And On It Goes (And Comes Off)

There's just so many things that are happy for me about this picture.

I should say first, though, that we are already well past half way through the "no parents" week with Zachary, Harvest, Jayden and Timothy, and it's going so very well.  [We miss Abby, since this is the first year she has a 'real job' and can't join us for family cottage time.  Hence the earlier time with just her.  Like paint, things change, then come around again.  So I'm told, so I've lived.]

But this picture.

As a reminder, because it's even hard for us to keep track of it all, that we have two properties side by side.  Nothing fancy, believe me.  We're prone to referring to our cottage as 'quaint,' or 'rustic,' or perhaps 'vintage.'  And that's the good half.

Still, it's a two for one deal, with one side quite comfortable and livable, and the other in transition between derelict and reclaimed.  The second property is where the bunkie is.  And where Jayden and Timothy are here scraping paint.

First happy thing - The boys are still at the age where helping Gramma with anything is fun!  Bonus!

Next happy thing - They are working with me on the water-facing outer wall of what we call the 'main building' on the second property.  In the process of our reclamation, it's going to be a big encouragement to us all if we can just slap on a badly needed fresh coat of paint. 

 

Next happy thing - Creating memories attached to ownership.  All of us have our own youthful memories of various iterations of the buildings here; when we got indoor plumbing, when the deck was added, when the plank floors were liberated from the linoleum, when we changed the outside paint from green to grey.  It's part of the tradition.  

I didn't arrive until I was 16, but still.  In 52 years a lot of paint comes off and  goes on.  And I guess I'm just hoping to pass in on and on.

The boys with their scrapers did good work, and we made a solid start on this part of the reclamation project.  I thanked them robustly, and suggested that one day they might be there with their grandchildren, telling the story of how they scraped the old paint off with their Gramma.

Overall, they felt good about their contribution.  One suggestion from Timothy though.  "Gramma, next time let's bring our water bottles and we can work longer."  It was hot, yes. But you gotta' love that work ethic!  With all that's to be done, we're going to need it!

On Saturday the parents arrive.  

More fun then.