airs on PBS all the time called "Alone in the Wilderness." I rented it from the library for him to watch at the cottage. Maybe he was a hermit in a previous life, living in the northern wilds and carving things out of stone-age tools....he would have invented a leaf blower no doubt, or some other noisy contraption. Or maybe some MASSIVE support beams to hold up his puny pup-tent...

No sooner had Lorenzo come home from Mayne Island when we had to pick up the kids from summer camp. They had a great time...at least two of them did. That's a whole other story...
The washing machine has been going all day - load after load of filthy clothes and stinky towels. The kids said the food at camp was generally atrocious - mac & cheese with potato chips thrown in and other such culinary delights. So I made tortellini for dinner and they ate with gusto and appreciation. It was really nice to sit down to a family meal tonight and look around at those three glowing faces. There was much to talk about and the house felt noisy again. I like it - I thought I would love a week alone but after the second or third day, it began to feel strange.

After dinner, Lorenzo and I took the dog for a long walk in the woods and talked about what we'd do if we won the lottery. We ended up having a huge disagreement as to how the funds would be dispersed. I would give a huge amount to the Green Party, another sizeable chunk to the David Suzuki Foundation, percentages would be divied up to support wildlife causes and efforts to clean up the oceans and rivers, I would set up a philanthropic organization to support environmental research.... Lorenzo would buy a Ferrari. I asked if it's possible to convert a Ferrari into a non-fossil fuel burning vehicle. He looked at me like I was insane.

Well, life is back to normal. Until next time....