Reacquainting with The Lake

I am so happy to be back at our lake house on Lake Murray in South Carolina. I keep forgetting how beautiful it is here; so remote, quiet and calm...peaceful. The full moon is working its magic on my mood and my dreams. I am exercising every day so far, and had a very interesting dream this morning.

In my dream, a mentor told me to trust the process and have faith that all will be well with me and in my life. The entire first part of the dream was about not being accepted by literal beauty pageant candidates because I am fatter than they are and do not conform to the "hair and makeup; fashion" contingent. I was feeling bad about myself as a result. Then I packed a bag to get ready for an event, when the bag "activated" upon closing; a motor switched on and lights lit. I grabbed the handle and it lifted me up and into the sky. It took me far away to a lovely land where I met a mentor. This spiritual and life mentor challenged me to sing my "Song" in support of my candidacy as leader of the Fei. I watch a SciFi Channel television show called "Lost Girl", and the Fei have special powers. The Fei mentioned in my dream was more spiritual in nature, but powers would be granted if I succeeded. I awoke singing the song as challenged, feeling confident I would win. She smiled at me knowing I would win too. It was a good feeling.

The water temperature in our lake is wonderful. It's hot here right now: low to upper 90's and sometimes into the 100's with high humidity. I thought the water would be hot too, but it's more like lukewarm bath water. Cooler than I expected and lovely to swim in. I am swimming more than usual because I keep hearing the words of my Rhode Island personal trainer, Eric, in my head: ramp up your cadio! My weight is out of control, and I am getting better, but still not great with controlling what I eat and how much I drink. Being on vacation doesn't help that process either. But I figure if I exercise every day, it'll help to stabilize my weight increases, and maybe help me to eat less sugar and drink less alcohol. Hopefully. Anyway, every day is a do-over for me. I feel better about myself as a result. Doesn't that count for something?

I didn't want to come back to the lake because I love our home in Tiverton, Rhode Island, and didn't want to experience extreme heat and humdity.. Now that I am back here, once again, I realize how much I do love the lake house, and the temps aren't much different than up north.  The pups, Jackson and Mattie Grace, really love it here because they get to go outside unsupervised and they love to swim! It's calmer swimming in the lake than in the ocean, so they are more likely to venture into the water on there own. I've begun taking them for rides in our paddle boat, and they really enjoy it as much as the pontoon. I guess it's all about togetherness for them.

We've only been here a few days, but we are already relaxed and settling into lake life in the rural country. I am so blessed and grateful.

Getting a handle on it.

I was sitting by the window reading and noticed once again a funny feeling in my lower legs. They have been bothering me at night: always hot and feeling kind of "encased". I was shocked to see that my skin was actually orange!

My towel.

The water here at The Lakehouse has always been a problem. The sinks, tubs and toilets are severely stained, and without regularly changing the filters, standing water turns yellow/orange and looks oily. Shampoo does not soap up in this condition; neither does soap for that matter, including dish washing liquid. I no longer use the jet tub here for that reason. I tried soaking twice and when I looked down and saw I was sitting in oily-looking pee water, I quickly got out and never soaked again. We can't buy a washing machine yet either. Until we completely change out the water system, the laundromat is still my friend here. Larry has some ideas on how to change out the system, but like anything else in life: if you don't use it, you lose it. This house remains unused much of the year, and will continue to be this way as long as we own it. Now we're not sure changing out the system will work either. Don't know what to say about it now.  Anyway...

We had it tested several years ago and learned we have high levels of iron and manganese in it. After doing some research, Larry learned that when oxygen enters the well, iron-ore bacteria grows. The bacteria is what causes the oily look and the staining. Now it is all over my skin. I could live with stained fingernails and my little stained benign caratoses, but now my skin must be changing too. Both my lower legs are stained and inside my upper arms. I can feel it on my neck too. I don't now if I'm just obsessing now, but my legs and neck feel hot and uncomfortable. I can't live this way anymore!

Larry changed out the filters and flushed the system with bleach today. We took a lovely boat ride while the bleach was killing the bacteria. We usually do this in the spring, but we weren't here last year to do it, and it hasn't really been done in a couple of years. We just forgot. Country living is very basic, and I've learned to do it quite well, but I've drawn the line on orange skin!

I got in the lake today and scrubbed my skin with soap and a facecloth. Then I dove in to rinse. Actually, this was my first swim of the season, and it was wonderful! The water temperature is absolutely perfect. I've been feeling a little guilty about not exercising since I've been here, except for one walk, but now I can swim! Yippee.

The pups had a fine time on the boat today. The just love riding around the lake. So do we for that matter. We can check on what the neighbors have been up to: who's renovating, building up, and any new subdivisions that are being built. We learned the new subdivisions are virtually dead right now with this economy. But the big houses are still adding on.

It was a nice day over all. Anyway, I feel better getting that crap off my body. Now I just have to keep it off.

This is the mound I stepped in.

Another small mound: Invisible, right?

Speaking of keeping things off, when I was weed-wacking yesterday, I inadvertantely stepped in a fireant mound and did "the dance" to the lake to drown them off my feet. The dance is walking quickly or running to the water while stomping you feet hard on the ground trying to knock them off 'til you get there. Fireants aren't as bad as they sound, but they are pesky little critters. You really have to watch where you walk down here, because the mounds crop up everywhere and anywhere.

Largest mount in front of the garage.

I remember when we got married, the limo company had to switch out our limo at the last minute because of fireant infestation in it. We got a much bigger limo for the same price, so it was was good thing! When they get on you, they must send a signal, "Ready, set, GO!" Then they all bite you at once. I've had one on me that bit, and it is just like a little hot sting. Lots of them can really hurt. I also remember, Jackson got in one by accident and when I saw him rolling around helplessly on the ground one day, I scooped him up, dowsed him over and over in the lake, and picked the little buggers off one by one until he was ant free. They can be a real pain in the ass, and many other places, like my ankles.

Spring 2012 Update

It's been a very long time, since we've been back to The Lakehouse. I didn't know how much I missed it. Our niece, Allison, has done a fine job keeping it up for us. All I had to do to re-bond with the house was break out the vacuum and suck up mouse poop and spider webs and poop from all the nooks and crannies. This process always makes me feel better.

Larry's brother, Bill, drove his riding mower over the other day, so yesterday Larry mowed the two-foot weeds down. Now the pups can walk anywhere they want. Those weeds were taller than they are. There are still many Mimosa baby trees around to cut down. Those trees spread like weeds and, also like the Wisteria vines, will take over the place if you let them. We've been gone long enough that it'll be tough to get them back under control, especially the Wisteria. Those vines are currently covering our 20-foot pear tree and many other trees. The stalks get so thick, even loppers have a hard time cutting through. For those I need the pruning saw. Keeping up with two acres in rural country is hard work when one lives here full-time. This past year, we only got back for a couple of very short trips, so there was no time to keep up the yard work. We'll have a little more time this trip, as we plan to stay until after Memorial Day weekend.

Larry's sister, Libby, has been dead a year. I realized when we arrived how much I miss her. Our house is full of items she put here and I keep thinking of things I want and need to talk to her about and to ask her. My heart aches. But, one bright note, is that the rose bush she rooted and we planted together has come back. I thought it was dead. I named it "Libby's Rose", and I really hope it blooms this year.

Our Oak Leaf Hydrangea is just lovely. It has spread very wide, but I see I didn't get all the Wisteria cut out of it. There are still a few very large branches poking out. I'll have to hone my sights in on them soon with the saw.

Lastly, the little White Star Jasmine vine is blooming beautifully. It smells so sweet. I thought it was dead a few years ago when large branches of the Red Bud tree it's growing up died and broke off, but it came back just fine. It makes me so happy to stop and smell the lovely little blooms each time I head to the dock.

As far as critters go, we've been visited daily in the house by little green lizards that change color depending on the wall they sit on. While vacuuming spider webs and poop out of window sills, I almost sucked one up that was grey and sitting on the window screen with a little lump of dusty-filled spider web hanging of his little paw. I said, "You bet scoot up high little buddy before you get sucked up for good!" As he scooted up the screen, I snatched the dust from his paw. He was very cute. These critters don't bother me at all.

One of the most interesting outdoor spider webs we have here is a tunnel web. The spider who makes them is pretty large and I have not yet been able to catch her on camera, but Larry got a good shot of one on our hose outside the front (and only) door. He wiggled the sprayer a little and got her attention. She scampered out to the top of the tunnel, only to realized his trick and before he could get a shot of her, she quickly scampered back inside. She didn't fall for that trick a second time.

The beavers came back and marked the pine tree next to the dock for cutting. They don't usually like pine, but we figured they cut down all the other good-tasting trees, and are just settling for the dregs of pine meat. They must be very desperate. And since this tree is mostly dead and has been earmarked for cutting proactively by us, we better get to it soon before they do, so we can control where it falls. It's about a forty-foot tall tree.

The heron are flying all over the place right now, and Jackson has been having a fine time barking at their antics. He and Mattie Grace just love the lake. Now that the lawn has been mowed, maybe they'll venture in for a swim soon. They turn into real country dawgs down here and love to go for long walks on the dirt roads.

The daytime temperatures have been in the low eighties this week with nighttime temps in the sixties. We've been grateful to be able to keep the windows open. This house gets very stale smelling with all the mouse urine that's probably under the dark panelling on all our walls, It can be stinky in here. Which leads me to our latest renovation plans for The Lakehouse.

Since we didn't make any money like we'd hoped from selling our Lexington, Massachusetts house, we now don't have any money to renovate the lakehouse like we'd originally planned. So, we're trying to find more basic ways to make it more comfortable and upgrade it. We bought three window air conditioners for each bedroom the other day. When I told my friend, Mary Pat, about this purchase, she immediately texted all her family and friends with excitement. They use the house when we're gone, and it can get pretty uncomfortable here in the summer months. We'll be here some this summer, and I'm spoiled with our central air in Rhode Island. Ceiling fans just don't cut the extreme humidity and heat of August.

We will still have to change the living room roof structure, which will be the largest investment. The flat roof on it now cannot be patched or fixed anymore. Larry has done a wonderful job patching it and stopping the leaks that badly stain the ceiling, but these patches will not hold much longer. It's time to think of a more long-term solution. Creating another pitched roof to match the one over the kitchen will be the way to go. All we have to do is consult with friends here who know somebody to do that work. Larry can stay while the work is being done and supervise along the way.

Once the roof is recreated, we can either pull off or just paint the dark paneling on all the walls, paint ceilings, and replace all the windows. We need a new screen door on the front, and Larry will create a second egress in the living room. We'll tear out the garden in the "L" of the house, and build a new deck onto which the new door will open. Then we'll get a power awning installed over it. The big thing here in the south is the need for shade.

We have to re-roof the pump-house and replace the current water system. Our water is high in iron and manganese. It turns everything orange and black. We change the multiple filters often, but I can't wash clothes here without replacing the system with a more reliable one. Larry has been doing research and has a plan for this. Once this has been completed, we'll buy a small, apartment-sized, stackable washer/dryer system. We looked in Lowe's and Home Depot, where they used to be, but none were on the floor. Hopefully, they are still sold online.

We're not sure how much this down-scaled renovation will cost yet, but it is in general cheaper to do construction down here. Hopefully, we won't have to drain our retirement too much to get it done soon. We're making do just fine as it is, but with some workers and sweat equity, we can make it even better. I'll keep y'all posted.

Just an update.

It's been a very long time since I've updated this blog. A lot has happened.

Our dream of reaping funds to renovate "The Lakehouse" were dashed as the crippled real estate market ruined our plans by not allowing us any funds at all when we sold our Lexington, Massachusetts home. The upside of this disappointment, however, is that we were able to walk away from this home with enough money to have a nice dinner and a bottle of wine to celebrate. That's the lemonade we made from the lemons thrown at us during this sale. What a nightmare it turned out to be, but we came out unscathed and now debt-free of a "balloon" mortgage that was suffocating our financial future.

The biggest shocker of the sale was that we discovered our neighbors, who we thought were our friends, turned into the "nightmare" neighbors they were afraid of getting when we left. The Saturday night before our closing on a Monday morning, the buyers threatened to walk away from the sale when they learned what the neighbors were doing to us. Let me make a long story short.

Because the neighbors' house was older than ours, their water pipe was installed on our property from the street. Our deed had an easement on it for this pipe. When we built our garage, we had the town "find" the pipe only to discover it was not located in this easement which was fifteen feet from the property line, but more like fifty feet into our property, and directly under the footprint of our proposed garage. We wanted to relocate the pipe around the outside of the garage footprint, but the town badly advised us that we wouldn't have to do that if we just laid a capped-off PVC pipe beside it that terminated outside the footprint. They inspected the pipe and permitted it. We thought we were home free. BUT NOOOO!!!

When we saw the Purchase and Sales Agreement, there was wording that made me question the pipe's location with our attorney. We quickly found out we would not be able to sell the house with the pipe left in its existing location. We thought, if we have to pay to move the pipe now, why not just get it off our property all together. So, we approached our friends, the neighbors, and asked that they pay to connect their house to the pipe that we would pay to install in the "paper street" that ran along side our property that they used as a driveway. We also said we would repave the street afterwards. Not only did they refuse to pay, but they refused to let us dig up the street at all; their property, or disturb them in any way. In addition, they said, "We did research and discovered we have legal documents that declare that street our private driveway and you have to close off your access to it." When we built the garage we created a second driveway out the paper street for safer access to the main road and additional parking for parties. We helped maintain the street with our neighbors, and there was never an issue until "open houses" brought unwanted traffic their way while we were in South Carolina caring for Larry's dying sister. At this point, we stopped talking to the neighbors and got our attorney talking to their attorney and the buyers' attorney. Don't you love it so far?

Because the neighbors were being so stubborn about access to their property, we decided to move the pipe (after all attorneys agreed, and full title would be granted to the buyers) outside the footprint of our garage as we had wanted to do in the first place. It would have been much cheaper then, but ce la vie. The neighbors were also pushing us to close our second egress out the paper street, but our attorney told us were were not legally obligated to block off the driveway, so we didn't. Then, she changed her mind and suggested it would be easier and nice to just do it as long as we dug up VW "Bug"-sized boulders while digging the trench to lay the new pipe anyway. So, we had our contractor block off the driveway with these boulders, leaving a pedestrian opening only. This was fine with everyone until our realtor came by.


She told us that the buyers "would walk" if we left those boulders there because the property was advertized with that second egress and we were legally obligated to keep it open. So, we once again consulted our attorney and had the boulders removed. This thoroughly pissed off our neighbors, and they flat-out refused to sign off on the old easement to our deeds unless we blocked it up again. So, we felt like we had a gun held to our heads by both the neighbors AND the buyers. We were "between a rock and a hard place"...literally.

Long story short, we didn't put the boulders back. But the buyers' threatened to walk when they found out what was happening. They got a landscaper to quote $15,000 to plant an approximately ten-foot driveway opening with mature trees and wanted us to pay the entire amount. They did not want us to put the boulders back. They wanted to do it themselves so they wouldn't have to even see the neighbors. We offered half. They refused, so we countered with $10,000, and signed away a check to them at closing. We had enough left over from the sale to pay off our attorney and the guy who dug the pipe, plus the dinner. We were so angry, but soon got over it and are now happy to be done with it all.

We decided that whenever we get around to renovating "The Lakehouse" with our newest plan, which has been greatly simplied, we'll have to go deeper in debt again with either a refinance or a higher equity loan/line of credit. We won't be doing anything very soon, because for now we are just enjoying the "breather". Maybe a year from now, we'll decide to do something at the lake. But, the house there is perfectly livable now, so we're in no hurry.

Lessons learned: You can never "really" know somebody. And, "Dominate Estate" versus "Subservient Estate" legally means the dominant party (our neighbors) were granted an implied easement once we made the new pipe location known, and we as the subservients could have been forced to tear down our garage if the dominant neighbors really wanted to play "hardball" over the pipe's location. When you buy or sell property, check what's under the land; not just what's on it. Really?

Back in the North Homeland

We had a pretty uneventful road trip north and have spent the last two weeks catching up with homes, family and friends. Tomorrow is Boston Marathon race day, and we've been invited to a couple of friends' houses. We spent the weekend at our home in Tiverton, Rhode island, and will head to another home in Upton, MA tonight. We put the Upton house and our old home in Lexington, MA on the market. We pray they both sell this spring. Our hope was to get enough money from these sales to help with renovations on "The Lakehouse", but with the market like it is, we'll be lucky to break even.

There is an open house in Lexington today at which we hope to get an offer we can work with. In Upton, we're having trouble with the key we left for the realtor. There was a showing with enthusiastic interest yesterday, but the potential buyers could not get in the house. We'll fix that problem tonight, so they can come back tomorrow. Coming back is a good sign, yes?

We are also in the market for an environmentally-controlled off-site storage facility. When the Upton house does sell, we'll have to store some furniture and other things we have no room for right now. Once we do finish our renovations and build-out at "The Lake", we can bring some of the furniture down there. In the meantime, we can sell off what we were using in Upton, and save the rest for later.
I just feel tired all the time. So much to do and no energy to do it.


I think I'm just coming down from all the sadness in South Carolina, and somehow need to make time to rejuvenate my energy level. There is so much to do up here, and I fight feeling guilty every day I'm not doing the work required. I know I'll get over it, and tomorrow I'll call my acupuncturist for an appointment. Acupuncture always helps me. I just need a little boost.

We met our two Mini-Dachshund grand-dawgs twice now, and they are just adorable. They are only four months old, and training seems to be going well. Poor little Roscoe has what seems to be a permanently leaky pee-pee though. How can they get mad with such cute faces looking back at them with unconditional love. Our son turned forty-one last week, but we are not feeling old. That also has to be a good sign, right?

I am reading my bookclub selection, "A Novel Bookstore" by Laurence Cosse, and just received the last in my favorite fictional series by Jane Auel, "The Land of Painted Caves". I have been waiting for over a decade to find out what happens to Ayla, the powerful Cavewoman, who feels like me in another lifetime. I am fascinated by the herb lore in this series, and it feeds right into my "Medicine Woman" fantasy.

I remain hopeful that our lives will receive more balance when the two houses are sold, and we can finally settle into our retirement "snowbird" lifestyle. We still haven't figured out what that is for us yet. But, we're getting closer.

Spring is in full swing!

The air at The Lakehouse is alive with birdsong. All the trees and shrubs are bursting with buds, and some of the azalea buds are showing their color. Forsythias are going "past", but the cherry is in full bloom. One Red Bud in back of the house is in full bloom, but the one at the front is just starting to bloom. We wonder if that's because the thirty foot Camilia trees protect it from wind off the lake in that direction, which is more southeast


Our pear tree is just lovely with blooms. We have never once gotten a ripe pear off it. When they ripen, we are usually not here, and when we are the tree is empty. The mystery remains: who eats them all? The tree is at least twenty feet tall. We have been here when there were actual pears all over the tree one day, and the next time we looked, it was completely empty. Another Lakehouse mystery.

A Japanese Magnolia is blooming on the adjacent, abandoned property. This little tree's blooms are new this year. Very exciting.

Larry has noticed the increase in predator birds around us in the last week or more. We have seen lots of Red-Tail and other Hawks, plus at least one pair of Osprey. The Cardinal males are breaking up their winter clutch; splitting off and forming territories now. The air is alive with birdsong. This hawk remains perched high in the pine tree chirping for love, "Hee-err, hee-err, hee-err".

One pair of Mallards arrived this week. We wondered if they could be offspring from last year, but remembered that the males are basic "hoes" and don't remain with the females after mating. I made sure some birdseed was on the ground under the feeder to see if I could once again lure them ashore. We've also seen flocks of Hooded Mergansers in the cove. Geese are everywhere!

The beavers snuck back and "tagged" two trees with small chewed areas on the bark. We discovered that they do indeed eat pine trees; not just hardwoods. So, Larry got out the hardware cloth and covered five hardwood trees in the tagged area. We don't care much about the pines. The Pine Beetle are slowly eating and killing them anyway. We'd rather retain the longer-lasting hardwoods as much as possible and let nature thin the pine woods

Actually, Larry recently cut down a dead pine on the shore he's been watching for a few years. We discovered it was full of carpenter ants. The Mocking Birds are very happy for this unexpected feast. The Woodpeckers discovered them long ago given the lack of bark on the tree before cutting it down. Those rascally beavers are still phantoms.

But, we did see one Muscrat swim out from under the dock one late afternoon as we sat on the glider enjoying the waning light. It stayed close by enough to watch him/her swim and dive with its ratty tail curled above the water's surface. We remembered that when the lake was down years ago, the clay and rock beach was littered with Muscrat tunnels. So many tunnels that when I walked the beach, I fell into one up to my knee. Luckily, I had on my Teva strap-on sandals to protect my feet. The beach is so rocky, I have to wear them all the time, even when swimming.

The lake level is rising now as quickly as it dropped a few months ago. The water is now just below the deck of the dock. The other night we had a party, and two eleven-year-old girls opened swim season by jumping in the lake off the dock. Their red skin and shocked faces were enough evidence to attest to the water's temperature. In Boston, they would have been called, "L-Street Brownies".

We'll be heading north again in a couple of weeks. I have mixed feelings as this time approaches. We're not sure how soon we'll return to The Lakehouse, and not only will we miss it here, but the puppies will too. This is their favorite home. They have lots of freedom and adventure abounds here for them. They make us laugh all the time, especially Jackson with his boundless antics. He is the adventure boy, but Mattie Grace loves to follow along

Recently, big dawgs have invaded our yard. Saturday night, it was very difficult to get them to go home. They were friendly enough, but we didn't want our little pups to get "into it" with these eighty-to-one-hundred-pound specimens. Both our ten-pounders have picked up on their scent, and have learned to follow it down the long driveway and out to the road. Lucky for us, they have been turning left and headed to the cove; not the open road a half-mile up

Our last Bichon, Sammy, took a "walk about" this way and got lost on the paved road. It was very scary for us all. He was lost for over an hour, and I had to get in the car to find him. When I did, he was scared senseless (he didn't seem to recognize me); was covered in "sticky burrs", and soaking wet from the soggy ditch by the roadside. This little adventure prompted me to write a childrens' book I have yet to finish. We fear our newest little Bichon, Jackson, will one day attempt the same fate. Now we see that Bichon males are extremely curious and seek adventure.

I have been pruning massive Wisteria vines and briars out of all the trees and shrubs. The Wisteria vines in the Camilia trees are so mature that each braid of the tree stalks are now at least three inches wide: very difficult to lop. But, they must be killed because they are choking out our beautiful Camilias that bloom all year long

I am almost done with this process, and Larry started raking pinestraw (needles) at the point; working his way back towards the house. He just came in and declared he accomplished his goal of raking to "the island". This island is a garden area with a lovely Dogwood tree as it's focal point, surrounded by Azaleas. Larry recently cut down lots of other trees like pine and holly that seeded themselves to clutter this lovely arrangement. We figured that if we work a couple of hours a day, we should be done by the time we leave. Once done I can feel good about how we are leaving the property for others to enjoy, and track the growth of those nuisances to begin anew when we return. We consider this work "free gym", and enjoy being out in nature with the wind in our hair, the sun on our necks, and birdsong in our ears and hearts.

We love our Lakehouse Haven.

More on The Birds

When ah firs' took da dawgs out dis mornin', I heard a hammerin' noise in da trees, but ah couldn't find da source. Later, whilst sittin' on the sofa drinkin' cawfee, mah huzbund and ah saw Woody Woodpecker jus' a tearin' bark off a dead pahn tree next to da shore. It's a tree we been tawkin' 'bout cuttin' down 'fore it fawls down on da dawk or da boat.

My goodness. Writing in dialect is hard work. While watching Woody pull huge chunks of bark off the pine tree, we were amazed to notice how far he pulls his head back to slam it into the tree trunk. What protects a woodpecker's head from the vibration of all that hard slamming we wondered. They must have insulation surrounding their little brains to protect them. I must look that up.

Because Woody is mostly in silhouette, it's difficult to get a good look at his big red head and crest. He is a Pileated Woodpecker. They grow to seventeen inches and this feller must be at least that. He's a big boy!


At the same time, a Great Blue Heron landed on our dock rail. I just love these magnificent birds. What another glorious day for birdwatching, even if it is a dreary day. These beautiful creatures brighten up the sky and our lives. Okay. Enough sap. Just enjoy.

P.S.: The Kingfisher is pissed. He flew over to the dock railing to land only to find the Heron still sitting there and had to fly away. It's crowded out there today.