Just About Done

The time finally came after I pushed and pushed. We moved back into The Lakehouse on Thursday, May 22nd. We arrived with a twenty-six-foot U-Haul truck and three other full vehicles to a half dozen pickup trucks and cars of workers blocking the driveway. They descended upon the house and weren't supposed to be here. I announced many times over the week that this was moving day, but many workers didn't finish their jobs. Trim guys were cutting wood, painters were on ladders, the backup generator was being installed, and others I just can't remember were in our way.

We hired a crew to help us unload the vehicles and they had been waiting almost two hours for us. Loading the truck and our cars took longer than expected. We almost allowed the workers to put our move off, then I put my foot down. "You! Please move your pickup. And, You: would you please move your vehicle. We're moving in right now. Please move those tools off to the side. Thank you." So, my brother-in-law, Billy, backed the truck up to the door and in we went. By the time we finished unloading all the vehicles, it was 9:30pm. We still had to go back to the in-laws' house where we had been living to pick up our dogs and bring them back home. We were exhausted.

But, waking up in our newly renovated lake house was magic. The house is beautiful, and we are so happy we went the extra mile to make it just right. Our budget was exceeded, and our retirement fund is a little lighter as a result, but we think it was well worth the price, stress, sweat and anxiety. Our son and daughter-in-law arrived the next afternoon, and they were so helpful. Having their extra hands unpacking and continuing to get organized was priceless. On Saturday, we had a house-warming party for family and close friends. It was wonderful.

Everyone was wowed by the house, and Larry and I felt so good as a result. We still have lots to do in our last week in SC until August, but we'll get it done. Larry has to install security cameras. He has to repair the sprinkler system, add new heads and install (wire) a timer so it will run while we're away. We created three new gardens that have to get watered while we're gone. We're heading back to RI to get ready for my Celtic 65th birthday, 13-day trip on June 23rd.

We also have to plant all the plants I bought, the free sod we got from Billy, and spread grass seed over the fill that is slowly being washed out from heavy rain. All our systems were well tested the first weekend during the party, and we got
an unwelcome surprise. After only three dishwasher loads and some hand washing in the kitchen sink, we learned that the dry well installed to off load our septic doesn't work.

As of this writing, the new drainage system has not been fixed and I can't do laundry or use the dishwasher. Larry fixed it so I can at least wash dishes in the kitchen sink, but the water drains into a pan under the laundry room sink. We dump that one to two times a day. I have to go to the laundromat tomorrow and wash two weeks' of laundry. I thought I was done with the laundromat. But, NOOOO!!!!

The guy who yesterday cut down nine huge pine trees and will resurface our driveway and parking area will come back Monday morning to finish picking up logs and debree. He is only willing to discuss the tank we want installed as part of the trench that doesn't work for draining our kitchen grey water. He says he's been working around here for twenty-five years and is sure he'll hit slate ledge if he digs down four to five feet. Larry disagrees and has good examples of why.

We are leaving for RI next Saturday, so we are going to push hard to get this guy to do what we want and get the drain fixed well before we have to leave, so we can test it before family comes here while we're away. More stress. But, today, we had a lovely breakfast on our new deck under our new umbrella. The pups discovered a new "friend" in an alligator snapping turtle that probably laid her eggs in our sandy fill before sauntering back down the yard and disappeared into the lake. The heron, osprey and hawks flew around our cove and over our heads while calling their calls and singing their songs. The sun finally came out, and I have to get to unpacking bins again. Larry is out buying supplies for his projects, and on it goes.

We love it here, and can't wait to get back so we can just completely enjoy living here, and not have to worry about fixing, or unpacking, or installing anything. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on our future landscape projects here. The Lakehouse isn't fully complete until the grass is grown and the gardens are finished. Until then, have a great summer, and thanks for reading.