 and this is our cabin. It's hurricane season in Nova Scotia and we are getting hit in the next 48 hours. Crystal, it gets even worse. This is insane. Oh my God. We are currently in a race to get the exterior of our cabin water tight. We have to finish the siding before the hurricane comes. How are we gonna do that? Well, we're gonna get to work right now. Thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring this week's video. With the hurricane arriving in 48 hours, it's time to get to work. Last year, we had our first experience with the powerful Hurricane Fiona and we plan to be more prepared, starting with the siding. Here it comes again. That's how you know it's a storm that's a ruin. The real question is, is this weather going to stop us from finishing? So wild. Not a good start. For the past month, we have been transforming the exterior of our cabin. This week, we were hoping to see it come together, if weather permits. Hey, did you think about, not only do we have to side our house, but we need to take all of our furniture in? Yay, no, I forgot. I am definitely starting to question if this is a good idea. It is getting so intense out here already, although there's still like two days until the storm. Yeah, I'm getting wet even on the porch now and the water is just creeping up. And after a few hours of heavy rain, it cleared up and Bella's on the prowl. Bella, I was just going to say this is too entertaining. It's been like a half an hour. They've been frequenting this tree forever. Yeah, like a long time. It's stocking up for winter. It's a good tree, lots of pine cones. We're keeping the cabin safe from predators. Good girl, Bella. Are you going duty now? Go get the squirrel, Izzy. Go get a squirrel. So scary, right? Oh yeah, there's this tree. But I had to just stop for this moment and take this in because the sky is lighting up as the sun sets and we very rarely see these colors because we're so nestled in the trees. It's the perfect end to today and it is the calm before the storm. Siding never ends and hurricanes come quick. We're at the top peak now. So we are cutting 60 degree angles. Oh, I don't know what's happening right now. I think we're both. How do I get this? Oh, we're working hard, everyone. We're working hard in the dark. Chris, are you serious? You can't get it to move? No. Are you just trying to spin it? You obviously see the way I don't think. And try to spin it again? Okay, who sees it? Do it again. Do it again. Chris, you're a six by six post girl. And we might need to call it a night soon. Let me tell you that much. Where? Nothing good happens after 10 p.m. am I right? I think the saying's 12 p.m. But you know what I'm trying to say. Anyways, we're on the angles now or don't. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, we're feeling a bit blah, blah, blah. But we got to get this done. With every board, we are closer to completion. Time to clean up, Jazzy. And a hurricane. Good morning, everyone. And good morning, Mr. Sun. Didn't expect to see you all out there. It's a gift. It's wild that the next day can be just so beautiful. It's hot. And tomorrow is gonna be a hurricane. This year in Nova Scotia, we only have one season. Rainy season. Okay, we have three out of four sides that need to be complete and watertight before tomorrow. Today, we're changing our location. We're gonna start on the backside because it's the biggest and the most surface area ever. And we've already started moving our tools, so. Construction zone. Whoa, look. Construction zone. Look, Pat. Sunshine. Are we finally gonna complete the siding? After weeks and weeks of trial and error, setbacks, and weather delays? Yeah, I think we're gonna. Just a little tight on the left, but it fits perfect. Nice. Perfection. You know what? You kind of look like a rock star. I am a rock star. Just a sliver or more? You got it? Yeah. Here we go. Yeah, girl. Here we go. Yeah, girl, get it. Get it, get it, get it. She ain't just pretty face. She's also muscle. In the middle of doing the siding, our neighbor just popped on over. And what a legend. Came back with her chainsaw and took down one of the trees near the solar ray. Thanks! Because it has been swaying a lot in the storms and it is awfully close to the panels. And we've been wanting to take it down for a little while. What an absolute gem. Comes down the driveway. We didn't hear him or see him. All we hear is a chainsaw. We pick our heads around the corner and he's taking the tree down. Shout out to our neighbor, Peter. What a gem. Keep it going, keep it going, keep it going. Oh, I got it. I think we're back. Keep it going, keep it going. We have made it to the top in record time. We are now at the angles. But we have a slight problem. Clearly last night that light didn't do anything because we were cutting the angles on 60 and the angle is not 60. Our miter saw only goes up to 60 and we can't find our protractor anywhere. Classic. So that's 60. Okay, that's got sh** on me. Oh. We think it's 70 or 65. We'll see. It's like missing this much everyone. I'd call you the protractor. Protractor. It's 5 p.m. in 12 hours at 5 a.m. The Eye of the Hurricane will be passing over top of us. And as I'm looking around here with nightfall, only just a few hours away, we are gonna stop where we are and start putting everything away and secure it because there's too many things that look like they could just take off. And we've got some pretty nice windows in here now. I wonder how many people are stressed out watching us side our cabin when they see everything around. Yeah. Like, comment if you're one of those because I can just imagine. I know our pack so well. They're probably being like, girls, take care of this. Who cares about your siding? I know. Well, we made the most of this not rainy day anyway. Glorious. To be Hurricane Ready, you have to protect anything that can be damaged or fly away. We are moving as fast as Luna at the clown bus. 10 seconds ahead, y'all. Who made this? Ready for the 10 second tidy. Ready, set, go. We always say ready can be the last. Why are we putting that there? Going nowhere this year. I need another. And just like that, everything is secured in six. Hurricane Prep is looking a lot different this hurricane season. But one thing has stayed the same. Storm chips, water storm chips. Storm chips first appeared on social media back in 2014. Since then, it's become a part of Atlantic Canadian culture, bringing a sense of belonging. We're going to come here. We're going to pick up my storm chips. A storm chip again that's blowing off the shelves like a true Nor'easter. Thank you. Happy hurricane. Happy hurricane. It doesn't dig into their chips as soon as they get there. No. I couldn't eat whatever I want. Snack, girl. You just yelled at me. I'm going to. The rain is coming down harder now, eh? I got it all. I got the chips at least. Must protect the snacks. Are you ready for the hurricane, Izzy? You have a hurricane treat. Definitely forgot to walk the girls today. Lamb chop. Hashtag lamb chop. Not only is a lamb chop a toy, but also a pillow. It's really starting to pick up now. And the house got a little shake there as we were sipping our coffee. So it should be an interesting day. How'd you forget about your babies? Delish. 10.25 AM. And the hurricane is supposed to come between 3 and 6. So now we just have a waiting game. This is the tropical cyclone, and this is Nova Scotia. And you can see it's track coming right over the southern part of the province. Whoa. The trees by that out here just look like. A bird with a bunch of trees just cracked down. I don't even know where it is. Oh my gosh. So many trees just fell. Did you hear those? Yeah. It's like. It sounded like a big tree or like a bunch of little ones. When this storm passes, we'll obviously go out and check everything around our whole land, help out the community. And I'm honestly scared of what we're going to find. It's getting really bad. Well, might as well do something productive while we wait for the storm to hit, starting with cleaning my oven. Yep. Still windy. A little fridge makeover anyone? Ta-da. A clean oven, clean fridge, but how about a clean dog? Cute. She loves us, I promise. Good for dogs. Good to go. Good to go. After a few hours of cleaning, Jasmine heads out to investigate the storm. Yep, still stormy, but not too bad. As we wait for the worst to come, we stay busy cleaning the couch, staying up to date with the radar, and finally organizing all of our clothes. Jazzy even survived a trip to the outhouse. With two years of serious natural disasters, from forest fires to major flooding and our first hurricane last year, we seem more prepared to weather any storm, knowing that eventually the skies will clear. It's 9 p.m. It feels as though it's past now, and this cup of tea is kind of like a little reflection of what it's doing outside. It's kind of just relaxing now. A couple gusts here and there, but I feel like the worst of it was today. Yeah, yeah. It was intense for like a period, and then. Right here. You see that? Yeah, you get some gusts, yeah. But I feel like because we're so in the trees, even all the way around us, that there's not really any open area for the wind to pick up, you know? Get some momentum. Yeah, and it kind of changed path at the end I read to just recently. Oh really? Yeah, yeah. Wow. As it was passing over. I don't know who's looking out for us, but they are working overtime every hurricane season. Let me tell you that much, and forest fire season and everything else. Yeah. Just the last moment, I. It's been an entire year, and the vulnerability we experienced last year, we aren't experiencing this year, simply because we are finally at a stage with our cabin build that is comfortable and reliable in times like these. Off-grid power, no more pulling generators and giving them oil changes in the middle of hurricanes or polar vortex. Yes. It feels good. Whew, thank goodness. Yeah, I know. All we could belly ache about today was a little bit of rain and wind. Once a Category 5 hurricane, Lee made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone late in the afternoon, but its impacts were felt in Atlantic Canada long before then. Down trees, violent waves, and widespread power outages are just some of the ways Lee showed itself along the South Shore Saturday. The wind also left over 100,000 without power in Nova Scotia with tens of thousands also losing electricity in New Brunswick. I've never seen the water levels this high in our entire three years living here. This river and this stream is no longer. This is a wet land. This part of the land is flooded. This is insane. I have never seen it like that. Look at that. This is the trail we normally walk on. Not a trail. Crystal! It gets even worse. Come look at this. Oh my God. Okay, well, that's the lake that normally does not start there at all. The river is completely now a lake. All of these trees are never underwater. These trees are never underwater. Oh my gosh. That is part of the river that we swim in. You won't even know. All the rocks are underwater. You can faintly see them right there. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This is where we go for our river swims. It is now a pond. If you see the treeline behind me back there, the river starts about eight feet after it. So look at how deep this is. It's Chris. This is insane. Oh my goodness. Hit the rocks. I don't want to go for our swim. It's so flooded. It's so deep. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Wow. While the water levels here are higher than we've ever seen, we are lucky to have our cabin well away from the water. It's unfortunately the reality for anyone living coastal that sometimes our fate lies with mother nature. And our hearts go to everyone affected by the storm. Well, part of our land is a marsh, but what isn't a marsh is where our cabin is. Yeah, thankfully, because it's taken a few years and something I truly, truly think is overlooked by so many people when they first establish something or get a piece of off-grid property is- Or just property. Yeah, is water management and just understanding what it is throughout all the seasons and everything that it could endure like storms and stuff. Build farther back is what I've learned from bodies of water. Oh yeah, any waterways. I know, looking at a lake is nice y'all. I get it, I get it. I wanna be sitting on that Muskoka chair in the middle of that lake right now basically, but it's gotta go back. Yeah, and honestly looking around here at the cabin after the wild few days we've had, there's not much water at all. And where there is water, we are putting a French drain. So it goes to show that we're putting it in the right spot and we're finally at a place where all of our hard work of leveling and water management is paying off because there is no water near our cabin. So that's something to celebrate. Is it ever, right? I had zero idea about water management. No, yeah. You know, it could be like overlooked or it could be just simply you are not educated. I would say we are both not educated in the beginning and now we realize how important it is because we've dealt with water. Yeah, it always has to go somewhere, so. Well, sun's out. Tool's out. Let's get this sodding done. Yeah, let's do it. Once and for all. With our workstation set and the weather now clear, it's time to finish this project for good. The best part about triangles, they get smaller as you keep going. Do I ever have a lot of friends up here? Wasp galore, please don't sting me. Not gonna lie, a wasp came a little bit too close for comfort. So I took my drill battery and I went, boom. And now one of its family members is either trying to give a CPR or eating it. That'll let you decide. Oh, my son. The last piece. Looks good. That was a big sigh. Smoothie break. I basically did that entire wall myself. She's joking. It was a team effort. Here's a picture to prove it. My favorite side is finally done. And I have to say, it definitely did not disappoint. It actually exceeded my expectations. Exceeded. Oh, my goodness. Permanent smile, everyone. I can't even talk. I'm smiling so big right now. That is incredible. Just to thank this old, rickety, abandoned cabin. And now look at it, y'all. It's wild to think about how far we have come, from an old, unloved cabin to our own little remote paradise. And after too many weeks to count, working on the exterior transformation, we can finally take a breath and marvel out its beauty. Never in our wildest dreams would we ever think we'd have a home this beautiful. And the support of all of you, it's better than we could have ever imagined. Woo, woo, woo, woo. Thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring this week's video. With no prior experience or skills, you can have your very own website up within just a few hours. You can get started with one of their professional website templates, and then customize it to make it your very own to suit your unique needs. To have your brand, your idea, your creations, stand out on any device anywhere. You can sell your products in an online store, and they can be physical, digital, or services that you offer. With your new website, you can even accept appointments. Offer online or in-person private workshops, classes, or sessions. Are you ready for your website? Go to squarespace.com forward slash band-wise for 10% off your very first domain or website.