Below is my new daughter-in-law(!) standing in a canola field in England with her dog. Motivated by love (and no shotguns involved :-), my son got married. I had two weeks advance notice; yikes--that felt like a scramble, and I really had no responsibility for pulling it off.
Other family-related things and projects leap-frogged everything else and took priority and filled up my summer. Below is my last photo of George. This sweetie died during the third week of August. He had a good long life, but I do miss my companion of the last 19 years. When I feel up to it, I'll post a George tribute.
Now I'm trying to sort out some health-related things of my own. I'm not going to turn my blog into a litany of my health complaints but, so no one worries, just know I don't have anything life-threatening--just a shoulder that does not work, and a poorly-functioning thyroid. Both of these things really get in the way of making progress with house building.
It turns out that, if you leave anything alone for any length of time, nature tries to re-claim it.
While some of those photos may look like kudzu is trying to take over the JayBee, the worst culprits are actually grape vines.
I did finally manage to clear out the vines and shrubs that were crowding the JayBee.
I replaced the tarp on my tool/storage shed, so it no longer leaks.
I haven't yet repaired the interior of it, however.
Remember the latest/newest nest? This masterfully-built gem appears to be abandoned--finally. When I feel really confident I won't be displacing anyone, I will be removing the nest and crafting some kind of new nest arrestor to install...
I'm not really sure how much progress I will be able to make with what's left of the fall. After all, I will have to prepare the old wreck-of-a-house to survive yet another winter... I'm trying to keep breathing, put one foot in front of the other, take things as they come, and not get too discouraged.
Glad to see you are still kicking.
ReplyDeleteThank you! (me too :-)
DeleteCongratulations to your son and new daughter in law!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about George. A recent move forced me to give up the last of my cats but I know she's in a nice home. You must miss your cats a lot.
It's not like you got nothing done this summer.You managed to repair your shed and clear the overgrowth. I'm sure you'll be living in your Jaybee before you know it.
Thanks, DWR. I was thinking skeptical thoughts about the "before you know it" part... but, then I thought about how much time seems to be speeding up with every year, and I thought maybe you're right.
ReplyDeleteI do really miss my cats and I may have another pet someday... assuming I figure out what will work in this area that has become so much more wild than it was 30 years ago. In the meantime, I'm trying to appreciate the increased freedom and fewer fur balls in my life.
So very glad to hear you are still working on the project, even happier to hear you have an addition to the family
ReplyDeleteSandra
Thank you, Sandra!
DeleteSomething of a lurker, but I've been following for years and wondered what was going on this summer. Congratulations for your son and his new wife. Sorry to hear about George. We lost our cat of a similar vintage this summer as well. It's very hard to lose any pet, even harder to lose one that's been around longer than some of the people in your life! We have multiple cats though so there are still fur balls in our lives. LOL Hope you are feeling better and able to get a little done before winter brings it to a halt.
ReplyDeleteTake care!
It's very sweet of you, Mark, to step out from the shadows and leave such a nice comment. I can tell my blog has many lurkers but it's whole different thing to get a sense that there are real people behind the numbers (and not just workers halfway around the globe searching for a place to post advertising). I appreciate it. I'm still plugging along... This will be a big downsizing/cleanout weekend for me; it might just warrant a post. I woke up in a firing range on Tuesday (Oct 1 is the start of migratory-bird hunting season here) which always terrorizes me, and we're supposed to have a frost tonight. Winter is edging closer.
DeleteI’ve been checking in and hoping all is well, Jan. I’m glad to hear of your happy family news but sad to hear about George. (We also said goodbye to our elderly kitty in August this summer- what a sad time. We got a new kitten last week and I highly recommend it for the joy that comes with one!)
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy fall. Enjoy the colors by the river!!
Hi Shannon: So good to hear from you! Another school year is underway; your kids must be so old/big, since I haven't seen them in forever. I hope you're also running and/or cycling your way through the fall. Yes, still kicking here, even if the JayBee has been sorely neglected. A lot has been and is going on but, mostly, I think working full time gets in the way of everything else! Thankfully, though, I really like my job, so it's all okay. One step at a time...
DeleteJan