Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009 -
Sunny and clear this morning, but by noon, the cloud cover started moving in and looks like the NWS prediction of a thunderstorm is possible.
After my morning routine, I will go out and see if there is any way I can straighten the upright bracket for the top track roller on the dozer. I think I may be able to use the jack and a short length of chain to pull it out enough so the track will ride correctly on the roller. If not, I’ll have to order the entire roller and brackets to correct it.
I managed to correct the roller problem, but it will never be the same, as it doesn’t roll any more, but then I don’t think the other ones roll either. It doesn’t seem to affect the wear on the track, so I’ll just keep checking it carefully for any signs of a problem. I tried to use the jack and a chain to pull the roller back in alignment, but I just didn’t have enough clearance to make it work, so I had to remove the track and then the damaged roller to repair the bent upright brackets. Once that was accomplished, which took most of the afternoon, I was able to reassemble everything and reattach the track and adjust it.
I think the repair will hold, but I think I’ll order a complete bracket and roller assembly in case it doesn’t fare well. If only the roller is affected and not the track, then it can’t do any more damage than it has already. I tired as quickly as yesterday and wonder if my blood sugar is the problem. I’ll ask my doctor about it when I go in on Thursday for a blood draw. I have no stamina at all and it isn’t even hot outside. I rested, playing with Zack more often than usual, and drank lots of fluids, both water and a soda, but still feel wiped out.
I finished and put my tools away, cleaned up, and started the generator by 6 PM. I need to switch from the portable generator to the big one so I can draw water for a shower. The small generator won’t delivery enough amps to get the water pump running, so I have to rewire the other generator to have the necessary power. Once I have built up enough pressure, there will be enough water to last me until tomorrow afternoon.
I discovered that I can run the small generator on the economy mode and one gallon of gas will last me three days, and I only need to run the big generator to run the water pump. When the batteries are installed, they will provide the power to run the water pump and I should be able to charge the batteries with the small generator on the economy mode, which will allow me to take the large generator to Great Falls for the repairs it needs, and use the small one as necessary.
I played with Zack until his tongue almost fell out, but even so, he is staring at me for more playtime. I fed him and Zoey asked for some wet, so I gave it to her. I will switch generators and shower, fix something to eat and relax for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, I hope to do some roadwork, making my passage to and from town a little more comfortable.
Friday, June 12, 2009 -
It was sunny this morning, but feels cooler than the past couple of mornings. NWS is now predicting 50% chance of thunderstorms for Sunday, with a 40% chance between now and then.
I feel lazy this morning and have taken my time reading a magazine and then starting the generator so I could collect my emails and send yesterday’s update. Zack and I have played and took a short walk and he is now napping while I do some research online.
After playing with Zack again, I changed into my old work clothes and went out to get something done. I am split between having so many tasks on my list, that I hardly know where to start. I unloaded the gas, 2 x 4s, insulation board, and propane tanks from the truck and then parked it in the garage. I got the trail mower out and then backed the Argo out of the garage, hooking the trail mower up to it. If you remember correctly, I had attempted to start the unused trail mower to circulate the Sta-Bil in the gas tank, and the pull start cord wouldn’t retract, well, for whatever reason, it was retracted and with several pulls I was able to get it started. I mowed the front half of the property before parking both of them back in the garage. I really just wanted to see if the damn thing worked, and it does. Because it is a “trail mower” and not a lawn mower, it doesn’t cut close to the ground and my grass isn’t really high enough to make much difference, but I was able to cover the same area in about 30 minutes that took me a day with the push mower, so I am happy.
I then decided to use the bulldozer to smooth out my driveway, so started it up and moved it out of the garage. The right track seemed way too tight, so I got out my wrenches to adjust it. Because I’ve had the tracks come off of the gears so often, I try to keep them adjusted and lubed on a regular basis, but this track was so tight that if I didn’t know better, I’d say it shrank in the rain. There was absolutely no play in it at all. I loosened the lock bolt and attempted to turn the adjusting bolt, but it was frozen in place. I can’t believe that it must have rusted fast in just the few months of non-use, but nothing I did could get it to move. I sprayed it liberally with Wrench Free and let it soak.
I checked the opposite side, and it adjusted without a problem, so I had to figure some way to free up the right side. I finally ended up using a pipe wrench and 6-ton hydraulic jack to make it move a fraction of an inch. After about 8 times of jacking the wrench, it loosened enough that I was able to move it without the jack. I guess it was just the rust, but then I noticed that the track was not riding on the top roller, but actually the outside was riding on the outer edge of the roller.
Closer examination leads me to believe that the upright holding the roller is bent inward and it caused the roller to move enough that I can’t get the track to ride in the roller. I worked on it until 7:30 and became exhausted, so I quit and played with Zack. I can’t believe how fast I got tired, and I mean like I had been working hard all day long, not just a few hours. I am drinking lots of water and resting often, remembering how high my blood pressure has been. No need to have a stroke over something I can finish tomorrow.
I fed Zack and Zoey came to ask for some canned food, so I gave her a little. She only eats about a quarter of one of the small cans and that satisfies her. I sat down to cool off and relax before taking my shower. After my shower, I fixed myself a couple of frozen French bead pizzas and sat down to watch television before going to bed at midnight.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 -
It is a bright sunny morning, but there are numerous clouds on the horizon and NWS is still predicting 40% chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon.
I had my usual morning and then got ready to head into town to have additional work done on my teeth. I loaded all the gas cans; two propane tanks and a bag of trash, planning on going to the transfer station to dump the old water heater.
I wasn’t sure if they still had traffic control in effect for the Marysville Road, so I left the cabin with enough time to allow me to get to the check point at the usual 15 past the hour departure time. As we got to Belmont, which is the road going to the ski resort, the sign was out to wait for the follow me vehicle and they were working on the road, spreading gravel and rolling it for a large parking area for recreational users. At about five after the hour, they waved me through and I drove into Marysville and got in line behind the three cars waiting for the follow me truck.
Aside from painting the lines and finishing the guardrail installation, they appear to be finished, having paved all of the aprons and side road approaches. I really see no reason for continued road control, but it provides work for the people that do it. We made it to town and went right to the transfer station, dumping the trash bag and putting the old water heater in the metal reclamation area. We then drove to Montana Propane and had the two empty tanks filled. On the way back into town, I stopped and grabbed a burger for lunch and after eating, I called Fred’s cabin to say hi to all the guys. This is the week that they met for the annual get together.
Jack answered the phone and we talked for a while, bring each other up on current events. Fred and some others were out on one of Fred’s “walks,” which usually takes an hour or two. As it approached my appointment time, I said goodbye and drove to the dentist office.
They took me right in and John explained that he needed to clean up the tooth before taking a mold to cast my new crown. I thought he had done all of the work during the last visit and wasn’t prepared for another shot to numb the left side of my face. The work took about an hour and he filled my broken wisdom tooth to help it last longer. He didn’t charge me for the filling, saying I was such a good patient and was already paying a lot for the root canal and crown. I paid for today’s work and scheduled an appointment for putting the crown on.
We drove over to Safeway where I got a few items and filled the gas cans, and stopped at Home Depot to get some treated 2 x 4s for the cattle guard I will build, and then headed for home. We arrived at Marysville Road at about 20 after 6 PM, so waited with the other vehicles. I expected to wait until 6:45, but she brought cars down at 6:30 and then stopped to tell me, no one else, just me, that next week the times would change and leaving Marysville would be on the hour and returning would be on the half-hour. She then turned around and took us up the road.
The road already had the right side fog line and center lines painted, and I thought they may have done them all of the way to Marysville, but we soon came upon the truck in the center of the road. It had broken down and was waiting for someone to come repair it.
We stopped at Mary and Guy’s to drop off some magazines I share with them, but they weren’t home, so he headed up the mountain, arriving home at a little after 7 PM. I unloaded the truck and played with Zack before starting the generator and sitting down to relax.
It is a bright sunny morning, but there are numerous clouds on the horizon and NWS is still predicting 40% chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon.
I had my usual morning and then got ready to head into town to have additional work done on my teeth. I loaded all the gas cans; two propane tanks and a bag of trash, planning on going to the transfer station to dump the old water heater.
I wasn’t sure if they still had traffic control in effect for the Marysville Road, so I left the cabin with enough time to allow me to get to the check point at the usual 15 past the hour departure time. As we got to Belmont, which is the road going to the ski resort, the sign was out to wait for the follow me vehicle and they were working on the road, spreading gravel and rolling it for a large parking area for recreational users. At about five after the hour, they waved me through and I drove into Marysville and got in line behind the three cars waiting for the follow me truck.
Aside from painting the lines and finishing the guardrail installation, they appear to be finished, having paved all of the aprons and side road approaches. I really see no reason for continued road control, but it provides work for the people that do it. We made it to town and went right to the transfer station, dumping the trash bag and putting the old water heater in the metal reclamation area. We then drove to Montana Propane and had the two empty tanks filled. On the way back into town, I stopped and grabbed a burger for lunch and after eating, I called Fred’s cabin to say hi to all the guys. This is the week that they met for the annual get together.
Jack answered the phone and we talked for a while, bring each other up on current events. Fred and some others were out on one of Fred’s “walks,” which usually takes an hour or two. As it approached my appointment time, I said goodbye and drove to the dentist office.
They took me right in and John explained that he needed to clean up the tooth before taking a mold to cast my new crown. I thought he had done all of the work during the last visit and wasn’t prepared for another shot to numb the left side of my face. The work took about an hour and he filled my broken wisdom tooth to help it last longer. He didn’t charge me for the filling, saying I was such a good patient and was already paying a lot for the root canal and crown. I paid for today’s work and scheduled an appointment for putting the crown on.
We drove over to Safeway where I got a few items and filled the gas cans, and stopped at Home Depot to get some treated 2 x 4s for the cattle guard I will build, and then headed for home. We arrived at Marysville Road at about 20 after 6 PM, so waited with the other vehicles. I expected to wait until 6:45, but she brought cars down at 6:30 and then stopped to tell me, no one else, just me, that next week the times would change and leaving Marysville would be on the hour and returning would be on the half-hour. She then turned around and took us up the road.
The road already had the right side fog line and center lines painted, and I thought they may have done them all of the way to Marysville, but we soon came upon the truck in the center of the road. It had broken down and was waiting for someone to come repair it.
We stopped at Mary and Guy’s to drop off some magazines I share with them, but they weren’t home, so he headed up the mountain, arriving home at a little after 7 PM. I unloaded the truck and played with Zack before starting the generator and sitting down to relax.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 -
It is partially cloudy this morning, with the sun shining through as much as being hidden. It is warmer by several degrees, so the cold front is gone. NWS is predicting 30 and 40% chances of thunderstorms for the entire week, and because we need the moisture, I would welcome it.
My chipmunks have been entertaining me with their antics all morning and I have named another one. He is “Itchy” because he either has a nerve disorder, mites, or lice, because he constantly stops to scratch himself. Another one I have named is “Humper”, as he has tried to mate with ever other chipmunk that will hold still. I attached the empty peanut butter jar to the top of the 2 x 4 that holds the end of the firewood rack, and filled it with sunflower seeds. I have watched several of the little guys try to figure out how to get to them, but so far haven’t witnessed any of them achieving success. I know one of them will figure out how to get to them and will keep me entertained.
I spend most of the morning doing additional research and trying to communicate with the battery place to purchase the batteries, but Hughes slowed me down again, saying I exceeded my usage. When I am in town tomorrow, I will call them and talk to someone. If they can guaranty that Hughes won’t slow me down, I’ll pay another $20.00 a month to upgrade.
I drove to the Divide and called my dentist to confirm my appointment for tomorrow at 2:30, came back, changed the oil in the small generator and wired it to the cabin. It uses less gas and I am almost out of gas for the big generator. Zack and I played for a bit and then I fixed him his dinner, and then showered and will think about my dinner. I’ll fix something and then relax for the rest of the night.
I just witnessed one of my little friends get into the sunflower seed jar. He stretched his little body between the closest pieces of wood and pulled himself to the rim of the plastic jar. He is now sitting INSIDE the jar, filling his cheeks with as many seeds as he can. Those that he is eating, drops the shells back into the jar and I am not sure how I’ll dump them out to refill it. Watching them are better than a Saturday Matinee with cartoons.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 -
As soon as the temperature dropped to 36 degrees last night (7 PM), it started to snow heavily again. The scene could have been from this past falls first snowstorms, and I imagine I’ll awake to find everything white once again.
It is still overcast this morning, but warmer than the past few days. I believe the cold front is passing and it will be more like June than January. It got down to 25 degrees last night after a high of 57, while it is already 47 degrees at 11:00 this morning. I am seeing some breaks in the clouds, but it did just sleet a little about an hour ago.
Having replaced the water heater and waiting for the new batteries, I am taking it easy today and have no real plans to do much. I didn’t do the wash last night, so that will take up some of today.
I managed to do exactly what I said I’d do, some wash and nothing else. I spent the day researching this and that, mainly if another satellite internet provider could offer me consistent speeds without this bullshit slow down for Fair Access Policy. It seems all of them have the same thing, to one degree or another. I found out that if I pay for the step or two up in service, I could avoid the damn thing. It is like being held for ransom to pay them to NOT slow down my service, but it is happening so frequently, other than bringing a class action lawsuit against them, I don’t have much choice. I’ll do some additional investigation before deciding what I’ll do, but I am definitely sending a letter to the CEO of Hughes Net and a few others.
After playing with Zack and feeding him and Zoey (she is back to eating mainly dry and only asking for canned every four or five days), I showered, had dinner and then relaxed for the remainder of the evening.
As soon as the temperature dropped to 36 degrees last night (7 PM), it started to snow heavily again. The scene could have been from this past falls first snowstorms, and I imagine I’ll awake to find everything white once again.
It is still overcast this morning, but warmer than the past few days. I believe the cold front is passing and it will be more like June than January. It got down to 25 degrees last night after a high of 57, while it is already 47 degrees at 11:00 this morning. I am seeing some breaks in the clouds, but it did just sleet a little about an hour ago.
Having replaced the water heater and waiting for the new batteries, I am taking it easy today and have no real plans to do much. I didn’t do the wash last night, so that will take up some of today.
I managed to do exactly what I said I’d do, some wash and nothing else. I spent the day researching this and that, mainly if another satellite internet provider could offer me consistent speeds without this bullshit slow down for Fair Access Policy. It seems all of them have the same thing, to one degree or another. I found out that if I pay for the step or two up in service, I could avoid the damn thing. It is like being held for ransom to pay them to NOT slow down my service, but it is happening so frequently, other than bringing a class action lawsuit against them, I don’t have much choice. I’ll do some additional investigation before deciding what I’ll do, but I am definitely sending a letter to the CEO of Hughes Net and a few others.
After playing with Zack and feeding him and Zoey (she is back to eating mainly dry and only asking for canned every four or five days), I showered, had dinner and then relaxed for the remainder of the evening.
Yes, it's June, but up here that doesn't mean much
Monday, June 8, 2009 - Snow & More Snow
I guess it was a good thing that I ended up having to go to town yesterday as there is about a foot of snow covering everything this morning. I awoke at 5:30 and again at 8:00 to see the trees and maybe a hint of frost on the grass, but when I finally got up at 10:00, there was almost a foot of snow on everything.
In about two hours, almost twelve inches of snow has fallen and continues to fall heavily at noon. The low temperature last night was 25 degrees, but it was 37 degrees when I got up and is now 39 at noon. I have had it snow here when the temperature was as high as 47, so this isn’t anything new, but the amount in a short time is. Anytime you want to see what my weather is, go to: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=tfx&smap=1&textField1=46.699583333333&textField2=-112.33125
I can’t get online as the snow has completely covered the receiving dish and I’ll have to get out the ladder and climb up to brush it off. I am still planning on replacing the water heater today, and am thankful for an indoor task. I will complete this later and let you know how it goes.
I spent the remainder of the morning finishing my research and making a decision on which batteries to buy. I decided to purchase four 12 volt, 8D sized AGM deep cycle batteries, but I am waiting for an email telling me what the shipping cost will be. One place online has free shipping, but the batteries are more expensive by about $75.00 each. Each battery weighs 165 pounds, so freight costs will be for a total of 660 + pounds. If the actual shipping costs are lower than the price difference, I’ll know who I will purchase them from. Both places say they ship in two to three days and depending on how they ship them, I am still looking at having to run the generator for all my power needs until the end of the week, or maybe longer.
I attempted to find out if Interstate Batteries, here in town, carries similar batteries, but their web site is terrible and I can’t locate any of the deep cycle AGM batteries that I know they have, so other than going into town and asking them, I’ll order online and wait for them.
The company that sells four at a discount charges shipping while the other one offers free delivery, but no discount for volume purchase. The difference between them, without figuring the cost of freight, is 472.80. I can’t imagine shipping costs equaling that amount, so am pretty sure I’ll just pay the freight and get the four batteries at discount. It pays to do some research and comparative shopping.
It is now 5:30 PM, and still snowing, but lightly. As the day warmed up, most of the snow on the ground melted, but it was sure pretty to see. I drained, disconnected, removed the old water heater and installed the new one in less than two hours and had no difficulties. It is taking a while to heat the cold mountain snow melt, but already the water is warm enough that I could use it to shower, but I’ll wait until it is really hot so I can bathe in the luxury of a long hot shower.
I just played with Zack and built up the fire, so he is napping in front of it while I finish this update. I will do a load of wash and then take a shower before eating some dinner and relaxing in front of the television.
I have been thoroughly enjoying the antics of my chipmunks and was happy to see Shorty show up for his fair share. In case you forgot, Shorty was the one with only half a tail, so I named him for it. I wasn’t sure if he survived the winter, as he didn’t come when all the others showed up, so I am happy that he did.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - Snow*
At 11:00 AM this morning, it is 41 degrees and snowing heavily. When I got up at 9, it was a very fine corn snow and 35 degrees, so as the morning warms, the snow gets larger and heavier. The low temperature last night was 28.2, with the high yesterday of 42.9, with winds only reaching 11 mph for a short time at around 6 PM.
My barometer is showing sunshine and a raising pressure, while NWS is predicting a chance of showers, so only time will tell.
I finished my research on water heaters and made the decision to just replace the tank type with another. My research showed that all but a few of the tankless type water heaters require 120 volt plug in, or a standing pilot light, which means it is using electricity or burning all of the time, just like a tank type. It also showed that I would have to completely replace the venting with stainless steel of a different diameter than I currently have. The stainless steel kits for tankless can cost $300.00 or more, so add that to the cheapest one I found ($559.00) and by the time I bought all the correct fittings, it would cost over a thousand dollars to put one in. Some even required that I change all the black pipe for the propane feed, to ¾” verses the ½” I now have.
When all the research is in, it makes more sense to just replace it with the same type and size water heater that can simply be exchanged, without having to re-plumb everything. My research on the tank type showed that Rheems 30 gallon high altitude water heater was the cheapest, at $283.00 but none are available, locally or on the internet. They were back ordered online until the end of June, so the next best one was the Whirlpool 30 gallon high altitude at $429.00, which was in stock at my local Lowes store. I will plan a trip to town and buy one tomorrow. I hope the exchange with the old water heater is as easy as I anticipate.
I put the battery back in the truck and it started up immediately, and I hope it will hold its charge. It is still snowing lightly, but melting soon after it hits the ground. It isn’t causing any problems at the moment, but I know the road out will be slippery and the mud holes will be filled with water.
I decided to check the oil in the generator before starting it again for the evening, and it needed about half a quart, so I filled it up. I checked the gas tank and was surprised to find it empty, and was sure that if I had left the generator run another 15 minutes this morning, I would have run it completely out of gas. Not having any more gas available made my trip to town today imperative. I put all four of my 5-gallon gas cans in the back of the truck, got my wallet and headed to town. It was already 3:45, but the days are long, not getting dark until after 9 PM, and I knew Lowes is open until 9 at night.
We drove straight to Lowes and I had them load the water heater for me, paying and getting underway. I drove to Safeway to get a few items and fill the truck and gas cans, and then we headed for home. Arriving without a problem, I unloaded and filled the gas in the generator tank and started it up. I was going to unload the water heater, but Zack was anxious to play and it was drizzling, so I left it in the back of the truck.
After playing with Zack, I filled the bird feeders as they are going through the seed in a couple of hours, and that is all four of the feeders. Coming in, I built a fire, fed Zack, straightened out the kitchen, heated water for a shower and then relaxed before having my dinner.
My root canal hasn’t given me any problems but my jaw muscles are still a bit sore from holding my mouth wide open for 90 minutes. I also hate having to only chew on one side, as the temporary filling is too soft for any serious chewing, as in a steak or something really good. I ended up heating a frozen chicken enchilada dinner, which was quite good and filling.
Some television and a glance at the local Nichol Saver, which is the town paper with deals like the Penny Saver, Gold Panner, or other papers, and then to bed at eleven O’clock.
At 11:00 AM this morning, it is 41 degrees and snowing heavily. When I got up at 9, it was a very fine corn snow and 35 degrees, so as the morning warms, the snow gets larger and heavier. The low temperature last night was 28.2, with the high yesterday of 42.9, with winds only reaching 11 mph for a short time at around 6 PM.
My barometer is showing sunshine and a raising pressure, while NWS is predicting a chance of showers, so only time will tell.
I finished my research on water heaters and made the decision to just replace the tank type with another. My research showed that all but a few of the tankless type water heaters require 120 volt plug in, or a standing pilot light, which means it is using electricity or burning all of the time, just like a tank type. It also showed that I would have to completely replace the venting with stainless steel of a different diameter than I currently have. The stainless steel kits for tankless can cost $300.00 or more, so add that to the cheapest one I found ($559.00) and by the time I bought all the correct fittings, it would cost over a thousand dollars to put one in. Some even required that I change all the black pipe for the propane feed, to ¾” verses the ½” I now have.
When all the research is in, it makes more sense to just replace it with the same type and size water heater that can simply be exchanged, without having to re-plumb everything. My research on the tank type showed that Rheems 30 gallon high altitude water heater was the cheapest, at $283.00 but none are available, locally or on the internet. They were back ordered online until the end of June, so the next best one was the Whirlpool 30 gallon high altitude at $429.00, which was in stock at my local Lowes store. I will plan a trip to town and buy one tomorrow. I hope the exchange with the old water heater is as easy as I anticipate.
I put the battery back in the truck and it started up immediately, and I hope it will hold its charge. It is still snowing lightly, but melting soon after it hits the ground. It isn’t causing any problems at the moment, but I know the road out will be slippery and the mud holes will be filled with water.
I decided to check the oil in the generator before starting it again for the evening, and it needed about half a quart, so I filled it up. I checked the gas tank and was surprised to find it empty, and was sure that if I had left the generator run another 15 minutes this morning, I would have run it completely out of gas. Not having any more gas available made my trip to town today imperative. I put all four of my 5-gallon gas cans in the back of the truck, got my wallet and headed to town. It was already 3:45, but the days are long, not getting dark until after 9 PM, and I knew Lowes is open until 9 at night.
We drove straight to Lowes and I had them load the water heater for me, paying and getting underway. I drove to Safeway to get a few items and fill the truck and gas cans, and then we headed for home. Arriving without a problem, I unloaded and filled the gas in the generator tank and started it up. I was going to unload the water heater, but Zack was anxious to play and it was drizzling, so I left it in the back of the truck.
After playing with Zack, I filled the bird feeders as they are going through the seed in a couple of hours, and that is all four of the feeders. Coming in, I built a fire, fed Zack, straightened out the kitchen, heated water for a shower and then relaxed before having my dinner.
My root canal hasn’t given me any problems but my jaw muscles are still a bit sore from holding my mouth wide open for 90 minutes. I also hate having to only chew on one side, as the temporary filling is too soft for any serious chewing, as in a steak or something really good. I ended up heating a frozen chicken enchilada dinner, which was quite good and filling.
Some television and a glance at the local Nichol Saver, which is the town paper with deals like the Penny Saver, Gold Panner, or other papers, and then to bed at eleven O’clock.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - SNOW!
Zack woke me at 8:15 by whining for permission to come upstairs and get in bed with me. I told him okay and opened my eyes to see what time it was and noticed that it was snowing heavily outside. The local radio weather person mentioned a Canadian cold front moving down to our area, that might bring freezing temperatures to town, but I didn’t think that it would mean snow.
Thursday’s high temperature was 76.6, and a last night low was 26.2, so the cold front definitely has moved over my place. It is noon and still snowing, having deposited about ½ to ¾ of an inch, covering things with its white shroud. Just when I thought I had missed winter, it comes back to show how wrong I was. I don’t really mind as I am sitting in the sunroom with a nice warm fire, doing my research on which batteries to order.
As I sit here, watching the fire, snow, and birds, all of a sudden half a dozen Juncos showed up and are downing seed as fast as they can. I also spotted a robin on the lawn late yesterday afternoon, so my usual birds are all back now, and enjoying the seeds I have provided.
I am continuing to research the batteries and will order the best ones I can find, for the best price available. I will also do the research on the water heaters and make up my mind what I want to do. If I go with a tankless and the prices are close to what I found in town, I’ll go buy one. If I find that a LP tank is the way to go, and they are close in price to the ones in town, I’ll go buy one of them today.
Just when I think I have everything under control, Hughes pulls that bullshit about Fair Access Policy and slows my ability to surf the net to a snails pace. I wrote them a scathing email previously about this and the email NEVER WENT THROUGH. Do you think that they have a filter on their emails to customer service and it refuses any negative emails? I wouldn’t put it past them. I am sending another one and if it doesn’t go through, I’ll call and lodge a formal complaint and back it up with a registered letter to the top.
Now I can’t do all of the research I wanted to do, as it either won’t put the request through, or it takes up to 20 minutes to open a page.
It is now 8:30 and beginning to snow lightly again. I managed to do some of my research, but haven’t been able to get the final cost on the batteries or the water heater. It seems that none of the local stores carry the water heater I’d like to get and it would take until June 26 to get it, so I either wait for hot water or buy something else. I am still looking into the tankless water heater as I found one that can be mounted in the closet without all the special vent ducting. I’ll continue looking at the information tomorrow and make some decisions.
I’ve had some deer and a moose visit it me this afternoon, and enjoy being back in the mountains. I’ve enjoyed a fire all afternoon and have relaxed while trying to do my research and waiting for the internet to give me the information I seek. I’ve had dinner and played with Zack, feeding him and Zoey, and will watch some television before going to bed.
Friday, June 5, 2009 - Happy Birthday, Sharry!
My older sister just turned 39 again, so Happy Birthday Sis. It turns out that Greg’s birthday was yesterday, so I paid for his lunch to wish him a happy 61.
The sky was clear this morning, but as the day progresses, it has clouded up and looks like it might rain. Every once and a while, the sun breaks through, but all in all, it is dark and cool (67), with a breeze.
Well, I finally did it! I got the modem and satellite dish to range and lock onto the satellite. What a pain in the you know what. At least now I know why it did what it did, and what to do if it happens again. That’s if I remember what to do later on. I can now get online and research the hot water heaters and other things that I have been unable to research.
While working in the sunroom this morning, I have had a chipmunk come inside to greet me, twice. With the pass through screen, they can come and go as long as the sliding door is open, and one has learned how to push his way through and explore the room. The second time he came in (I am only assuming it is the same one), Zack was laying on his bed by the wood stove and jumped up to get him. I gave him the command to “leave it,” and he did, allowing the chipmunk to escape back outside. They are really characters and watching them play is entertaining to say the least. The other day I gave Zack an almost empty peanut butter jar and he licked out all his tongue could reach and then left the plastic jar laying in the yard. There was still quite a bit of peanut butter in the bottom, so I put it on the woodpile for the chipmunks.
Yesterday, one tried to push the jar to his home and nudged it off the woodpile and onto the deck. He soon lost interest in it and it laid there. This morning, I have watched them climb into the jar and take a large helping of peanut butter and then scurry off to get their mouths unstuck. This act has been repeated many times and the jar is now completely clean on the inside.
I have also been enjoying the wild birds at the feeders, except for the Cowbirds, and have noticed that I am missing the Juncos. I thought I saw them after filling the feeders, but there isn’t a one in sight. They usually come in May and might have found another place to go when they discovered the feeders were empty. I am also missing the Robins, which are usually abundant by now. I wonder if it is a sign of some type?
It is now after 1:00, and I need to put the battery back in the truck, back it to the battery box, disconnect and load all eight batteries, drive to town and buy eight new batteries and repeat the process in reverse. I am not looking forward to spending $2240.00, but am looking forward to going 4 or 5 days without having to run the generator to keep them charged up. When they were new, they would last that long on one good charge, so I am hoping the new ones will do the same.
I will finish this tonight and send it, plus do my water heater research. If I take the time to do the research now, it will be too late to go buy the batteries, and while that may mean yet another trip to town, I would feel better about the purchase.
So, I never made it to town, as I started doing research on batteries. If I am going to spend over two thousand dollars, I want to make sure I am buying the best batteries at the best price. I am so glad that I did the research as I discovered that I can buy a better battery for less and the freight is even included. I will be buying AGM batteries, which are sealed, no maintenance long life batteries. In the five years since I set this system up, the improvement in deep cycle batteries has improved a lot. AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat and the batteries have AGM between the plates instead of water. They don’t require any maintenance, other than keeping them charged. There is no off gases or fumes, no leakage, no water to add, and they will not freeze until more than 40 below zero. They seem to fit my needs completely.
As a result of this discovery, I stayed up until 12:30 in the morning doing research on which brand was the best to order. I found that Interstate Battery, the company in town where I purchased my original batteries, carries the AGM, but don’t have the best price. There are two companies that have better prices and will ship for free, so now I need to see how long it will take to get the batteries. Because they don’t have water in them, they can be shipped UPS, but weight is an issue. The ones I am looking at weigh 165 pounds each. I haven’t ordered them yet as I want to be sure that they are exactly what I want before committing to spending that amount of money.
I still have to research water heaters before purchasing one, and may end up doing it online like the batteries, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I am tired and Zack has been pestering me to go to bed for the last two hours, so I’ll stop and get ready for bed.
My older sister just turned 39 again, so Happy Birthday Sis. It turns out that Greg’s birthday was yesterday, so I paid for his lunch to wish him a happy 61.
The sky was clear this morning, but as the day progresses, it has clouded up and looks like it might rain. Every once and a while, the sun breaks through, but all in all, it is dark and cool (67), with a breeze.
Well, I finally did it! I got the modem and satellite dish to range and lock onto the satellite. What a pain in the you know what. At least now I know why it did what it did, and what to do if it happens again. That’s if I remember what to do later on. I can now get online and research the hot water heaters and other things that I have been unable to research.
While working in the sunroom this morning, I have had a chipmunk come inside to greet me, twice. With the pass through screen, they can come and go as long as the sliding door is open, and one has learned how to push his way through and explore the room. The second time he came in (I am only assuming it is the same one), Zack was laying on his bed by the wood stove and jumped up to get him. I gave him the command to “leave it,” and he did, allowing the chipmunk to escape back outside. They are really characters and watching them play is entertaining to say the least. The other day I gave Zack an almost empty peanut butter jar and he licked out all his tongue could reach and then left the plastic jar laying in the yard. There was still quite a bit of peanut butter in the bottom, so I put it on the woodpile for the chipmunks.
Yesterday, one tried to push the jar to his home and nudged it off the woodpile and onto the deck. He soon lost interest in it and it laid there. This morning, I have watched them climb into the jar and take a large helping of peanut butter and then scurry off to get their mouths unstuck. This act has been repeated many times and the jar is now completely clean on the inside.
I have also been enjoying the wild birds at the feeders, except for the Cowbirds, and have noticed that I am missing the Juncos. I thought I saw them after filling the feeders, but there isn’t a one in sight. They usually come in May and might have found another place to go when they discovered the feeders were empty. I am also missing the Robins, which are usually abundant by now. I wonder if it is a sign of some type?
It is now after 1:00, and I need to put the battery back in the truck, back it to the battery box, disconnect and load all eight batteries, drive to town and buy eight new batteries and repeat the process in reverse. I am not looking forward to spending $2240.00, but am looking forward to going 4 or 5 days without having to run the generator to keep them charged up. When they were new, they would last that long on one good charge, so I am hoping the new ones will do the same.
I will finish this tonight and send it, plus do my water heater research. If I take the time to do the research now, it will be too late to go buy the batteries, and while that may mean yet another trip to town, I would feel better about the purchase.
So, I never made it to town, as I started doing research on batteries. If I am going to spend over two thousand dollars, I want to make sure I am buying the best batteries at the best price. I am so glad that I did the research as I discovered that I can buy a better battery for less and the freight is even included. I will be buying AGM batteries, which are sealed, no maintenance long life batteries. In the five years since I set this system up, the improvement in deep cycle batteries has improved a lot. AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat and the batteries have AGM between the plates instead of water. They don’t require any maintenance, other than keeping them charged. There is no off gases or fumes, no leakage, no water to add, and they will not freeze until more than 40 below zero. They seem to fit my needs completely.
As a result of this discovery, I stayed up until 12:30 in the morning doing research on which brand was the best to order. I found that Interstate Battery, the company in town where I purchased my original batteries, carries the AGM, but don’t have the best price. There are two companies that have better prices and will ship for free, so now I need to see how long it will take to get the batteries. Because they don’t have water in them, they can be shipped UPS, but weight is an issue. The ones I am looking at weigh 165 pounds each. I haven’t ordered them yet as I want to be sure that they are exactly what I want before committing to spending that amount of money.
I still have to research water heaters before purchasing one, and may end up doing it online like the batteries, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I am tired and Zack has been pestering me to go to bed for the last two hours, so I’ll stop and get ready for bed.
Thursday, June 4, 2009 -
It is sunny and clear this morning, without the need of a fire to warm up the cabin. My weather station is indicating a drop in barometric press, but NWS isn’t predicting any storms for this morning. The afternoon has a slight chance of a thunderstorm, but a slight chance usually means no rain.
I’ve been told that although we had more snow than usual this past winter, and thus more run off to the creeks and lakes, we have had very little rain. Usually the end of May and first part of June produces several thunderstorms that produce rainfall to help green things up.
I had my morning coffee and then got ready to head into town for lunch with Greg and my dentist appointment. I had awoke at 8 AM, and got up as I had so much on my mind I couldn’t go back to sleep. We headed down the mountain at 9:35, to meet the follow me truck for the 10:15 trip to Lincoln Road. We got there with 15 minutes to spare and I let Zack out to sniff around while I listened to the news on the radio.
As the follow me truck brought a few vehicles up the road, a truck turned to come my way and I had to move the Jeep to let him by. It turned out to be Jim Wilcox, the person that built my cabin and sold me the property. We visited for a few minutes and then he went up to Old Bald Butte City, where he is building another small cabin to sell. While we were visiting, a van pulled up behind me and just as Jim was leaving, a guy got out of the van and walked to my car. It was Mike from Colorado. I wrote about him two summers ago. He is slowing building a cabin over on Lost Horse Creek and comes up every summer to work on it. We visited briefly and then the follow me truck flagged us to come follow her.
I drove to Greg’s office, arriving a little before 11 AM. Greg was finishing some paper work and when he had, we left for lunch. We went to Montana Hardware Café, in Montana City, which is just down the highway from Helena. We had a good lunch and nice visit and headed back to his office. Zack was waiting in the car, so I let him out to sniff around while Greg and I visited some more.
My dentist appointment wasn’t until 2 PM, and I had about an hour and a half to go price water heaters. I haven’t completely given up on the tankless water heaters, but it is looking like I may end up just replacing my LP heater for another like it. Between Home Depot, Lowes, Power Townsend, and Ace Hardware, my choices for an LP water heater are slim. Most of the ones they carry are electric or natural gas, so unless I want to buy what is available, I’ll have to order one, which may take even longer than I wish. I have gone without water and hot water before, so other than being inconvenient, it isn’t a big deal. I can do my laundry in cold water and although I prefer to use hot water to do the dishes, it isn’t really necessary.
Prices for an LP water heater vary between $319.00 to $438.00, all being 30 gallons with 6-year warranties. All but Ace Hardware had them in stock for immediate purchase, but I am still hoping to get online and do some research before I make up my mind.
I stopped to pick up my mail and then drove to the old downtown, where my dentist’s office is. I found a 2-hour parking space, hoping that would be long enough, and parked. I made sure Zack had water and left the windows down as it had warmed up to 74 degrees. As long as the windows are open and he has shade to lay in, he is content. With the windows down, any passersby could remove him if they believed he was in distress. Also, they would realize that with the windows down, I knew the dangers of leaving him in a car on a hot day.
I walked to the dentist’s office and checked in, waiting to be called. The entire office takes lunch from 1:00 to 2:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so John had to prepare the room for my root canal. It turned out to be more difficult than he thought, as the roots on that tooth are curved and difficult to clean and fit with the posts. The tooth already had a crown on it and John drilled through it, rather than remove it, which would save me the cost of a new crown.
It turned out that there was decay under the crown, which is what made the tooth become infected and abscessed, so he ended up having to remove the crown to get all of the decay and finish the root canals. This particular tooth can have four roots, but often has only three and he said some have only two. Two is all the x-ray shows, so he wasn’t sure until he opened up the top to discover I had three.
An hour and a half later, he finished and made me an appointment to have a crown fitted next week. He is also going to put a filling on the broken wisdom tooth to help it last longer. I paid for today’s procedure, $783.00, and will have to pay that much again for the follow up crown and filling. Maybe I should ask Obama to help me out and send him the bill for all of it.
When I came out of the office, it was overcast and much cooler than before, so I was glad that Zack had been comfortable. We drove to Lincoln Road RV Park and I went in to the lounge and got online to send the updates and check my bank account. I also called Bill Adams, the person the set up my internet satellite in the motor home, as he told me that I wouldn’t have any problem switching the modem back to the cabin from the RV. He managed to explain what was happening and told me that if the RV was within a few miles of the cabin and I put the modem back in to allow it to range for the location, I should be fine. He also told me how to change the zip code so the dish could get the new longitude and latitude.
We headed back to the cabin and was happy to see that there was no road control, as they had finished the paving all of the way to Marysville. Now they just need to finish the guardrails and paint the lines and the road will be finished. What a relief not having to deal with the follow me truck and times to come and go.
We stopped at the motor home and got more things to take back to the cabin, and once I unloaded them and got the modem, we headed back to the motor home. I had a little problem starting the generator for power, but managed after four tries. I got the dish up and while it was searching for the satellite, I unloaded the refrigerator and put the box in the Jeep. Once the dish found the satellite, I tried all of the things that Bill told me, but still couldn’t get it to range and allow a connection. After almost an hour, I gave up and disconnected the modem and the wireless airport, stowed the dish, shut down the generator and drove back to the cabin.
Zack was being particularly difficult, whining and fussing, so I made him ride inside rather than run part of the way home. It is a good thing I did because just before we got to the creek crossing, a very large black bear ran right in front of the car. He was moving fast and Zack almost tried to go through the closed window to chase after him. I am reasonable sure that once Zack caught his scent, he would have recognized danger and stopped trying to chase it, but was glad I didn’t have to deal with it. The bear quickly disappeared up the mountainside and we continued to the cabin.
It was late and I fed Zack and built a fire while heating up some left over pizza. The numbness of my mouth and jaw had worn off, and surprisingly I had no pain. I ate and watched some television, finally going to bed at 11:30.
It is sunny and clear this morning, without the need of a fire to warm up the cabin. My weather station is indicating a drop in barometric press, but NWS isn’t predicting any storms for this morning. The afternoon has a slight chance of a thunderstorm, but a slight chance usually means no rain.
I’ve been told that although we had more snow than usual this past winter, and thus more run off to the creeks and lakes, we have had very little rain. Usually the end of May and first part of June produces several thunderstorms that produce rainfall to help green things up.
I had my morning coffee and then got ready to head into town for lunch with Greg and my dentist appointment. I had awoke at 8 AM, and got up as I had so much on my mind I couldn’t go back to sleep. We headed down the mountain at 9:35, to meet the follow me truck for the 10:15 trip to Lincoln Road. We got there with 15 minutes to spare and I let Zack out to sniff around while I listened to the news on the radio.
As the follow me truck brought a few vehicles up the road, a truck turned to come my way and I had to move the Jeep to let him by. It turned out to be Jim Wilcox, the person that built my cabin and sold me the property. We visited for a few minutes and then he went up to Old Bald Butte City, where he is building another small cabin to sell. While we were visiting, a van pulled up behind me and just as Jim was leaving, a guy got out of the van and walked to my car. It was Mike from Colorado. I wrote about him two summers ago. He is slowing building a cabin over on Lost Horse Creek and comes up every summer to work on it. We visited briefly and then the follow me truck flagged us to come follow her.
I drove to Greg’s office, arriving a little before 11 AM. Greg was finishing some paper work and when he had, we left for lunch. We went to Montana Hardware Café, in Montana City, which is just down the highway from Helena. We had a good lunch and nice visit and headed back to his office. Zack was waiting in the car, so I let him out to sniff around while Greg and I visited some more.
My dentist appointment wasn’t until 2 PM, and I had about an hour and a half to go price water heaters. I haven’t completely given up on the tankless water heaters, but it is looking like I may end up just replacing my LP heater for another like it. Between Home Depot, Lowes, Power Townsend, and Ace Hardware, my choices for an LP water heater are slim. Most of the ones they carry are electric or natural gas, so unless I want to buy what is available, I’ll have to order one, which may take even longer than I wish. I have gone without water and hot water before, so other than being inconvenient, it isn’t a big deal. I can do my laundry in cold water and although I prefer to use hot water to do the dishes, it isn’t really necessary.
Prices for an LP water heater vary between $319.00 to $438.00, all being 30 gallons with 6-year warranties. All but Ace Hardware had them in stock for immediate purchase, but I am still hoping to get online and do some research before I make up my mind.
I stopped to pick up my mail and then drove to the old downtown, where my dentist’s office is. I found a 2-hour parking space, hoping that would be long enough, and parked. I made sure Zack had water and left the windows down as it had warmed up to 74 degrees. As long as the windows are open and he has shade to lay in, he is content. With the windows down, any passersby could remove him if they believed he was in distress. Also, they would realize that with the windows down, I knew the dangers of leaving him in a car on a hot day.
I walked to the dentist’s office and checked in, waiting to be called. The entire office takes lunch from 1:00 to 2:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so John had to prepare the room for my root canal. It turned out to be more difficult than he thought, as the roots on that tooth are curved and difficult to clean and fit with the posts. The tooth already had a crown on it and John drilled through it, rather than remove it, which would save me the cost of a new crown.
It turned out that there was decay under the crown, which is what made the tooth become infected and abscessed, so he ended up having to remove the crown to get all of the decay and finish the root canals. This particular tooth can have four roots, but often has only three and he said some have only two. Two is all the x-ray shows, so he wasn’t sure until he opened up the top to discover I had three.
An hour and a half later, he finished and made me an appointment to have a crown fitted next week. He is also going to put a filling on the broken wisdom tooth to help it last longer. I paid for today’s procedure, $783.00, and will have to pay that much again for the follow up crown and filling. Maybe I should ask Obama to help me out and send him the bill for all of it.
When I came out of the office, it was overcast and much cooler than before, so I was glad that Zack had been comfortable. We drove to Lincoln Road RV Park and I went in to the lounge and got online to send the updates and check my bank account. I also called Bill Adams, the person the set up my internet satellite in the motor home, as he told me that I wouldn’t have any problem switching the modem back to the cabin from the RV. He managed to explain what was happening and told me that if the RV was within a few miles of the cabin and I put the modem back in to allow it to range for the location, I should be fine. He also told me how to change the zip code so the dish could get the new longitude and latitude.
We headed back to the cabin and was happy to see that there was no road control, as they had finished the paving all of the way to Marysville. Now they just need to finish the guardrails and paint the lines and the road will be finished. What a relief not having to deal with the follow me truck and times to come and go.
We stopped at the motor home and got more things to take back to the cabin, and once I unloaded them and got the modem, we headed back to the motor home. I had a little problem starting the generator for power, but managed after four tries. I got the dish up and while it was searching for the satellite, I unloaded the refrigerator and put the box in the Jeep. Once the dish found the satellite, I tried all of the things that Bill told me, but still couldn’t get it to range and allow a connection. After almost an hour, I gave up and disconnected the modem and the wireless airport, stowed the dish, shut down the generator and drove back to the cabin.
Zack was being particularly difficult, whining and fussing, so I made him ride inside rather than run part of the way home. It is a good thing I did because just before we got to the creek crossing, a very large black bear ran right in front of the car. He was moving fast and Zack almost tried to go through the closed window to chase after him. I am reasonable sure that once Zack caught his scent, he would have recognized danger and stopped trying to chase it, but was glad I didn’t have to deal with it. The bear quickly disappeared up the mountainside and we continued to the cabin.
It was late and I fed Zack and built a fire while heating up some left over pizza. The numbness of my mouth and jaw had worn off, and surprisingly I had no pain. I ate and watched some television, finally going to bed at 11:30.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 -
The morning is sunny and bright with only a few thin clouds high in the sky. A last night low was 26.2, so it did go below freezing. I didn’t bother with building a fire this morning as the sunroom was in the low sixties and I knew that as soon as the sun moved it would heat the cabin up.
I have spent the morning working up these updates and reading more about possible fixes for the water heater. I tried one suggestion from my book on how to fix everything, but the pilot light wouldn’t stay lit. I am going to completely disassemble the burner and control unit and see if I can fix it, as I have nothing to loose, if I am already planning to buy a replacement.
I will also remove the tarps from the garage and start the truck, as I need it to get the old batteries to town and bring the new ones back. I also need to buy some blue board insulation to redo the battery box, and pressure treated 2 x 4s to make a cattle grating for the road.
On my trip to town tomorrow, I will take my computer and if I am not feeling too bad after my root canal, I’ll stop at the RV Park and use their wireless connection to collect my emails and send these updates. No promises, but I’ll try.
Okay, it is now 7 PM, and I have been working, working, working. I worked on the water heater for about an hour and a half, without any luck. I removed and cleaned all of the lines and even tried the old thermal couple, but the pilot light wouldn’t stay lit. I guess I’ll be shopping for a new water heater when I go to town.
I removed the tarps from the lean-to shed and put my quad in to protect it from the sun. I also removed the tarps from the garage and tried to start the truck, but the battery was completely dead. That is a new battery from last summer, so there may have been an electrical draw that used all its charge. I thought that maybe all the batteries would need to be charged before starting, but the Argo started immediately on the first turn of the key. Now I think that is amazing as I often had trouble starting it when the engine was cold. Next was the bulldozer and it too started immediately. Being able to start both the Argo and the dozer so easily, confirms that the truck must have had a drain on it.
I removed the truck battery and took it to the cabin, putting it on the trickle charger. I’ll see what condition it is before I go to bed and turn off the generator, but because my dental appointment is at 1 PM tomorrow, I doubt if I’ll have time to put the battery back, start the truck, back up and disconnect all six batteries, put all eight in the back of the truck and then be down to meet the follow me truck at 10:15.
I told Greg I’d meet him for lunch BEFORE they do my root canal, so I need to get into town before noon so we’ll have enough time to eat and then get to my appointment. All of this means that I’ll have to start the truck and load the batteries on Friday, making the trip to town to get the batteries and a water heater so I can install them this week end, hoping I don’t need to go to town again for a while.
I just played with and fed Zack, so he’s upstairs taking a nap on my bed after a busy day. He chased deer twice this afternoon, even though I admonished him not to. He was napping in the Jeep when three deer wandered into the yard and went to what’s left of the salt lick. I didn’t see him respond, so figured he hadn’t seen them. I went back to work and the next time I looked, the deer were gone. I thought they crossed the creek and went up the hill, but Zack soon returned from up the road, panting hard.
I am going to heat some water for a shower and then fix myself some dinner before relaxing and watching some television before bedtime.
The morning is sunny and bright with only a few thin clouds high in the sky. A last night low was 26.2, so it did go below freezing. I didn’t bother with building a fire this morning as the sunroom was in the low sixties and I knew that as soon as the sun moved it would heat the cabin up.
I have spent the morning working up these updates and reading more about possible fixes for the water heater. I tried one suggestion from my book on how to fix everything, but the pilot light wouldn’t stay lit. I am going to completely disassemble the burner and control unit and see if I can fix it, as I have nothing to loose, if I am already planning to buy a replacement.
I will also remove the tarps from the garage and start the truck, as I need it to get the old batteries to town and bring the new ones back. I also need to buy some blue board insulation to redo the battery box, and pressure treated 2 x 4s to make a cattle grating for the road.
On my trip to town tomorrow, I will take my computer and if I am not feeling too bad after my root canal, I’ll stop at the RV Park and use their wireless connection to collect my emails and send these updates. No promises, but I’ll try.
Okay, it is now 7 PM, and I have been working, working, working. I worked on the water heater for about an hour and a half, without any luck. I removed and cleaned all of the lines and even tried the old thermal couple, but the pilot light wouldn’t stay lit. I guess I’ll be shopping for a new water heater when I go to town.
I removed the tarps from the lean-to shed and put my quad in to protect it from the sun. I also removed the tarps from the garage and tried to start the truck, but the battery was completely dead. That is a new battery from last summer, so there may have been an electrical draw that used all its charge. I thought that maybe all the batteries would need to be charged before starting, but the Argo started immediately on the first turn of the key. Now I think that is amazing as I often had trouble starting it when the engine was cold. Next was the bulldozer and it too started immediately. Being able to start both the Argo and the dozer so easily, confirms that the truck must have had a drain on it.
I removed the truck battery and took it to the cabin, putting it on the trickle charger. I’ll see what condition it is before I go to bed and turn off the generator, but because my dental appointment is at 1 PM tomorrow, I doubt if I’ll have time to put the battery back, start the truck, back up and disconnect all six batteries, put all eight in the back of the truck and then be down to meet the follow me truck at 10:15.
I told Greg I’d meet him for lunch BEFORE they do my root canal, so I need to get into town before noon so we’ll have enough time to eat and then get to my appointment. All of this means that I’ll have to start the truck and load the batteries on Friday, making the trip to town to get the batteries and a water heater so I can install them this week end, hoping I don’t need to go to town again for a while.
I just played with and fed Zack, so he’s upstairs taking a nap on my bed after a busy day. He chased deer twice this afternoon, even though I admonished him not to. He was napping in the Jeep when three deer wandered into the yard and went to what’s left of the salt lick. I didn’t see him respond, so figured he hadn’t seen them. I went back to work and the next time I looked, the deer were gone. I thought they crossed the creek and went up the hill, but Zack soon returned from up the road, panting hard.
I am going to heat some water for a shower and then fix myself some dinner before relaxing and watching some television before bedtime.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 -
I spent the morning reading all of the information about the tankless water heater and decided that the cost and problems with installing it presented more problems than I wanted to deal with. It seems that the Bosch tankless water heaters need batteries to ignite the gas and the increased amount of heat given off by the flames used to instantly heat the water, requires 50 cubic square feet of open space, a 5” special vent (my existing is only 4”), and can’t be installed in the same space I have the inverter.
So much for that idea, but I will do more research, if I ever get online, before giving up on the idea. I know that Camping World is selling one that is portable and can be mounted outside, for $238.00, but it is only good to 5 degrees, as the water in the lines will freeze at lower temperatures. If I leave in the winter and drain or remove it, it would be okay, so that may be an option. I will price replacement LP water heaters in town and see if I can get by cheaper.
I have my doctor’s appointment at 3 PM, so need to watch my time and leave here no later than 12:40 to make the 1:15 departure of the follow me truck. I’ll be glad when they finish the road so we don’t have to put up with all of this. At least I have it better than those in town as they have to put up with all of the dust and noise of the work, plus the torn up driveways.
Zack and I left and managed to meet the time schedules, arriving at my doctor’s office at 2:56. I checked in and the nurse took me to an exam room to do the update of information, weight, temperature, and of course, blood pressure. Again, it was too high (158/89). The doctor came in shortly after that and said that we needed to address my blood pressure issue before her blood pressure went up. We talked about options and what medications I had tried in the past, coming to the agreement that I would try a water pill to help thin my blood and reduce my pressure.
We moved on to the main reason I made the appointment, which was for the tiresome problem of involuntary air swallowing, due to my acid reflux problem. I was having an episode at the moment, so she could sympathize with me and we discussed surgery to correct the problem, but she wants me to try another antacid before going in that direction. She did say that she would order a colonoscopy and have them do an oral examine at the same time. In other words, do both ends at the same time. Her exact words, not mine.
We had a discussion about my allergy medication being a cause for high blood pressure, and heaven knows I’ve been using it a lot lately, so she scheduled me for an appointment for an allergist to see if a newer medication might be available. We had tried several different types a couple of years ago, but they didn’t help and she put me back on my original medication, which I have been on for over 40 years.
Once all was finished and she gave me a new script for my medications, she had me make any appoint for a blood draw and biopsy of a small spot on my arm that doesn’t heal. I will have those done on Wednesday of next week and will have to fast before the blood draw.
I drove over to the battery shop where I had originally purchased my batteries and talked to the second in charge. They have more than 8 of the L-16 batteries and need my old ones in exchange. I told him I’d have to get my truck running so I could haul them down and get the new ones. I asked about the price and told him that I had gotten a discount on the previous ones because I bought eight of them. He called the owner, explained the situation, and was told he would give me a discount, selling me the batteries for $280.00 each, instead of the $285.00 they sell for. I sarcastically told the guy that was real generous of him, and he agreed, but then business is tough all over and the boss needs to make a living, like everyone else.
Having done a lot of research the last time I purchased the batteries, I knew that this was still the best price and I will simply have to swallow hard and pay the $2,240.00. Living off the grid has its advantages, but this isn’t one of them. At least there isn’t any sales tax, so I guess I should be thankful for that.
I spoke to India, regarding my lack of internet, and when a heavily accented female answered, I asked to speak to someone without an accent. She tried to tell me she didn’t have an accent, and would s-p-e-a-k- v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, and when I told her no, I wanted someone with English as their FIRST language, she started to argue with me. I asked for her supervisor and when Gary came on, he told me - in broken English - their was no one there that spoke English as a first language and that if I wanted help, I would have to speak to him. I questioned his statement and made him repeat every third word, as I couldn’t f--king understand him. I will be contacting Hughes and lodging a formal complaint.
I managed to “What?” “What did you say,” through his explanation of what I should try to resolve my issue, AFTER I repeatedly told him that I wasn’t in front of the computer, but 40 miles away! He then told me that because my warranty was up in 2005, I would have to pay $125.00 to have a technician make a house call to check the problem. I asked him if he meant that Hughes expected me to pay my monthly fee of $59.95 for NOT receiving any service. He told me no, that I had to pay to get a technician to fix the reason why I wasn’t getting any service. Did I mention my high blood pressure? This wasn’t helping.
I made him tell me all of the procedures that he would have me go through IF I WAS IN FRONT OF MY COMPUTER. I wrote them down and told him I would try those things and then call back in a day or two. He wanted to know why I couldn’t call back today, and try as I might, to explain my situation to someone living in the heaviest populated city in the world, I just couldn’t get him to understand, and I finally just hung up.
Back home, I tried all of the things he told me about and several that he didn’t. I finally got a message saying, “Modem can’t range due to distance to satellite has changed.” I guess my cabin moved while I was gone, or their satellite did. In either instance, I should think that Hughes should pay someone to come out and verify the problem was their equipment, not me or my computer. I will be looking into one of the other satellite providers services and tell Hughes to go stuff themselves.
Three drinks and some dinner later, I simply put all of it out of my mind and focused on other things, which right now is multiple. I watched television while enjoying a fire as the night is much colder than previous nights and in fact it is supposed to go to freezing at my altitude tonight.
I spent the morning reading all of the information about the tankless water heater and decided that the cost and problems with installing it presented more problems than I wanted to deal with. It seems that the Bosch tankless water heaters need batteries to ignite the gas and the increased amount of heat given off by the flames used to instantly heat the water, requires 50 cubic square feet of open space, a 5” special vent (my existing is only 4”), and can’t be installed in the same space I have the inverter.
So much for that idea, but I will do more research, if I ever get online, before giving up on the idea. I know that Camping World is selling one that is portable and can be mounted outside, for $238.00, but it is only good to 5 degrees, as the water in the lines will freeze at lower temperatures. If I leave in the winter and drain or remove it, it would be okay, so that may be an option. I will price replacement LP water heaters in town and see if I can get by cheaper.
I have my doctor’s appointment at 3 PM, so need to watch my time and leave here no later than 12:40 to make the 1:15 departure of the follow me truck. I’ll be glad when they finish the road so we don’t have to put up with all of this. At least I have it better than those in town as they have to put up with all of the dust and noise of the work, plus the torn up driveways.
Zack and I left and managed to meet the time schedules, arriving at my doctor’s office at 2:56. I checked in and the nurse took me to an exam room to do the update of information, weight, temperature, and of course, blood pressure. Again, it was too high (158/89). The doctor came in shortly after that and said that we needed to address my blood pressure issue before her blood pressure went up. We talked about options and what medications I had tried in the past, coming to the agreement that I would try a water pill to help thin my blood and reduce my pressure.
We moved on to the main reason I made the appointment, which was for the tiresome problem of involuntary air swallowing, due to my acid reflux problem. I was having an episode at the moment, so she could sympathize with me and we discussed surgery to correct the problem, but she wants me to try another antacid before going in that direction. She did say that she would order a colonoscopy and have them do an oral examine at the same time. In other words, do both ends at the same time. Her exact words, not mine.
We had a discussion about my allergy medication being a cause for high blood pressure, and heaven knows I’ve been using it a lot lately, so she scheduled me for an appointment for an allergist to see if a newer medication might be available. We had tried several different types a couple of years ago, but they didn’t help and she put me back on my original medication, which I have been on for over 40 years.
Once all was finished and she gave me a new script for my medications, she had me make any appoint for a blood draw and biopsy of a small spot on my arm that doesn’t heal. I will have those done on Wednesday of next week and will have to fast before the blood draw.
I drove over to the battery shop where I had originally purchased my batteries and talked to the second in charge. They have more than 8 of the L-16 batteries and need my old ones in exchange. I told him I’d have to get my truck running so I could haul them down and get the new ones. I asked about the price and told him that I had gotten a discount on the previous ones because I bought eight of them. He called the owner, explained the situation, and was told he would give me a discount, selling me the batteries for $280.00 each, instead of the $285.00 they sell for. I sarcastically told the guy that was real generous of him, and he agreed, but then business is tough all over and the boss needs to make a living, like everyone else.
Having done a lot of research the last time I purchased the batteries, I knew that this was still the best price and I will simply have to swallow hard and pay the $2,240.00. Living off the grid has its advantages, but this isn’t one of them. At least there isn’t any sales tax, so I guess I should be thankful for that.
I spoke to India, regarding my lack of internet, and when a heavily accented female answered, I asked to speak to someone without an accent. She tried to tell me she didn’t have an accent, and would s-p-e-a-k- v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, and when I told her no, I wanted someone with English as their FIRST language, she started to argue with me. I asked for her supervisor and when Gary came on, he told me - in broken English - their was no one there that spoke English as a first language and that if I wanted help, I would have to speak to him. I questioned his statement and made him repeat every third word, as I couldn’t f--king understand him. I will be contacting Hughes and lodging a formal complaint.
I managed to “What?” “What did you say,” through his explanation of what I should try to resolve my issue, AFTER I repeatedly told him that I wasn’t in front of the computer, but 40 miles away! He then told me that because my warranty was up in 2005, I would have to pay $125.00 to have a technician make a house call to check the problem. I asked him if he meant that Hughes expected me to pay my monthly fee of $59.95 for NOT receiving any service. He told me no, that I had to pay to get a technician to fix the reason why I wasn’t getting any service. Did I mention my high blood pressure? This wasn’t helping.
I made him tell me all of the procedures that he would have me go through IF I WAS IN FRONT OF MY COMPUTER. I wrote them down and told him I would try those things and then call back in a day or two. He wanted to know why I couldn’t call back today, and try as I might, to explain my situation to someone living in the heaviest populated city in the world, I just couldn’t get him to understand, and I finally just hung up.
Back home, I tried all of the things he told me about and several that he didn’t. I finally got a message saying, “Modem can’t range due to distance to satellite has changed.” I guess my cabin moved while I was gone, or their satellite did. In either instance, I should think that Hughes should pay someone to come out and verify the problem was their equipment, not me or my computer. I will be looking into one of the other satellite providers services and tell Hughes to go stuff themselves.
Three drinks and some dinner later, I simply put all of it out of my mind and focused on other things, which right now is multiple. I watched television while enjoying a fire as the night is much colder than previous nights and in fact it is supposed to go to freezing at my altitude tonight.
Monday, June 1, 2009 -
Although I enjoyed yesterdays respite, I feel like I need to get more done before relaxing. I still haven’t figured out why the batteries aren’t charging, and I need to open up the garage and get the vehicles started. It is cool and overcast today and NWS is predicting the possibility of thundershowers.
I have my dentist appointment at 2 PM today, so need to get ready and head to town, so I can connect with the follow me truck in time to make my appointment. If I miss the truck, it means waiting a whole hour and possibly missing my appointment. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I only see the dentist once a year for a cleaning and check up, so it has been awhile and I need him to check a tooth that has been pressure sensitive for several months.
Zack and I left the cabin at 12:45 and drove down the mountain to connect with the follow me truck. We arrived with 10 minutes to spare and I read while waiting as Zack napped in the copilot seat. We made the trip to Lincoln Road, and again, I was surprised to see how much of the road is paved. They are now more than half way done and even putting up the guard rails on the Lincoln Road side.
I made it to my appointment right on time and parked in a lot behind where my dentist’s office is. I usually park on the street, but decided that the parking lot was more convenient, so parked there. The dental hygienist took me right in and introduced herself. She is new at this office and I found her manner and techniques superior to just about all of my previous hygienist. After she had finished the exam and x-rays, John, my dentist, did his exam and studied the x-rays. He told me that the pressure sensitive tooth, a lower left molar (#19), was abscessed and I would have to have a root canal immediately. I have had abscessed teeth before and this didn’t seem as painful or bothersome as any before, but even I could see the abscess in the x-ray.
John started me on antibiotics and scheduled me for the root canal on Thursday, what fun, not to mention the $827.00 that it will cost me. It is still far less than the amount I would have spent on monthly premiums if I had purchased the dental coverage at retirement, so I can’t complain. He further discussed my high blood pressure (186/107) and was relieved to find out that I was seeing my doctor tomorrow.
When I got back to the car, there was an envelope on the windshield, and my first thought was that someone had hit me and left a note, but it was a parking ticket! Because I have never parked in a lot on my infrequent trips to town, I was unaware that there was a charge. There are no meters and on my way out, I saw the little sign and box saying, “Pay Here.” I remember that on my way into the lot, a large delivery van had been parked there, blocking my view of the sign.
I read the ticket and it was a $5.00 penalty, but could be disputed in person at the Parking Enforcement Office. I had to pay my vehicle registration on the RV, so went to the DMV to do that. After paying, I asked the clerk where I needed to go to see about the parking ticket. I thought maybe their office was in the same building, but it wasn’t. I drove to Parking Enforcement and found the office needed. I spoke to the clerk and explained the circumstances and she told me that I only needed to pay a dollar, but be sure to pay the parking fee in the future.
I went to Safeway to have the prescription filled, as John wants me to double dose today and then take them for a week to eliminate the infection. I bought some groceries and filled the gas cans ($1.99 with my 40 cent discount) while I was there, and then stopped at Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware to check on prices and availability of the tankless water heaters.
I found that Home Depot didn’t have any on display, but did have a brochure on Rheems and Paloma brand, and Lowes had several Bosch units on display. I have to have one that operates on LP (Liquid Propane), and they had one in stock for $649.00, which is a little more than twice what a gas water heater costs. Ace Hardware has the same unit for $599.00 and can get it in two workdays.
Not being able to get online and research tankless water heaters was troublesome, but Steve at Ace Hardware, printed out the entire owner’s manual for me to study. Having looked into tankless water heaters a couple of years ago, I knew that $600.00 was cheaper than what they had been, so was resigned to pay that price for one, but would study the manual information before making that decision.
We didn’t get back to the Marysville Road until after 7 PM, so didn’t have to deal with the follow me truck or wait. Again, I was happy to see their progress, as they are ¾ of the way to Marysville with the paving. The smooth, quick trip to our turn off was a pleasure, but the newly paved road means people will drive at a greater speed and in the winter it could mean more accidents than ever. At least with the guardrail I hope no one will go over the side and down the mountain as I had.
We stopped at the motor home to get yet more things to move to the cabin, and didn’t get home and unloaded until 8:30. I played with and then fed Zack, with Zoey being back on mainly dry food now that she is home. I fixed myself some dinner and then showered, watched a program on television and went to bed.
Although I enjoyed yesterdays respite, I feel like I need to get more done before relaxing. I still haven’t figured out why the batteries aren’t charging, and I need to open up the garage and get the vehicles started. It is cool and overcast today and NWS is predicting the possibility of thundershowers.
I have my dentist appointment at 2 PM today, so need to get ready and head to town, so I can connect with the follow me truck in time to make my appointment. If I miss the truck, it means waiting a whole hour and possibly missing my appointment. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I only see the dentist once a year for a cleaning and check up, so it has been awhile and I need him to check a tooth that has been pressure sensitive for several months.
Zack and I left the cabin at 12:45 and drove down the mountain to connect with the follow me truck. We arrived with 10 minutes to spare and I read while waiting as Zack napped in the copilot seat. We made the trip to Lincoln Road, and again, I was surprised to see how much of the road is paved. They are now more than half way done and even putting up the guard rails on the Lincoln Road side.
I made it to my appointment right on time and parked in a lot behind where my dentist’s office is. I usually park on the street, but decided that the parking lot was more convenient, so parked there. The dental hygienist took me right in and introduced herself. She is new at this office and I found her manner and techniques superior to just about all of my previous hygienist. After she had finished the exam and x-rays, John, my dentist, did his exam and studied the x-rays. He told me that the pressure sensitive tooth, a lower left molar (#19), was abscessed and I would have to have a root canal immediately. I have had abscessed teeth before and this didn’t seem as painful or bothersome as any before, but even I could see the abscess in the x-ray.
John started me on antibiotics and scheduled me for the root canal on Thursday, what fun, not to mention the $827.00 that it will cost me. It is still far less than the amount I would have spent on monthly premiums if I had purchased the dental coverage at retirement, so I can’t complain. He further discussed my high blood pressure (186/107) and was relieved to find out that I was seeing my doctor tomorrow.
When I got back to the car, there was an envelope on the windshield, and my first thought was that someone had hit me and left a note, but it was a parking ticket! Because I have never parked in a lot on my infrequent trips to town, I was unaware that there was a charge. There are no meters and on my way out, I saw the little sign and box saying, “Pay Here.” I remember that on my way into the lot, a large delivery van had been parked there, blocking my view of the sign.
I read the ticket and it was a $5.00 penalty, but could be disputed in person at the Parking Enforcement Office. I had to pay my vehicle registration on the RV, so went to the DMV to do that. After paying, I asked the clerk where I needed to go to see about the parking ticket. I thought maybe their office was in the same building, but it wasn’t. I drove to Parking Enforcement and found the office needed. I spoke to the clerk and explained the circumstances and she told me that I only needed to pay a dollar, but be sure to pay the parking fee in the future.
I went to Safeway to have the prescription filled, as John wants me to double dose today and then take them for a week to eliminate the infection. I bought some groceries and filled the gas cans ($1.99 with my 40 cent discount) while I was there, and then stopped at Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware to check on prices and availability of the tankless water heaters.
I found that Home Depot didn’t have any on display, but did have a brochure on Rheems and Paloma brand, and Lowes had several Bosch units on display. I have to have one that operates on LP (Liquid Propane), and they had one in stock for $649.00, which is a little more than twice what a gas water heater costs. Ace Hardware has the same unit for $599.00 and can get it in two workdays.
Not being able to get online and research tankless water heaters was troublesome, but Steve at Ace Hardware, printed out the entire owner’s manual for me to study. Having looked into tankless water heaters a couple of years ago, I knew that $600.00 was cheaper than what they had been, so was resigned to pay that price for one, but would study the manual information before making that decision.
We didn’t get back to the Marysville Road until after 7 PM, so didn’t have to deal with the follow me truck or wait. Again, I was happy to see their progress, as they are ¾ of the way to Marysville with the paving. The smooth, quick trip to our turn off was a pleasure, but the newly paved road means people will drive at a greater speed and in the winter it could mean more accidents than ever. At least with the guardrail I hope no one will go over the side and down the mountain as I had.
We stopped at the motor home to get yet more things to move to the cabin, and didn’t get home and unloaded until 8:30. I played with and then fed Zack, with Zoey being back on mainly dry food now that she is home. I fixed myself some dinner and then showered, watched a program on television and went to bed.
Sunday, May 31, 2009 - At the Cabin
Sleeping in my own bed last night was like sleeping on a cloud. The memory foam and my own pillow made it seem like I was floating as I slept. I awoke earlier than my usual time, but the lack of noise and comfort of my bed let me continue sleeping for a while longer.
I got up and fixed my coffee, started the generator for power and tried to get the computer online. I had no luck and will have to do a lot more research and checking to find the problem. While still at the RV Park, I had emailed Joe and Michele, letting them know I was back and inviting them to come up today if they wished. Joe’s mother is visiting from Pennsylvania and he wanted to bring her up to see my place, so I expected them at any time.
I am enjoying watching my birds returning as they discover the full feeders, and the chipmunks in the wood pile as they hunt for and find the peanuts I hide. The morning is so warm that I have all of the doors and windows open to let the fresh mountain air in. Although I am sad to see how many of the trees around me have succumbed to the bark beetle, being home and simply enjoying the beauty and peace and quiet of my kingdom is a great reward.
Just past noon, Michele, Joe, and his mother arrived and Zack and I greeted them. Joe’s mother isn’t quite like the picture he painted and I had in my mind. She is petite and attractive, and easy to be comfortable with. We all sat in the sunroom and visited, catching up on things that have happened. Joe had purchased a 1989 Honda Prelude with four-wheel steer, which is a year newer than the one I had. He loves the car and how it handles, but it is too difficult to get in and out of with his added weight, so he gave it to his mother to drive home. She had a bad experience flying out here, as she has a problem with her mastoid process, making her feel dizzy and sick, so she doesn’t want to fly home. Joe’s younger brother is flying out next week to drive her home in the Honda.
We sat out on the deck, soaking up the sun and just enjoying a warm lazy afternoon. I felt bad that I had nothing more than Dr. Pepper soda to offer them, as all of my chips and dips are still in the motor home. After playing with Zack and visiting, they headed for home at about 4:30, and I went back to trying to get online.
I had replaced the thermal coupler in the water heater and tried to light it with the same result as before, the pilot light would not stay lit when I released the button. More investigations indicated that it could be a dirty tube that supplies the propane to the pilot, so I removed and cleaned it. It didn’t help and according to all my books, it means the actual control is bad and needs to be replaced.
I had decided long ago that if and when the water heater had to be replaced, I would install a tankless water heater that doesn’t require a pilot to burn 24/7, so I’ll investigate that rather than fool with this 7+ year old water heater. I spent the next several hours deconstructing the battery box, removing and cleaning the batteries and all of the cables. To my dismay, I found that two of the batteries had froze and blown out their casings. The other six looked okay so I thought that I could reconnect those six, charge them and get by until a later date. I cleaned all six batteries, putting each of the 130 lb. batteries back in the battery box and reconnected them.
It was almost completely dark now, but I managed to finish and start the generator to begin charging them. I guess Fred was right when he emailed me that I might have more surprises in store, as I got things back to status quo. When dealing with multiple batteries, you cannot simply replace the bad batteries, but you must replace all of the batteries at the same time. This means an additional unexpected expense, on top of the water pump housing and water heater. If I remember correctly, those L-16 batteries cost me about $180.00 each, so with the cost of materials rising over the past five years, I know it is going to be costly to replace them.
I watched the inverter control panel as the generator was running and no matter what I did, it didn’t show the now six batteries were charging; in fact it indicated that they were discharging. My system is set up for 24 volts and the batteries should have a top charge of 29 volts and then need recharging when the volts drop below 22 volts. The meter was indicating that the voltage was 18.4 when I started the generator, then dropped to 18.2, and stayed there.
I gave up for the time being and heated water on the stove for a shower and then had some dinner and watched television until bedtime.
Sleeping in my own bed last night was like sleeping on a cloud. The memory foam and my own pillow made it seem like I was floating as I slept. I awoke earlier than my usual time, but the lack of noise and comfort of my bed let me continue sleeping for a while longer.
I got up and fixed my coffee, started the generator for power and tried to get the computer online. I had no luck and will have to do a lot more research and checking to find the problem. While still at the RV Park, I had emailed Joe and Michele, letting them know I was back and inviting them to come up today if they wished. Joe’s mother is visiting from Pennsylvania and he wanted to bring her up to see my place, so I expected them at any time.
I am enjoying watching my birds returning as they discover the full feeders, and the chipmunks in the wood pile as they hunt for and find the peanuts I hide. The morning is so warm that I have all of the doors and windows open to let the fresh mountain air in. Although I am sad to see how many of the trees around me have succumbed to the bark beetle, being home and simply enjoying the beauty and peace and quiet of my kingdom is a great reward.
Just past noon, Michele, Joe, and his mother arrived and Zack and I greeted them. Joe’s mother isn’t quite like the picture he painted and I had in my mind. She is petite and attractive, and easy to be comfortable with. We all sat in the sunroom and visited, catching up on things that have happened. Joe had purchased a 1989 Honda Prelude with four-wheel steer, which is a year newer than the one I had. He loves the car and how it handles, but it is too difficult to get in and out of with his added weight, so he gave it to his mother to drive home. She had a bad experience flying out here, as she has a problem with her mastoid process, making her feel dizzy and sick, so she doesn’t want to fly home. Joe’s younger brother is flying out next week to drive her home in the Honda.
We sat out on the deck, soaking up the sun and just enjoying a warm lazy afternoon. I felt bad that I had nothing more than Dr. Pepper soda to offer them, as all of my chips and dips are still in the motor home. After playing with Zack and visiting, they headed for home at about 4:30, and I went back to trying to get online.
I had replaced the thermal coupler in the water heater and tried to light it with the same result as before, the pilot light would not stay lit when I released the button. More investigations indicated that it could be a dirty tube that supplies the propane to the pilot, so I removed and cleaned it. It didn’t help and according to all my books, it means the actual control is bad and needs to be replaced.
I had decided long ago that if and when the water heater had to be replaced, I would install a tankless water heater that doesn’t require a pilot to burn 24/7, so I’ll investigate that rather than fool with this 7+ year old water heater. I spent the next several hours deconstructing the battery box, removing and cleaning the batteries and all of the cables. To my dismay, I found that two of the batteries had froze and blown out their casings. The other six looked okay so I thought that I could reconnect those six, charge them and get by until a later date. I cleaned all six batteries, putting each of the 130 lb. batteries back in the battery box and reconnected them.
It was almost completely dark now, but I managed to finish and start the generator to begin charging them. I guess Fred was right when he emailed me that I might have more surprises in store, as I got things back to status quo. When dealing with multiple batteries, you cannot simply replace the bad batteries, but you must replace all of the batteries at the same time. This means an additional unexpected expense, on top of the water pump housing and water heater. If I remember correctly, those L-16 batteries cost me about $180.00 each, so with the cost of materials rising over the past five years, I know it is going to be costly to replace them.
I watched the inverter control panel as the generator was running and no matter what I did, it didn’t show the now six batteries were charging; in fact it indicated that they were discharging. My system is set up for 24 volts and the batteries should have a top charge of 29 volts and then need recharging when the volts drop below 22 volts. The meter was indicating that the voltage was 18.4 when I started the generator, then dropped to 18.2, and stayed there.
I gave up for the time being and heated water on the stove for a shower and then had some dinner and watched television until bedtime.
Saturday, May 30, 2009 - Lincoln RV Park to Peggy’s
I have decided that I will move the motor home to Peggy’s for the summer and that way it will be closer to transfer all of my things back to the cabin. I drove up to her place on my way in yesterday and the snow had melted in the spot I park my RV.
After my morning coffee, I prepared the motor home for travel and disconnected the water, sewer, and power. I walked to the office, settled my account with Kim, and said my goodbyes, for now. I was on the road and headed to Marysville by 10:50 AM. The road was clear and void of traffic, which isn’t anything new, so we made good time to the Marysville Road turn off. With the road crew not working on the weekends, I didn’t have to wait for the follow me truck and simply continued on to Marysville. I was surprised at how much of the road is completed and it made the trip a lot smoother for the motor home.
We had to slow down at the turn off to Peggy’s as the road hasn’t, and won’t, be worked on. The grade increases, so the trip to Peggy’s was slow, even though I had the gas peddle pushed to the floor. We finally made it, I disconnected the Jeep, and pulled the RV into the same spot I had it parked the previous summer. I tried to level it the best I could, but the rear is still down hill, making the level bubble almost a half a bubble off center. The reason I mention this is that the propane refrigerator doesn’t work well when it isn’t level, but after I remove all of the items I will defrost and leave it off, so I am not too concerned.
I loaded the Jeep up with stuff I’ll need right away at the cabin and we drove home. I played with Zack and now that we are home, he won’t let me miss any of his play periods. I can tell that both he and Zoey are really happy to be home, but Zack had no hesitation to jump into the motor home and lay down, prepared to travel. I think he enjoyed the trip and likes traveling. Meanwhile, Zoey is seeking more assurance and affection from me than ever before. I have been giving a lot of thought to getting another kitten from the Humane Society so she will have a companion and playmate.
I put things away and was surprised to see how empty my refrigerator looks, even after putting many items from the RV refrigerator in it. It is almost three times the size of the RV refrigerator, but that refrigerator was jammed packed with things. I haven’t brought all of it to the cabin yet, but still, it looks empty. It was getting late and I didn’t feel like working on the water heater, so heated some water on the stove and showered using the solar shower bag in the shower.
I fed Zack and Zoey, and then fixed myself some dinner. I have to run the generator for power, as the batteries aren’t holding a charge. After reading all my manuals, I have deduced that they are so low that a complete manual (with a separate charger) charge is necessary. I settled in for my first night back, with the evening being so warm that I left all the doors and windows open. Zack and Zoey have been in and out several times, enjoying the freedom and spring evening.
After trying to get online, I am having a problem getting the modem to connect with the satellite, and it may have something to do with the adjustments made for it to work with the D2 in the motor home, but I don’t want to take the time to deal with it right now. After some television and giving Zoey some lap time, I went to bed.
I have decided that I will move the motor home to Peggy’s for the summer and that way it will be closer to transfer all of my things back to the cabin. I drove up to her place on my way in yesterday and the snow had melted in the spot I park my RV.
After my morning coffee, I prepared the motor home for travel and disconnected the water, sewer, and power. I walked to the office, settled my account with Kim, and said my goodbyes, for now. I was on the road and headed to Marysville by 10:50 AM. The road was clear and void of traffic, which isn’t anything new, so we made good time to the Marysville Road turn off. With the road crew not working on the weekends, I didn’t have to wait for the follow me truck and simply continued on to Marysville. I was surprised at how much of the road is completed and it made the trip a lot smoother for the motor home.
We had to slow down at the turn off to Peggy’s as the road hasn’t, and won’t, be worked on. The grade increases, so the trip to Peggy’s was slow, even though I had the gas peddle pushed to the floor. We finally made it, I disconnected the Jeep, and pulled the RV into the same spot I had it parked the previous summer. I tried to level it the best I could, but the rear is still down hill, making the level bubble almost a half a bubble off center. The reason I mention this is that the propane refrigerator doesn’t work well when it isn’t level, but after I remove all of the items I will defrost and leave it off, so I am not too concerned.
I loaded the Jeep up with stuff I’ll need right away at the cabin and we drove home. I played with Zack and now that we are home, he won’t let me miss any of his play periods. I can tell that both he and Zoey are really happy to be home, but Zack had no hesitation to jump into the motor home and lay down, prepared to travel. I think he enjoyed the trip and likes traveling. Meanwhile, Zoey is seeking more assurance and affection from me than ever before. I have been giving a lot of thought to getting another kitten from the Humane Society so she will have a companion and playmate.
I put things away and was surprised to see how empty my refrigerator looks, even after putting many items from the RV refrigerator in it. It is almost three times the size of the RV refrigerator, but that refrigerator was jammed packed with things. I haven’t brought all of it to the cabin yet, but still, it looks empty. It was getting late and I didn’t feel like working on the water heater, so heated some water on the stove and showered using the solar shower bag in the shower.
I fed Zack and Zoey, and then fixed myself some dinner. I have to run the generator for power, as the batteries aren’t holding a charge. After reading all my manuals, I have deduced that they are so low that a complete manual (with a separate charger) charge is necessary. I settled in for my first night back, with the evening being so warm that I left all the doors and windows open. Zack and Zoey have been in and out several times, enjoying the freedom and spring evening.
After trying to get online, I am having a problem getting the modem to connect with the satellite, and it may have something to do with the adjustments made for it to work with the D2 in the motor home, but I don’t want to take the time to deal with it right now. After some television and giving Zoey some lap time, I went to bed.
Friday, May 29, 2009 - Still at Lincoln RV Park
The weather has been very pleasant since I arrived in town and the cool evenings are a nice change. In Helena, it has been in the 70s and even 80s, but up at the cabin it has been in the high 60s, which is perfect for this time of the year. The trees at the RV Park have bloomed and now all turned green with their leaves, but my trees at the cabin haven’t even started to bud. As soon as the longer days warm up, all of it will burst into color.
It is now 10 O’clock and as soon as I have a bite to eat, Zack and I are headed up to get the water restored to the cabin.
Home again, or at least back at the motor home. We got to Lincoln Road about 5 minutes before the departure of the “follow me” truck and drove to the cabin. There is less snow on the Divide by about half from the first trip up. I still have some snow around the cabin, but just in those areas that had large wind drifts. Mostly it is just really muddy as the snow above melts and comes down the mountain into my front yard.
I fired up the generator to fully charge the batteries while I worked on restoring the water system. Using the backup water pump, I switched the necessary pipes from the old to the new and installed it. I primed the pump, crossed my fingers, flipped the switch, and within a minute the water filled the filters and started to fill the accumulator and water heater. I checked all of the plumbing for possible leaks and found none, and I now have water.
My next task was to relight all of the pilot lights, so I started with the refrigerator, which lit without a problem. I then lit the stove pilot lights and moved to the water heater. If you’ve never had to light a water heater pilot light, you wouldn’t understand, but it isn’t the easiest to light. In order to see what you are doing, you either have to get down on your knees, or lay down on the floor. You then must turn a knob to “pilot” and push it down and hold it to make the gas flow. Now you must light the pilot, without being able to see what you are doing, unless you have a flashlight trained on the area. Once the pilot light has a flame, you must continue to hold the button down until the thermal coupler has heated sufficiently to keep the gas flowing. This can be up to a couple of minutes, and in my case, never. Each time I let the button up, the pilot light went out. The stick lighter I was using was almost out of fuel, so I had to rely on the spark from it to continuously ignite the gas.
After fooling around with it for almost an hour (weighting the knob down to keep the gas flowing while I did other things) I still couldn’t get it to stay lit. I suspected the thermal coupler was bad, so got the owners manual out and read the trouble shooting section to confirm it. I will have to buy and replace the coupler to further determine if that is all the problem is. The thought of not having any warm/hot water to clean and shower with, doesn’t appeal to me at the moment.
I put the outdoor furniture back on the deck, along with my weather station, filled all the bird feeders, which got immediate attention from the patiently waiting nuthatch, and vacuumed the sunroom and living room. I cleaned the bathroom and kitchen counters, as the mice droppings were rather disgusting. I then moved all of the bottled and canned items that I had stored in the shower, not knowing for sure if they might freeze, back to their prospective cabinets. The high/low thermometer I had left in the shower shows that the lowest temperature in the cabin was 10 degrees, which isn’t as bad as I thought it might be.
I had accidently left a can of root beer in the refrigerator and it had froze and released it’s content, so that had to be cleaned up. Other than that, the cabin survived the winter well and I now know what to do, and not do, the next time I have to winterize it. I have yet to check all of the vehicles in the garage, but a quick visual check shows all seems to have survived. I’ll charge the batteries as necessary and start the Argo, truck, bulldozer, and the trail and lawn mowers to make sure all is well. After making sure all is in working order, I shall pronounce the cabin habitable, and then I need to take the dozer down the road and repair the damage that the water run off has created. After driving in and out three times now, I think I will reroute parts of the road to avoid having the same problem areas each spring. There are four spots that I, and others, have driven around to avoid, so I’ll just doze a new road in those locations.
Aside from playing with Zack a few times, and giving Zoey the attention she craved, that was the extent of the day. Zack and I drove back to Marysville at five O’clock, hoping to meet the follow me truck at the prescribed quarter past the hour. On the way in, I specifically asked the driver if they were working until 7:00 PM, as they had been on the previous days, and he said they were. I also asked if they were working on the weekend, which he said no, so there are no restrictions on Saturday and Sunday.
We got down the mountain to the road at 5:20 PM, missing the quarter after truck, but all of the heavy equipment was parked, so I drove on to Mary and Guy’s for a short visit while waiting for the next follow me truck at 6:15. Mary and Guy said that because it was Friday, they were sure that the work had stopped and I could probably drive straight through. I left their place at 6:10 and saw the follow me truck taking down all of the signs and lights. I stopped to talk to them and indeed they were done for the weekend. They have almost half of the road paved on both sides now, so I am impressed with their speed. This is the same construction company, but a totally different crew that is laying the pavement, so that may make some difference.
Zack and I drove straight into town and stopped at Home Depot to buy a replacement thermal coupler ($9.96) and then back to the RV Park, where I played with him before giving him his dinner. I showered and then started fixing my dinner when a knock at the door stopped me. Lee came over to see if I wanted to see his wife’s final taxidermy work, which I did, so turned off the stove and went two spaces down to view her work.
She had completed seven or eight mounts of almost everything you can imagine. There were deer, elk, and bear heads, a whole wild boar, and a complete javelina, sometimes referred to as Peccary, three trout, and an Alaskan wolf pelt. She had done a nice job on all of them and I was impressed with how much she was able to accomplish in the four weeks of the class.
I went back to my dinner and some research on the computer before going to bed.
The weather has been very pleasant since I arrived in town and the cool evenings are a nice change. In Helena, it has been in the 70s and even 80s, but up at the cabin it has been in the high 60s, which is perfect for this time of the year. The trees at the RV Park have bloomed and now all turned green with their leaves, but my trees at the cabin haven’t even started to bud. As soon as the longer days warm up, all of it will burst into color.
It is now 10 O’clock and as soon as I have a bite to eat, Zack and I are headed up to get the water restored to the cabin.
Home again, or at least back at the motor home. We got to Lincoln Road about 5 minutes before the departure of the “follow me” truck and drove to the cabin. There is less snow on the Divide by about half from the first trip up. I still have some snow around the cabin, but just in those areas that had large wind drifts. Mostly it is just really muddy as the snow above melts and comes down the mountain into my front yard.
I fired up the generator to fully charge the batteries while I worked on restoring the water system. Using the backup water pump, I switched the necessary pipes from the old to the new and installed it. I primed the pump, crossed my fingers, flipped the switch, and within a minute the water filled the filters and started to fill the accumulator and water heater. I checked all of the plumbing for possible leaks and found none, and I now have water.
My next task was to relight all of the pilot lights, so I started with the refrigerator, which lit without a problem. I then lit the stove pilot lights and moved to the water heater. If you’ve never had to light a water heater pilot light, you wouldn’t understand, but it isn’t the easiest to light. In order to see what you are doing, you either have to get down on your knees, or lay down on the floor. You then must turn a knob to “pilot” and push it down and hold it to make the gas flow. Now you must light the pilot, without being able to see what you are doing, unless you have a flashlight trained on the area. Once the pilot light has a flame, you must continue to hold the button down until the thermal coupler has heated sufficiently to keep the gas flowing. This can be up to a couple of minutes, and in my case, never. Each time I let the button up, the pilot light went out. The stick lighter I was using was almost out of fuel, so I had to rely on the spark from it to continuously ignite the gas.
After fooling around with it for almost an hour (weighting the knob down to keep the gas flowing while I did other things) I still couldn’t get it to stay lit. I suspected the thermal coupler was bad, so got the owners manual out and read the trouble shooting section to confirm it. I will have to buy and replace the coupler to further determine if that is all the problem is. The thought of not having any warm/hot water to clean and shower with, doesn’t appeal to me at the moment.
I put the outdoor furniture back on the deck, along with my weather station, filled all the bird feeders, which got immediate attention from the patiently waiting nuthatch, and vacuumed the sunroom and living room. I cleaned the bathroom and kitchen counters, as the mice droppings were rather disgusting. I then moved all of the bottled and canned items that I had stored in the shower, not knowing for sure if they might freeze, back to their prospective cabinets. The high/low thermometer I had left in the shower shows that the lowest temperature in the cabin was 10 degrees, which isn’t as bad as I thought it might be.
I had accidently left a can of root beer in the refrigerator and it had froze and released it’s content, so that had to be cleaned up. Other than that, the cabin survived the winter well and I now know what to do, and not do, the next time I have to winterize it. I have yet to check all of the vehicles in the garage, but a quick visual check shows all seems to have survived. I’ll charge the batteries as necessary and start the Argo, truck, bulldozer, and the trail and lawn mowers to make sure all is well. After making sure all is in working order, I shall pronounce the cabin habitable, and then I need to take the dozer down the road and repair the damage that the water run off has created. After driving in and out three times now, I think I will reroute parts of the road to avoid having the same problem areas each spring. There are four spots that I, and others, have driven around to avoid, so I’ll just doze a new road in those locations.
Aside from playing with Zack a few times, and giving Zoey the attention she craved, that was the extent of the day. Zack and I drove back to Marysville at five O’clock, hoping to meet the follow me truck at the prescribed quarter past the hour. On the way in, I specifically asked the driver if they were working until 7:00 PM, as they had been on the previous days, and he said they were. I also asked if they were working on the weekend, which he said no, so there are no restrictions on Saturday and Sunday.
We got down the mountain to the road at 5:20 PM, missing the quarter after truck, but all of the heavy equipment was parked, so I drove on to Mary and Guy’s for a short visit while waiting for the next follow me truck at 6:15. Mary and Guy said that because it was Friday, they were sure that the work had stopped and I could probably drive straight through. I left their place at 6:10 and saw the follow me truck taking down all of the signs and lights. I stopped to talk to them and indeed they were done for the weekend. They have almost half of the road paved on both sides now, so I am impressed with their speed. This is the same construction company, but a totally different crew that is laying the pavement, so that may make some difference.
Zack and I drove straight into town and stopped at Home Depot to buy a replacement thermal coupler ($9.96) and then back to the RV Park, where I played with him before giving him his dinner. I showered and then started fixing my dinner when a knock at the door stopped me. Lee came over to see if I wanted to see his wife’s final taxidermy work, which I did, so turned off the stove and went two spaces down to view her work.
She had completed seven or eight mounts of almost everything you can imagine. There were deer, elk, and bear heads, a whole wild boar, and a complete javelina, sometimes referred to as Peccary, three trout, and an Alaskan wolf pelt. She had done a nice job on all of them and I was impressed with how much she was able to accomplish in the four weeks of the class.
I went back to my dinner and some research on the computer before going to bed.
I have recently returned from spending this winter on the road in my motor home. If you haven't read about my travels and adventures this past winter, you can read them at: http://mytripjournal.com/albert
This blog will begin upon returning to Helena and my beloved cabin on May 28, 2009.
Thursday, May 28, 2009 - Helena, Lincoln RV Park
Although it looked like the possibility of a thundershower yesterday, and National Weather predicted a 30% chance, it didn’t materialize, and today is clear and sunny.
I spent the morning organizing my receipts and mileage records from the trip south for the winter and here are the results.
Number of days gone (10-28 to 5-25) = 199 days
Number of miles traveled = 5,866 miles
Gallons of gas consumed (RV only) = 1,023.4 Gallons
Cost of gas (RV Only) = $2179.48
Well, I certainly didn’t get as much accomplished as I had planned on for today, as a neighbor, that I met two days ago, asked if I would help him move a small chest freezer into his trailer, which I did, and then we sat around and told our life stories to each other. By the time we finished and I got into town to see about the water pump housing, it was 4:30. By the time we got back to the motor home, it was 7 PM and too late to go to the cabin.
Lee, the neighbor, was a Postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service. He was born in southern California and after college he went to work for the postal service. He became Postmaster in Eureka, CA and was moved to Ennis, MT, where he finished his career and retired. He and his second wife now live in Eureka but purchased a mining claim north of Missoula, MT and plan to build a summer cabin. They both enjoy hunting and will use the cabin as their hunting lodge. They are currently in Helena so the wife can complete a taxidermy course and she plans on doing it as a hobby (interesting hobby, especially for a woman). I haven’t met her yet, but she sounds like an interesting person.
Besides hunting, his hobby is collecting and restoring old cars from the 1920s and 30s, and he currently has a 1932 Cadillac and a 1930 Packard. Each of the cars cost him close to $80,000.00 and he stores them in a barn on his property in California. He also loves sailing and was going to buy a sailboat, but doesn’t think he will since he turned 71 this year. I found our conversation interesting and thought his life had been interesting but he can’t belief my life and all I have done. He wants to pick my brain on things he’d like to do when building his cabin and we have exchanged contact information. They are leaving on Saturday, as she finishes her course work tomorrow. I hope I’ll get a change to meet her before they leave.
While I was in town, I stopped at Murdoch’s and bought a 5.5 hp gas water pump that will serve and add to my fire protection as well as pump water from the creek to a holding pond, which I will build to feed my hydro generator. It was on sale for $149.00, which is the cheapest I have even seen one. I stopped and got my mail, which wasn’t much, went to Real Food and got Zack’s food supplements, stopped at Lowes and Home Depot to see if they might have a replacement part for the pump, and called R & R Pump to see if they carried replacement housing. They don’t and both Lowes and Home Depot would call the 800 number to order the part from the company, but I can do that, so declined.
Tomorrow, I will go to the cabin, install my backup pump, and try to restore water. If I am successful, I will move back in and put my motor home in storage here at the RV Park until I can move it to Peggy’s for storage. That is the woman that built the resort closest to my cabin, and where I stored it last year. I can then move items back to the cabin in a more leisurely fashion.
I have arranged to stay another night here at the RV Park and will hopefully be able to make it my last. I won’t feel the actual excitement of being home until I wake up in my own bed at the cabin.
Zack and I played hard and then I fed him and myself, taking a shower while he napped. I have been watching a couple of prerecorded television shows, but now that the season is over and the stations are making a transition to summer programming, there really isn’t much on television to watch.
I have done research, while watching my programs, looking for the pump housing online at a better price than the $50.00 I paid for the last one, but I have only found one for $69.00, and that may be the new price I’ll have to pay. While I was at Home Depot, I priced a new pump and they have gone up from the $180.00 I paid in 2007, to $238.00 now. I guess that $69.00 replacement is just the sign of inflation.
I will call and order the part at the best price I can find and hope that I can put this pump back in action soon. I also need to call my doctor and make an appointment. I have an appointment on Monday to have my dentist do an annual cleaning and check up, and will have an appointment for my cardiologist in July for the stress treadmill test to check my pump.
It is now 11 PM, and I think I’ll let Zack out one more time and then join him in a nights rest.
This blog will begin upon returning to Helena and my beloved cabin on May 28, 2009.
Thursday, May 28, 2009 - Helena, Lincoln RV Park
Although it looked like the possibility of a thundershower yesterday, and National Weather predicted a 30% chance, it didn’t materialize, and today is clear and sunny.
I spent the morning organizing my receipts and mileage records from the trip south for the winter and here are the results.
Number of days gone (10-28 to 5-25) = 199 days
Number of miles traveled = 5,866 miles
Gallons of gas consumed (RV only) = 1,023.4 Gallons
Cost of gas (RV Only) = $2179.48
Well, I certainly didn’t get as much accomplished as I had planned on for today, as a neighbor, that I met two days ago, asked if I would help him move a small chest freezer into his trailer, which I did, and then we sat around and told our life stories to each other. By the time we finished and I got into town to see about the water pump housing, it was 4:30. By the time we got back to the motor home, it was 7 PM and too late to go to the cabin.
Lee, the neighbor, was a Postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service. He was born in southern California and after college he went to work for the postal service. He became Postmaster in Eureka, CA and was moved to Ennis, MT, where he finished his career and retired. He and his second wife now live in Eureka but purchased a mining claim north of Missoula, MT and plan to build a summer cabin. They both enjoy hunting and will use the cabin as their hunting lodge. They are currently in Helena so the wife can complete a taxidermy course and she plans on doing it as a hobby (interesting hobby, especially for a woman). I haven’t met her yet, but she sounds like an interesting person.
Besides hunting, his hobby is collecting and restoring old cars from the 1920s and 30s, and he currently has a 1932 Cadillac and a 1930 Packard. Each of the cars cost him close to $80,000.00 and he stores them in a barn on his property in California. He also loves sailing and was going to buy a sailboat, but doesn’t think he will since he turned 71 this year. I found our conversation interesting and thought his life had been interesting but he can’t belief my life and all I have done. He wants to pick my brain on things he’d like to do when building his cabin and we have exchanged contact information. They are leaving on Saturday, as she finishes her course work tomorrow. I hope I’ll get a change to meet her before they leave.
While I was in town, I stopped at Murdoch’s and bought a 5.5 hp gas water pump that will serve and add to my fire protection as well as pump water from the creek to a holding pond, which I will build to feed my hydro generator. It was on sale for $149.00, which is the cheapest I have even seen one. I stopped and got my mail, which wasn’t much, went to Real Food and got Zack’s food supplements, stopped at Lowes and Home Depot to see if they might have a replacement part for the pump, and called R & R Pump to see if they carried replacement housing. They don’t and both Lowes and Home Depot would call the 800 number to order the part from the company, but I can do that, so declined.
Tomorrow, I will go to the cabin, install my backup pump, and try to restore water. If I am successful, I will move back in and put my motor home in storage here at the RV Park until I can move it to Peggy’s for storage. That is the woman that built the resort closest to my cabin, and where I stored it last year. I can then move items back to the cabin in a more leisurely fashion.
I have arranged to stay another night here at the RV Park and will hopefully be able to make it my last. I won’t feel the actual excitement of being home until I wake up in my own bed at the cabin.
Zack and I played hard and then I fed him and myself, taking a shower while he napped. I have been watching a couple of prerecorded television shows, but now that the season is over and the stations are making a transition to summer programming, there really isn’t much on television to watch.
I have done research, while watching my programs, looking for the pump housing online at a better price than the $50.00 I paid for the last one, but I have only found one for $69.00, and that may be the new price I’ll have to pay. While I was at Home Depot, I priced a new pump and they have gone up from the $180.00 I paid in 2007, to $238.00 now. I guess that $69.00 replacement is just the sign of inflation.
I will call and order the part at the best price I can find and hope that I can put this pump back in action soon. I also need to call my doctor and make an appointment. I have an appointment on Monday to have my dentist do an annual cleaning and check up, and will have an appointment for my cardiologist in July for the stress treadmill test to check my pump.
It is now 11 PM, and I think I’ll let Zack out one more time and then join him in a nights rest.
Welcome
Welcome to the daily log of my adventures and activities at my cabin, on a 1864 Mining claim, in the middle of the Helena National Forest. I will be updating this log on a regular, if not daily, basis. Follow my trials and tribulations of living off the grid in the middle of nowhere.
I live totally off the grid, meaning I create and use the resources available around me. I generate my own electricity, and pump my own water. No utility bills for me.
I bought this property with a newer, modern, log sided cabin already built on it. I have added the power and water systems and improved the property, building a pole garage by myself, and cleared many trees and brush in the area to provide a fire break as well as my firewood to heat with.
Anyone wishing to attempt to follow in my footsteps and have their heaven on Earth, can find out just how to do it in my upcoming book to be published soon.
This is one of the most beautiful, peaceful places on Earth, and I enjoy it everyday. Most of you will never experience this life style, some by choice, others because you are afraid to try. I hope you enjoy your life style as it is.
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