The summer gone

No updates this summer. What happened?

My enthusiastic waiting for the summer turned into a peculiar phase in my life. Soon after the Mother’s day visit, in the end of May, I was diagnosed with carcinoma in situ in my right breast. It was a shock. Even though it was a pre-cancer state in my body, it turned my mind upside down. At the same time, our home was undergoing a profound plumbing and water pipe renovation. It had started in April and our home was a mess. We waited for the radiators to be exchanged in all rooms and pipes drawn through all the places. We had moved all furniture in the middle of rooms and we also waited for a possibility to do some fixings ourselves. I started to think of how many weeks would I have before I will be operated and what if this is worse than in situ. Very soon, though, God gave me peace in my mind, I put all my trust on Him and I was told this is nothing much to worry about. I learned I would be operated on 20th July, so I would have plenty of time to fix my home, which, like I said, was a mess, as if we just had moved in. 

The summer weather was a dream come true to me. It was hot, warm, hot, hot and warm! Oddly enough, my sometimes sore wrist had started to ache again more than ever and the ganglion cyst in it was bigger than ever. In June not knowing what it was I went to have it checked and got to know it is harmless, but they must do more tests, for I might have multiple myeloma. 

Everything turned out well. I didn’t have multiple myeloma. The plumbers left our home just before my operation. I was operated, got radiation therapy and I was cured absolutely wonderfully. For the whole summer I had no fibromyalgia pains, which have been bothering me for years, though I was diagnosed with it only last December. I have only gratitude in my heart for the health that I regained! 

So, the previous summer sucked for the rainy weather, this summer for a series of oddities. What ever we rarely did on the plot was ”at least we tried”. Our daughter helped in painting with her family. Our son helped too. The other son helped with the roof again. We also started mounting the bio toilet, but we’ll have to finish it next spring. And finally, we decided on the place where we buried our beloved dog Jami, whom I still miss so much.

It is already December now and I'm finishing this text (which I started some time ago) in the evening of Finland's independence day. Gratitude in my heart is lifted up again this wonderful evening as I end my writing with the pictures of the whole past summer. 

                 

                    

                  

 

                             

 

Mothers' Day

Plus 25 degrees! Tiny light green leaves of birches against the blue sky. The chilly May had suddenly turned into a comforting feeling of summer, even though summer was still ahead. The weather of this Mothers' Day was perfect for our first drive to our lot after the winter. Of course, we had had the sixth birthday party of our oldest grandson in almost the neighbouring city the day before, and we had spent the night at my mother's cottage nearby, so deciding this weekend for the visit was easy.



                                    



The shed stood there unfinished as it was left thus in the autumn. My deep hope is that this summer will be warmer and drier than the last one. The swans were back. A woodpecker had been busy in pecking a dry tree trunk but also managed to make two round holes in another tree which seemed to be its home now. When we walked up to the ridge my husband spotted a turban fungus in the sand. I rushed to fetch a bowl to collect all the many others we hadn't spotted yet. There were only four more, so my mushroom sauce at home would remain almost pathetic. 

 

We spent a lovely day raking the ground around the fire place and eating at the fire. I was so happy it was so close to summer and we would be back there again soon when my holiday starts.
One thing had changed this time, though. We didn't have our dear dog with us anymore. Our beloved Jami passed away on a March Saturday at the age of seventeen years, six months and seven days. We had him cremated but we'll bury the ashes later in the summer when we decide the right place.   

At home, in our city garden, wood anemones brought from my father's birthplace had burst into flowers in remembrance of my father, who once took me there where he was born in Karelian Isthmus which is in Russia today. 

October visit

Don't you just hate it when the autumn comes? Propably not you, but I certainly do. In a country with four seasons at the end of summer it's like "pack your things, wrap it up, freeze". That's at least how I feel on my behalf when the lot is full of interesting things to be done. I have always hated three seasons and loved only one and even the favourite one here has disappointed me several times. However, and despite my angst towards living at this latitude, now we have a shed there almost in the middle of nowhere.
I regret I didn't get this writing finished in November when I tried. Suddenly the city life pressed on with all its duties and tempo at work so that all quiet, peaceful and relaxing had to be chased after and writing this blog was buried together with the last cold breath of autumn.
 We made the last trip of the year to the lot in October when I had my autumn break. It was windy and cold. There was no snow but a thin layer of ice kept forming on the small lake and wind had blown fallen leaves on the ice. We had really nothing to do. We checked the place and as we were on the way to our daughter I picked some cranberries to her. The wind was freezing. A small fire on the sand beside the shed was enough to fry us sausage and corn. This place was ready for the winter and so were we.