Starting Over

The carefree days of summer really ended for us on July 19. The storm that roared through our area that night left a path of devastation and the resulting clean-up process has consumed a lot of our days. Our entire place is under construction – from already moving the boat to repair/winter storage, repairing decks and submerged boat dock, repainting, roof and siding replacement and rebuilding the stonework and landscaping in the front yard. It’s been a month since I’ve ventured out the back gardens for a good weeding – simply because there was no place to even move rescued plants and it seemed overwhelming to try to rebuild the framework. But now the days are cooler – fall is here and I’m more energized to get busy. We are so grateful for good insurance coverage (and a terrific agent) and for the health and energy to start over!

And we are so thankful for supportive family and friends. When we were faced with no electricity – it was off for 8 days while crews struggled to repair the lines – wonderful friends offered the use of their son and his wife’s cabin. We are so glad we accepted their generous offer – the cabin became a special haven of peace and quiet after the noise of chain saws all day. This week’s painting, Welcoming Cottage, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features this special place surrounded by a lovely handmade picket fence.