Last Week

Last week was hot…triple-degree days that are not unknown but don’t often come this early in the year. We decided to escape the heat for a bit by visiting our Sanderling lot.

After packing the dogs and other gear we started on our way and arrived by early afternoon. Pam’s right hip has been causing her some pain (inflamed bursitis) so we didn’t plan to do much, but that didn’t stop us from doing some clean-up of over 30 dead small aspen and work on salvaging some of the pine branches that had snapped out of trees during a recent wind storm. The aspen are piled up to be cut into firewood and a pile of ‘burn pit’ wood has begun to take shape. A few other tasks were accomplished such as using the power pruner to clean up a few more trees and refilling the hummingbird feeders.

We did get a few smatters of rain, just enough to make sitting under the awning a good way to relax. That was nice; we are so used to working while we are there that we sometimes have to remember to take time to just enjoy being in the high country.

We met the couple that bought the lot next to us; their names are Blair and Spence. A younger couple, in their early 30s perhaps, and they plan to develop their lot through a plan similar to ours. A driveway will go in this fall and they have an RV that will be parked on their land (over a ridge and not within eye sight of us). It was nice to finally meet them — we will watch their progress with some interest.

Back in De Beque, work continues on the cistern trailer. I’ve been doing some clean-up work and painting the frame, a task that will take me more than a few evenings. (I am using RustOleum paint from a can and brushes, not spray paint.) Now that the honey wagon tank and gear has arrived I need to finish the trailer so we can try out our plans for water supply and septic disposal. In the interim, I did pump water by hand in the high county and put water (around 22 gallons) into The Box’s fresh water tank, a job I hope the cistern will make easier in the future. The holding tanks will need to be emptied soon as well.

Cistern trailer under construction

Jerry putting water in The Box

Another new toy was purchased, a chain saw chain sharpening kit. For the past several years I have been sharpening my chains by hand, a slow and somewhat imprecise procedure. Given the volume of wood to be cut I figured a better approach to sharpening would be in order. I found an Italian-built unit, less expensive than most I had seen, and ordered it. Last night I sharpened the chains on both saws after practicing on an old chain I had near my workbench. Now I am curious to see how well the saws cut.

Chain saw sharpening tool (Mfg photo)

We will be going up to the lot this weekend, but plan to take some time off to look at a few potential retirement houses that Pam has identified through on-line searches. This means that actual work time while we are at The Lot will be fairly minimal. Still, I will have some time to try out my chain saw sharpening  job. I have high hopes but we will see what happens in real life.

I did have one disappointment; my generator does not put out any power! I’ll have to bring it home and start checking out circuitry to see if I can find where the problem is and get the repairs done. Bummer. We need the generator to power the septic pump, part of the honey wagon system. I may need to take up my older and smaller generator and see if it puts out enough power to run the pump; the generator had been used primarily to run a batter charger to recharge the RV’s batteries, not a task that takes a lot of power. The pump motor may require more than the small generator can put out. Always something…

Flowers blooming around the house include daisies, lillies, and hollyhocks.

lillies in bloom

Hollyhocks and daiseys in front flower bed

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Hot.  Busy. Limping slowly around. Reading books.