First Sleep Over

Richard came over with stunning news.

Electricity in the Johnson/Johnson Cabin. Everyone came running, Aunt Bonnie, Miranda, the three children, me.

We tested the lights in each of the bedrooms.

We tested the lamps in the front room.

There is a light high in the ceiling in the kitchen.

There is a light on the back porch.

And there was great rejoicing. We cheered and cheered.

We danced in front of the cabin.

"Having light would have made taking all of those kitchen cabinet doors off a lot easier", said Miranda who was busy washing them on the front porch of my house.

Richard writes,
"First sleep in the bunkbeads.
Surprisingly warm.
You can see Betty's elbows as she sleeps and
Alice covered head to toe under her fleece blanket."

She has been cleaning the brass handles, as well, since they haven’t had that kind of cleaning since 1963 when the cabinets were installed. The handles need soaking and scrubbing. And more soaking and scrubbing. I think her hands are raw for the first round where she exfoliated the skin on her hands.

Ouch.

Rubber gloves now.

They are all sleeping over there tonight. Even Aunt Bonnie Wyora.

Richard lets me do whatever I want. 

So does Miranda. Today I tried to rake the front of the yard so we can throw grass seed down. This was the last of the rainy days when it is possible to make a lot of progress. I only got 1/3 of it done. It is probably only 3 feet by 9 feet. Hard work.

I also spent some time cutting down the overgrowth on the path to the beach. There has been some slippage there, and it is no longer safe to drive a golf cart down there. I did that with Michael, Alice and Betty. They were good workers, moving the branches to the side. I only got 2/3 of that done and I would rate my performance at 3 out of 10.

I said something about scrambling up a hill. Michael asked me what scrambling was. I told him it was like trying to run up a rocky hill. He put down the clippers and said he was going to scramble, and so he tried to scale a cliff. That might have been the part of the day that made me laugh the hardest. The rocks were spinning beneath his feet. I moved to a different side of the path, so as not to be an an avalanche of stone should he trigger one. At the very top there was a long root hanging out and he could grab it, but it couldn’t quite make it over the top. Still, a worthy scramble. Down he came.

Richard took out the hot water tank, loaded it up on a truck and took it to a place in Salmon Arm where there is scrap metal that can be dumped.

Bubble gum continues to haunt Richard. He doesn’t like it when his kids have 4 piece in their mouthes at once. So I am only allowed to give Betty one, and Alice and Michael, only two at a time.

Getting electricity into the cabin was not on Richard’s wish list for the week. Oh, what a happy, happy day at our house.

I wish I had taken a picture but of what?

 A single light burning through the darkness. 

Yes, that would have been it. 

Arta