Driveway: DONE!

The driveway is done. I had just over three cubic yards of gravel to spread today—and I got to do it without any noise from next door because it was Saturday and voting day. 

As with yesterday, I enjoyed doing the work. It’s very satisfying because it is so instantly rewarding. It’s made the yard look—at least to my single working eye—much better. 

When I moved here, I loved how my cabin home “floated” in the forest. There was no fence, no gardens… nothing—except one big scrawny Rhododendron. I loved how my place blended into the forest.

But then I wanted a dog.

And that led to a fence.

And the fence opened up the possibility of gardening because it kept the deer out of the backyard. So in came the gardens. And the gardens got me to thinking about a fountain and a courtyard, so then came those projects and since then I’ve been transforming the entire half-acre, first creating a large front lawn, then building a raised bed vegetable garden and now the driveway.

I’ve totally annihilated the “floating” cabin look I loved. But I have loved doing the work and I’m happy with this new look—my look; my imprint on the land that’s given me a powerful sense of this being my home.

This is the view now, out my front window.

After the exertion of spreading the gravel, it was time to relax. I had a very well-deserved spa and somehow pushed the wrong button combination and changed the “mode” of operation of the spa and it started cooling down. It quickly lost 5°. I dreaded dealing with the spa company again to fix it so I thought I’d try to do what had always eluded me: understanding the manual. But I did it! I fixed it! I’m in shock!

I celebrated with toast and then Her Highness and I went forest bathing and we found a new trail. It’s now my favourite path because there is so much there in the mornings. The forest was like a symphony: The birds the flutes, piccolos and clarinets, the frogs burping like damaged cymbals, the thump of my feet the percussion and the fog-muffled whistles of the freighters sounding like sustained organ chords.

I did some shopping and then just chilled for the rest of the day—glancing frequently out the front window to admire all my work on the driveway. And I had another spa, this time a lovely hot one because I fixed the controls. And I bought the latest Christine and the Queens album. I’ve lost my mojo for pop music but not for her.

Fred and Ethel napping this afternoon.