It's just after 6 p.m. as I write. The day, which was cloudy until an hour or two ago, reached a temperature of 11º C. The sun, over the past couple of hours, has helped to turn much of the remaining snow-pack into water. The capacity of the culvert at the end of our driveway has finally been eclipsed and water is running over the drive as well.
(The topmost photo was taken about a week ago, and the photo immediately above this text, just a few days ago. All the snow is now gone from the ditch and the culvert is under about 12 inches of water.)
A mile to the east, the Jackfish Creek has steadily crept up to the crown of the roadway and should be overflowing there by nightfall.
All said, we've been very fortunate with the spring thaw. The field west of the house was about one-third covered in ice before the first snow. By the end of the winter, the blanket of snow in that field was typically 15- 30 inches deep. Rains over the past couple of weeks have been very limited and, this weekend, the predicted 30 mm rainfall did not materialize.
Something that did materialize, two weeks ago tomorrow, is a Corgi pup. Ruth had been urging me to consider another dog for the past month or so. I kept saying I wasn't ready, then allowed that the only dog I wanted if/as when, was a Corgi. This information only helped to focus her searches more precisely. She forwarded a Kijiji ad for a lovely sable-coloured female Corgi pup, which I passed on to Rebus' breeder, Irenne Bader. She suggested that it would be better to pass on that dog for various reasons, which was fine with me as she was planning to breed her female this summer. Two hours later, Irenne phoned again and told me to contact Barb Whymark in Alix, AB. Why, I asked. Just call, she said. I did, and found that Barb had a six-month old male Corgi available.
So, on Sunday morning at 6:35 a.m. two weeks ago, I jumped in the car and drove 1,400 km in 13.5 hours, stayed the night in Stettler, AB then, in the morning drove the short distance to Barb's home. Barb is delightful. She raised German Shepherds for 40 years, then switched to Corgis. She'd sent me pictures of the little fellow and, upon meeting him, the bond was sealed. I left Alix at 12:50 a.m. and, 14.5 hours and the same 1,400 km later, I arrived back at Ruth's Ridge at 3:15 a.m.
Fercos is already a fully incorporated member of our household. I'd wax poetic about the little fellow but, suffice to say, he is a much-loved addition to our home: a lovely reminder of the amazing Corgi that preceded him, but an absolutely wonderful dog in his own right. He is as soulful as Mr. Bean, but he is also a delightfully playful and cuddly pup. Ruth says that we are once again complete, and that I am coming back into my own.
Life is good.
If I didn't have enough excuses for working at a glacial pace before, Fercos gives me all the excuse I need. Tomorrow, though, a fellow is showing up to tape and plaster the garage to bring it into conformity with fire regulations. Baseboards & casings should be done before too long and, this week, I pick up the Ikea order for our laundry room cabinets. I'm looking forward to getting them in.
I've set a tentative date by which I'd like to have the pre-final inspection done, so that we can get on with our building trades appreciation open house. Maybe that can coincide with the two-year anniversary of the commencement of this build. Wouldn't be too early, would it?
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