Cottage report: Friday

Don't you hate having to get up to an alarm when you're on vacation? It's especially hard when the tradition is to stay up to stupid o'clock in the morning and just sleep until you feel like getting up. I mean, I'm still up before noon, usually around 9:30 or 10, but on Wednesday we needed to be up and about and decent by 8am because workers were coming to do a few fixes on the cottage - ceiling repairs in the bathroom, wood fixes on the front face, that sort of thing. And T had to go into town to get them. So no bikini basking that day! They did good work though, nice guys.

I'm really glad I brought my tea up with me, it's nice to have in the morning. I started having it daily, honestly, because I had a day at work mid-week where I suddenly got really tired. Not just yawning and a bit droopy but I was actually getting twitchy legs (I have a bit of restless leg syndrome, it doesn't happen all the time but, other than this little episode, it has only happened when I've been way past my bedtime). So I decided caffeine was necessary. And David's Tea had just come out with this super cool travel iced tea maker that was so smart I just had to have it (you know I love clever gadgets). And I don't regret it at all, with a few weekend exceptions I've had one every day, sometimes twice (some teas re-steep very well if you just let them steep for longer, especially the fruit infusion-type). I didn't bring too many types but probably more than I needed. Making ice with bottled water too, so everything's good.

Yesterday was jeezly hot, holy crap - it hit over 33 degrees! Never has it been that hot when I've been up! Needless to say, there was basking happening. I was just like Mocha, kept coming in 'cos it was too hot, then going back outside to bask some more because I just couldn't NOT be out there with it that gorgeous. Did I swim? No. Honestly, I don't even know if the water was too cold (which it usually is). Why? Well, I don't swim off the beach side because there are way too many reeds and it freaks me out (I've seen enough movies where people get dragged under by monsters living in the reeds), and I don't swim off the rock side because it's super slimy and gross to step on (maybe I should bring swim shoes next year?). So usually I swim off the dock and get out using the ladder on the boat... But remember how I said the boat was sold? No ladder on the outboard, and no ladder on the dock, therefore no swimming. I'm not too upset about that though. I've strongly suggested to T that he attach a ladder to the dock for next summer.

I've been taking naps mid-evening every day so I can stay awake for TV/Movie night (which is every night up here). This resulted in me staying up past 7am this morning, oops! Well, when you say ok, one more movie and then you put on the extended version of The Abyss, you're going to be awake longer than expected :) I still got up around noon though, so I'm not a total slug.

Which meant I was awake for a couple of hours before the super strong windstorm we had today took out a 60ft tree in the back property. Heard the cracking, assumed it was a big branch coming down until the damn thing hit the ground, such a crash! Went to check it out - insanely, it didn't hit any of the three outbuildings, nor the tractor, nor the burn barrel - though if the tree had been four feet taller the barrel would have been toast. The trunk looks like it was rotted inside, eaten by termites or ants or something, so it was going down at some point regardless of the weather.

I'm powering through the e-books I loaded on my iPad on this trip - re-read the complete Preacher comics, finished Isaac Asimov's Nine Tomorrows, almost done Stephen King's The Wastelands. Should be starting his Wizard And Glass tomorrow...