Ah Muskoka

I am at Southwinds, Bala, our new home. It is still with all the contents of my mother's place. I have to catch myself from calling it "mom's place" or "mom's bedroom", or...

I am alone. I came up from the city with Elizabeth and Steve who were with me here for 2 days. Now I am on my own, and with no car. I can walk in to town but do not relish walking back with groceries. (I hope my sister down the road will lend me her car for groceries.)

It is truly beautiful here. It makes me realize, though, that it is more fun to share something beautiful with others. The water has warmed up. I swim, but really just get wet and out. Swimming alone just ain't that much fun. I putter through drawers and closets purging the place of things that have been collected over the years. It is hard to make decisions myself about what to keep and what to purge. Alas, I have to do it.

I imagine the changes we are going to make. This place is only 10 years old. My parents' place that was built in 1955 burned to the ground in 2002. Insurance rebuilt it to be very like the 50 year old place. It originally was designed by my grandfather and his neighbour builder on a paper napkin. So although it is new, and in very good shape, it is designed for the kind of living 60 years ago. Very cutting edge for then, a teens' back room isolated from the adults in the living room. The result is a long (dark) hall and a door to the back half. We really hope to open it up, and have one great room with two living areas. That seems to be the way we live now.

I have booked some builders to come by when Tim gets here. In talking with an architect friend in TO, he has given some great ideas to work on. Also Elizabeth's boyfriend Steve and cousin Eliot, who have come up weekends and had the conversation "Oh the Callahans should do this and that". They are full of good ideas. It is a challenge for me to see past what it is now, because it worked so well for my mother so many years. But we will put our stamp on it, and live in it differently.

I have a series of friends coming up over the next 2 weeks. I look forward to sharing this glorious place with them.