How the Mighty Have Fallen

In the past I may have complained a time or two about the "leaving" process when it comes to the farmhouse or the cottage.  There is the inevitable cleaning of the fridge, which I hate!  There is the sadness I feel when my flower boxes get shut in the dark garage for the winter.  There is the never ending list of tasks we must do to leave the house and the property safe and sound for the "off season".  This year there was an added a level of difficulty because tossing out seven bottles of salad dressing and countless odds and ends is way too easy.  Our added challenge came in the form of a hurricane named Dorian.

Friday, September 6, 2019
All is calm and beautiful!

We were good little hurricane veterans and prepared in spite of the deceiving blue skies.  We took in all of the outdoor furniture and potted plants from the cottages and the farmhouse.  We tacked down anything that could fly and become a projectile.  We filled many jugs with drinking water and made sure we had batteries in our flashlights.  We moved our grill to the back deck out of the projected wind direction.  It was Friday, Sept. 6 and Hurricane Dorian was scheduled to arrive in our little corner of the world the next day.  It was hard to believe how drastically things would change in one day.

With everything safely tucked away we woke up Saturday morning to a breezy, cloudy day.  We decided to see if the nearby farmer's market was open.  Only 3 vendors braved the windy morning so we bought a lovely heirloom tomato and some lettuce, because sadly ours is done.  On the way home we stopped at the fish market and bought a cooked lobster to make lobster rolls for lunch.  We also went across the street for some hurricane chips because what are hurricane provisions without some junk food?  We got home, made lunch and found a way to stream ESPN Game Day!  We were pretty proud of ourselves as we waited for Dorian.  And the wind continued to blow.

Bring it on Dorian, we have a lobster and some chips!

We sat and watched Game Day streaming from Austin where LSU and UT were playing later that day.  We had big plans to hunker down inside and watch the big game that night.  Perfect way to pass the time while Dorian blew through.  The wind continued to pick up but all was still good....until 3 p.m. when blip, blip, blip and then silence.  No power.  UH OH!  Dorian threw a flag on our perfectly planned afternoon!

As I looked at the storm through my kitchen window I noticed one thing we had forgotten to take inside.  My favorite whirly gig was about to take flight.  I asked TJ to go out and take it down before it blew away.  He put on a hoodie and raincoat and headed out into the storm.  We were bored and having a bit of fun when I decided to video the rescue.  I did my best reporting, "This is Scotia Woman reporting live from the Lorneville weather channel in the midst of hurricane Dorian."  I was Marlin Perkins to his Jim Fowler.  "While Jim faces the gusting wind and flying tree branches, I'll stand behind the house out of the wind and document his brave rescue of the whirly gig."

We were cracking ourselves up!  He did the perfect acting job.  I mean it was windy...but not that windy.  I think we may have pissed Dorian off.

We decided to go and check on my parents who were still at their cottage.  As we approached their cottage this is what we saw.

A tree behind their cottage had fallen on the electrical wires.

That explains the power outage.  We had to park at my sister's cottage since we were not sure we could safely drive under the wires into my parent's driveway.  By now it was raining and the winds were blowing hard... just like a hurricane.  We ran across the flooded yards and into my parents cottage.  It was still a bit warm inside but dark and eerie.  My Mom was in the process of packing up for their trip back home in a couple of days.  It is a long process only made longer and more challenging by a wheelchair bound husband and now...no power and the sound of the unrelenting winds and rain beating against your cottage.  She was a bit frazzled, as was I by this time.  There was no way we could move them out of the cottage in this weather.  We could barely stay upright just running across the yard.  Moving a man in a wheelchair was not an option.  They had to stay the night.  We made sure they had water, food, flashlights, blankets and a plan.   We left feeling very guilty that we had a wood stove to keep warm for the night.  They were going to be very cold!  Not a good feeling.

My stylish rubber boots came in very handy here!

There are not that many of us left here which turned out to be a good thing!  There were enough people that no one felt isolated but not too many who were inconvenienced.  The storm continued. We discovered our friends were going to spend the night across the road at my-cousin-who-has-a-generator's house.  We joined them for a couple of hours.  Not really a "hurricane party", more of a wine drinking, listen to that wind, look at those trees, are those the deck chairs sliding across the deck?  Party.

We also enjoyed their running water/flushing toilet.  What you may not realize is that when you live in a house with a well and a pump and the power goes out, the pump cannot run...so no water.  No water, no shower, no flushing toilet, no hand washing, no fun.  You can flush the toilet by pouring water into the tank and then flushing, but we only had so much water.  We were very conservative!

It was time to go back to the farmhouse for the night.  TJ and I had decided earlier in the day to spend the night in one of the back bedrooms of the house.  The wind was coming from the north and our bedroom is under some very large trees on the north side of the house.  It seemed safer to be in the back.  We drove up to the house and TJ saw our chestnut tree practically bending over backwards in the wind and told me to wait in the car while he checked around the house.  He was gone for a while and when he got back in the car he had a stunned look on his face.  He said, "You have got to come see this."

2 of our 3 GIANT poplar trees had been uprooted.

We went inside to see if there were holes in the roof but we could not find any...in the dark of night.  The magnitude of the trees was overwhelming.  They are not just big trees, they are huge trees!  How they missed our house is a miracle!  There are a few branches resting on the roof but it could have been devastating! We went to bed and continued to listen to the howling wind and rain.  I have no idea how I slept so well, but I did.  I guess with the trees down, I did not have to worry about them falling.

The irony of our video is not lost on me.  Where we earlier in the day had been laughing and joking was now covered with a tree.  Dorian did not have a sense of humor, only revenge.

Taken from the exact spot I filmed the video the day before.
YIKES!

Before Dorian, our lovely trees.

Thanks to Dorian, the mighty have fallen.

In the light of day things looked very scary!  We were SO lucky!  It will still be a herculean task to cut down those 3 trees, then cut them into small enough chunks to be taken away....somewhere.  What do we do?  Our insurance company is working on it but with so many other people in the same boat, we are just a number.  We are hoping for a plan of action before we have to leave on the 16th.  The power was out for three days.  I am thankful for my pack rat of a husband who never throws anything away.  He dug up an old propane stove out of the basement to make coffee and tea in the morning and warm up food for lunch.  Having a wood stove helped keep us warm.  Hurricanes in the south are usually warm weather events.  This one was not!  My poor parents woke up to a 50 degree cottage the next day.  It did not take much persuading to convince them they needed to get on the road the next day and stay in a hotel for the night.

Who knew that candle lantern made such cool shadows?

As close as I will get to camping!

My pioneer husband keeping my tea water hot
and my cinnamon roll warm!

With Mom and Dad safely on the road home, TJ and I continued to pack up the house for our departure plus deal with the fallen trees and many missing shingles and leaks on the cottage roof.  Thanks Dorian!  Maybe we were getting a little too high and mighty ourselves. 

Mixed Emotions

Days like today make me wish I could stay here forever!  The air is clean and crisp, the sky is cerulean blue with a few wispy clouds, the tide was out at the perfect time of day (late morning to early afternoon) which made for the perfect walk on the sandbars and I had enough to do to keep me busy but not too much that I was stressed or exhausted.  This would be the day I would like to put in a bottle and take home with me and take out when I need some cool, fresh, beautiful air!  I will probably also want to take this day out of my secret bottle on Saturday when Hurricane Dorian is scheduled to arrive up here.

The perfect sandbar day!

 The season is coming to an end and it is with a bit of sadness that I will say goodbye to another summer at Amherst Shore.  How does the summer fly by so quickly?  A question for the ages.  As I mowed the lawns at the cottages this afternoon I noted how much I prefer September mowing to June mowing.  In June the ground is soft and sometimes muddy.  The grass is new and wet which means it clumps up and looks almost worse after it gets mowed than before.  Today the grass was dry and blew away as soon as it shot out of the mower.  The ground was firm and I left no ruts with the wheels as I sped along!  It made me think how many other things are almost better later in the summer and if only we could all be here together to enjoy them.  No mosquitoes, no black flies, mass quantities of produce in our garden and plenty of time to enjoy everything.  Oh wait, I guess if everyone was here now, I would not have all this time...never mind.  I do miss them though.

Today was special in many ways. Aside from mowing!  The amazing blue skies have given me a new passion for my camera.  I have taken to driving around and finding old barns to take pictures of and hidden treasures along the roads.  This place is full of them, they are around every turn in the road.  Today was no different.  TJ sent me up a road he cycles regularly and I did find a few treasures.

The sky is so big here!

Maybe a few repairs are needed...

Risked getting hit by a dump truck for this one...
worth it!

After the walk, the drive, and lunch I went over to my parent's cottage.  My parents are here, by the grace of God, for another summer.  None of us thought they would make the trip this year, but they are very determined!  There is something about this place that makes all of us do crazy things.  We will get here come hell or high water.  They are in their last week here and Dad needed a haircut.  I was called to duty.  Now I am no professional, not even close, but for some reason they trust me to cut Dad's hair..and beard.  Maybe decision making is one of the first things to go when you get older.  I am not sure how close you are or were to your father but cutting your Dad's hair and beard is an intimate experience, at least it is for me.  Tonight, after the fact, I sat and thought about it and remembered that 9 year old Lisa wanted to be a hairdresser.  I wondered if those hours spent watching my mother get her hair done at the beauty school and teaching myself to cut hair was training me for this moment.  Today was the second time I have cut my father's hair in the last year and it has "gotten" to me both times.  Not sure how he feels about it all, but to me it is such a personal and intimate experience.  One I am sure I will treasure forever.   Yeah, it was a good day.

TJ and I went out to dinner, a rare occasion up here.  I had my annual fried clam dinner with a coconut cream pie chaser.  More calories than I need in a week!  It was so worth it!  Ok, I'll go for a run tomorrow.  We delivered take-out to Mom and Dad and raced home in time to see an epic sunset.  I have my priorities.  The sunset went on forever!  It started at 7:45 and the sky was still pink at 9:30!  On the sunset scale this one was close to a 10!  I really should make a sunset rating scale.. how long did it last, color, cloud quality, variety of colors, how much of the sky lit up, etc.  We sat and watched  until we were both too chilly and had to go in for warmer clothes.  I pinch myself when this happens...in September!  Never in my real life would I need warmer clothes in September or witness such a beautiful sky!

Panoramic sunset!

As if the whole day wasn't perfect enough, the whipped cream on top of the coconut cream pie was the bonfire to finish the night.  My husband loves bonfires.  I like them if the conditions are perfect. Meaning, the wind is not blowing the smoke into my face, there are no mosquitoes, it is cool enough to warrant a fire, I am in the right mood, I did not just wash my hair, I have no big plans tomorrow, and I just watched the perfect sunset.  OK, so maybe I am a little picky about bonfires.  Anyway, we had a good one tonight!  Icing on the cake, whipped cream on the pie.

Snap, crackle and pop!

The point of this is, it will all be over in a little more than a week.  The fresh air, the cerulean blue skies, the walks on the sandbars, the photo ops around every corner, the beautiful sunsets, my parents being here for what may be their last time, Thursday night bonfires, riding around on a lawnmower for hours, spending time with friends and family EVERY day, hearing the quiet, appreciating simplicity, walking or running along the shore road in the "air-conditioning", filling the vases in my house with colorful fresh flowers every week, sitting in my sun room any time of day, being able to go out the back door and harvest deliciously fresh produce out of the garden, and so many other things that make this place the most special place in my world.  So, it is with mixed emotions I was able to enjoy one of the (many) best days of the summer. 
























 

What Do You Do Up There?

A friend at home asked me one day, "So what do you do everyday up there?" as we were chatting about spending the summer in Nova Scotia.  I tried to tell her but it all seemed to come up short without all the feels.  Our daily activities seem less than exciting and to someone who imagines a beach similar to those along the Florida coast or those along the eastern coast.  There are no amusement parks, mini putt courses, hang gliding opportunities or boardwalks here.  It is peaceful and rural.  Yesterday may have been the perfect example of the ideal day here at the shore so I thought I would share and maybe some of the feels will come through.

Our day began as many do up here, with exercise.  My sister, the yoga master, lead a yoga class across the street in my cousin's basement.  There were about 8 of us trying to embrace our inner dancing shiva.  It was a great class and the perfect way to begin the day.  I left the class feeling all stretched and strong.

What better way to compact my now stretched spin than to mow the grass?  Morning activities usually include a few chores and today was mowing day.  It is a very large yard!  It takes about an hour and a half to mow.  At least I get to do it on a riding lawn mower. I also get to enjoy a pretty sweet view with every turn I make!

Brings a smile to my face every time I ride by!

and on the other side of the drive...

I finished mowing and headed inside for lunch when my daughter, the newlywed, who was visiting asked if I wanted to go for a walk.  Hmmm, yoga, lawn mowing...lunch and a walk....sure.  So we took off for an hour long walk/run.  We talked, we enjoyed the breeze, we ran, we broke a sweat, we laughed, and enjoyed looking at all of the blooming flowers in people's gardens.

Nature's treadmill!

By now it was 3:00 and time to go to the beach!  We earned it!  The beach was hopping with kids playing and adults reading, chatting and enjoying their beverage of choice.  The tide was out, so we sat on the sandbars.  Some of the older kids and Dad's had gone to play golf so the younger crowd, ages 6 and under were fully engaged in their make believe "store".  This is when my heart swelled.  I watched this group of about six kids pretending, building, running, swimming, and just being kids.  I am convinced these are the times that make lasting friendships and build parts of their person that unfortunately go underdeveloped in our digital age.  They are the lucky ones!  I was lucky that my kids had those same experiences.

Planning, playing and imagining

Running on the sandbars!

No idea....but they are too cute!

Meanwhile, the adults sat in our conversation circle and talked about the books we were distractedly reading, the events of the week, the upcoming wedding, who is coming or leaving and when, and how we can cram in everything we want to do before we have to leave.  This happens every day the sun shines!

Sometimes we color coordinate.

Basic beach necessities, chair, cooler, towel, book.

Some days we sit until the water comes in around us.  This day dinner was served on the beach for some.  It was bonfire, weenie roast night.  A perfect night for it too!  So the kids went from playing to eating with no clothing change needed.  There may have been a bit of swimming involved as well.  With a day like this...how can you make yourself go up to the cottage?  So we just stayed on the beach.

Reflections of my cousin's cottage.

How can we leave this?

So peaceful and beautiful!

Dinner is served!

Finally, I had to go up to the cottage.  My daughter, the one with the three boys, was cooking dinner for us and my other daughter, the newlywed, treated us to a lovely bottle of wine.  So...we poured the lovely white burgundy....from Burgundy, and had a little happy hour with cheese, crackers and fruit.  Ahhh!  So glad for all of that early day exercise now.  Dinner was late...some of us were still in our bathing suits...and the sun set on one of those perfect shore days as we sat around the table together eating as a family.

Yummmmmm

Painted clouds and power lines

 Things may have gotten a bit silly after dinner.  We were all high on life...or white burgundy.  We goofed around with the grandsons, visited my sister next door, and finally had to call it a day.  That is what we do up here.  And we would do it every day if we could.

Scotia Woman to the Rescue

It all started washing the sheets and a blanket.  I loaded the washing machine, turned it on and went upstairs for my morning routine....tea, catching up on my email and "socials", a bit of breakfast and gathering my thoughts for the day.  TJ was doing his last minute packing for a long trip to Africa and tying up loose ends before his departure.  The blanket in the washer made the load a little off center and I heard that lovely dancing washing machine noise downstairs.  I decided to go and even out the load when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a basement full of soapy water and a dancing washer.  I stopped the cycle and evened out the load, turned the machine back on and water just came flooding out of the drain.  UH OH!  This is not good!

I reluctantly went out to tell TJ about the problem, like he was going to fix it in the ten minutes he had before driving to the airport.  Unlikely!  He did however confirm that professional help would be needed for the job.  I kissed him goodbye, finished my breakfast, decided to take the Scarlett O'Hara approach... and think about it later.  Later being, after breakfast!  This is where the village was needed! I made a few phone calls, got some advice and some references and deducted it must be a septic tank issue, oh joy!

It was time to embrace my inner Scotia Woman!

I needed my inner Scotia Woman to deal with this issue!  I had a basement full of water and a broken septic tank and it was still early in the morning.  The guys at the septic pumping place said they might be able to get out by the afternoon and asked if I knew where my septic tank was?  I had a general idea but nothing specific.  One must assume it is at the end of that pipe in the basement where all the water from the house exits the house, right?!

Meanwhile, there were very wet sheets and a very wet and heavy blanket in my washer that needed to be taken care of.  I twisted out as much water as I could and put them into a basket and took them to my sister's house and spun them dry-ish in her washing machine.  Brought them back home and put them in the dryer.  Then...while they were drying I decided to get the water out of the basement.  One half was on the side near the sump pump so I used the snow shovel to scoop it all down that drain.  I knew that snow shovel would come in handy some day!  I mopped and squeezed out the rest of the water and put it into a garbage can.  I opened the windows and prayed for a nice stiff breeze to dry things out down there.  It wasn't even lunch time yet!

Some time around 3 the Septic Heroes called and said they were on their way!  They poked around the yard and tried to find the septic tank.  Bingo!  Or so they thought.  After digging a lovely hole in the yard they decided the tank was not there.  Then they looked where I told them we thought it was and BINGO  there it was!  Only a foot and a half below the ground.  Why listen to a woman when it comes to septic tanks?  Little did they know they were dealing with Scotia Woman.

Nope...no septic tank here...

There it is!  

I was surprised at how fascinating this all was to me.  The whole stinky experience was quite interesting.  I mean there was an excavator, a giant hose that sucked up gross stuff, and lots of tree roots that prevented anything from going through the pipe into the tank.  Those giant poplar trees are very pretty and apparently their roots also think the wet, icky septic tank is a great place to grow and prosper.  I was actually relieved to hear it was roots that were blocking the exit of our house water.

Up close and personal with my septic tank!

Doing a little landscaping!

And I am glad you do!!!

All in all it was a very exciting day here at the Mahoney farmhouse.  Now I know exactly where my septic tank is and I know that it is working...for the time being.  I get to plant some grass seed and "re-landscape" the yard, I am very thankful these guys were available on such short notice!  I did think I was in full Scotia Woman mode when I put on my rubber boots to literally shovel water into the drain in the basement.  Such a great place!  Tonight I will REALLY enjoy sleeping in my clean sheets!

How is that for a segue, from a beautiful wedding to my septic tank!  One week I'm wearing heels and a lace dress and another I'm wearing rubber boots and shoveling water out of my basement.  To quote Forrest Gump, "life is like a box of chocolates!"
Keeping it real here at the farmhouse!

A "Love-ly" Weekend, Part 2

First, the sentimental stuff, because it wasn't just pretty dresses, sharp looking tuxedos, beautiful flowers, drinking, dancing and celebrating.  The big day began as many others have begun in Kelly's life.  If you read all of the Father's Day cards Kelly gave TJ, he kept, used as his toast inspiration and displayed in our weekend Airbnb house, there was a common theme.  "Thank you Dad, for the hours you spent sitting on a bucket catching for me while I pitched, the good advice you gave me about education and jobs and thank you for all the great breakfasts."  TJ is the morning person, breakfast is his favorite meal of the day!

All of that to say, when TJ woke up before anyone else on the morning of the wedding he took it upon himself to set the table and organize the most special breakfast he would make for his youngest daughter.  He went all out and included many of the bride's favorite breakfast foods... fruit, eggs, arugula, tomatoes, avocado, coffee and mimosas.  He also displayed many of the Father's Day cards and some memorabilia he has kept over the years from Kelly.

Breakfast is served!

The rest of us woke up slowly and came out to the kitchen greeted by one very proud and excited father of the bride.  It was the perfect way to begin a perfect day.
The bridesmaids and bridesman gathered and we systematically sat in "the chair" to be transformed.  The photographer arrived at noon and from that point on the momentum of the day carried us.

Cheers!

Love these 4!

The groom and his groomsmen and groomswoman had their own fun at another nearby home.  Both groups exchanged gifts, posed for pictures, toasted, helped each other get ready and basically paced, checked the time and hurried up and waited for the appointed hour.  The hours ticked by so slowly!  And then it was time!  Here are a few photos of what we all did to pass the time and calm our pre-wedding jitters.

TJ had a quiet moment and ate lunch.
Wonder what he is thinking about?

Michael and I took "Estella" the dress for a walk.

Dad got his "first look" 

Meanwhile across the road...the groom and his crew did just about the same thing.  Sort of.

There were ties to be tied.

And pictures to take.

And sunglasses ads to pose for !
It can't all be serious, right?!

Things got a little more serious as the picture taking progressed.

Floating along keeping the dress clean!

Being the best Father of the Bride!

Bridal party

It was right about at this point in the day, after seeing several of the photos that I decided I hated how my hair was done and had a mini meltdown.  We sent the bride and most of the wedding party to the winery and Katie stayed with me and we reconstructed my hair.  A decision I felt at the time was very vain because this day wasn't about me, but would have regretted had I not spoken up.  I felt much better after the reboot and so glad I listened to that inner voice.

Meanwhile at the venue the bride and groom shared their first look...without me sneaking in the shadows.  Maybe some things work out for a reason.

Hey Chris...she's right behind you!

The wedding ceremony was lovely!  The music was played by 3 of the bride and groom's friends (Esther's Temple) and was perfect.  Everyone processed to La Vie en Rose, sung in French.  So lovely!  One of the officiants was a very good friend of the bride and the other a very good friend of the groom.  They did a beautiful job of mixing traditional sentiments and vows with personal moments, readings and thoughtful advice.  It was so personal and meaningful.  They said, "I do"  they exchanged rings, they kissed and then they danced down the aisle to Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough, played by Esther's Temple.  We all danced down the aisle and the celebrating began!

This one melts my heart! 
I just have to know what he is handing to his brother
 before walking down the aisle!

Here comes the bride!

They do!

You may kiss the bride!

Mr. and Mrs.!

Cheers!  They are married!

There are always a few moments that most of us miss out on throughout the day which is why you hire a photographer.  I love some of the moments that were caught by ours.  With so much going on it is so hard to take it all in and since none of us have superpowers just yet we appreciate being able to see what we missed!

This is in the "priceless" category in my book!
I hope in the future Dad can look at this and laugh...

Great job being the ring bearer, John!

She always said she loved wedding cake!

We ate dinner under the vines because we could!  When scheduling an outdoor wedding the weather is always a big question mark.  The bride and groom always said if we could we would and we could!  That perfect California weather showed up and it was a unique experience for us.  Food?  What food?  I was too busy visiting, listening to the toasts by the father of the bride and her brother, and reveling in the fact that "we" (the bride, the groom, parents of the groom, the Father of the bride, her siblings, caterers, wedding coordinator, Aunt Liz the florist and her team, Save the Date with Valerie, musicians, officiants, relatives and friends from far and wide) did it!  We made the day a cherished and lasting moment in time.

Nature's dining room!

The groom describing what it feels like to be married for an hour to his parents?

Sweet moment

Dad's toast made us smile and sigh.

Michael's toast had a little bit of everything
but most of all
it had a lot of love....and a few tears.

At this point we were all ready for the serious stuff to be over and the dancing to begin.  The band, Lucky Devils, was AMAZING!  We danced until they turned the lights and and told us we had to go home. And because this post is not nearly long enough and doesn't have enough pictures....a few more!

The first dance

Dancing with his "Brown Eyed Girl"

Priceless!

Mother and Son dancing!

Mull River Shuffle-ing?

 It was notable that the band all came out early from their break to witness the Mull River Shuffle in action.  They just had to see what the fuss was all about and they loved it!

It only took me a month to get this post written.  I am sure I have not done it justice either.  My hope is that the marriage is everything and more than the wedding.  For every moment of happiness they experienced at their wedding may they have a million more in their marriage.

May they live happily ever after!