Yesterday, the three sisters spent the day cleaning out the shed. After a day of hard work, we were all feted over at Anne and Bill’s with a steak dinner. Today Jane left to go back down south. Before she left though, she drained the water heater in preparation for its replacement. The plumber arrived shortly afterwards. He quickly replaced the water heater, then fell apart along with the sink when we asked him to also fix a slow drain. Too many long-haired women, plus forty-year-old pipes. Oh, the horror! Imagine the movie The Ring.

Yes, that is human hair hanging down. Spirit one! Next up was the bug guy. The cabin has a powder post beetle infestation, and we mean to get them. The exterminator was somewhat touch-and-go on communicating, but he showed up. I was at the store, so, I missed him, but this is the plan. He will return three times this summer. Just like the spirits. Each time he will spray (Bora-Care), and we will leave the cabin for the day. June 1st is the first scheduled treatment. We are also looking at July 1st as the next one and I am thinking of the last one sometime in August, after the grandchildren leave. Hopefully that will rid us of these forever pests. Spirit two!

Our final spirit to visited us was Steve the wood guy. I had given up on him and laid down for a nap, when much to my amazement he appeared, along with his not so tiny eight-cylinder red truck. He was already tossing wood off the back of his truck, when I stumbled out to greet him. No worries though the women folk had him well in hand.

After he dumped his wood and left, the stacking began. We had ordered a face-cord and with the half that we still had, the wood nearly filled both racks. We had it all stacked and covered, but then I had to cut one restraining bit of twine. All the stacked wood came crashing down. We were lucky that no one was hurt. Starting again from square one, with more care this time, we restacked everything. I fixed dinner for my hardworking crew and then Anne and Bill showed up later. Jay, Anne and Bill head south tomorrow and since a bear raided all of the bird feeders around, I might lock the doors at night.

Beach day! Our first real beach day of the season. On our first day up here on the shores of Gitche Gumee it was warm enough to sit out on the beach, but since then it has been too cold. Not today. After days of cleaning and organizing the cabin’s kitchen, the three sisters have moved outside. They are now tackling the shed. I have taken advantage of their industry to sneak away. If summoned, this will be a short post. If not noticed, it will be longer. You be the judge of my work avoidance efforts. Tomorrow, the wood guy comes and the plumber and the exterminator. Once this circus has commenced then Jane will feel free to leave and go back south and to her job-job. Last year, we ran the woodpile down to dangerously low levels, but it looks like we will get by, by the skin of our teeth.