Changes

 

{Heron playing hide-and-seek}

Although it's been a while since I last posted (as usual), I'm certain most of you remember me saying in my post before last that I would not be going to the lake over the holiday weekend and was not sad about it.

Well, yeah...that changed.

At the 11th hour (a biblical reference, believe it or not), the replacement flooring finally came in, and, in a stroke of luck, the flooring contractors managed to fit the project in within days.

I still had no intention of going, however, because the place was still in shambles - boxes everywhere, the toilet still in the bedroom, the vanity still under the stairs, and the contents of the closets (not to mention the pieces of what once the closet) who knew where.

But my son and daughter-in-law started making noises about going up, and because it would likely be the last time in a long time that they'd be able to go (Baby No. 2 expected any day), plans changed.

I contacted the contractors who had done the original work, and they moved mountains to get most of the things put back into place (i.e., the toilet and vanity back in the bathroom, rebuilt the closet, rehung doors, etc.) Yes, there was work to be done...and heavens knows, a LOT of cleaning, but it would, at least, be habitable.

On the day before I intended to leave, I went grocery shopping (did I mention the nearest town is SWAMPED with tourists and traffic on holidays?).  I was nearly finished when my DIL messaged me and told me they were not coming after all...or, if they came, it would only be for a day.

😖

I decided to go up by myself regardless since I knew I should check on things and that there would be more than a weekend's worth of cleaning and sorting, sorting and cleaning, to do.

(And, after all, I had a ton of groceries since I could not bring myself to put everything in my cart back on the shelves.)

It was good that I went but little cleaning was accomplished.  (Another long tale - this one of having purchased 3 floor cleaners...the first of which was defective; the second of which was stolen by one of my husband's "invitees" before I had even opened the box it came in; and the third of which (which was used one time and one time only) was, it turned out, missing a very indispensable part when I attempted to use it this time - a fact I only realized after spending several hours with the online manual and YouTube videos, and digging in every possible remaining box and caddy searching for said part.

Apparently, the "water mitigation team" (a term used ever so loosely) must have "disposed" of it while doing their demolition "mitigating."

Grrrr....

So that "plan" changed as well.

It was beautiful nonetheless...noise notwithstanding.

The forecast had been for storms and rain, but there was nothing other than a brief shower.

The swans were initially elusive They are recluses, I think, like me, but they showed themselves after the interlopers tourists left and things quieted. They had changes to reveal as well:

Two little cygnets (such a strange word, in my opinion, for a baby swan), although the second one is mostly hidden by the reeds in the photo.

I enjoyed the peace after the days of fireworks and firecrackers and, despite not having the magical part for my floor cleaner, did manage to get some things accomplished.

As I was preparing things to go back to Nod, however, there was the sound of a horrendous explosion. It was louder than any of the fireworks in the past many days...and much, much, closer. 

Have you ever seen those cats in the animated cartoons that shoot straight up in the air when there is a loud sound/bang?

That's EXACTLY what happened with my two cats...despite having been conditioned over the weekend to the noise and sounds of the fireworks they went straight up and scrabbled to hid under the nearest bed.

I ever so tentatively walked around the property in an attempt to determine the source of the noise fully expecting to find something smoking.

What I saw was the old tree that my eagles favored as a roost had snapped in half...

...and one half had landed on my (metal) dock.

So, another change.

(...and yet another thing to deal with.)

Did I mention that the weather at the lake was beautiful? So much better than predicted??

Well, that, too, changed once I returned to Nod.

I awoke a few days after returning to the smell of smoke. 

Like the idiot who ran around the lake house trying to find the source of the "explosion," I was now running around the house here in Nod trying to determine what, exactly, had caught on fire.

This was my view...but nothing was on fire.

It was the smoke from the Canadian...and Minnesotan...wildfires.

We have been on the top of the AQI air quality scale (the maroon/hazardous range) for over a week now.

The smoke has seeped in everywhere despite closed windows and doors and a/c. 

I had an appointment at the medical center and thought that that building, at least, would be smokefree.

No such luck. Even the examining rooms in the far recesses of the building were smoky.  Virtually all outdoor activities and events were cancelled.

By mid-morning, my eyes are so dry and irritated that I wish I could scratch them out. By the afternoon, not only are my eyes suffering, but my head is pounding and breathing gets difficult.

We had a day and a half of somewhat a reprieve but then the winds shifted again and brought more smoke, and we are still under a hazardous air quality alert.

It's unfortunate that this can look beautiful.

Another change: 

The day after tomorrow, this little girl's entire world will change: She will become a big sister.

You may remember that she came very, very, early and things were scary for a long while. Thankfully, she has grown and thrived.

Her mother (and the rest of us) had hoped the second child could be delivered normally (vs. caesarean) given the pain and long recovery time she endured the first time around.

Unfortunately, that's not to be and while one child came out "under-done," this one is turning out to be "over-done."

A decision has been made that, for the safety of mother and child, the child be delivered sooner rather than later via caesarean.

Prayers for a safe delivery for both mother and child would be most welcome if you're so inclined.

Oh, and for me...Gigi duty is going to test me this week as we're embarking on very new territory.  

This one has never spent a night alone without one of her parents present.

😬