It's our third summer as cottage owners and we're settling in to the cottage life nicely, enjoying the results of our efforts to achieve the essential comforts. You could say we're hitting our stride as cottagers.
This was the first spring with our fridge and stove. The stove in particular is a life saver during bug season. I no longer have to serve up a meal to mosquitos when going outside to cook on the campstove or BBQ. And setting up the water system I devised last year went surprisingly well. I wore the mosquito net jacket back in mid May to install and connect the water tank (rain barrel). Between the new stove and the netted jacket, I'm starving those 'skiters.
Over the winter,while thinking up ways to enhance our water pressure, it occured to me that the faucets might be equiped with water savers. These are discs installed in the factory to save water. While these are a good idea for homes connected to muniicpal water systems with sufficient water pressure, when you're relying on gravity alone, it would make a low pressure ssituation even worse. So when I connected the water and filled the rain barrel, I also unscrewed the screened ends of the faucets and sure enough, I found the black plastic discs.I removed these obstructions, that covered more then half the width of the faucet and the water pressure is now significantly better. We've graduated to a modest trickle! The flow is adequate when the water tank is full, but drops dramatically when the barrel is half full or less. I just have to keep the barrel topped up. Other plans include installing a dual flush toilet so the water level in the tank, and hence the water pressure, doesn't drop as fast. This way I won't have to top up the tank as often.
This year our main project is to finish the drywall and paint the interior. The walls were mostly finished and coated with primer when the cottage was built in the factory. Now that all the flooring is in, we have a water system and fridge and stove, it is time to turn to more esthetic issues. We've finished one bedroom and the great room. I am struck by how much of a difference it makes to have some colour on the walls. The front room is much warmer and has a finished look with a colour called "new growth". And just yesterday, Tim and I spent the afternoon capping the outside corners of the bulkhead and wall where the two sections of the cottage meet together. We covered the corners with knotty pine to match the trim in the rest of the room. It gives the place a country feel.
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