Catalyst leaving Mahone Bay harbour one last time for 2016. Hubby at the wheel, friend Peter is hauling up a fender and hubby's brother Terry is waving from the bow. A male bonding day on the water. Me taking the picture from the shore wiping at the tears. Parting is such sweet sorrow.....
I’ve had a very jam-packed summer and early fall. Between recreational pursuits and the shop, each day was filled to capacity so there was little time for extras. In the past I’ve only had work on my plate but now with our boat, I’ve had a large serving of smelling the roses which has made me remiss in my blog, the easiest to sacrifice as I run out of hours in the day and fall into bed with a tiredness that runs bone deep. I’ve never played so hard in my life and I like it!
But all good things come to an end and the sailing was put to bed last week; although that doesn’t mean the work is over. Catalyst II has to be packed up, winterized and covered, drained of her fluids and replaced with anti-freeze. I joke it’s like we’re pumping through embalming fluids to preserve her.
Like a fish out of water I hate to see her wallowing on land, resting on jack stands surrounded by a sea of boats all waiting for kinder weather. As much as I love the changing of seasons it would be nice to drop winter, or make it milder like the west coast so the boats never have to come out of the water. But then of course, we would be inundated with settlers to our mild climate and Mahone Bay would have high-rise development and traffic jams. I think I’d rather have our beautiful harbour-side town kept more on the quaint and charming side of living.
So now with the boating behind us and the weather turning cold, it’s time to get to work on the neglected house. I took last week off to scrape and paint, up a ladder to work on the second floor windows. I’m no stranger to ladders or staging and I do enjoy the work, but once again I’m pushing the envelope waiting this long as paint goes on hard at 13 degrees Celsius and should not be applied below 10.
Then I look at the sad gardens. I didn’t pull a weed all summer so the backyard is packed with dying matter, drying and turning the colours of autumn, but not pretty like the trees along the highway, this is one ugly mess. From past experience I can gauge that every couple of square feet is a bulging wheel barrel full of dead growth to dispose of. I groan thinking about winterizing the gardens but its necessary and better done now while it’s crisp and dry than waiting until the dank wetness of spring and its flourishing mold. There are still a number of days left for yard work, I just have to make time and do it. Help is welcome, drop by with rubber boots and gloves anytime…
But all good things come to an end and the sailing was put to bed last week; although that doesn’t mean the work is over. Catalyst II has to be packed up, winterized and covered, drained of her fluids and replaced with anti-freeze. I joke it’s like we’re pumping through embalming fluids to preserve her.
Like a fish out of water I hate to see her wallowing on land, resting on jack stands surrounded by a sea of boats all waiting for kinder weather. As much as I love the changing of seasons it would be nice to drop winter, or make it milder like the west coast so the boats never have to come out of the water. But then of course, we would be inundated with settlers to our mild climate and Mahone Bay would have high-rise development and traffic jams. I think I’d rather have our beautiful harbour-side town kept more on the quaint and charming side of living.
So now with the boating behind us and the weather turning cold, it’s time to get to work on the neglected house. I took last week off to scrape and paint, up a ladder to work on the second floor windows. I’m no stranger to ladders or staging and I do enjoy the work, but once again I’m pushing the envelope waiting this long as paint goes on hard at 13 degrees Celsius and should not be applied below 10.
Then I look at the sad gardens. I didn’t pull a weed all summer so the backyard is packed with dying matter, drying and turning the colours of autumn, but not pretty like the trees along the highway, this is one ugly mess. From past experience I can gauge that every couple of square feet is a bulging wheel barrel full of dead growth to dispose of. I groan thinking about winterizing the gardens but its necessary and better done now while it’s crisp and dry than waiting until the dank wetness of spring and its flourishing mold. There are still a number of days left for yard work, I just have to make time and do it. Help is welcome, drop by with rubber boots and gloves anytime…
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