Building The Love Shack

Do you know how many tomatoes it takes to cut up to fill a four-quart crockpot? Or how long it takes to spoon out all those little seeds? It takes that long and longer.

I couldn’t start out this blog without talking about our garden at the Love Shack. It’s been the center of the Summer for us and almost every Warrior has had their hands in it and taken home fresh vegetables.

The neighbors have also been over to visit it. Yes, people come just to view the garden. They named it The Jurassic Park Garden and I’m also pleased to say many of the neighbors have picked and eaten fresh vegetables from it too.

We’re having an unseasonable long heatwave that has lasted eight weeks. This is causing the garden to start round two. There are new buds and flowers on the plants, which means more fresh veggies to come.

Talks of next years gardens are already in the happening. We’ll be adding another neighbor who is planning to put in garden boxes in our community garden with more sharing of the planting and harvesting in the works. Isn’t that exciting. I love when something takes off and becomes something special.

In the mean-time over the next few weekends I’ll be spending time getting to know this new toy. The herb garden did so well I have parsley, basil, dill and sage that grew into bushes which all needs to be dried.

Besides the garden keeping us busy, we’ve had company starting since the first weekend of April up until last weekend. We have celebrated eight Birthdays and two Wedding Anniversary’s and still have two more Birthdays and one more Wedding Anniversary (our own) to celebrate.

I think its fair to say, the Love Shack has finally become what we intended it to be back six years ago when we first bought her. A place for family and friends.

I recently got asked by one of my co-workers, isn’t it tiring entertaining every weekend? The answer is yes and no. Yes it’s a lot more cooking and laundry. But no, it really isn’t because everyone helps with the cooking, dishes and cleaning.

You’re not a guest at the Love Shack. You’re family. And family get to do the dishes, sweep the floor, make the beds and picks-up supplies at the grocery store on their way up. I might also add they also get to let the dogs out and wake up with them in bed with them. It’s defiantly, not a hotel, its the cottage. That’s why we enjoy having everyone up.

Each visit this Summer was planned. Every meal was contributed to and we don’t have unexpected guest dropping by because they know we are to far from the store and can’t grab extra food to feed extra people and there are only so many beds. There is also the fact that each Warrior respects that each time frame has been set for each one and allows them to enjoy their time.

And everyone knows I hate unexpected company at home or the cottage. Grama always said it was rude to invade upon peoples space or interfere with someone’s plans without an invitation. I agree with Grama. By setting a limit to who is at the cottage at the same time, keeps things from becoming over whelming for me.

There are a few days when we have many up at once, but they aren’t staying unless they bring a tent and it’s planned in advance.

Julie and Gary have settled in well. He’s doing great on his new grill and we’re making cottagers out of them. They have been out exploring and learning the area. We’re quite impressed with how well they are settling in.

Their cottage had a few issues when they arrived and we think we’ve mostly taken care of those. There will be a few changes done after the season ends and once they have gone back home to Minnesota.

Back at the Love Shack, we’ve finally started back working on the screened in porch. Except, the heatwave is so bad we simple cannot be outside for more than a few minutes so work is coming very slowly.

On the positive side of the heatwave, the dogs are loving the lake. Juliette had her first lake swim this year. I wasn’t sure how she would do as she had only been in pools.

She took four steps into the lake when the Lab in her came shining through and out she went swimming with a big smile on her face and wagging her tail as if it a was propeller.

This of course couldn’t have made Romeo happier as he has been swimming for the past five years and he loves the lake. But it was Hubby who looked like the proud Poppa when both his babies jumped in the lake and came out to swim with the Warriors. Evening swims have now been scheduled as part of each weekend.

It’s hard to believe that Labor Day Weekend is this weekend. Where did the Summer go? Where ever it went, it went by quickly. But at least we got Julie and Gary in their cottage and they have had a chance to meet many of the people who worked so hard to make that happen.

We’re happy to have them here and that their world has been expanded with meeting many new cottage neighbors and made many new friends. They will now know why Closing Day makes you cry and Winter months are counted till the Season starts again.

But till then we have eight more weekends before we have to close up, so that’s not a discussion to have. Till then, its more Birthdays. more Anniversary’s, more fresh veggies and more swims. And most important more memory’s to make.

And maybe, just maybe, Mother Nature will let us get that screened in porch finished.