Happy Friday, it’s been a cold month for us here in Cornell, Michigan (woke to -4 this morning), and for those in my PNW home as well. 
Even with the cold, the beauty surrounds me. I wanted to give you an update on our life here as we, meaning Dan, continues to make progress on the cabin. We now have a well, and from what the well drillers told us, it will outlive us – yay, future generations, you lucked out. Dan did a quick taste and said it is good, but I’ll wait until the purification test is completed – better safe than sorry, I always say.
Now, we do have water, but it’s a work in progress. The pipe running from the well to the house is above ground currently due to the frost line. It will be underground late spring when the ground thaws and Dan can excavate. We need one more part (on order) to allow the pump to work on its own. Right now, Dan manually turns the valve on and off (outside), turns the pump on, and fills the holding tank that is nice and warm inside. The hot water tank draws from that tank and viola – I can wash the dishes without heating a pan of water. I can also flush my toilet about four times on a tank. I know that seems very weird to some, but life here is different than the city. Once the line is underground, it will be more of a “normal” situation, but right now we need to fill tanks, and then let the water drain back into the well, so it doesn’t sit in the pipe outside and freeze. The great news is we have water. They went down 100 feet, and they were happy with the results – and so are we. 
Though now it is easy to understand where the expression came from, “It’s colder than a well diggers backside” – they are doing this job in some freezing weather. It’s a massive piece of equipment – and loud. Regardless, the deer watched from a distance as they ate their cracked corn. It was my first experience seeing this done, and it was beyond exciting. I was able to help Dan do the pump hook-up, and witness the first run from the well. When I came inside the cabin and opened the kitchen faucet – well, words can not describe the excitement – I cried. Yes, folks, the emotions could not be capped. To see water flowing from our well to the faucet is how I imagine it feels to a child when they see a big package under the tree at Christmas. It’s wonderful.
I love taking my walks to the mailbox each day. In case you don’t know, that’s a 1/4 mile each way. So, I bundle up and head out. I stop now and then and soak up the quiet, peacefulness and let my soul absorb the feeling. I imagine it is how it would feel if I was the only human left on earth. I almost feel a few eyes watching me from the woods, but as I look, I see nothing but snow and mostly bare trees. I have my walking stick in case I need it for protection from any four-legged threat – yes, there are coyotes, wolves, bobcats, etc…and neighbors that let their dogs (mean and nice) run wild. I also have ice cleats on my boots — one of the best investments for my safety. I fell last year on ice that was covered up by new snow and fell hard, thankfully, I didn’t break anything – but that was a warning for me to be better prepared this year. The road is solid ice, and I don’t bounce anymore. Just because I’m 69 going on 30 doesn’t mean a thing on ice…lol.
I had mentioned I was working on a love story, not a romance novel, but a love story – well, that was round filed. I have taken the characters and rolled them into a new Sara Series book. Sorry if I led you on to think I was going for a new genre. I couldn’t get traction on it – couldn’t pull out what was needed. It started falling into the Hallmark, cheesy movie category, and that isn’t me. So, now I’m on Chapter three of where I’m happy writing. I’ll keep you posted, but I’ll tell you this – Sara has a new neighbor that has enough trauma to fill a “dream” – and Cat (Cathleen), Sara’s youngest, is getting in on the action. If you read and remember the end of Trapped in Darkness, you know Sara found what turned out to revealed Cathleen’s artistic visions – giving Brandon more stress. Okay, that’s all the beans I’m spilling for now.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend – stay warm, stay safe, keep the lights on, and, as always, thank you for reading my ramblings.