Letters From “The Old Manse” #5(feb 16\14)

Hi Everyone,

Well its been over 2 weeks since my last letter….sorry about that everyone….we’ve been a little busy.

A bunch of stuff has happened since my letter and I will try to update you with whats up.

So anyone that knows me agrees….raw fish etc is yuk but I do like sushi…..just not the raw stuff.  So back in September when we where here for our first visit, we saw a sushi restaurant in Charlottetown…so we thought since we we having a hankering for shush we would try it out….. 😦 This was such a huge disappointment…..so I guess we will have to get all our sushi cravings out when we come back to Ontario or go to Moncton, Halifax or something like that…..

Another disappointment was the so called “dog park”…..really…you call that a dog park……don’t know what to say about it…….. We thought we might be able to meet other dogs there….nope….it was funny…..I miss the dog park in Whitby.  We get out with Murdoch but its just us and the Confederation Trail … he loves it but he doesn’t get much interaction with other dogs.  So I guess we will try the dog park in Summerside ….or just visit the pet store and hope that tonnes of dogs are there when we visit:)  On a positive note we have met some people at church that have dogs so maybe when the weather is better there could be another opportunity to meet their doggies with murdoch:).

We have been really busy taking apart the top floor…its dirty, itchy, nasty, but fun.  I am so bagged at the end of the day…..the gutting and cleaning……… I find myself exhausted after my hot shower…..we eat dinner and all I want to do some nights is crawl into bed:), and I do.  All in all it is hard work hauling around my crow bar…its heavy….and breathing through the respirator is, well interesting…… but as we are up there I can see in my mind what its all gonna look like.  I can picture the changes and it is exciting.  We have come across some critter leftovers which really creep me out … I pray that nothing alive will come out of the walls or ceiling.  so since we are into taking the ceiling apart it is wild to see all the tunnels of the creatures that freely roam……well they have been evicted now and i look forward tightening up the house so that the critters wont roam so freely anymore.  The look of the second floor is so different.  the exposed roof and the chimney looks so different….

We recently found out that 2 owners ago….Brian and Rena an older couple in there 70’s had a fire in the flue in the beginning of winter and didn’t know what to do with the house and the unusable chimney and wood stove….so they went back to Nova Scotia and stayed with family until spring with the intent of returning and figuring out the problem……Brian got sick and passed away.  So only Rena returned to collect some stuff and put the house up for sale.   So this story explains the water damage and mold in the the one bedroom upstairs.  Well all that is gone now and the rebuilding starts.  Its kind of neat hearing about the stories of the people who lived in the house before us.  It was a sad story though ….. but now we have the house and its gonna look amazing when we are done with it. 

We had a chance to meet one on one with our new pastor from Summerside Community Church, really nice guy….got to show him our house as rough as it may look…..when we were chatting we found out that he knew Gene MacLellan and his family and that his wife and family attend the church…..what a small world……

So we have been helping out at the new church building on Saturdays with painting, getting to know people from the church better….it feels like home…..I am so happy that God led us here to the island and to the sweet people of the church…..we are going to enjoy being apart of this new family.  Exactly what we were looking for plus so much more.

Its about one month until spring and I think I am ready for it……. today I actually felt like “really, when is the cold gonna end”…..I don’t normally get this way but we have had such an early and long winter….spring will be a nice welcome:)

We have a lot of demo work to do for when the foundation people come in the spring but it will be so nice to have a new basement and more even floors:)  we have the rest of the second floor plus the front porch and back nasty room has to come off so we will be very busy getting it all done.  Its so funny….when we get our gear on for the demolition upstairs….poor Daisy she freaks out and slinks off under the bed….she says there until we come back down and then for about an hour or so she won’t leave us alone…..she purrs, meows, cuddles into us..parades all over us and in general desperate for attention…..she cracks us up. 

I think the storm that blew in last night and all day today was the worse one yet….the freezing rain, ice pellets and tonnes of snow and the wind…wow the wind….I woke up and prayed that the trees would not fall on the house…. I have never seen the trees move that way……I felt so bad for the little birdies they were hiding in the bushes by the bird feeder and the cedar by the house, they were hiding in the tree….when they were on the ground trying to eat the bird seeds they could barely stay on the ground…….Well the moon is out now and the heavy snow has stopped and here’s to warmer days coming……

A hot cruise or beach holiday would be so nice right now…sighhhhhh.

Well I better go for now and can’t wait to get mail in my mail box…hint, hint:) and write to you all next week.

Love you all:)
Vanessa and Russ
from The Old Manse