oil continued

Mike from T&S called this morning. He checked out the driveway yesterday in his 4wheel truck and said he would be able to get up in his oil truck but wouldn't be able to turn around. He really didn't want to back down the hill! or back up the hill. It still had ice. I told him I'd check with Rene.
I then called Rene. He said he'd try to get down to clear out the turnaround (top of the hill towards the knoll).
He just now called back to say, there's not ice on the hill but MUD. He got stuck twice: once on the hill and once trying to clear the turnaround. 2 feet of mud he said (?). He made some ruts trying to get out, almost had to call his partner to bring chains, but managed to free himself. He's worried about the oil being out and said he could meet us there to get some diesel fuel in the tanks (Bob and I did that several years ago when the oil couldn't get delivered), but I told him that now that the temp is above freezing we'd just wait a bit for the road to dry out.
I called Mike back to tell him NOT to try to go down in his truck.
We're supposed to get lots of rain/sleet/etc this weekend, so I think we'll just have to wait til later next week.

Received a call from Rene (who said he'd call Eric as well) from the house. He'd spent the morning into early afternoon, Sunday, clearing the driveway. He brought in his back hoe! He said he'd clear a path to the oil intake pipes. He was concerned about the water pipes freezing: I told him we'd turned off the water and that I'd call Mike. A very nice man.
I called Mike at T&S heating and he said he'd get the oil delivered.
We've had above freezing weather the last several days so the snow is finally melting! The birds have begun their incessant (and beautiful to hear) spring singing. Yay, I can sense spring in the air.

I just got a call from Mike at T&S Heating. He 'investigated' the road to deliver oil today and said it wasn't plowed: there was a pile of ice at the bottom of the hill. He said to let him know when the road was passable and he'd get over there to put some more oil in. I told him I'd let you all know.

Snow shoeing in the woods

What a difference a month makes! Bob and his friends Dave and Jim took their snow shoes for a hike in the woods. Two feet of snow, about 0 degrees Fahrenheit and almost sunny at 9am. They parked at the 'Grassy Lane' and snow-shoed up the (un-plowed) road. Dave and Jim wandered around outside while Bob went in the house.
The house looks fine, there's snow and ice on the dining room roof, some water marks on the walls inside by the door. Bob says the oil tank is at an 1/8.
Bob, Dave, and Jim snow-shoed all around the property, starting out by the spring and going up to the power/telephone right of way and then following the boundary line to the road, then went by the (what we call) the hunters' cabin and down all the way to the big falls. Then back to the house. There were LOTS of deer tracks and some other smaller tracks, no other human evidence.
Here are some pictures.

                       Looking up the brook from the bridge.

 Bob noticed marks on the table from water dripping through the chandelier. He lowered the leaf and put a pan on the floor to catch future drips.

 These are the 'grassy lane' falls! The ice is in front of the falling water. Bob and friends are on our side of the brook looking upstream.

The snowshoes kept them from sinking too far into the snow. Only 2-3 inches instead of 24! More snow and ice and rain expected this evening and tomorrow.

Brrr

Happy winter!
Bob, Mom, and I went down to Thicut Saturday morning. Had a bit of trouble getting up the last hill: Bob had to back down across the bridge and try again. The road was icy, not snowy. Mom stayed in the warm car while Bob and I reconnoitered. The house seems fine. I think the oil man came, the oil tank registers 1/2 tank full and according to Connie's note on the table, it was low at the beginning of the month. The telephone is not connected still (sounds buzzy/clicky, not dead), and the house alarm is also not working: there were multiple beeps when I opened the door, but they stopped on their own and punching the buttons didn't register on the display. Connie's note says she changed a bunch of smoke alarm batteries. Bob started J. Deere; sluggish start he said, but ran it for a while so that's good. The yard looks good, the pond is completely frozen; we almost tested it by walking on it, but thought the better of it :)
Today, Sunday, is rainy and 40 degrees!

Winter has arrived!

The 3 inches of slushy snow we got the day before Thanksgiving has melted, but it is a cold rainy day here. Mom and I checked the house (Mom from the car: checking the 'new front lawn'). All's well. I watered the plants (left water bottles to use next time), the oil tank is low, but when I talked to the oil man (he came to our house for a water heater estimate!), he said he planned to go down soon. Jolly fellow. I took the garbage from the green garbage can home, the recycle bin I left alone. Happy Christmas season!

Winter Ready

First off, we had a great visit with Anna Ruth, Carlie, John, Annie, Leah, and Scottie! Oh, and Zodie too. Thanks for coming for tea (and bringing pie)!

• It was 27 degrees when I arrived at Thicut this morning! A glazing of ice on the pond. But bright sun.
• I turned off the hot water heater (at the electric box) and turned off the water switch and valve. I flushed both toilets and turned on all the taps to drain as much water out of the pipes as possible.
• The Oil tank says less than a 1/2.
• There is a laptop computer and wires on the floor next to the bay window in the kitchen. Was that left intentionally?
• I emptied the coffee grounds from the coffee maker and rinsed it out (I don’t know what made me look in there, except possibly because Daniel did the same thing at the Cape house and it was at least a month before we discovered it : and the whole coffee maker was moldy, YUKK!)
• The house already smells a bit like dead mouse. I didn’t come across any. I saw all the Bounce sheets, so hopefully they will keep more away. No evidence of Abercrombie either, thank goodness. Although he/she did a good job of keeping mice under control last winter.
• The Trash and Recycle containers are still full of garbage. I moved the blue one back to the house next to the green one. I’ll try to bring a big garbage bag next time to get rid of that. Did you cancel the trash pickup? Don’t they usually take the containers?
• I emptied the garbage in the kitchen and took it home.
• It looks like the downspout over the porch has been reattached. That will help keep the water/ice off the roof I hope.
• I moved the mess of blue and white tarps that were at the foot of the Knoll (from the septic work): folded them and put them behind the canoe behind the barn. If they were left there on purpose, I can move them back next time.
• The alarm console now says there is a kitchen window alarm battery that is low, in addition to the upstairs smoke detector. Not sure what to do about that.

I’d like to know what the expectations are for someone to consistently look after the house this winter. I go down randomly to absorb some perfect alone-ness and peace or if I’ve been asked specifically.  I don’t think I can promise more than that. Connie and I can work out keys, if she wants to do it again. Just let us know.