Getting Located

We've finally discovered the boundaries of where we live.

My wife, Chana, and I operate a B&B in Bayfield, WI on 24 acres. 
It went on the market in late June.  We have an accepted offer, whose
final requirement was to complete a survey to identify the east and
north boundaries.  The survey was done Dec. 19.  On the 20th we
walked the land, following stakes topped with pink surveyor's tape
to see exactly what we own.

In past walks around the land, we tried to estimate the north boundary
by following a buried strip of barbed wire that probably collapsed years ago.
On the 20th, we congratulated ourselves on our guesswork, because the
official survey and our path were surprisingly close together.

The gently falling snow also revealed a tiny everygreen tree that
Chana decided had a proper place in a Charley Brown cartoon.
And we discovered the intricate abandoned nest of a colony of bees
or hornets, which we'll save and use as an enhancement on the house.

The adventure also included a decision to move two benches from
where they'd been located for nearly 15 years.  Both had to be
carried--schlepped is the word-- over snow-covered uneven ground.

One is a Carolina bench, whose construction and use of decorative
wrought iron added weight and required that we each balance it on
one shoulder and, as much as possible, walk at exactly the same pace.

The other, a six-foot, home-made project, needed to be balanced on
its side on two large boards laid on a kid's plastic coasting sled.  We
had to pull it a couple hundred yards through fields of deep snow--
a challenge because the bench resisted our efforts to keep it centered
on the sled so the weight was evenly balanced.

It was a wonderful few hours.  We discovered the boundaries of our
land, re-located two benches near our firepit--in time to celebrate the
winter solstice--and found a new appreciation for Mother Nature.