The Parasol GerTee experiment continues
Finishing the eastern wall
The roof ring transformed
Bold edging for the western wall
Almost done with the roof!
Interior view of southside through screen
Add 4 layers of tulle, makes fluffy curtainsWoke up to 62 degrees above inside big gertee, and it felt luxurious to slide out of my bunk and wander off to the outhouse, giving barely a glance at my woodstove. I had my coffee in the garden and sifted dirt as I sat there listening to the birds. Except for the occassional passing car and Wyatt running around culling the squirrel population, it's beyond quiet here. I always forget how many new birds come back in the summer, not to mention all the geese, ducks and swans. Bumped into the fox 2 nights ago, we startled each other and both froze. for a full minute. It was cool to look it right in the eyes before it scampered away. Tim's been feeding it... heh.
Last night I learned one of my childhood friends (and a woman who in later years became adult friends with my siblings) died in a freak accident when her truck rolled over on her. We both started our own restaurants in the early 90s and hers turned out to be quite a success. Even when she was 12 she was a gorgeous gal with a perfect smile and a great sense of humor. My thoughts are with her daughter and parents today; I can't imagine they'll ever have a Memorial Day without missing their beloved Gayl. I'm also thinking about my dad and all my family members and friends who have passed before me. I still wish I could have talked to my dad more about the communitarians, but he was too sick and died before I understood it very well.
Life is just too short for all the things we can find to do. I decided that when I die I want to be cremated in little gertee, all dressed up like she is right now. If they're there for it, I want my children to sing the national anthem; at the end Uncle Jimmy can yell "play ball!" Maybe if enough people show up they can play a game of softball, leaving left field empty for my ghost.
Went into the field by Camp Redington to pick a bouquet of wild flowers yesterday. Walked around until I found a patch that had no bees on it and started cutting. I barely had 2 cut when this huge bumble bee came over and chased me away! As soon as I was obviously leaving, it turned and flew back to the patch. (Looked it up and it's called: Bumblebee Flower - Wooly Lousewort, Pedicularis lanata... duh!) The bears do the same thing with their berry patches. Nice to know who's in charge around here.
Life is just too short for all the things we can find to do. I decided that when I die I want to be cremated in little gertee, all dressed up like she is right now. If they're there for it, I want my children to sing the national anthem; at the end Uncle Jimmy can yell "play ball!" Maybe if enough people show up they can play a game of softball, leaving left field empty for my ghost.
Went into the field by Camp Redington to pick a bouquet of wild flowers yesterday. Walked around until I found a patch that had no bees on it and started cutting. I barely had 2 cut when this huge bumble bee came over and chased me away! As soon as I was obviously leaving, it turned and flew back to the patch. (Looked it up and it's called: Bumblebee Flower - Wooly Lousewort, Pedicularis lanata... duh!) The bears do the same thing with their berry patches. Nice to know who's in charge around here.
your decorating of that gertee is just so lovely.
ReplyDeleteWith tears in my eyes, and pain in my heart, it makes me smile to think that you give a brand new meaning to "Out in left Field"
ReplyDeleteUncle Jimmy
Thanks to all the encouraging words. I may have overdone it just a tad, but when I'm experimenting I like to see all the workable possibilities. Meeting with the sawmill next week to discuss manufacturing frames, wish I had the skills and materials to put in a nice floor to compliment the walls and roof. When we make Kathy's next month Forrest will pre make her an 18' round floor platform like the Mongolians use.
ReplyDeleteSure would be awesome if my brother and his family came to visit one summer and in between 4 wheeling and fishing and flying around with Kirby and Wyatt he built me a 2-story gertee out of 2x4 walls with a 15' second story deck so I'd have a 360 degree view of the mtns from inside the new winter gertee. It's amazing what's just behind all the trees.
I wrote Big Mother's Doublespeak Dictionary in 2003. "Out in left field" isn't in it because I don't think our British-Israeli advisors really understand what baseball and softball means to millions of US Americans. I used to write baseball terms in my articles, like in The Balance of Man I ended with something like "we're the home team and we haven't scored, it's the bottom of the ninth, it's our last chance at bat and we don't have anyone at the plate."
Hey batter batter...
Niki,, the new gertee is gorgeous! (you were always the decorator of our room growing up and I was always the cleaner:)
ReplyDeleteSO SAD to hear that Gayl has left us. I can see her smile.
Is that a fresh Copper River Red head? And tell Tim to skin lots more wolves!
Could you rent your decorated gertee out to honeymooners as it has a springtime, bridal feel to it? It is very romantic!
ReplyDeleteHaving special themes to weddings and honeymoons is so popular now.
Hey sister! Your gertee will be even cuter and probably cleaner too! I've thought about Gayl a lot since I heard how she died, the image was so painful that I also brought back good memories that I hadn't thought of in 40 years.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a bride when I'm inside the latest gertee model Cheese! And I did want to market it to the brides that come to Alaska to get married in remote places. I can set it up anywhere there's a 4x4 trail in, they can have the wedding and the honeymoon all in the same spot! I started making a fur blanket for the bed display, but I try to make too many things all at the same time! My home gertee is trashed with my project messes... I need my sister to come visit and help me out!