Second New-Year Post from the Ridge

Happy New Year, blog watchers if, indeed, there are any left.

It's been well over a month since the last post, and the reasons for this lapse are various. Firstly, as a mostly single-man crew these days, the pronoun "I" would be too much used. I really loved telling the story of time and building creativity shared with others. That time is now past.

Secondly, there have been few signs of substantive progress until this past week or so. The old saw, "more fun than watching paint dry," comes to mind. Much time and problem-solving effort has been consumed by issues regarding paint, the nature of which I will spare you.

Lastly, the sum of the above has resulted in a lack of motivation for blogging. That situation, I hope, is now being put behind us.

The foregoing notwithstanding, the time up here on Ruth's Ridge continues to delight the eye and inspire the soul. The profound good fortune of having the sun shine in our kitchen window each morning, watching the awesome march of light and colour throughout the day, and then having the moon rise outside the kitchen window most every night has made every hold-up or setback seem relatively insignificant. Ruth & I continue to marvel at the gift of this magical place. For the first time in a decade or more, I am enjoying winter... even if mostly from the confines of our new home. My friend, Jim, says he hasn't seen me this happy in years. Funny, I have never equated exhaustion and happiness until now.

The number of creature comforts continues to slowly improve. From the New Year's Eve first-flush, we have moved on to a tub and sink, clothes washer and dryer, a heat-recovery ventilator and an array of kitchen goodies like a kettle, griddle, coffee maker. Still, the one thing that I will never again take for granted is the flush of a toilet. I now know how much work goes into such a seemingly simple function, but every time I actuate the toilet, I thank my lucky stars that it worked in the first place and continues to work repeatedly.

So, other than wallowing in pigment, what remains to report? In short, the addition of lights, fans, smoke/CO2 alarms, the installation of kitchen cabinets and the immanent installation of hardwood flooring.

Ceiling Fans. A 70 lb. fan now hangs in the great room, thanks almost entirely to the extended use of David Ives' scaffolding. Another fan graces the stairwell, and a third hangs in what is sure to be the 'hot' master bedroom!

Lights. Pot lights in the kitchen and loft, hanging lights in the great room, main entrance, water closet (a huge school classroom globe restored by my father after reclaiming it from the original Plum Coulee Collegiate), and dining room. Ceiling fixtures in the closets, washrooms, mudroom and pantry. Lights and receptacles in the basement.

For the past week, I have been engaged in demystifying the workings of Ikea packaging and kitchen componentry. I have to say that Ruth did an amazing job of designing the kitchen, and I have had the privilege of bringing her conceptualization to life. As of this morning, all of the cabinets (save two, which are in transit) have been assembled, positioned and secured to the walls. What remains is to install the Ikea butcher-block countertops, the oven, the cooktop, the sink, the dishwasher, and to tweak the door and drawer alignment.

Perhaps even more exciting for me, is the start of hardwood flooring tomorrow morning. I have been greatly aided by Greg Martin of Finmac Lumber. He supplied the unfinished 2 1/4" maple and, in addition, has been a font of invaluable information about the installation procedure.

Yesterday, after allowing the hardwood to condition in our home for 12 days, I distributed the 4,500 lbs. of wood to the sides of the great room and lugged 36 bundles up to the loft. Today, after doing some work on the kitchen and enjoying a visit from Jim & Johanna Rodger, I established the starter line for the first course of hardwood in the great room, then stapled down the wax paper, and prepped the equipment for the morning.

It's wonderfully quiet up here on the ridge this evening. Ruth & I had a lovely Valentine's weekend. Ruth was especially Valentine-minded after spending a few days in Winnipeg with our grand-daughter, Kate, and her parents. She discovered the little person growing inside Kate this weekend and, frankly, fell in love. So lovely to see... and Kate is truly a lovable child.

Our family is more dispersed than usual, which makes life even quieter than normal. With Lee in Vancouver for 5 weeks with the Olympics, Jill headed to Arizona for a few weeks with her mother. Cole and his girlfriend, Sarah, flew down to join them for a couple of weeks. Claire and Thomas are immersed in university. Since we're going to adopt Jill's cats, and since our place isn't quite ready to accomodate them, Ruth offered to house-sit Jill & Lee's house while they're gone. Less commuting, more proper bathrooms and mirrors, more comfort for her until our home looks more like one by month's end.

Well, enough for today. I hope to be posting again in the next few days with updates on the progress of our flooring.

'Till then, schritt fuer schritt.