Life Off the Grid 32 –
July 15, 2012
8:00 AM
I have been awake since
about 5, but it was chilly and I hated to get up so I stayed snuggled
in bed reading Game of Thrones. The TV series is amazingly true to
the book. You might wonder why I would bother to read the book,
having seen the first season. I wanted to see how it was and if
there was more depth to the story and the characters in the book, and
there is.
I got another glut of
texts and emails overnight. It seems my husband and son are at each
other's throats. And both feel the need to tell me about it. I wish I
could help smooth things for them. They are so alike in some ways and
so very different in others. At times it seems they don't even speak
the same language.
I am intrigued by how
and why these messages are drifting in. I checked back and they come
in definite chunks. The first time the veil lifted was on Friday
between 7:53 PM and 7:59 PM. Six minutes. Then there were several
bursts over night last night. Saturday between 10:48 PM and 10:50 PM
and Sunday at 12:35 AM and again between 3:03 AM and 3:05 AM. Two
minutes. I still suspect it is a vehicle passing on the road that
has a signal booster. It could be a boat on the lake, perhaps, or
even an airplane. That would mean the one on Friday either had a
stronger signal booster and affected my access for longer, or that
vehicle was moving quite a bit slower than the others.
What other explanations
can there be? Freak meteorological conditions that allow signal to
carry further for a few brief moments? Someone in the area with a
tower that only activates it for very short periods? I think the
vehicle notion makes the most sense. But a car or truck on the road
at 3 AM? Maybe. Not impossible. We have come in at night before,
although never quite that late. Someone rushing off to Kenora in an
emergency? Or coming back from Kenora after last call? Also possible.
I have been pondering
all morning how best to handle the work that needs to be done. I have
to be at the entrance to the parking area, on the road, and I do not
like to have the dogs out there. Guinness once, in his puppy days,
took off down the road and it was very frightening trying to get him
back. He wouldn't do that now, I think, but Seamus is always trying
to head back up the trail towards the road when I am doing things in
the parking area.
I need to go out in the
truck to see if I can send some texts from down near Wilson's. See if
I can make some kind of peace between my husband and our son. See if
Jeff has ordered a cell booster. So I think we will go up and I will
get the dogs into the truck and go and do that. When we get back I
will leave them in the truck with the A/C on to keep them comfortable
and go and do the end of the trail. Then I can let them out and we
will work our way down the trek to the cabin, pruning and marking the
path with balloons. I wish there were no biting bugs. This process
is going to be made miserable with the bugs. I will spray with the
ghastly bug spray, but I am not hopeful. I will also wear long pants,
tucked into my socks, and boots, and a hoodie, even though that will
be uncomfortably warm. I need some sort of total biohazard suit to
fend off the nasties.
The forecast has
changed. Now they are saying a high of 26C for today, with showers
starting in the afternoon. Rain will continue overnight and there
may be a thunderstorm in the morning tomorrow, clearing for a high of
31C. However, the weather forecasters have been known to be wrong
before. It's certainly cooler this morning than I had expected. About
17C outside and a bit cooler in the cabin. Ah, well. Enough
stalling. Time to get the show on the road I suppose.
Blah. My boot lace
broke. They were too long and had to be double knotted, but now the
left one is not long enough to go up to the last set of hooks.
They're leather laces too. I would have thought they would have
lasted longer.
12:15 PM
Finally back. Went out
to the road by Wilson's so I could get cell signal, enough for
texting, anyway. Spent a couple of hours in an agonizing four-way
texting session with three people who are in the same house and yet
cannot communicate with each other. For once Katherine is a bystander
and seems mostly oblivious of the strife. Usually she's a major
player in whatever upset is going on. For the most part Jeff and
Garnet get along, or at least are cordially non-interactive. But
once in awhile they butt heads and the fall-out can be ugly indeed.
Much more so than Katherine's little rage-fits at her Dad. Perhaps
because they are so uncommon they seem worse. It is, of course,
normal for kids and parents to disagree. Even more so when the kids
in question are adults and still living with the parents. Sigh.
After I became
concerned about having enough gas to get to town next time I need to
go, I told them all to sort it out and be kind to each other. And
that I loved them. Then, reluctantly back to the parking place.
I put up balloons on
either side of the drive for the roofing estimator. Then began the
arduous, bug-ridden ordeal of clipping back the bushes and putting up
balloons at visible intervals all the way down. While I am so glad
someone is maybe going to come and do the roof for us, I am of very
mixed feelings about advertising where we are to the world. The
estimator can come down, but I do not want uninvited visitors, lured
in by a line of bright party balloons. I hope he comes out tomorrow
so I can go up and take the offending markers down.
Now I have given
Guinness his meds. They seem to be giving him very bad gas, and
possibly an upset stomach. The vet did warn they might upset his
digestion a bit. Also it is hot and humid and mostly he just wants to
lie in the cabin and pant. And fart.
And here it is past
noon and I have not eaten yet. I was ravenous when I woke up, but
don't feel particularly hungry just now. Just hot and itchy from
sweat and bug-bites. If only mosquitoes would suck fat instead of
blood...
2:30 PM
Thunder is starting up
again. We've had a lot of thunder-storms recently. I guess that goes
with the extreme heat. Mostly it's distant rumbling that just goes
on fretfully all day or evening. Once in awhile it's scary close.
Lightening with thunder almost immediately after, almost simultaneous
and wall-shakingly loud. The dogs make themselves as small as
possible. It's sort of funny/sad seeing Guinness trying to crawl
under the couch. He's terrified and I feel bad for him and try to be
comforting, but here's this huge dog trying to press himself into a
fairly tiny space. Seamus doesn't like the thunder either, but he's
less freaked out than Guinness. Perhaps the benefit of not being
quite as intellectually active. He sits under the table and pants
hard, but doesn't react quite as frantically. Which suggests Guinness
has a far deeper grasp of the potential danger than Seamus does. It's
funny, because Seamus is the one to fly off the handle at just about
anything. Guinness is fairly un-ruffleable. Seamus can go mad,
barking at the wind in the trees, or his own reflection, or a
squirrel. If Guinness starts barking at something outside, I pay
attention. If he's doing the barking, or growling, there's something
there. Something possibly seriously bad, if he's growling. His deep,
menacing growl as he stares through the screen door at something I
can't see, or just smelling something neither of us can see, sets the
hair on the back of my neck on end. We shut up the cabin, all the
doors and any windows low enough for something to climb in and we
don't go out for a good long while.
That's maybe
over-reacting, but especially after what Edie said about the bears,
it seems smart. Anyway, it doesn't happen too often. Don't want any
interaction with bears. Don't ever want to have to decide whether to
defend the dogs or save myself. It's a no-brainer anyway. In spite of
Jeff's exhortations not to ever risk my life for the dogs, I would do
everything I could to save them. I think it would be automatic. Just
as they would never stop to think before trying to defend me.
3:40 PM
Went to the boathouse
with a few of the tool boxes and began to sort things there. Played
with the dogs on the way back. Also had another go at the fallen
tree on the path. It is so slow. The blade is stuck most of the
time, because the tree wobbles and moves, and I have not weight
enough or long enough limbs to hold it still and saw at the same
time. Very tough going. I may go back with a big chisel and hammer.
Now that I have made a sizeable slit to put a wedge into, that may be
as effective as anything.
4:00 PM
Sounds like it is
starting to rain. Indeed, it is raining. Big, slow drops.
There is a woman
hosting cross-country check-up on the radio, filling in for Rex
Murphy. She has a dreamy Irish accent and a fabulous manner for
speaking to all the children who are calling in – the topic is
favourite children's books. She does not speak down to them at all
and yet her manner is encouraging, drawing out their comments even if
they are a bit shy. What a fabulous interviewer! If you can get young
children to talk, well, that really is something. Her name is Susan
McReynolds. Guessing at the spelling...
4:35 PM
Heating up leftovers.
Finally starting to be hungry again. Leftovers are glorious.
It appears we are
desperately out of dog food. The last half cup or so is in the bowl.
I have a 30 lb (13.5 kg) bag in the truck. I shall have to bring it
down.
5:00 PM
That was tasty. I think
I will have to digest for a few minutes before trudging up the hill
to get the dog food. The rain has stopped for now, so I can't wait
too long.
What a thing that is in
Barrie! Over 50 explosive devices on the property as booby traps.
That would be the Feldhoff place. Bunker in the yard. Serious
survivalists, it sounds like. Sorry if that seems random. The news
came on...
There is a squirrel
outside chirping in a tree. Seamus is deeply displeased and barking
his head off.
5:30 PM
Well, I suppose I can
probably make the trek now without being ill. The question is
whether to throw it over my shoulder and try to bring it down that
way, or to test run the wheel barrow on the path. Which means
getting it back up the path. But maybe better to try it with
something lighter and less explosive than a propane tank... Ah... but
how to get it over the fallen tree? Hmmmm. On the shoulder it is
then, I suppose. Or maybe in the big backpack. I wonder if it is
foolish to try to bring the propane tank down at the same time.
Probably. But maybe I can get it part way down today and the rest of
the way tomorrow.
5:50 PM
Ok, back down from the
truck. Cajoling Guinness along the way. He does not want to have to
sit in the truck again so soon. He would, if I asked him. He would
do anything, if I asked him earnestly enough. But he wants me to know
he does not want to be sitting in the truck again today. And once I
had assured him we were just getting stuff, he seemed to understand
me and be comforted, and follow more willingly. I managed to stuff
the huge bag of dog food into the largest backpack, and got it on my
back. And picked up the propane tank and got as far as the top of
the steep bit with it before I had to put it down. It was clearly
one or the other, and dog food is more needed tonight.
That is it for
productive behaviour from me today. I am tired and sweaty. Tomorrow
I will get up filled with energy and motivation and get more good
things done. But for today I am done. The evening is for reading and
writing and pondering things. This probably seems early for most
people. But it is hot. Everything is difficult. I am very bug-bitten
and itchy. The light outside is starting to fade, a bit early because
of the dense cloud-cover. My arms and legs and back are tired from
climbing and carrying and clipping branches. The path is pretty clear
for the estimator. It is marked by festive, funny-looking children's
party balloons. My dogs have food and water. It is good. Good enough,
anyway. And there goes the thunder again...
And here comes the
rain...
6:45 PM
C'est la Vie on CBC is
doing a feature on depanneurs. Makes me nostalgic for the
neighbourhood in Montreal where I used to live. Where the old Greek
guy who ran the depanneur would extend credit to students he knew
came in often. My friends and I always, always paid him back. He was
a good guy. The girl who worked for him at the till, his daughter
maybe, was named Fuchsia, which I though was a wonderfully exotic
name. She was beautiful. Tall with dark olive skin, high cheekbones,
long dark hair, and eyes that were almost black. And there is
nothing like having a guy on a bicycle delivering a 2-4 of beer to
your door in the snow. Vive le depanneur!
7:25 PM
For the first time
since before Jeff came out to visit, it is actually quite chilly in
the cabin. I have lit the stove. And when I say chilly, it's actually
about 20C. But for some reason it feels cold. Maybe because it has
been so hot, and because it is so damp. Anyway, the fire feels good.
8:15 PM
Texts came through.
Some weird, some unhappy. But all a wonderful connection with the
world. Again, a 2 minute window of access.
9:00 PM
Guinness' meds have
been ingested. And suddenly I find that Seamus want peanut butter
too. He always recoiled in horror whenever it was offered to him.
Perhaps he is jealous of Guinness getting what Guinness obviously
regards as a special treat twice a day and he has decided to choke it
down just so things would be even. But this time he genuinely seemed
to like it.
Sounds like a boat on
the lake. What fool would be out in this weather? I know of only two
that went out on this lake in this sort of stormy weather. Both were
fished out by OPP recovery divers. There's a memorial to one of them
now on the other side of the lake. His family had a cabin here, the
other was a guest at his family place. Surely everyone on the lake
knows it is treacherous when it's stormy? But no. That is definitely
a boat. The motor sound has gone on too long to be a plane. It's
close, but not in the bay. And it sounds like a big motor, a low,
loud drone. Maybe one of the pontoon boats? Fingers crossed there
aren't OPP dive boats on the lake tomorrow.
9:30 PM
I guess I will go to
bed now. Read for a bit.
