Cabin in the wilderness

Doesn't it look like our log cabin is in the deep wilderness in this photo?? I love all the greenery but I think we need to trim some things up.

That path down to the lake is very steep. I found this out as I was walking down toward our partially completed dock and then tripped, fell and rolled down the path almost impaling myself on one of Greg's dock stakes! It wasn't pretty!






This is the chipmunk that was laughing at me as I was pulling leaves out of my hair. One consolation....at least the neighbors couldn't see me....YET! Ha,ha!

Landscaping the Log Cabin

We've been doing our own landscaping at the log cabin the last few weeks. There are many things I want (a patio outside the walkout basement, steps to the lake, etc.) but with the economy the way it is, I am holding onto our money a little tighter as well as seeing what we can do ourselves. All those other things we want can come at a later date.

Greg built some flower boxes and will fill them with blooms that will attract butterflies and birds. The 2 birds this man has really wanted to see at our cabin are the Wood Duck (which we finally saw a couple weeks ago - yea!) and a hummingbird. I hope the hummingbird cooperates for him! (P.S. If any of Greg's friends are reading this, please don't make fun of him for liking birds. I need him as my bird spotter!) Here are a few things we've done:


All of our rocks were free! We collected them down 2 track roads in our ATV. It was a lot of work but saved us a ton of money!




Here are some Gerbera Daisies I picked up for the deck. I think they are such happy looking flowers.



Here's a little primrose plant I picked up for our patio table.



P.S. To any of my blogger friends who may have made purchases from my Nature Store - please email me at shelleyupnorth at gmail dot com. Unfortunately Zazzle doesn't show me who orders and I would like to properly thank you as well as enter you in a drawing for another extra gift! Thank you so much!!!

Updates at the Log Cabin & a WINNER!

Now that spring is here, it's time to tackle some projects at the log cabin. We want to put in a dock this year and have been checking Craig's List to see if we can find some good deals! Next on our list is landscaping. We are going to do a small portion of it. Greg is building two long flower boxes which I'll show once they are completed. Here are some other happenings...


Here's a Robin who promised me that Spring is now here to stay....




Marvin wants to know when we are going to stain the deck. It's already been a year!



Umm Greg...this isn't WHERE your fishing boat goes!


Now the last order of business! Greg drew April's name ("Straight from the Heart" ) for my final log cabin follower winner!Congratulations to April! Be sure to pay her a visit! She has a wonderful blog filled with beautiful photos, funny stories about being a mom and much more! (April, please email your address to shelleyupnorth at gmail dot com.)

Hayrides at the Log Cabin!

We're landscaping at the log cabin! And I'm offering free hayrides!

Come on down my street.....

I have some hay! (Well really the hay is to protect the grass seed that was just planted on our land.)

I have a tractor! (Not my tractor, I don't know how to drive it, but who cares!)

Now I just need some pumpkins and scarecrows!

Log Cabin Projects

Fall is coming and then you know what is next! We've got to get a cracking on our log cabin projects! The joke in Michigan is that they only have two seasons - winter and construction. (Michiganders will find that joke funny.)




After it rained furiously in Gaylord, the rain frog gave us the okay to do our outdoor projects.


















The lot was graded and top soil was put down to prep for the grass seed. (This will be an upcoming post.)













Greg built this bird feeder tray which I do not find attractive but our bird friends do.
















Greg is trying to complete the caulking on our tongue and groove ends. I think our next log home will be a swedish cope style so we do not have to caulk for the rest of our log home owner lives!












Finally, we got to enjoy the sunset after a hard day's work.

Why you should check the trees around your log home!

We had a bad storm a few weeks ago and the limbs of an old Maple tree came crashing down. As you can see from the photos below, this is good example of why you should check the trees around a log home (or any home for that matter.) These limbs fell within 3 feet of our log home. We were lucky it didn't go through our roof or windows. A local tree service company came out and removed all the fallen branches within a couple hours. They made woodchips out of the old limbs and I was glad we were able to use it for our path to the lake. Now I'm checking the other trees - especially to make sure no branches are touching our logs so that tree sap doesn't get on them and compromise them. I am a big conservationist at heart so I try to remove as little as possible. After all, my original dream was to have a log cabin in the woods - not a log cabin on a bare lot!

Phase I - Landscaping the Log Cabin

Phase I of landscaping the log cabin has begun! First we are having the lot graded. There were so many rooty branches sticking out of the ground after construction. We hired this guy to grade the lot, prep a driveway and put the mulch out. The trees and bushes won't go in until fall - which is one of the best times to plant in Michigan, that and spring. After grading the lot on Friday he said he would be back the next day to finish. When I left the cabin on Sunday, he hadn't been back. Maybe I get to keep his tractors?! Perhaps I should give them a spin?

See my new tractor on the right?

One day this sign will actually be telling the truth!

Wrapping up outdoor projects at the Log Cabin

Right now we are trying to wrap up the staining - still a few things to do. The deck railings need to finish being caulked and have another coat of stain slapped on. Additionally, due to having a tongue & groove log joinery system on our log home, we need to fill in those grooves with caulk and slap some stain on that as well. This will add additional protection to the logs from insect infestation.
As far as landscaping, we really have to wait till fall to plant more shrubs and trees. Right now we are getting quotes to grade the back of the log cabin and add mulch to make it aesthetically pleasing for the time being. My husband is still on the hunt for more rocks to add to the landscape....maybe he can open up his own rock nursery!

Log Cabin Tip - Landscaping

Rocks are always a necessity in landscaping your log cabin to complete that "woodsy, natural feel." As I mentioned before, we are electing not to use grass but want to incorporate mulch, bushes, wild grasses and rocks. What's even better is if they're free! Greg went "rock hunting" with our log cabin guest Jim this weekend. They came upon a side road that had been grated with all these great large rocks strewn about. I did think it was funny when they were describing their process. Jim would run along the road and put them in a pile, and then Greg would drive by to pick them up and throw them into the flatbed of the truck like a garbage man. But the end result is we have all these wonderful rocks! And we probably saved about $900. We are going to use these rocks to build into the slope where we have our mulch path to the deck.

Tracking sand into the Log Cabin

Hardwood floors are what typical log home buyers envision for their log home dream. (Among the stereotypical loft, stone fireplace, etc.) I was no exception. I just love my maple hardwood floors. I was beaming with pride when the appliance and carpet guys complimented them. But the one thing I forgot was all the sand we would be tracking in being on a sandy lakefront lot! (I don't believe in having grass and fertlizers if you're on the lake, it's too much risk in damaging the lake's ecosystem.) In one day my husband and I tracked in enough sand for a baseball field. I placed mats outside the door and right inside the entrance. Then purchased an area rug for the living room. Now I just need one for the dining area. But the final solution is going to be a brick or stone walkway leading up to the entrance. Greg put in mulch as a temporary solution -so that helped and stays within our current budget. The guy who dropped off the mulch said it best - to "take your time and do it right" - we can't buy everything at once. Smart guy!

P.S. I included a picture of what Sunday morning looked like at the Log Cabin. I thought it was stunning and made me realize how many more great mornings we have ahead of us.