Surprise Weather

And the ice came back! Well, kinda ··· sorta!  Yes, we had a few flurries overnight. I think the open watery sections made by Mother Nature are pretty!

Zero

Winter has its beauty but I'm ready for Spring!

Photo by Lori

Winter has its ugly as well. Last night when I turned on the water tap to fill my ice cube tray - NADA! Turned on the hot water tap - NADA! Went to the bathroom turned on the faucets - NADA! Panicsville set in. A feeling of it washed over me and froze me in place! I checked the fuse box and everything was in order. I called a local plumber and left a message. Shaking, I put my head back on and called a neighbor and friend of 66 years. He calls me "Aunt Gere." Soon he and his son arrived to investigate. The heat tape was working. As he was the man who built the pump shed for us so many years ago, he uncovered it, opened the front and inspected everything inside. I sat inside trembling. I'm not good with major failures happening to my habitat. Pretty soon they came inside and turned on the tap and eureka! water flowed fine. The hose valve that was just replaced last March was frozen. He had brought a hair drier and thawed it. The heat tape was wrapped around the pipe on both sides of that tap but not on it. Now it has some new insulation wrapped around the bare area and it didn't freeze overnight. Of course I trickled water in the kitchen and bathroom throughout the night which is something that is always done when the outdoor temperature gets to zero. The plumber called me back within 15 minutes and expressed relief that it was under control here as he had other calls to get to ASAP. 

WHEW! It did take me a while to get over the shock. I must be getting old!

2014

Bleak

Donned my hat, gloves, lambswool scarf and jacket with many pockets filled with hankies, and went for a very short buggy ride this morning. I wanted to be sure to get a couple of pictures of the cabin after the lawn guy has blown leaves, cleaned it out a bit and covered the things that need covering. I know he'll return to repeat the leaf blowing and mowing one more time. The peak of color has risen and is gone. Temperature at 11:30am is only 59°. It will be a very long wait for me to see pretty and be warm.  I simply do not like cold. Yes, I know, quit your fussin' and deal with it. You knew it would happen. Well I don't have to like it - NOT AT ALL.

Until next year in April this will be what I  hope to see.

At least until then I can read books by the fire and watch TV and dust a bit. I  can look out and see what is going on. My new eyeglasses help. AND....It's warm in here!

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Winter's Woe is Me

Cantankerous! Yes, I am that!  I really don't know why except I'm sooo tired of winter and cold and needing ambition. By ambition, I mean doing things that need doing here and which are staring me in my face and are not getting done - like vacuuming and window washing. Phooey - Bah - Humbug. So I got out the vacuum cleaner and it is still sitting in the dining room. I might just give it a kick and feel better. Photos today didn't even help but I AM pleased that the big snow event skipped here! And the sun is out!

The front storm door has pretty frosting. What that really means is that cold is sneaking in between the cabin door and the storm door. Oh well... Every once in a while I open it as a safety procedure just to be sure it will function if needed. 

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P.S. temperature was -6° at 8am!

Once Upon a Time - 50 Years Ago

Once upon a time, in the years of 1970-1972 there was a family of 8. The mother’s parents had built a simple log cabin on a piece of wooded land next to a lake. Her parents worked very hard to make this little mountain retreat a warm and welcoming place. They shared it with many of their friends and family for weekend enjoyments throughout the three warmest seasons. The family of eight often traveled the two hours from their home to this little family place. Sometimes they came when it was winter and had to re-open and start up things to make the visit warm and comfortable.

You see, when the place was closed down for the winter, the water was turned off by pulling up the well head that was in the side yard. Anti-freeze was put in the toilet bowl and tank. The tin shower stall, with the concrete marbleized floor, had a drain that was also a recipient of the stuff, as was the bathroom sink and kitchen sink. The hot water heater had a drain hose which was opened and the water drained into the carport area. The refrigerator was emptied and door left open. The electric power switch was turned off.

When the family of eight started out to have a weekend there in the cold season, the kids brought their own pillows and blankets and wrapped themselves in the back section of the old station wagon for the travel. The mother brought foodstuffs that were easy to prepare for the family weekend getaway. There were a few bags of extra clothing and boots and outdoor gear packed into the car. Upon arrival, one of the first things was to get a supply of water from the natural spring down the bank at the lake edge. The older kids took a sled and pails to the spring and brought water up and across the snowy dirt road and into the kitchen area. A very large bucket was put beside the toilet for flushing. Some went into the teakettle to start off the arrival procedures with cups of hot chocolate while the father started a fire in the yellow brick fireplace. A stack of wood logs was piled high by the grandfather at its side prior to the visit. A bundle of kindling, tied with bailing twine was there to put on top of the wood when it was placed on the andirons to start the fire. The handy long matches were kept in a special container on the mantle. The grandfather had gathered the kindling from his home two hours away, throughout the summer months, and brought to be used to ignite the fires. He usually had 4 or 5 bundles each time they came north. Kindling was important! 

As night approached, the many games of Uncle Wiggly, Parcheesi, Checkers, Scrabble, Dominos, puzzles and others were put away and suppers of soups and sandwiches were eaten. Hands, faces and teeth were washed in cold water. The father made sure to drink a lot of it before retiring so he had to get up in the night to pee and feed the fire and keep it going. The children usually climbed the pile of wood to reach the area above the bathroom where there were camp cots set up on the floor there. It was the only room with a ceiling as the other two bedrooms had no ceilings except the rafters of the roof far above.

During the day, wet and frozen clothing was slung over the living and dining room rafters to dry after ice fishing, sledding and ice skating activities came to an end. Sleep, eat, play - that was the routine. What fun memories. Then all had to be undone and the trip back was the end until the next time. The family moved into another home they had built in 1972 just for them across the lake on the hill where they could see the grandparent’s cabin on the other side.

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Heaps

I slept very well last night, believing that the beam that runs above my bed (head) wouldn't collapse and be the cause of the end of me. Although the sun wasn't shining at 9am when I took pictures this morning,  I just want to show you the heaps of snow surrounding us here. It is now 10:15am, 36° and the sun is out doing its job of melting our piles. Well - somewhat! I cannot go out to the road to get different photo angles as the ground and driveway are very icy. We have run out of snow melt. It's OK. I need to clean the bathroom and the Mister is vacuuming. Household chores will be done today. Maybe we'll be able to get out and take a trip tomorrow to the laundromat. Only 22 days until Spring!

I'm in the carport looking out.

I'm at the back corner of the carport
looking along the high bank behind the cabin.

I'm at the front corner of the carport.

Back inside looking out.

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Stuck and Saved

Yesterday was our scheduled trash pick-up day. To my horror I saw the truck coming around the corner and starting to travel across the dam road to our place when ..........he went straight instead making the curve! Oops! Landed on the snow-covered slope of the bank. Thank goodness it didn't roll over or onto the lake ice. He walked over here to see if we had any idea who to get to pull him up and out of his predicament.  There is a large logging business right on that corner so I called there to see if they had men and/or equipment to help. Two fellows checked out the situation and said he really needed a wrecker with a winch. After about two hours one came and did the job.

As it was so far away I never even thought to grab the camera, besides I was more concerned about the driver. He was soooo upset. It was a brand new truck and his boss was fuming! Yes, the road was plowed but not cindered. Today he returned and picked up our trash with the new truck. He was awfully quiet and I felt really sorry for him.  

This morning the swinging door to my bedroom was hanging up on the overhead beam. WARNING! Too much snow on the roof. I contacted the company that put on our new metal roof this summer. The business fellow and his two sons are in Utah enjoying winter there, but his secretary said she could send out a couple of men to clean the roof. Now we know this is new. In the past, the heat inside rose and the roof melted down OK. Now we are better insulated with a heavier roof and the snow is staying. The men came and worked for almost two hours.  The fellow said there was about 3 ft. on the porch roof and the carport roof and almost as much on the main roof. They had to be careful to not scrape it into the ditch behind the cabin because when it melts it would fill the ditch with water and then we would have water seeping into the back log walls. They scraped it sideways back there and then off behind the carport. I will be billed later. I was told it should cost about $100-200. We shall see. The door swings nicely now and there are heaps and heaps of snow surrounding our home.

See the beam that goes over my head!

See the same beam exiting the doorway gap at top and see the bow of doorway!

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Laundry Day

Well I can tell by the number of underwear items that we haven't been able to go to laundromat to get this chore done for 20 days!  Weather, the Mister's frostbitten fingers, appointments and other hindrances were the cause. I simply cannot describe the feeling of accomplishment that it is finally washed, dried and I'll try to put it all away soon.

When we pulled into the driveway I noticed that the icicles were growing and the sun was shining brightly so naturally I took a few pictures. In years past, those icicles were much thicker and longer so we believe the new roof is doing its job well. The next to the last image is the backside of the cabin where it backs up to the hillside above.

From several years ago

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The Sun is Out and it is COLD

Again, I'm looking out through the windows of the cabin and the views are fine as I'm warm indoors! Note that the temperature was 0° at 7AM.

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Just a Little

Snow came here. However the eye candy of it in other places is really great! My Great Nephew in Philadelphia is earning a bit of cash in his neighborhood.

While he is working, his Grandfather is playing.

His brother is catching snow!

Meanwhile, back in the woods...

Enough said!

Back at It...

The sun is bright, the wind is whipping and I'm cozy and comfortable. I'm watching the ribbon/stick creation I made last year spin and flutter wildly from the porch beam just outside the dining room window. I see several brave fishermen out on the lake withstanding the cold weather conditions, catching fish from their holes in the ice. To each his or her own is what I say.

So I went back to one of my favorite pastimes - photomanipulations.

Before and Afters........

This activity may go on all day! I don't feel like being a baker or cook today - At ALL!

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