A Weekend of Hard Work

Megan took her tomato plant (that she started from seed at our homeschool group)
out to our new land to plant by the fort that she made. Hopefully it will do well.

 This past weekend we took advantage of the holiday and spent parts of 4 days (and one night) out at our new land. It was fun to get some stuff done out there and just enjoying being out on the river but we did also end up quite exhausted by all that we got done. One of the big reasons we got the lot we did was because of the beautiful trees but unfortunately we had to get rid of some of them otherwise we wouldn't be able to put in a house or driveway. So lately cutting down trees has been the big project.

 Ken ran the chain saw (also my Dad and Brother brought theirs to help on Monday) and the rest of use picked up brush and moved it into piles (we are renting a chipper before long to make it into mulch) and then we also picked up the chunks of wood and made stacks of them. It is fun work but also very tiring especially since the weather was in the 80's and the mosquitoes had come out thickly.

 On Friday evening the kids and I decided to do something about our lack of a restroom on our property. This is just a temporary solution but it works for now and we had lots of fun making it.

We made a tee-pee of sorts with a bunch of the limbs that had been cut down.

 Inside Aaron and Mega dug a hole and then I used some logs and sticks to create a seat.

 This is how it works (kind of). It isn't super private but it is off in the woods a ways and we check to make sure nobody is in there before we walk up to the "door". It is much better than nothing.

 We collected sawdust to throw in after use to help keep the smell down.

 We set up tents and I brought along a book for my afternoon naptime. I really needed those naps!

 The river is still very cold but on Saturday we had fun getting in anyway as we were super hot. Ken didn't think I would make it in very far as I am quite cold blooded so I had to prove him wrong by jumping in all at once and getting completely wet. It felt good for just a moment and then I was out again. It helped tremendously for cooling me off.

 One easy meal I made was rice cooked with green beans and chicken broth. Pretty yummy. Do you like our little table?

 Around the campfire.

 One of the trees got stuck while Ken was cutting it with his chain stuck in it. Our super sweet neighbor came over and helped to pull it down with his four-wheeler.

 Megan enjoyed the fire.

 Blueberry plants were blooming!

 A bunch of guys at work.

 Ladies and children too.

 Dad tackles the cutting down of the really big tree that made us nervous. He did it perfectly.

 We took a break to canoe every so often.

 Cleaning up to go home. I forgot a broom for the tent but a piece of pine worked.

The boys ready to haul up Mara's new canoe (which she bought with money she earned from working and from getting a prize from an essay contest).

That was part of what was going on in our week. How has your week gone?