Ikea numbers

• The probability of placing an upside-down board in an Ikea project: 1.
• The probability of two or more people, each assembling the same Ikea piece of furniture, making the same mistake: 1.
• The step you will have to redo: 3.
• The number of times that one's grandfather, a cabinet maker, rolls in his grave: ∞.
• The number of better ways to spend a \vacation day with your wife: 0.

A rainy cove day

When I was a kid, the roof on the camp was simple, just sheathing covered with tar paper and then shingles. We could hear the rain on the roof.

My father had thought he would live at the camp year-round after he retired. He added a heating system, including the oft-mentioned oil tank. He added a layer of foam insulation to the ceiling and covered it with particle board (plywood made from pressed wood chips). It looked nice, was warmer, and took away the sound of the rain.

As a part of last year's renovations, we put on a metal roof. It looks great, will last our lifetimes, and has brought back the sound of the rain.

The temperature has dropped to the lower 50s. A cold northeastern wind pushes clumps of fog and rain across the lake.

I worked in the yard for a couple of hours yesterday and, by the forecast, that may be it for this weekend. We've enough dry wood to last a long time. Was it three years ago when we had that chilly, wet June? This week is setting up for something like that. I'm grateful for a lot of things. Now I'm grateful that I don't have to work outdoors in all kinds of weather. I know people who do and we are in their debt.

One weekend in May

We had a fine celebration on Saturday, honoring Michael for his graduation from Assumption College, Tess for her 14th birthday, and mothers Marian, Sandra, Jennie, Lynn, and Karen.

We went out to lunch, 20 of us. I tried to sit at the kids' table, but was asked to leave because Cassie wanted to sit with her cousin, Caroline.

There was plenty to discuss at the other end of the table. Jennie has completed her book and sent it to her publisher. Joe will graduate from St. Peter-Marian in a couple of weeks; he will go to Southern New Hampshire University in the fall.

After the lunch, we brought Marian back to the nursing home, noting that we'd be missing Mother's Day celebration with Elvis.

Mother's Day itself was a quiet day at the camp. In memory of Elvis, we had peanut butter and bananas for lunch.

We're still settling in after last year's wonderful renovations. Few things are where they were and lots of things aren't there at all. My father kept puzzling quantities of unexpected parts, such as a jar full of 1/4" brass screws, but we couldn't find a single wingnut. We have long lengths of antique rubber extension cords, the type that don't kink or get inflexible in the cold, and yet we found only one electrical wire cap, which is two fewer than what we needed.

Sunday we had sauna. The water is fresh but no longer cold, in spite of recent rain and no special warm spells. We have a good supply of leftover pine from the construction project. It's dry and burns hot. Mix in a little oak and maple and you get a great fire.

From a time with crowds full of laughter and hope to a time sitting on the bench overlooking the cove, hearing the planes heading down Route 2 toward Boston, it's how the days are now.

The slow walk out of winter

(via OnTheCommon.com - The slow walk out of winter)

When we reached the top of the first rise on the camp road and saw the unfriendly mix of ice and snow with melting water and soft ground underneath, we opted for the prudent choice. We parked the car and walked the rest of the way.
This wasn't a hard winter for us. We had cold stretches, but only a few times did it dip below zero. We had snow, but the mid-Atlantic states had much more. No, it was a fairly easy winter with not much more left to it.
The ice had started to pull away from the shore. If you looked closely, though, particularly around the dock, you could still see that the ice is still nearly a foot thick.
We're in the cold part of the lake. The northwest winds push the ice into the cove. Elsewhere, the sun and rain have thinned the cover. Queenie, our very own plywood royalty, went for a swim some time on the evening of March 18 (Queen Lake Iceout). When we were at the lake on the 16th, she was still standing tall in the afternoon sun.
Our neighbors reported that there had been a lot of snow on the open ground as recently as the past weekend, but the rain took it away.
Because much of the road is sheltered by evergreens, the warm sunshine doesn't have a big effect on the snow cover. It's the fog and rain that'll do the melting. The forecast suggests that we might have some of that kind of weather early next week. It wasn't a bad winter, but we're ready for spring.