NOT in time for Santa.....

Since we don't have a rooftop for Santa to land the sleigh on... I guess it's ok that we don't have the chimney done either!!! But the masons are keeping up with the builders, and it looks like they will both be to the top about the same time. The cocoon that was built in the cellar has now grown to the first floor. While Ken, Buzz and Eric work out in the weather, the masons work in t-shirts inside!!! But, keeping materials warm to build the chimney is a must!!!




An interesting way to "bake the bricks"!!! and it's a great way to keep the space toasty warm....

Up she goes, and getting very close to where the mantel will be installed. Ed and I chose a piece of "blue stone" for the mantel... I should have pictures next week to show it in place.
Not too long after I got this shot, the masons had to wrap it up for the day... our generator decided to be very naughty and quit running!!!! what a pain!!! because without it's power, nothing electrical can work. I am so very glad it didn't decide to do this during the power outage, but we will have to figure out what is going on with it.... and I think next week, we will begin to bug CMP again... we just need that last little hook up and all of this will be so much easier!!!!









Now, the chimney is being built with a woodstove in mind. I would have loved to have a fireplace, but sadly... they're aren't practical anymore. Because I had to "give up the fireplace" idea, I was very fussy about the type of woodstove we got. I wanted one that had a nice open front to show "lots of fire"... I also saw one at a client's house that was made of soapstone. The wonderful warm heat that little stove gave off was amazing, so when we went stove shopping I was drawn to the soapstone stoves.

After looking them over very carefully.. we picked this one out. It's a bit hard to tell in the photo, but it's actually a grey-blue color... and look at that door... I will certainly be able to see "plenty of fire"... We bought the stove a few weeks ago, but I didn't have my camera with me.. so, when we went to the woodstove shop on Thursday to have some questions answered for the mason... I brought my camera and took these photos of the floor model... now.. Chris.. you know what our stove looks like!!!!

everything's OK....

just came from the farm.... and miss henny made it thru the night, she was very happy to be with her sisiters this am... I was happy to see her running around the barn.... silly, stupid bird... and no I didn't sleep last night... oh well, there's always tonite....

in for a sleepless night...

These animals of mine!!!! Yesterday morning, I let all the spaniels out as usual.. they love the idea of running free, and for the most part, they don't wonder too far. Sometimes, Trevor and Hunter will run up the road aways, but always come back the moment you call for them. So, I put them out, got "busy" playing on the computer, and they were out a little longer than normal. When I got around to calling them in, everyone came except for Hunter. Well... it was time for breakfast, so he would get in soon.... bowls were ready... no Hunter.... I call again... no Hunter.... I am now getting a little panicky.... Ed comes to help. He walks down the road calling, I walk up the road calling.... still no Hunter. Now, my mind goes into over load... did he fall into the party frozen lake?? has he gone into the woods and is now caught on a downed tree limb??? I am feeling sick to my stomach and almost faint.... Ed tries to calm me and continues to search... I am just sick!!!! I say a little prayer... "Please God, send him home!!!" and continue to call... after what seemed like "hours" (really maybe just a half hour) Hunter appears from no where. Running as fast as he can to my call... and with a puzzled look of "what are we doing way up the camp road"... I hug him tight, tell him he is good (because he came to me!!!) and then quietly threaten to make him into doggie stew!!!!

This afternoon, we were heading down to Newington for "steak night" and finish up some Christmas shopping... and that meant, closing the barn down early. The horses don't care, anytime it's "dinner time" is fine with them... they rush right in.... the guinea hens....are not so sure about being locked up!!!! Ed and I spent nearly 20 minutes getting them in (and yes, this means getting them out of trees)... we managed to get four of them inside, but number five won't budge from her tree... great.. time is short and we need to get going. So, we left the barn door open a crack, with hopes that her sisters will call her inside.

All evening I am fretting about my hen being outside.... when we got home, we ran to check the barn... no hen!!!! Ed needed to get home, so I dropped him off and headed back to the barn. This time I power up the generator to help in the search, and I found her... resting on one of the pasture gates!!!! I am so happy that I spook her and she flies into one of the trees!!! way up!!!! Try as I might, I can't coax her down.... and after a half hour, I give up... guess she is stuck outside for the night. If she stays high in the trees, she will probably keep warm enough and safe from the predators... but only tomorrow morning will tell me!!!! Stupid bird!!! if she would only "listen"... looks like a long night for me, knowing my "henny" is out.... but, I can't hardly climb a 15 foot pine to catch her!!!

I'll up date you tomorrow, but it's high on the "list of things to get done" that we finish their pen so we can keep them locked in if we need to.....

normal...

It is so nice to have things back on a "normal plain".. the house is so quiet tonite without the hum of the generator... but I'm not complaining.. that generator did a good job and I appreciate it!!! I learned some things about running one, and feel that when we are on the farm, and I have to "deal with the generator" I will be able to do so. For the most part, they are very "user friendly", but you do have to be careful with them, and I have already heard some sad stories about their misuse in this past storm.

Dancer was the "queen of the woodstove" today. She knows where there is a warm toasty spot, and the best thing... the dogs can't fit here!!! So, unless Mona decides to join her... this little spot is just for her.









The horses were soaking up all the sunshine they could get. We are in for some snow tomorrow, and then over the weekend as well. I think they sense the change in the weather and take advantage of every good day possible. Duke, for the most part, has settled into our little herd... Tonka will still remind him every so often as to "who is whom" in the herd, but overall, peace is in the pasture. I think the three big guys look a bit like a "oreo" cookie!!!!

Everyone was back at work on the house again. The masons have begun the brick work... this will be the "visual" side of the chimney and the hearth as well. As with any job, getting it started is the most time consuming, once the pattern is laid out, it will go quick from here.

With any luck at all.. this will be the ONLY time that we have ice inside the house!!! We have had a bit of damage, but nothing that can't be fixed... so, we really did come thru the storm well.

Some of the trees did not fare so well... for all it's beauty, the ice is very damaging and there are hundreds of trees, all over town (all over the state) that look like this poor one. The next wind will certainly be bringing down damaged limbs.

POWER...

It's 4:30 pm Tuesday.. and the lights are on for real!!! Oh my goodness!!! Happy Dance!!! I talked with my friend, Betty, who works for CMP (the electric company).. "they" - along with a number of "imported crews" have been putting in 17 hour days... and getting just 7 hours for "rest"... she, like the rest of us, went home to a cold, dark house, where her dear Newfoundland dog would be waiting for her...

so, this little blog is to all of "them".... good work crews, and thank you for your time and effort...


(and after you have had a minute to catch your breaths, could you please get the service hooked up on the farm???)

ICE STORM

Monday morning.... 8:50 am... and I am beyond thrilled to find that phone, cable and COMPUTER are working once again!!!! Hello "world"!!!! It's been a long four days, and we are still operating on a generator, but to have communications back again gives one a new look on life!!!!

So, where to begin... well, "we" made a wise decision to postpone our dog club's party on Thursday evening... and I made wise decisions in... going grocery shopping on Wednesday evening, getting new wiper blades for my truck when it was serviced Thursday morning... filling my truck with gas!!! Bringing in the Christmas tree, bringing in a good supply of wood and encouraging Sadie to spend the night.... because on Friday morning... this is what greeted us

The world was made of "glass".... I got up with Moxie about 2:00 am (she gets me up most nights to go out) and while I was waiting for her, the lights began to flicker. I said a quick prayer... "please let me get back to bed before we lose this power"... and that's just what happened, no more than a minute after Mox and I got back into bed, and out went the lights. I wasn't surprised, you could hear the sleet pelting on the skylights all night long and then with a good layer of freezing rain (just to top it off) the trees began to give way with mighty crashes. The house was warm, because we had kept the woodstove chugging all night, and Ed was already in planning mode about taking the generator from the farm and bringing it here. "I think we're going to be out for a bit" was his comment.... (well, it's Monday morning... this is a long "bit"!!)

We bundled up and headed to the farm... horses would need tending to anyways... the ride there was interesting and I am glad it's not more than the two miles. Tree limbs were breaking above our heads, chunks of ice falling from the trees, and if it hadn't been for horses, believe me, we wouldn't have gone out... it really was quite dangerous.

We weren't able to get into the drive of the farm. The birch trees were covered in ice and bending down, blocking the drive. Ed used the tractor to try and shake some of the ice from the trees, so we could at least pass by them. I hate the idea of cutting these trees down, but it's something we may need to consider if they continue to be a "problem" like this.

Driving down, I had already made up my mind that horses would not be going out that day. But, if there was any consideration in my mind... the fence told it all!!! I was pleased to see that none of it was down, but it would all have to be cleared and checked before any one went out. They were quite happy to see us, and wanted to know "why breakfast was so late".. I gave them a quick hug along with breakfast, and it was off to help Ed fetch the generator.

We got back without too much trouble, Ed unhook us from the "main grid" and hooked in the generator... ahhh... lights... coffee!!! course everything was out, phone, cable and computer... including cell phones!!! nothing much to do, but we were able to pop a movie in the vcr and have a morning together with Sadie. About noontime, the storm let up and early afternoon we even had some glimpse of sun.

Sadie and I left Ed to tend the fire and the generator, and we went to feed lunch to the horses, and do barn chores. One thing with owning "big animals" your chores don't stop just because there is a "bit of bad weather". The sky was turning a brilliant blue and the sun shining thru the ice was incredible!!! course we were still dodging tree limbs, chunks of ice and always on the watch for a down power line.

The wind was beginning to pick up a little, so Sadie and I took the time to walk the fence line .. everything was still standing, and we shook the ice of it as we went along. I knew that I could get away having everyone locked in for one day... but they would need to get out and I figured, deal with the fence while we could.

After she helped me, she headed for home.. but no one in southern Maine had any power, so she didn't "go home to much"...

All in all we have been on the comfortable side... more than many I am sure!!! I feel very blessed that we have the woodstove, a huge pile of good wood... and that generator.. of which I have become (almost) a pro at running!!! And now we "sit and wait"... there are power crews everywhere, they are working around the clock and I am sure doing the very best that they can... we need to be patient...

course, you know... as far as service for the farm... I guess we can forget about that for awhile!!!!

ICE STORM 2008

tree time....

Tonite was the party for my dog club... but due to the weather (sleet and ice) it was decided to postpone it until next week. Sadie is joining the club, so she was disappointed to hear that the party was off for the evening, and decided that she would come and spend the night with us. She drove up mid day, before the roads got too bad and we have been having a nice visit. It was fun to make supper for "a family" again.. I still have trouble cooking for just two!!!

Since Sadie was here, and we weren't going anywhere, I thought it would be a good evening to get the tree up. I dragged it in earlier this afternoon so it could dry off (made a bit of a mess in the bathroom... but that's clean able) and after supper, Ed got it into the stand, and Sadie and I got it decorated. This is the first Christmas tree that has ever been in the camp!!! And most likely the only one, since next year we will be in the house, so this is a special tree.

When we moved, we wisely put the Christmas boxes in the trailer where we could find them. I have to say, opening these boxes is like being in touch with old friends. Last year, when I was packing them away... knowing that we would be in a different house this year.... I bought these boxes for the ornaments, and went thru them, sorting them out and checking them over. It was nice to have them in such good order this year. Some of these ornaments I have had for over 30 years!!! I have always loved Christmas and began collecting ornaments when I was 14... knowing that one day "they would go on my tree". When the girls were little, they knew that there were certain ornaments that they were not allowed to handle, and though I felt sort of mean at the time, I am glad that I kept that rule, because I have these ornaments today. I have a lot of ornaments, and not every one is able to get on the tree, but this year, all but a few made it.

We had to do a bit of re-arranging to find the perfect spot for it, but that's ok. With dogs, cats, and not a ton of space, we had to be careful as to where it was. This corner seems to work.

"And so this is Christmas"... as the song goes... "another year done".... it will be different for me this year, but I am so happy that "everyone is around" and I know that it will bring it's own special memories.

in time for Santa???

Today's and tonite's weather isn't great.. to say the very least, we are having the "betweens" of freezing rain and sleet. I was a little surprised to find everyone working on the farm this morning as the roads were already getting a little "bad"... but the masons were there for the chimney, Ken and crew for the house, and Chris to finish up a little bit of work in the barn. Actually, I had an appointment with my truck bright and early, so it was mid morning before I made it down to see what was happening.

The chimney is coming along well, these guys don't fool around and know what they are doing. One thing that intrigues me is this "sand warmer" that they have. It's important that they keep their materials warm, including the sand for the cement, so they have a barrel that they keep a small fire burning in, pile the sand on the top, and it stayed warm and dry all day long. (you don't want to stick your hand in that sand... it's hot!!!!) It was such a wet, raw day, that Ed said he spent a few moments near the fire to warm up.

So, here's the chimney coming up from the basement. The big block will be used where the chimney won't be "seen", but now that they have hit the first floor, it will switch to brick. It's a big chimney!!! just the way I wanted it!!! Besides, this will be one chimney that Santa won't get squished in when he arrives... though this year, it will be OK if he just flies by!!!!

This is the hearth that will be in the living room/kitchen area. I forgot to report, but we bought our woodstove last Saturday. We needed to decide what kind of woodstove so the mason could plan on the flue size and where the thimble would have to be placed. So, Ed and I went looking at stove's... we found just the one we wanted, and since it takes a month for them to come in, we just decided to buy/order it. I wished I had taken a picture of the floor model to show, but you'll have to wait until we get the real thing. It's pretty little stove and I think it will look just right.

The pad for the outside wood furnace was pretty much cured, so Ed was able to get it into place. It's nice to have it where it needs to be, we know it's "safe" and out of the way, and now when the winter weather hits, we won't have to "worry" about it.
Would be nice to see some smoke coming out of that little chimney, but there is still some "hooking up" things that need to be done before that can happen. And, we do have heat in the tack room in the barn (when the generator is running..... no CMP yet!!!) so the guys do have a warm place to eat lunch and just regroup.

I worry about them on these raw winter days... I know they are used to this, but I still like it when they can get warmed up before heading back out to work.

My last complaint .... still waiting for the electric company to come and do the final hook up... truly a 10 minute project.. but alas... no one yet. And with this weather and the fact that there will be power outages with this ice hanging on the lines, it will be another weekend that we run on generator!!! I keep promising the horses that their electric buckets will work one day soon.... but I think they are beginning to doubt me!!!

warm weather and good friends...

Even though the weather has been brutally cold, my little guinea hens aren't afraid to be out and about!!! However, they don't stay out very long!!!and always mange to huddle together in a tight little group, this is "all" the tracks that the five of them made!!! they walk so closely together that they almost step in each other's tracks.

The masons have begun the work on the chimney, and built themselves a little "cocoon" where they can keep somewhat warm and keep their materials warm. With warmer weather promised for the next few days, it will be a welcomed relief to all, maybe Ed and I will have a few days "off" from chipping ice out of water buckets, and all the guys will have a break from working out in the cold weather!!! Course with the warmer weather also comes the rain... which will mean, back to "mud" season once again. Oh well, I guess you just have to "pick" what you like best!!!

I am on "Christmas break" from teaching dog classes, my Tuesday classes graduated last night!!! I am happy to have some evenings at home, it makes the afternoon less "rushed" not having to dash off to teach... AND it also means, that I get to be a part of "steak night" for a few weeks as well!!!!

Tonite we learned (thanks to Chris!!) that yesterday was Lisa's birthday!!! "poor Lisa".. I told her she didn't have much choice... either smile and be on the blog...

Or don't!!! sadly, not much gets past this blog!!! and I think people think that my camera is a part of my body!!! because I always have it with me!!! Course if I am on the picture taking side...



then I don't have my picture taken either!!!


Happy B-day, Lisa.. .. hope it was wonderful!!!!

being an "indoor girl"...

As much as I LOVE being outside, there comes a day or two, when I simply can not do it!!! Thus the case yesterday... at noontime, when I did venture out to feed horses, and see what was happening at the farm... the temp was 11 degrees. And not that it was 11, I have been out in that temp... but it was the wind which was howling over the roof tops!!! I still don't know if the menfolk are brave or foolish, because they were all there working away... Ed, Chris, Ken, Eric and Buzz.. the mason didn't come, it was too cold for him to try and start the chimney, and I don't blame him!!!

The horses were snug enough in the barn, but of course, all buckets frozen. (where ARE you CMP??) Ed and I banged them out, and fed everyone a fairly warm beet pulp mash and some hay.. that made them happy!! Actually they do pretty well in the cold, they have nice thick coats and can get in the barn and out of the wind. Even the guinea hens were out and about.. but, not me, after chores I raced back home to the woodstove. We also had a repair guy coming to fix my dryer, so I did have the perfect excuse to wait at home!!!

My Christmas cards arrived, I began to address them. I love sending cards, and getting them back. For a number of friends, it's the only time that we get to catch up. Some will be surprised to learn that we have finally moved, I have only been talking about this for the past (nearly) 10 years!!!



Sunday, after church, we went to get our tree, with predictions of the cold snap and then "winter" weather, I at least wanted to have the tree, and then put it up when I get a little time to do so.

We got our tree up on "Foxes Ridge".. something magical about living in a little town where you get your tree off "foxes ridge"!!! And now that more people are getting to know us, I am beginning to feel that we are a part of the community.

We put it in a bucket of water to keep it fresh, but I wonder how fresh this block of ice is keeping it!!! We will have to thaw the tree out just to bring it in!!! I also have to watch those "boy dogs" of ours... with this cold, they think it's pretty nice that we brought a tree close to the house for them!!! I need to remind them that its "off the deck" and "use any tree you can find out there!!!"

I guess it's suppose to get a bit milder in the week ahead, which I will greatly appreciate. I know, it's winter and this is how it goes, but I wished I was a little "more ready"....

Dale's bird eye view...

I think I have said this before... my friend, Dale, is learning to fly and I think that is really neat. One of the airstrips that she can practice landing on, is a small grass strip that is technically behind our farm.... it's a private strip that is kind of "funny", because a gravel pit is on one side. If you drive into the pit, you have to stop at the air strip and look both way "for planes!!!" We see small planes flying in and out a fair amount of the time, especially in good/summer weather.




Now, not only do I think it's neat that Dale flys... but what's really cool (for me anyways) is that she always takes pictures of the farm for us!!!! Yesterday when she went over, the horses were out... and you can see the house really coming along!! (the blue is NOT the house roof... it's the tarps that the guys put up to keep the weather out this weekend)

I love this photo.. it really shows that the farm is in the lake region and on the foothills of the mountains!!!

thanks Dale... I love sharing your photos!!!

bells....

I went to "bell choir" practice yesterday afternoon... it meant skipping out on the York Christmas parade, but sometimes, you just have to decide what you want to do more. I have always loved hearing bell choirs, I wished they didn't just appear at Christmas time.... so, when I heard at church that they were putting one together, I went to see what it was all about.

The bells are beautiful, and the church has a complete set, I don't know exactly how they got them, but it seems that they haven't been used in awhile and some folks thought it would be good to get them out. There were a dozen (or so) of us that came to practice and there is a bell or two for everyone.. so I got to play!!!

There's a bit to it, other than being able to know when to ring your bell.... there's a knack to proper ringing, so your bell will be loud enough to be heard, and not so loud that it takes over the whole choir. There's also a proper way to hold them, and to put them "at rest"... it's great fun, and we will be playing in church on Christmas Sunday (the 21st). It also gave me a chance to meet some more "church folk" and to start to become a real member of the church family. I felt bad missing the parade and spending time with "the family", but I made a good choice!!! and they can come and hear us perform!!!

Off and on all last week, the lake is beginning to freeze over. Usually in the mornings, there is a light coat of ice, that often is gone by mid day if it's warm(ish) or windy. But this morning, with the light snow that we have, not only is there ice, but the coating of snow as well. As Ed said, this is when the lake is dangerous, it looks deceiving seeing this "field of white" and thinking you could walk across, but no way can the ice hold any weight right now!!!

I keep a careful eye on the dogs when they go out, since we have moved here, they really haven't been that interested in the lake, which is surprising to me, because in the summer they are like fish in that lake. Maybe because it's too cold, or the fact that they can run loose everywhere else, they just haven't gone down by the lake. Still though, there's no trusting them right now... I certainly don't want to have to go in after them!!! I figure by February, it will be safe enough to venture out on, but that might not be a good idea... I don't need them to know that they (dogs) can... so we'll see... one thing about being here.. there is plenty of space for walks and runs... they're happy dogs...

power, pads and puppies....

"OK.. CMP... do you not need my account and money, or is it just because I have no other choice for electrical power and you know that you can do it your way?" So, as you all know, the "road crew" arrived at the first of the week, and got the power from the road to the transformer. Then the "meter crew" needs to come in, and take the power from the transformer to the meter... about a 20 minute job... and we are in business. Chris has everything all ready, and the job is a piece of cake for the electric company. Well, on Wednesday, we are still waiting for the "meter crew".. Chris calls CMP and they tell us we are missing a "form"...... Ed goes digging around his files and yes, we did forget to get one form filled out... sorry... our fault!!! We fill it in and ship it off. On Thursday, Chris calls to make sure all is well, and to check on when the "meter crew" will arrive... well... guess what, turns out there is ANOTHER form missing!!! Mind you, they never call and let you know that, I guess they assume we know everything about their schedules!!! So, Chris fills out this form and faxes it in having been told "if you have it on my desk in the morning, I will get them out there".... we wait... all day and by 4:00, it's pretty certain they won't make it today!!!!! The silly thing is, it is such a simple procedure and won't take anytime, but it means everything to me right now!!! Oh well, there's hope for Monday, but it's another weekend of running the barn off the generator or doing chores early in the daylight. I just don't understand where PR and personal care have gone these days....
On a brighter note, the cement truck showed up and poured three "pads" and the posts for the screen porch!!! We needed to have a pad poured in the cellar for the chimney ... which will be started on Monday!!!! one in the garage for the posts that will hold it up when it's built, and one for the outside wood furnace!!! It was a bit of "nip and tuck" getting these pads done, the earth is beginning to freeze and the digging for the pads was a bit of a tough go. But Ed and his little John Deere managed it!!!

This is where the wood furnace will go...we're pretty excited about this!!! Not only will it supply the major heat to the house, but as we get the woods thinned and cleaned up, we can burn all the brush and wood that we take from it. Nice to keep it all neat and get some energy out of it as well... That should be able to get onto the pad by Monday, and a few hook ups, and it can be in business....

And here is where the chimney begins. I have been a real "nag" when it comes to this chimney!! from the very beginning of this project when we were designing the house, all I talked about was having a big center chimney!! I made this very clear to the designer, to the company and to Ken. I just have a "thing" about a house with a chimney in the center!!! (I know... she's weird) So, when we talked the with mason, I again, was very clear as to what I am looking for. I am sure he has done dozens of them, but I will be watching very carefully to make sure it's just so. I can give up on some things, or live differently with other things... but NOT with my chimney!!!!
And it's back to fostering again for Cocker Rescue!!! Originally I thought that I wouldn't be able to do any fostering over the winter while we are living at camp. But actually, the house here is just as big as our other house was, and room wise - it's fine. This little guy came in on a semi-emergency situation and is actually a little dog that I personally know. He is here with us until we can find him a new family and is a perfect dog!!!! completely trained in every way, gets along with everyone!!! The only "trouble" is...he is 8 years old and sadly, adopters can be "nervous" about adopting an older dog!!! But he's healthy and full of life and just needs that family who will think he is the very best!!! If any of my "local readers" know of a family that deserves a great dog... get in touch with me.