A Glimpse of One ALMOST Completed Side

As I sit to write here on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I am reminded that we still live in the midwest. Although there are buds on the maple trees out front and my daffodils are at least 6" high with buds just poised to pop open and hosta buds pushing their way through the mulch....I am looking out on steady, fine snow flurries. But, if you have lived very long in this neck of the woods, you know that with March Madness comes not only very spring-like weather, but also our last attempt as winter rears its ugly head one more time.

But, without further ado I am thrilled to share these shots of the ALMOST finished garage side of our new addition. These were taken yesterday, a very cloudy day and the siding appears more gray that green with no sunshine. But, you can see they have finished from the ground up and all we need now is the garage door installation, slated to happen this week.

We are happy to see that the siding has brought the enormous look of the new section down to a more reasonable looking size. The frieze board, a 12" wide band of white wood grain composite board cuts the height just as we hoped it would. We are anxious to see if the vast length of the north side of the addition looks a bit smaller once the siding is finished. So much thought has gone into this whole project and we are so pleased with our choice of contractor and his conscientious work ethic. Thanks Jeff!

This weekend has been fun. Although I worked the past two nights, we enjoyed social times both Friday and Saturday evenings. In lieu of our usual Friday night euchre gathering with neighbors, we all met at a local pizza place for dinner, and once their crowd thinned out, we played some cards right there. Then, last night we attended a euchre night with another group of lake residents, lots of great food and fellowship. Plus, Grandmommy and her partner Stickman (a very jovial fellow nicknamed for his willowy stature) were top winners for the evening. I came away with a whooping $10!

Of course, the big talk of both evenings revolved around the "loon sightings". With this time of year, we are thrilled by seeing the return of the loons on their migrational trip through the area. Loons are such interesting birds, floating there one minute and gone the next, diving down and coming up quite a distance away. Poppy was able to catch a few excellent photos of this particular fellow on Friday. They don't stick around long, as much action on the lake will scare them off quickly. We just enjoy spotting them so much and know this is a sure sign that spring is here!

Watching the loons, as well as any water fowl on the lake, I am always reminded of the truth of life. They all look so cool and calm floating and swimming along, hardly a ripple of water disturbed. Yet, if we could focus an underwater video camera on their bottom side, we would see their legs paddling frantically to get through each day. Don't we all feel that way sometimes?

I know Poppy feels the pressure of finally getting his chance to dig in knee deep with this project, as he will start tomorrow afternoon with the a young man to begin installing all the plumbing in the new addition. Then will come the electrical wiring and installation. All this along with juggling a couple part time jobs and trying to find enough time for sleeping and eating. I'll have to come up with some good meals to keep him fueled up enough.

Have a great week ahead and don't forget to fool someone on Wednesday!