Moose alterations... the struggle was real!

Making alterations... again.

I'm normally pretty hard to rattle and live by my lifetime motto of 'it'll work out, or it won't...' I actually can't even really remember the last time I found myself in a circumstance that truly dispirited me because I just always believe that whatever might happen will likely be survivable if perhaps a struggle in the meantime. Having said that... my life has, by no means, been perfect; I just always seem able to find an up-side to even awful situations and am grateful for it.

But sometimes annoying happenings sneak in, even for me. It's a bit of a long story about two resin moose heads and I honestly don't even know why these moose heads became so important to me... but they did. Ridiculous, I know but for some reason, I just wanted them to become family.

Just before Christmas, while searching on-line for a new artificial Christmas tree, I had happened across life-size harlequin moose head on the same store website where I had found my perfect trees. I had emailed a picture of the trees to Enz at work to make sure he liked them before I ordered them and he called home right away to say that he did like the trees but that he loved that moose head accompanying the trees in the picture even more... he wanted that ordered, too. I told him I wanted it, too... except that I wanted to order two of them for at the camp so that a single one wouldn't be lonely when we weren't there. The only problem was that I couldn't find them on the website. So Enz said he would call the store directly and see what he could find out about these silly moose heads we both loved. It was only a few minutes before he had called me back and had the store on speaker phone to double-check the trees I wanted to order and within minutes we had the three trees and the two beautiful moose heads (there were forty in stock) ordered with a promise that the shipping email with tracking numbers would come to us within twenty-four hours. YAY!!!

Or, not.....

When, after twenty-four hours, the email shipping confirmation did not come, I had Enz call the store again only to find our order had been cancelled due to our home billing/shipping address being Canadian even though the store had a 'ship to Canada' option. Whatever, we could fix it by putting the order through again and having the items shipped to the US border parcel service to make it easier since we are only a half-hour drive away. All was well until the clerk went to place the order and discovered they had sold out of one of the trees... so the other two trees had become unnecessary as well since I wanted the three as an ensemble. Luckily, there were still twenty-eight moose heads in stock so at least we would still be able to get those. I wasn't upset about losing the trees thanks to my already beloved moose heads still about to be shipped. The same email confirmation promise was given and we were relieved! Another twenty-four hours and again no email. Enz phoned the store once more...

Again... our order had been cancelled. I was getting pretty pissed by this point and so was Enz as he asked to speak to a supervisor. It seems our order had been cancelled because of us having a Canadian billing address but an American shipping address, even though it was clearly an ordering option on the website and we had also been promised there would be no issue when we had ordered over the telephone. The supervisor went through a verification process with us so that our order would not be cancelled again... we were more than just a little upset because we had given them our email address along with THREE telephone numbers to reach us with if there was any issue with the order to come up and no one had called before just cancelling our order. I was SO not impressed with this company so unceremoniously cancelling our order already but I desperately wanted the moose heads and so we ordered for a third time and we were just in time with only TWO now left in stock. The supervisor assured us they were ours and they would be shipped out first thing the following morning. WHEW!

But then... not 'whew'.....

There was no confirmation email by the following evening and Enz called the store again. And again... cancelled order. The verification process had to be done in a different department than the supervisor that had helped us the prior evening. And there were NO more moose heads available. The moose heads, we were told, were a seasonal item and no more would be brought in. I had passed sad and was now mad! We had done everything asked of us in order to buy these moose heads. Our card had been charged, verified and cancelled every time we had ordered and I felt that either the system was absolutely ridiculous or something was very fishy with the company as Enz continued to try to figure out the ordering issue with the lady on the phone.

Now, the people trying to help us on the phone were all very apologetic and caring in our frustrations and we weren't snarky or rude in talking with them but we were disappointed and wanted clear explanations of why we were having trouble with ordering when we order from the US all the time and have never run into hassles such as this. Eventually, we decided there was nothing we could do except make sure we were set up to order through the verification department for next December when the moose heads or a similar product MIGHT become available again but they couldn't make any promises.

A couple of weeks later I was still pretty annoyed at having missed out on the twin moose I already loved as family and in mentioning the fact to Enz he told me I should check the site again because if they were as popular and sold out so quickly, maybe they would have decided to bring in more. Can you believe the moose heads were listed as 'in stock' again?!! I was stoked, but not quite enough to let my hopes get set again as I gave Enz the telephone number to call... only to find out that the listing had been a mistake. However, when the lady we spoke with did a search to find out why they had been listed for sale again she found the reason; there were two of the moose heads expected in from return and they had been put into the system earlier than they were meant to be. We were quickly switched over to a supervisor who explained that the heads were NOT being returned due to damages and that both were in perfect condition. The downside... there was no way for them to be put on hold for us. Our only chance for our two moose heads to come home would be for us to phone in to the store multiple times daily until they had been physically returned so we could then purchase them. Enz called three times each day until FINALLY the day came when the moose heads were there, available... and ours. I still wasn't getting my hopes up. But then came the day when we called out of panic to double-check they were still to be ours, only to find they had been SHIPPED THAT MORNING!!!

I was so excited I could barely even stand it the day Enz left to pick the moose's up at the Border. The boys and I had stayed home because the two boxes would take up the entire back of Enz' SUV... it was a long hour of waiting to see if they had actually arrived or if it was just a very cruel joke.

The moose heads did actually arrive, yay!

One of the moose heads was damaged, not yay...

The one poor moose had a cracked nose as well as an antler that would not set into it's sad lil' head. I felt like crying. Instead, I took pictures and called the store who gave me the email address of the department we would need to send the damage pictures to.

I had also included these photos to help explain the defect issues:

His poor lil' cracked nose... we could totally accept that,
we aren't thaaaaat fussy over looks!

But here, where the antler stuck due to wonky angling was the problem and I
didn't want to break either the antler finish or the fluted edges surrounding
the antler seating... so I was pretty bummed.

On the bottom of the antler, the post is painted yellow and the slot inside the head
is also painted yellow to match the sides in assembly but with either the post hole or
the steel post being crooked, this is where we were stuck and the antler was not
safe nor attractive to be sticking out with the post showing like that.

It was two days later when I received an email reply back from the store and to say I was less than pleased with the reply is a bit of an understatement but I just sent it on along for Enz to read since he was in Toronto for meetings to see if he was annoyed by the response like I was...

This was their response that I may have taken a little too personally, but it really did annoy me to no end!

I have to admit, I was a might pissed off at this reply even though I know it sounds pretty harmless and I'm sure there have been people who probably did try to install the antlers incorrectly due to maybe not even reading the instructions. However, the instructions for and markings on these moose heads are shockingly clear as far as instructions go and we would have been total boneheads to have done wrong in the simple assembly; especially since we'd already assembled the first one with ease. Now, it was at this point when Enz told me, "Gillian, just leave it alone... you're right, they made us seem like idiots, just don't even bother anymore. We'll try and fix it somehow and if we can't or wreck it in the trying, at least we'll still have one for the cabin." I should have listened, but I didn't and I wrote them back, even if just so I could let them know that I wasn't an idiot and that something was definitely wrong with the manufacturing of this moose head. Plus... I was still feeling a little burned at the hassle of even getting these moose heads home and then finding one was pretty defective; which is likely the reason someone else had returned it and we just hadn't been told.



I should have left it but instead I wrote them back with this message... I tried to stick to the point without
being mean while still trying to explain that it was the moose who had the problem!

I didn't tell Enz I was writing them back until the following day after their reply had appeared and instead just forwarded their reply to his email for him to read between meetings. I had typed "I know you told me to leave it alone..." in the subject line.

It was only a matter of hours before Enz called:

"Helloooooo..." I answered.

"You GO, girl!" Enz said.

"I just mostly wanted them to know I'm not an idiot!" I answered.

"I gotta go. I'll call you later but good work... and don't let that I said that go to your head 'cause I'm sure you will do something idiotic again before long!"


Whew... all would be well!

Or maybe not.....

Because yep... the replacement arrived... damaged.......


The left antler on the supposed-to-be-replacement head was majorly damaged... on the front side and in a spot where a
fix would be nothing but noticeable. I was pretty bummed by yet another mooseyfied disappointment.

We had carefully repackaged the original two moose heads and taken the boxes out to the workshop to keep safe while finishing the camp build but quickly realized we would need to bring the damaged head back inside to try and do some mix'n'matching. The problem was with the left antler on the first head and the problem antler was also the left antler on the new head which was even extra frustrating. But going across the border isn't likely to be as simple as it always has been with the new happenings in America these days so neither of us were keen on the thought of trying to explain to the Border Officers that we either had to return an item or that we needed to pick up yet another replacement. In fact, Enz's exact words were... "I am NOT getting rubber-gloved for a moose head, Gillian!!!" So, this time I really would leave it alone and we would just do our best to salvage what we could.

We set the moose heads on the dining room table and tried both antler sets on each moose head and quickly realized it was the first moose head post hole that was the problem since both sets of antler fit easily and perfectly into the newest head. So, with switching the antler sets, we now have two perfect moose for camp.

Moose mix'n'match time! Why I love them so much, even I don't know...

Sure, I'm happy that we were able to rearrange and get two beautiful moose out of three but... well, I was just so annoyed that it had taken so much hooplah to even get them here and then to have even the replacement show up with such damage was extra frustrating and I felt like I needed to make it all truly better.

I sent Enz out to get some industrial strength glue... or just Gorilla Glue, whatever he could find that would hold without question. He was also thinking of getting some paint so we could just repaint both antlers to match and hide the fix. I did not want to paint the antlers because I really like the finish on them but I knew the major flaw would forever be noticeable if I didn't come up with a better idea for a fix. We knew we were likely wasting our time trying to fix an antler for a head it didn't fit into anyhow... but I still wanted to try and then we could deal with the head later on.

We filled in the crack with the heavy duty super glue...

...smoothed it over and left it to dry overnight.

In the morning light, the glue proved to have a nice, firm hold... RELIEF!

Even just the glue fix looked clean and we really might have gotten away with just a light fade-out of colour matched paint around it... but then a new idea flashed through my mind. A few posts back, I shared my beloved El Camino in a blog post and wouldn't you know but my lil' Elki was about to save this hurting lil' moose!

In a drawer, I had saved the last strip of leftover vinyl from the seat reupholster of my sweet summer ride and I knew, even before I went to pull it out that it would be our answer! The vinyl is a darker tan than the antlers but the tiny lines running through the pattern matched exactly to the antler tan! I had an idea and lots of hot glue so I sat down and created an adornment fix. I was still annoyed that we even had to do a fix but this poor moose deserved for us to at least try.

Turns out I saved this last strip of vinyl for more than just a leftover!

I was going to just hot-glue the makeshift antler wraps directly onto the
antlers but then decided that removable would be better... so toilet-paperlike
rolls they would become thanks to hot-gluing the seam to strips of curtain sheer.

Sir Mooooosey watched over the patch-up process with both great interest
and a look of gentle approval so I knew I was on the right fixin' track.

Once the glue had set and fully cooled, it was time to slip the antler wraps on and hope they didn't look ridiculous.

Now, Sir Mooooosey's head wasn't quite so easy a fix but we didn't have anything to lose in trying so Enz decided we should try grinding the inner edge of the fluting around the antler seat. I wasn't so sure but stood and held the vacuum while directing where and how much he needed to grind off. I was petrified all the fluting was going to break off but we finally had taken enough that the antler set inside juuuuuuuuut barely even if at a bit of a wonky angle. So we decided it couldn't hurt to try putting Sir Mooooosey up on the wall... at worst, the antler would fall out of his head thanks to the ill-set antler post connection but there was a chance it would also stay in. Basically it was a crap shoot but we'd come this far in the mending and I figured if we absolutely had to to, we could always try contact-cementing the antlers permanently in.

Once we had his head up, I started getting really nervous about putting the antlers on...

...but they set in and they stayed in and the antler wraps actually fit
perfectly in with the ensemble!



In case you were wondering... Yes, moose sneeze, too!

And so, this moose head, even though it has head damage, nose damage and antler damage is now a fixed up and respected family member. Quality control in the manufacturer's moose head department could certainly use a little sprucing, I think, but it all turned out in the end. Being crafty might be geeky but sometimes it can really help in bringing new perfect to factory imperfections.

I think he's pretty stoked to be all fixed up and stylin'...

Sometimes things aren't perfect but it doesn't mean that imperfect has to be ugly. I certainly wasn't happy to be making alterations to a brand newly purchased item and had it been a local buy I'd have just dealt with the return process but all in all, we were able to mix, match, and salvage. And really, so what if Sir Mooooosey's a little cracked and battered, aren't we all??!

Enz even liked the wraps so much he asked if I thought there might be enough to make wraps for the cabin moose heads.

We all have disappointing moments, even if they are as trivial as the odd delivery of damaged goods, but that doesn't mean we can't try to fix the damage as it comes. It was doctor-up-the leftovers or a trip to the dump... I'm glad we tried the fix and even more glad that the fix not only helped Sir Mooooosey but also helped smooth our own frustrated edges!

Always an adventure!!





Camp Build - Part 2...

The Guest Cabin...

Oh, but first, here is the link for the first 'camp post' in case you missed it and are interested in reading about how it all began...
http://greenappleclogblog.blogspot.ca/2016/11/camp-build-find-and-clear.html

When last I wrote about our camp build project we were at the 'building the biffy' point of the fun... even after Enz and I had vehemently agreed that we were only going to go as far as clearing the land that summer. We had SWORN we would not even THINK about building for at least a couple of years!

Buuuuut..... once the land was cleared we just couldn't justify not using it to it's full and beautiful potential and so instead of buying a trailer, as had been our original plan, we got to work first on the biffy and then on our tiny but cozy guest cabin. Our new plan became to spend a few years staying in the guest cabin to more comfortably enjoy time spent at the lake until we decided we were ready to start building the main cabin. It just made sense not to waste money on a trailer that would need replacing long before a properly built cabin for guests who would later be visiting.

I should first explain that we had already vowed never to build again, at all! Enz and I had both gone to college for architectural design and both love designing and building but it's a LOT of work and a LOT of frustration when we build on our own. Enz knows home construction inside and out so he insists we not only design but also do all of the building ourselves; he knows how to make my demanding designs a reality and between us and his dad helping with the construction we have been fortunate to build  both of our first and second houses as well as now working on our camp. Still, I was hesitant to build and go through the long hours and hassles of all that it entails. Enz has also studied and learned to do all of the electrical work himself which is a really great skill both in economical savings as well as assuring absolute perfection in outlet and lighting plans but it does mean more work time because he is so picky for preciseness. Still, we are slowly getting there...

I was able to help with the structural building of the guest cabin since we started before my health issues hit but I wasn't able to do much but be in the way of the finishing work... Enz always tries to make me feel better about that by reminding me it was my design but I like to get to help with the work, too. Really, that's what teamwork is about though, isn't it?

And so... on to the biffy and guest cabin build...

I have to tell you, though, I do not like biffies. Actually, biffies might be the only thing in the world that I actually and positively HATE... in every sense of that word I generally refuse to use. I don't like the smell, I don't like the bugs, I don't like the lack of privacy, and I especially don't like the terror of worrying that something might be scurrying below! It's... just..... gross....... So, even though we needed a biffy I was not about to have an actual biffy. Enz had all sorts of ideas for how to make the biffy even sightly tolerable for me but I flatly refused any suggestion he offered and demanded a flush-toilet. Without an actual flush toilet in the biffy, I was only a half-hour drive from home when nature called (pun totally intended)... and it only took me a few times of driving home and back to camp before Enz realized I wasn't kidding when I said I would NOT be using a biffy without a properly flushing toilet. He said it couldn't be done. I put an all-stop on the biffy build. He again told me it couldn't be done. He was wrong. And after he had wracked his brain and done research and gone to different places to ask questions, he brought to me a new and acceptabe plan. He could put a flush-toilet in the biffy if I was okay with an RV toilet that would flush into a small holding tank below the biffy and could be pumped out every time the eventual main cabin holding tank or septic field (we didn't know our main cabin options just then) required pumping. This plan made me very happy and I okayed the work to begin again. It really is alllllll about the toilet situation!

The white circle in the centre of the biffy base is the tank lid that calmed my biffy fears. All is now well with the biffy!

So, while framing for the biffy floor pour, I had mentioned to Enz that a even just a tiny guest cabin would probably be a good idea because we could stay in it while building our main cabin, wayyy in the future. I had an idea in my head of how we could make a 10' x 10' cabin work as a guest cabin and again he told me I was being ridiculous and that it couldn't be done. Again, he was wrong. And after he'd thought about it and I had explained my reasoning and vision for this tiny guest house, we started forming for the cozy cabin so we could pour both floors at the same time. Neither of us had any idea that 'tiny houses' were becoming popular and we found ourselves apologizing for how small the space we were building was but everyone was so excited about this cute and tiny cabin we were building. We certainly didn't build so small for the hype we soon found was happening, we were just trying to keep our costs down so we could continue saving for the main cabin build ahead.



My argument was convincing enough to start framing for
BOTH biffy aaaaaaand guest cabin!

My Pa-in-law is a master-class cement finisher and even had a few flower and
leaf inserts on-hand to help pretty the floor before the toilet... My incredible dislike of
flowers is not a secret but other people might enjoy them during their visits
to Biffyville!

Once the floor had cured the building began... We set up a 'pup-tent' for Day to stay
protected from the sun and biting bugs where he could easily
supervise the build from.

It wasn't long before the biffy shell was finished and we were starting on the guest
cabin walls. My mom had even dropped by this day and helped us to lift and
square-up the walls, which made it all even more fun!



My sunshiny Day was really good and patient in his makeshift
playpen but he did ask for company often and this
mama was overjoyed to oblige him!

From our pup-tent, we had a perfect spot to chime in from but still feel like
part of the action when Day needed his cuddle hugs.

We had another pretty sweet view from Day's pup-tent, too!

We made sure to have lots of picnic breaks to get to enjoy at least a little of this busy...
but not supposed to have been so busy summer of building!

We used our rare home-moments to build a picnic table set and a quick campfire
cuddle-bench for Day to get us through until we have more time to find or make more
permanent campfire seating... Day demanded to help with this project.



Day wasn't too sure of his first campfire...

...but once he gave it a true chance (mostly thanks to roasted marshmallows) he
decided it was a pretty good happening. His friend Jasper had come to say hello but
he only stayed for a minute and a marshmallow before he wandered off behind us.

Fall had settled in beautifully...

...and Winter had appeared even faster, it seemed. Luckily, we'd had just enough time to get the building shells closed up
properly; the biffy, the guest cabin and we'd even had time to build the little generator cubby topped by the water tank
which will eventually hold the water for both the toilet and sink in the biffy!



Our part of the lake froze
completely over that first year.

Because I was so excited to get the cabins finished I was happy to welcome
Spring when the ice finally broke.

That winter was a really rough one for us. It was that January (of 2015) when the Peripheral Neuropathy paralyzed my legs and life had suddenly turned from beautiful and exciting into terrifying and just so incredibly difficult. But by the beginning of springtime, after the snow had melted but the air was still brisk with winters ending, things were again looking up! I had slowly worked my way from hospital bed to wheelchair and at this point was still needing a walker even though I wouldn't admit to it... I could walk for little bits with help but it was very painful and frustrating. The time was perfect to start finishing the guest cabin but my body just wasn't able to help at that point. But Day and I didn't let being left out dampen our spirits and we were happy for fresh air naps in the still chilly air as we watched the progress and kept out of the way.


I got really good at hiding my struggles; Enz would help me get safely balanced for pictures and I would make sure to
smile like everything was perfect while he hid my walker out of sight. And then Enz would get Day and I both settled for a
rest before he started cabin work and came to check on us every few minutes... I felt so guilty but we made it work.

And then real Spring came along... and home came our sweet Play!



This was Plays very first trip out to camp... both boys were still a little unsure of all the changes but
boy, oh boy, was my heart overflowing with gratefulness for my two boys!!!

Life had changed quite incredibly in only a matter of months but I was slowly growing stronger and big changes had happened both in life and in building. I missed a LOT of picture opportunities because I just wasn't able to get around and Enz was too busy working to stop and take pictures all the time but we did manage a few later on.

Once the biffy and guest cabin had been finished, that was supposed to have been 'it' for awhile. But Enz decided, once the boys bathroom-break pen and the patio railing had been set,  that we really should start on a shed for storage of tools for building. I wasn't as keen for another project so soon but when he said we could use it as kayak storage, too, well... that's the blue building on the left in the below picture.



Because I couldn't decide on a single siding colour (I didn't want it to be boring) I instead decided on a different
colour foreach cute lil' campy building... I don't know why but it just felt a little more
beachy to me even though Enz was doubtful. I'm pretty stoked with the mix'n'match colour scheme!

It would be awhile before I could actually get out on the rough waters of
Lake Superior but just knowing that my kayak was there and ready when I was
really helped to keep my camp spirits runnin' on HIGH.

Once the outer shed was finished and it was easier to work inside the small guest cabin without so many tools around, we got busy on finishing the inside. Fortunately, the boys were keen to learn and help... at least where the futon was concerned.

Sweetest lil' helpers EVER!!!

We also made sure they had their own comfy camp beds to nap and tell campy ghost stories in.




Enz doesn't believe in smiling when working... but whatever,
he was finishing up the electrical so I was happy to know that the
heat and lights were soon to become reality.

Although they love their own beds, they love the futon more and are even kind
to one another in sharing when I pull it open for them and lay a cool sheet
to help when the summer warmth is just a little too much.



They really do love each other, even if they don't admit to the fact.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how the guest cabin turned out. It's small but it's  comfortable and once
the main cabin is finished it will really on used for sleeping since days will hopefully be spent visiting and having
fun down by the lake with everyone sharing time together. It's really great to have a safe and cozy spot for the
boys to nap in when the building noise and commotion in the main cabin is a little too much, though.

The tiny vegging area is nice and cozy but I must admit that my absolute favourite part of this schnazzayyy lil' guest cabin is, without doubt, the sleeping loft!

We had first wanted to put a sort of tuck-away ladder that didn't take up too much
room but decided that a sturdier, permanently set ladder was necessary for me to
be able to handle once my legs were able to sort of climb again. Enz was careful to keep
the stair angle at an incline I can now safely manage with open steps that I can wrap my
arms around and through to safely make my way up to the top grab bar.




The ladder leads up to this little landing... All of the windows actually lift up and
completely off to set safely on wall hooks above the windows so they aren't always
sticking out like this; I was just too lazy to take them off this day.
I love the cross breeze that comes through thewindow screens up here! 



We even managed to fit a queen-sized bed of coziness up here... another thing that Enz had assured me could NOT be done.

The guest cabin definitely took a little longer than anticipated thanks to a little bit of life getting in the way but that's okay because it's just helped us to appreciate it even more. It's always such a treat to get to spend time at the lake but it's a little better to get to spend our time there with a little more ease of comfort, especially with our boys who aren't into 'ruffing it'... not even in the slightest!

From this point, we were DEFINITELY waiting a few years before starting work on the main cabin! Until the following weekend came along and we decided it wouldn't hurt to maybe just start forming for the floor... We're not so good at sticking to schedules when it includes having to wait.......

Still to be continued...