Have a happy Saturday and while I am at it, I am happy today:

Housework outranks Facebook on happiness meter ~ Debra Donston-Miller

Only activity people like less than using Facebook is recovering from illness, a study says. There’s a lesson there.

I can back the outcome of that study. See, Tuesday I have plans to take a quick run back to the ‘Nati. This to pick up Marcia and since I know she appreciates a ‘home’ environment better than my preferred ‘dorm’ look I have a few tasks facing me. Hence, I am doing housework.

And, oh yah, I have to sign a few documents while picking her up.

Now, light is beginning to reflect on the water so best fill my mug.

Sold – and in so doing Marcia held her ground, She held firm. No further concessions were agreed to, No chimney cap. No little this or little that. Without a signed contract agreeing to the one existing, the house would be back on the market.

Once all in place it was as if the floodgates opened. The buyers asked for some contracting folk to come through. And then the ‘pièce de résistance; “could the closing be moved up to the end of this coming week”.

Finally, as by magic, our reclusive (maybe just over-the-top busy) contractor for our planned work here at Northern Comfort called. Soooo, later this month or early September the cabin will be lifted and a proper foundation built under it.

We’ll stop it from slowly walking into the lake yet. So there.

The felling – was set for Thursday morning. Bob the Forester had a large, eight-foot in circumference, Maple tree in his woods. Years ago it had been hit by lightning. That hit caused a deep scar and had that tree twist as it aged. Now, completely dead its natural lean aimed it directly at his garage. It had to come down.

At first it was to be Bob, neighbor Bulent, and moi to whack that sucker. The morning of the felling Donn and Marlene drove up and then a pontoon from across the way brought four guys more. These things do take a village.

On Wednesday I had climbed about twenty-five feet up that tree to affix a strap. Meanwhile Bob placed a block-and-tackle on a large tree pointing it around 50-degrees away from his garage. From the strap we ran a cable to the tackle and then, forming a triangle, back to his driveway where we used a tractor as a ‘dead-man’.

Using his years of experience Bob positioned his first wedge cut so it faced the tackle. Once the wedge was removed it was time to back-cut on the opposite side. Four guys began to push-pull on the cable. Wedges were placed and driven into the back-cut. And each time the cable slacked I kept tightening it by using an attached 1-ton come-along.

The creaking began, and then as in slow motion that old dead monster-tree began its final fall – exactly where Bob wanted it.

PS. No live trees other than one very small seedling were hurt during this exercise. How good was that?

The work crew work work done, now some cold Watermelon

The beauty of Opera – First of all, I have to acknowledge that I DO NOT have a singing voice, and I cannot carry a tune—not even in the shower. Yet I do love to sing.

Full disclosure; I have been spotted in the car wailing away to Harry Nilsson’s; Living Without You (especially the falsetto key).

So, the other day, and it was a glorious day, I had to take a run to a nearby farm to buy some stuff. What better time to take our Duck, our little Deux Chevaux; in minutes had popped the windows open and rolled back the top.

Soon I was toodling Zen like through the Kinoch Valley with its stunning green rolling hills when I realized that I had begun to belt out a phrase from Gianne Schicchi’s; O Mio Babbino Caro. It was just a phrase which I sang over and over (that was all I knew).

It was so appropriate.

It was pure loveliness.

It was just such a moment which the car’s original designers had in mind when they first envisioned it rolling through the French wine country.

Fini – Well well, one by one my brothers are beginning to catch up to me – and I am speeding along at a good pace. Tomorrow Pieter will crank the big 70. Happy Birthday Pieter.

Next, I have to remember not to have either eggs or chickens in the truck as I head south. Currently it’s the prime culprit on the “do not import” list at the border control station – the items on the list vary from time to time, sometimes its potatoes. I don’t believe that toothpaste has ever made the list though.

I should point out that the northern entry points are far advanced over those on our southern border where they are still stewing on how to deal with a possible Sars Disease epidemic.

Stay safe and be well, make it a great week.

Cheers.

Dirk