I think all of our lives are like a book. The main character is obviously us. Within the book are chapters, each almost always starting with a change and also ending just before the change happens. Some books might have many chapters, others few. I believe I would easily be into the double digits in my life story so far. I also believe that a new chapter would just be starting.
For you regular readers, the reason for the new chapter is probably quite obvious, but for anyone still wondering, I can say that the new chapter comes the result of the Dee Family moving into their new home. Yes, after all the writing about it in the past eight months, the building next to the shop has become our home!
We officially moved in last weekend. I finished the required cabinets early in the week and then got the closet rods/shelves put up at the middle of the week and the electrician was able to get most of the rest of his duties done. So we started moving in later on Friday and the main move was done on Saturday, with a few things finished up on Sunday.
There is still quite bit of work to be done, as you will see in the following pictures. We have not put up and pictures on the walls or other decorations in the new house. Nora wants to spend some time in the new space before she decides what goes where. I still have the upper cabinets to build, along with the cabinets that will serve as the island. Here is the look of the kitchen on move-in day and here it is after I added the temporary island.
Adjacent to the kitchin is the living room. Right now, I think this room seems to be the most “naked”, meaning in need of some artwork on the walls and a few things elsewhere. We do intend to put a cross I built for the brick above the fireplace in the Mohawk house in the same spot here, we just do not know if we want to put a mantel up or not and the mantel decision impacts where the cross would go.
Returning to the book/chapter theme, it seems like I can point to a moment or two that really stand out at the beginning of each chapter. The chapter that would be about me moving up here has me remembering the first morning, I fed the dogs and went to let them out. When I opened the door, I was met with crisp temps and the boldest smell of pine. I remember thinking how wonderful that all was and then thinking that this was how my mornings would go for the rest of my life! No more constant hum of traffic, no more sirens and the fresh air, oh that wonderful fresh air!
In this latest chapter, I would have to say that the current moment of memory happened on the Sunday we moved in. Most of the required items were brought over from the apartment and put in their place, including our bed. It was mid-afternoon and I felt like I wanted to take it easy for a bit, so I hopped up onto the bed and gazed out the windows, enjoying the beauty and feeling so fortunate to have so many blessings bestowed upon me so that I could be lying in that bed, in our new house in such a beautiful spot. I guess only time will tell if that is the memory that anchors this chapter or not, but I sure do look forward to the rest of the chapter!
One thing we did not do before we moved in was to put up fencing in the backyard to keep the dogs from roaming off. However, we did not wait too long to do that. I believe it was Tuesday that my buddy, Grace and I managed to get the backyard fenced in. It’s funny how such a simple thing can make life so much easier. Now, instead of having to hook the dogs to a leash and walk them out there, we just open a door and let them out like we have done for all the years leading up to this.
So the chapter has changed, but the book is still being written. Our weather has been a bit of a roller coaster lately. Last Sunday, most of the UP saw temps in the 30’s, with many stations getting to or even a bit below freezing. The Baraga Plains was the coldest with a 27! This weekend was a totally different story, after missing out on many of the severe heat events that impacted the rest of the Midwest, we finally joined in on all the fun. We were in the upper 80’s on Saturday, 90 on Sunday and today’s high was 88. Tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest of all the days in this event and we are supposed to get to 91 or even warmer. The a cold front and weak low will be sweeping through tomorrow night, bringing us some rain followed by much cooler temps for the rest of the week.
I have to say that even though the Keweenaw did not have too much severe heat and that I spent a good chunk of the summer in the shop, I am ready for that early autumn weather to kick in. The conditions at the beginning of this week were a nice reminder of how beautiful the month of September is up here.
So I have one last day of severe heat to deal with and then my favorite kind of weather looks to move in for at least a while. However, during this current event, I made like the saying goes, when given lemons, make lemonade! Yep that’s right, it has been several years at least, but I did find my way into Lake Superior for a full dunk this afternoon. Might even repeat the process tomorrow afternoon!
Good Night From the Keweenaw..
–JD
