Full Service in Huntsville

The highlight of this past week was for me to discover a Full Service gas station in downtown Huntsville.  There are very few of those left and there was only one in Mississauga so I was pleasantly surprised to find a Petro Canada Full Service Gas Station in Huntsville.  In a pinch, I suppose that I could pump my own gas if I had to but for some reason, I feel intimidated by the pump so I have always relied on either Russell or full service to pump my gas.  I know this sounds like I'm precious but I am not.  It is about the only thing that I do not do on my own....actually, there is one another thing that I will not do on my own:  pick up a dead mouse.  Russell has been kind enough to pick up a couple that we saw in the house.  Each time, the  mouse was actually roaming around very slowly, so it was easy for Russell to wack it and then dispose of it.  The mice are obviously eating the poison that has been strategically placed in the house (no danger for Cooper) and they are now less active so easier to catch. So, I may not be brave enough to pick one up but I am brave enough to write about it....

This past week was a good one.  Russell's mom spent a few days with us.  We drove around Huntsville, went shopping and took it easy.  The weather was not too bad although it did rain a bit.  Russell's mom's favorite store is Northern Reflections.  Although that store has been around forever, like the full service gas station, there are few left.  She was pleasantly surprised to find one at the Huntsville Mall.  She bought a few things for the Fall.  While at that mall, I ckecked out the hair salon and made an appointment with Tasha. On Tuesday, I got my hair cut.  I was very happy with the result and have booked my appointments for the balance of the year.  Russell will be going this coming Tuesday.

On Wednesday, we drove Russell's mom back to Montreal.  The distance is 700 km, door to door, but we now realize that we took the long way home.  Next time, we will go through Ottawa and shave off about 150 km each way.  With three stops, it took a little less than 8 hours. Cooper slept the whole time. After dropping her off, we went to my parents and spent the night at their house.  My brother made dinner, his famous pork shashlik cooked on charcoal grill.  It was delicious.  It was nice to see my parents again.  They will come and visit us sometime this Fall, so will my brother. We got up early on Thursday and by 7:30, we were on the road back to Huntsville.  It was nice to get back home.  The landscapers were still hard at work and we saw amazing progress in the front yard.  For the first time since we moved in, we were able to walk on large granite stepping stones instead of walking on mud....I have graduated from having to leave the house with my runners to now wearing my sandals without fear of getting muck on my feet. I'm still a city girl!

The landscaping is now complete except for the planting.  This will be done in a week or two.  Dan and Peter, from Natural Images, did an amazing job.  Deb, Dan's wife, has been instrumental in the design of the landscaping and she will do the planting.  They are very nice people.

Our television is ready to go but we have to wait until Tuesday for the satellite dish to be installed, so no TV still, only music, but that's OK.  No big deal.

So, for the most part, all the work inside and outside the house is complete.  The generator will be installed later this week.  Matt will stop by at some point to go over the small things that are left to do in the house.  It is nice to no longer have people coming and going all day long.  Russell and I find it hard to believe that we have been here for a little over three weeks now.  We were reflecting last night on the past year and how overwhelming the building of our house was at times. This is all behind us now and we plan on enjoying our new life in Huntsville.  For the first time, I also feel like I am now truly retired.  It is a nice feeling.

Today, we will be going to Port Carling for a drive and check out the Muskoka Living Store.  We are still looking for a few things for the house, to fill some empty spots.

This coming week should be relatively quiet.  We will continue to explore the area and look for some nice parks for walking.  On Thursday, we will take Cooper to the groomer for the first time.  The Coop is doing fine and it seems that he has now fully adapted to the country life.  His eating is back to normal, he sleeps well and loves to run around his yard.  He is getting used to the various nature sounds.  He hasn't seen a mouse yet but I bet it is a matter of time before he sees one.....

That's about it for this week's blog. I attach a picture taken from our deck this morning. It is a beautiful morning and the air smells good.  I also include our new email addresses:  anne1duncan@bell.net and russ1duncan@bell.net. I wish you all a good week.