Going Back to Bangkok

Today got off to a slow start, since I woke around 10am, stayed in bed until 11, looking at the 12 degrees temperature. Then I levered myself out of bed and while the fire warmed the cabin I ate breakfast to the tune of CBC. I wonder if I am surrounding myself with too much media, since I have the Kobo for long hours of reading, the MP3 player for listening to podcasts, CBC on the radio, and many books. I certainly do not suffer from want of entertainment, if my own thoughts are not sufficient.
I likely should have spent a rainy day like today working on laying flooring, and if I was hardworking, I would likely have it nearly finished. Instead, I listened to Pilkington, installed my final inside light, which I am using to write this, and wired my reading light, on the same circuit, more securely. I still have to deal with the porch lights, which I will likely do by connecting them to the inside system. I also put pull switches (rescued from a ceiling fan from Moncton big garbage)on the light over the sink and the new light over my bunk. The amount of work installing this system was certainly not gruelling, but the nearly constant drizzle and rain encouraged me to stay inside. I also read for a portion of the afternoon, while the fire kept the cabin at 20 degrees. When the rain ceased in the evening, I took the opportunity to gather fiddleheads for both Harry Gunther and Mike and Carol. I like the idea of bringing them something from the land, especially Mike and Carol, who have been more than generous with me.
Towards the end of my picking I had ventured far enough upstream to see the trail Bashful had cut along the stream and on my land. I wish he had more respect for the sanctity of others property rights instead of just his own. Once his trail ran out, or more properly came to a fork, one arm of which ran across the stream and another up the hill, I continued along the stream. I saw lots of fiddleheads, but my boxes were full and I was not interested in the journey. It was an exploration the like of which I have not done in a long time, not knowing exactly how far it was to the new bridge and hoping I would not run out of light by the time I made it to the road home. I found the creek widened considerably at one point and there were no signs of people at all. At another point, a five foot beaver dam, with fresh cut ash and alders, blocked even the high water which tumbled over it in a rush for the sea. Getting increasingly soaked I thrashed through the bush until I came, rather suddenly, it seemed to me, to the bridge.
Once I crossed the new, rather ominously new bridge, for no one would finance such a bridge except for the nefarious purposes of cutting trees, I went to the illegal dump site where I have procured many things in the past. This trip was no exception, for although I was put off by the stench of the dead animal in a sack thrown amongst the brush, I was delighted to see good boards and one very long timber, and several other pieces. I walked back to my car in the declining light, grabbed my car and drove back for the lumber. One of the enduring lessons I have learned from dumpster diving is take what you want when you see it, for it will not be there if you do not.
I was late coming home, but the small anchor light from the boat welcomed me into the porch, and stepping over the piles of hardwood flooring, I filled my boxes with wood and built a fire.
I really don’t wander around in the bush as much as I used to. I wonder if that is the bugs in the summer, an excuse I readily supply, or does the bush hold less appeal. I wonder what it would be like here with more time, less hurry like there is in late summer, and more leisure.

Today was a carrying day. I was out of bed by noon, and made three trips carrying the last of the hardwood as well as other Moncton items until I was done for the day. I also spent some time picking fiddleheads, and it was quite easy to get enough for a big side dish this evening. I will try to get some for Mike and Carol Sunday night, if it is not raining.
I also checked my new solar panels. They give lots of power, and the rechargeable solar light I found actually works. I will see if the battery is any good and if so, I might take it back for Christiano. I have another light for him in the pallet shed, for he should be well equipped in the fall. I didn’t need a fire today, although it is a bit chilly, for the sun although occasional is strong, and I was busy running back and forth anyway. I’ve decided I will lay down a few more fake hardwood pieces in the porch entrance, and then build a seat into the wall. It will be another cupboard where I can store items like tents where mice cannot get at them. Hiding things from mice is a thankless task, but it should be worthwhile in the end.
I spent part of the afternoon doing some work on my electronics and straightening upstairs, so that I can begin taking out the insulation in preparation for mouse proofing. I also I went for a stroll around the property. I can see the boundaries of the pond I want to make where there is basically one already. On the way back by way of a detour by the third big pine, I saw a rabbit and although I had brought Jackie’s camera for that purpose, the camera had a card error so I never got my photo after all. The rabbit is light still, and hasn’t lost their winter coat yet. I did a tour through the garden as well, and many of the trees have buds, and some choke cherry have blossoms, and the rhubarb from Dennis that I planted last year has come up healthy looking.

I spent five days in Moncton with Chris, cruising the streets in the day when he was working and then going out with him at night to look for trash in what is now the famous, to my friends at least, Moncton big garbage day. Encompassing more than a week, the spring clean-up garbage is a big event to a number of people. Scrap metal guys cruise with dangerously loaded trucks, cyclists balance speakers and shelving on their bicyclists, and even the suburban drone cannot resist a chance to peek into a neighbour’s heap on the boulevard.
I go to Moncton big garbage for building supplies and tools, solar panels and electronics, and for what you cannot predict. This year I wanted solar panels, hardwood flooring, and tool batteries. I came back with a bicycle, lots of hardwood flooring, three double pane windows, three cedar cupboard doors, three 2.5’ x 3’ pieces of plywood, a golf caddy (for the wheels), an electric golf caddy (wheels and motor), a rechargeable light, five small yard light solar panels, one 18 volt drill, two large screens, a stainless steel water pressure fire extinguisher, a small gas powered chainsaw, a dove-tail wooden box, five used paintbrushes, three small stainless steel canisters, a ceiling fan (to make a wind turbine from), a large mosquito net, a large tarp, four table legs (to make a quick and easy yard table) a spade, a corn broom, two books (which are buried under the flooring so I can’t report the titles), two little switches, a lens from a projector which is a very good magnifying glass.
As you can by the voluminous list, my poor car was heavily burdened. Nonetheless it made it to the land and worked great other than dying when driving during the 200km of streets I covered in the search for trash.
I arrived back to the land today and spent the afternoon bringing in first my food and clean clothing {I washed my clothes, bedding and towels at Mike and Carol’s), and opening up the camp. I thought I saw, for a moment a flash of movement when I opened the door, but I heard no telltale sounds of mice so I thought I was seeing things.
As soon as I opened up the camp, I made another trip for those items which could fit in my pack and for a collection of flooring. Then I ate lunch and made another trip and while I was packing up some flooring for the route, I was caught in the rain so I went into the pallet shed where I had dumped so much stuff that the building is basically a pile of stuff.
I waited out the rain by putting up a shelf Matthew had made, and then piling and stacking the new acquisitions as well as old, until the rain had come and gone a few times and the shed is looking organized. I marvelled again at the wooden cupboards Zoe and I had dumpstered last summer. I think I will bring them to the cabin for mouse proof clothing cupboards.
Once I loaded up and came to the cabin, stopping by the fallen tree to pick up my axe I had used to take off the top which extended over my trail, I was tired. I had seen fiddleheads by the creek, but I am too tired to do anything about it. Instead, I ate dinner and listened to CBC.
On one of my ventures into the porch, I found the fast-moving animal I had taken for a mouse. Perhaps because it is easy to gain entrance into my porch, or because it is warm, it is commonly frequented by large wolf spiders. They are quite shy and will scurry from sight when I come close, but on this occasion the spider thought himself well hidden under one of my solar panels. I whacked him with my broom, and when he fell to the floor with a thump, momentarily less alert, I took him out. I am not a huge fan of big spiders, and ever since the four inch wolf spider crawled onto my pillow where I was sleeping on the floor, I am much less tolerant.
Because I went to sleep at 9:30 or so, I was up at 1:30am, and it was not until 5am, with the sun greying the sky and another book under my belt did I get back to sleep.

Today started late, since I stayed up late reading. I was happy though, once I had fought wakefulness at 8am enough to wake again at 10, to see a sunny day. Since the day promised to be sunny, and the porch was already reasonably warm, I decided not to have a fire. Instead, I left the 12 degrees or so cabin for the relative warmth of the porch and started in by putting screens on the windows that open between the porch and the main cabin. This is something I have meant to do for while, for the porch warms much quicker than the main cabin, largely due to windows and insulation, but I have been reluctant to leave the windows open to let the warmth in because of mosquitoes, when it is warmer at least, and mice nearly every time. Once the screens were in place, I opened those windows as well as those in the cabin for an airing, and went outside to eat my breakfast, and, as it turned out, sit in the sun doing nothing for a while.
When this palled, I checked the roof for leaks I had found in the last rain. The skylight doesn’t leak too much yet, but it is not in great condition. The winter, as well as me crossing it, is taking a toll, and it will have to be replaced before too long. I don’t seem to have roofing tar, however, so I didn’t do anything about the roof yet. Instead, I noted that the plastic surround on some of the solar lights on the roof is melting. It is a bit like a solar oven, I imagine, all those black plastic surrounds in what basically is a box.
Next I planed the rough planks which make up two shelves in the shack. One especially needed some work since it was mouldy when I put it away and I didn’t want mould everywhere. I cut off the mouldy end and planed down it as well as another, until it was too hot even with shorts and a t-shirt in the sun.
Then I cleaned up the mouse turds on the shelf in the kitchen, and wiped down the areas where they had likely been trotting around pissing. Oddly, I am not out of water. Although I have been a bit flagrant with it, I am surprised to have run out so quickly. Luckily I have drinking water from Dennis’, which I have been using since mine tasted like smoke, and I have the barrel out front.
In the afternoon, as I was contemplating reading, I noticed the crack in the walnut shelf over my bunk. I conceived of the idea yesterday to split the larger board along its join, and then use the larger of the two pieces for the top shelf, use the next largest for the next lower shelf, and then move the bottom shelf down. I had placed it deliberately high so I wouldn’t crack my head on it, but in truth, there is room for three shelves. I moved in books yesterday and had to use the floor under a shelf for the crappy reading guides, so I am running out of shelf space amazingly. It was a simple procedure to move them and the result is satisfying.
My last task of the day was sweeping out the porch, and marvelling again that I have the solar panel on the roof charging the three nine volt batteries from drills, and yet I haven’t used the power yet. I was under the impression that they ran the house power, but then I remembered that they provide too much power for the leds, so I run the house lights from a dust buster four volt battery. The nine volt system only runs my florescent lantern and the two lights in series in the porch. None of which I have used yet.
It is evening now, although still light at eight thirty. The days are so long this time of year.

Today I was awake early, and although it was very still, and an even greyness of cloud reached over the sky, it was slight warmer in the cabin that usual. Instead of the usual 7 or 8 degrees, it was closer to 10 or 12. I got up and built a fire, and then sat in front of it warming up as I ate my breakfast.
I remember my students exclaiming that I was going into the bush, and that I would be her alone all summer, but I don’t find the solitude that much of a hardship. I wouldn’t mind a friend out here, but I don’t require company like I did as a teen. I also know I can leave when I wish, and I am sure that has an effect mentally.
Once I was prepared to face the day, I dumped the water I’d been heating on the stove into my solar shower and hung it outside. It is only 12 degrees or so, but there is no wind and the water is actually hotter than I would want. Also, I am in desperate need of a shower. The partial washes I have been doing do not cut it.
Once I was showered, I went to the creek, although my detours along the way were brining back to the cabin the downed poplar I cut up a few days ago, and grabbing the maple stump from the piece Zoe and I had cut last fall.
By the time I was at the creek, I went into the pallet shed, grabbed a hammer and went downstream until I found the bridge pylon Jonothan and I had built and Sarah and I had reinforced with copper wire. I was after the wire, for I plan to use it again when I build the other bridge pylon on the south side of the stream once it warms up slightly.
Once I had my wire, which was a tedious task which made me glad that the bugs weren’t out yet, I went back to the pallet shed for a bit of a cleanup and then brought my books from the car as well as the sleeping bag which has spent the year languishing in the trunk. I am preparing the car for Moncton big garbage, which hopefully goes ok without car problems.
Once back at the cabin, I had a snack and then read, napped and a coupe of hours later I was planing my pine plank I had cut out last year from the old pine log in the garden. The planing went well, although I stopped midway to sharpen the planer. I wish I could use my electric planer; it would make short work of the job.
I next peeled the poplar I brought from the trail, and then, as the sun was descending, I went for the split fir piece from the downhill slope.
It was time to eat and tuck in for the night by the time I came back, so I closed up the shack, and made tomato soup for dinner.
I may have to get a rechargeable nine volt batter, since the mini-amp from Christiano has run through its battery and it doesn’t respond well to the house nine volts. I think my house system supplies too much amperage, but if I can set up a dedicated solar panel for a new nine volt, then I needn’t worry about burning out the amp.
I am a bit psyched about the tumbled down barn I saw on the way to Knowlesville. It looks perfect for my uses, so I am thinking to go by and ask the people if I can haul part of it away to make a shed. They likely want to get rid of it, and I need some cheap lumber so it is a perfect match. If I get a bunch of lumber, however, then I need to plan what to so with it, so I will either be building a piece on the cabin, which I am not eager to do this year, or re-build the shack, which is still solid but will not last forever, holds in too much moisture, and could be more solid, larger, and have a place for lumber at the back.

I knew I had to go out to work on Joseph’s reference letter today, so although I was reluctant to stir, I was awake after nine and up and about by ten, building a big enough fire to be comfortable and eating in the comfort of its warmth.
I am running short of food, to some degree, since what I have brought with me is starting to run out. I let the fire die down, was briefly startled by the vulture walking about on the roof, who left as soon as I walked to a window to check on the noise, packed the kobo which needed charging again, and my MP3 player, which needed some deletions so I could add some quirks and quarks, and with my keyboard, I went to the car, which started great, and from there to Dennis’. Dennis was still at work, but I was still surprised to find the house empty. I chatted with Jackie, since I was lucky to find her online, and then charged my devices, moved files around, and took down Jackie’s updated blog so I could read it on my Kobo.
I had just called Dennis in order to locate the box he had picked up from Mike and Carol’s, when I was at the door leaving and Kim and the kids arrived. I asked Kim about a printer cable for the alpha smart and then put up my blog. Maybe Jackie will find it, but likely not, since I told her it would not be there. I hung out with the kids and Kim until Dennis came home, and then a bit with him, before I came back to the bush to lentil soup heated in the can on the stove and crackers.
My car is rattling in the front end again, just as it did when the ball joint gave way. Hopefully it is not about to go again. I have a summer to get through and I am not really interested in working away the summer on the car. Luckily, it is working decent enough otherwise, although the head gasket is not really seated and there is oil in the radiator.
I spent the late evening reading, and it was midnight, rather early for my recent habits, before I went to sleep.

I should leave the bush tomorrow for Millville, although I have trees to get in the ground too. I told Joseph I would check my email and send in his reference if his other prof didn’t come through, but I need to be near a computer for that to work.
Today I woke at 9am at first, to 7 or 8 degrees in the cabin, until I went back to sleep and woke to the same temperature two hours later.
I didn’t exactly leap out of bed, but when I had a fire on and it was warmer, I was more disposed to get on with my day. I ate my shredded wheat, oatmeal, and banana and sunflower seed breakfast with soy milk, took my vitamins and had some peanuts for protein, until I was ready to tackle the fir again. Today I split it with wedges, then cut more branches further up, before I went to check the two pine logs I found during my wander around the land yesterday. I stuck my axe into the logs far enough to affirm that the one behind the shack was rotted through, although it was up on a stump, and the one by the big pine was still in decent shape, although huge. I’m not sure what I can do with it, even with a chain saw. I doubt I can even move it from where it is sitting without huge effort.
I brought my table back inside from where I had been airing it out from the mouse infestation, and it doesn’t seem to smell anymore. Luckily they had chosen to shit in a bag I had in the drawer which contained headsets. I am keeping my microphone headset, but the cheap, poorly working headsets also in the bag I threw in the stove and then fished out to send to the trash when I go out.
I planted the apple trees in front of the cabin, where I can keep an eye on them when the blossom, where they are sheltered by the cabin, and where if bears come to tear them apart, I might at least get to see the bears.
The planting was a process of a few hours, cutting the trees that were immediately in the way, digging a deep hole and filling it with latrine leavings from last year, then planting the trees and covering them with forest soil.
I also gathered some wood from the sticks which are laying everywhere after the winter. I am going through quite a bit of wood with my stove and the cool nights and days. Maybe I should insulate after all.
I wonder if I am really de-stressing after a busy year, or if I am still coming down from worrying about what needs to be done and what has been done.

Another chilly day of reading inside and keeping the fire going. I’m still not sure, after listening to a few hours of Karl Pilkington, if he puts on an act. If so, he is consistent.
I went to the fallen fir today, after bringing in the big apple tree from the road, and using the bucksaw, cut off the root, and then cut it some seven feet up the tree, after peeling the bark and cutting off limbs. I pulled the piece up on its stump to dry out, and then went back to where I had cut up the fallen poplar earlier. A few trees came down during the winter, although they were mostly small poplars.
I went for a walkabout after returning from the fir, looking for the strange collection of white branches that show up on my aerial photo. I didn’t find them, but I found another huge pine log, although this was one was quite rotted and likely useless. Funny that I never noticed it before, or never thought about its significance, considering it was mere metres behind the shack. The rest of my wander took me onto the land to the east of me, where I am considering offering to buy. It is not as nice a piece of land as mine, in some ways, since it is wetter near the road, but it is more heavily treed and somewhat higher in the back. I startled a few partridge, and heard lots of birds, but other than those samples of wildlife there was little else about.
I’m still not sure where to seat the apple trees, since I don’t want them to interfere with the oak, beech, and black walnut I have already planted. I may have to move one of the smaller trees. I am leaning, mostly lately, towards putting them in the garden, where they will be sheltered by the firs to the north, and be in the sun, since I have cut the small birch and pin cherry that covered the spot before.
The evening was spent in reading, as well as listening to my MP3 player, until, at 2am, even I realized it was time to quit. My Kobo keeps wanting to give me awards, and the latest pop-up informed me that I had the night owl reading award, or graveyard shift, some expression like that that meant I was reading late into the night. How irritating that one of my machines is trying to affirm my interest in text.

When I woke to snow at 9am, I was reluctant to get out of bed. It was about 5 degrees inside and zero outside, so reluctantly I hauled myself out bed, made a fire and sat by it as the howling wind prevented the fire from building up heat in the cabin. Finally it was warm enough to eat and get ready leave, although the visit to the latrine with its snow frozen iced over seat was not the most pleasant.
Only on the drive out did I decide to go to Knowlesville after all, since I had told the guy I was coming and I had to way of getting in touch with him except emailing from Dennis’. I drove north to Lower Windsor, turned towards Knowlesville and eventually found Hutlo Orchard, a certified organic orchard where Michael Hutton showed me some wildish trees were coming up that he gave me for free. That is so New Brunswick. I bought some cider from him and made a note to get more when I go to Woodstock on a Friday.
I then drove back down his precipitous road to Millville where I looked at Dennis’ vehicles and then checked my email. Jackie is still wandering around Thailand, of course, but I only had a few emails from her.
When Kim came home with the kids I stayed to dinner and hung out and we shared stories of our year, until it was time to drive back to the bush. I left one tree on the trail, and carried the other in with me, although I am somewhat worried about their root systems considering that they are a bit screwed up from the digging. Hopefully there is enough toot that I can get them into the ground and they can take. That is the plan for tomorrow.

I woke early to seven to ten degrees inside and raining outside, as it had been most of the night. I was tired and lazy from the day working on the bridge, so I fired up the stove and read most of the day, until the rain lessened late in the day, and I went on a walk to the bridge, which was still in, although the water was high, and then on to Bashful’s trail over the lower part of my property, where I found he had cut cedars, and at least one of them was alive when he did it. Damn him for his avid ideas about the sanctity of his property and his idea that all others property is public. He protects my land when I am gone though, so there is little I can likely say about it without setting off his old man querulousness.
I walked back along my line and then keeping an eye for the big pine, went east along the trail to the pine, and then went right past my cabin to the back of my property to the gravel pit area, which apparently survived the inter as well. I startled a duck where I plan to make a pond, so the duck will be even happier if I do that I imagine. Once back at he cabin I started up the fire again and then ate a late dinner of tofu sausages and break with tomato before I began to read and listen to podcasts of Pilkington and Ideas show from CBC.