Getting ready for winter

It felt like summer this morning, but with the breeze this afternoon it is beginning to feel like fall.  The cabin is ready.  The log cabin is drained, a light is on in the pump house, bait stations for the mice are under the cabin and in the log cabin, last weeks is laundry done, the hose under the porch. 

We need heat tape at the pump. May be time to call the plumber.  Lou was going to change the filter but couldnt get it unscrewed.  Another job for the plumber who put it on that tight.  We now have a supply of filters. One more under the stairs and six more in the log cabin along with a couple of the o-rings.

Dinkey Rediscovered

Mountain dirt rediscovered by Hailey and Clayton (2yrs 5 months) who spent the weekend along with their parents Jesse and Ashley Mote & Grandmother Sharon Mote. Busy weekend and lots of fun to see granite rocks, sticks, pine cones, ant lions, campfires and marshmallows through new eyes. Of course not like the good old days with tents, but the bed sure was comfortable, and clean.

Where have all the squirrels and chipmunks gone? We haven't seen any in a day and a half. None by the fire circle, none on the east side on the rock under the pine tree. Strange. I hope they aren't like canaries in the coal mine.

We arrived yesterday, Lou, mother, willy and I. Everything is fine except we found the sliding door by the computer open. Nothing seems disturbed and we thought all was well. When Mother got ready for bed in the purportedly, clean sheets, she found there had been other critters there. The question is whether they were nesting in the pillow when Andrew slept on top of the bed last month, or whether they came later. Readers are spared photos but the damage is now on it's way to the dump and all is well. Happy July 4th. And happy anniversary to Andrew and Becky. The top of your wedding cake is still in the freezer. We were tempted but restrained ourselves.

What a Difference a Year Makes

 The biggest snowbank on our road into the cabin, that spot about 100 yards past the gate where the snow lies deep, most years. Last year we barely busted through the big snowbank at the end of June. Not a problem on May 10, 2012.
This next picture is looking from the road up towards the pump house there were a few drifts of snow, and the biggest snowbank was over towards the meadow, otherwise known as the "wedding snowbank" because it's the spot where we loaded tubs with snow last July 2 to use to cool the drinks. Last year on July 2 the snowbank was just about the same size as it is today, May 11, 2012.

 Some critter had a nice winter. We seemed to have shared our house insulation with someone from the forest. Andrew patched over the hole, I believe it's hole number 5 in the same upper SE corner of the cabin.
Then he scrubbed the floors. What a guy!

We left a little work for another time, and a little nesting material for another happy nester.  As for the work, this is the summer to reseal the deck and railings.













And to figure out a better way to heat the pump house other than to plug both the heat tape and the barn heater into the same extension cord.  Fortunately it's always cool and damp in there.