ugh... snow.

 

Yep... We got snow... lots and lots of snow...  And, you know how I feel about snow...  But, we had a couple of things we had to get completed, so it was one last trip this past weekend...

These pictures were all taken with the cameras on the deck...  So nice to have them...

But, this next one, I actually took with my phone... Still not pleased with the look and am praying, fervently, for spring...

Let me just say, it was colder inside the cabin than outside.  I tried to keep the front door open as much as possible, just to allow a little sunshine from outside coming in.. But, I am always afraid we are going to have little creatures come inside to visit, so I was being very cautious..

One of the major jobs we had to complete was to drain the jacuzzi and winterize it.  We were hoping to come down and have Thanksgiving dinner at the cabin, but we realized that it was not going to happen.. So, the jacuzzi got drained.  

There's a little drain on the side... now, remember, this is our first time draining the hot tub, so we are still really unfamiliar with the ins an outs... But, we started this little drain in the early afternoon, and then drove in to Panguitch to close out the storage unit - hoping at least a little of the water would drain while we were gone...  When we got back, it was down about 1/3.. then, Jim hooked up a submersible  pump and the job went considerably faster.  I wouldn't call the drain flow a dribble, but, it wasn't extremely fast... Jim thinks it probably would have taken at least a full day to drain... and we didn't have that much time!

And, the jacuzzi is finally emptied and winterized.  We got our power bill for the month that the jacuzzi was running during the freezing cold temperatures, and it increased by about $80.00.... and, that was having the jacuzzi only heating to 62 degrees... So, it was a good thing that we drained it and winterized it.  

But, we did get the lounge chairs brought down.. and, put in the livingroom!!  Ok, so, it's not the perfect storage spot for them, but it works for us for now.

And, the Panguitch storage unit was in the process of getting emptied out and closed in the last weekend we were there...  We got this this point, and ran out of time.... But....

... Ben and Kelly went last week and emptied out the rest, so that chapter is now closed... No more Panguitch storage!  I believe we opened up this storage building within the first couple of years of having the property...

And, here's how the bar stools look around the island in the kitchen.  Jim said he was concerned that the bar stools would not fit under the island, but they fit just perfectly.  This is not a great pictures, but it gives you an idea of what they look like and how they fit.

And, guess who forgot to empty the humming bird feeders?  Two of them were plastic and the freezing cold didn't bother them at all... BUT, the glass feeder didn't fare too well with the water freezing inside of it...  Such a pretty feeder.. and, now... splat!

And, you probably haven't noticed, but I am usually not in a whole lot of pictures... I'm not a fan of having my pictures taken, but Jim got a picture of me on the deck.  Looks like I'm taking empty boxes out of the cabin to go into the trash... That's kinda my job...  and, I'm ok with it.

With this little bit, we end this edition...

And, the adventure continues...

Jim and Cheri

I. HATE. SNOW....

 

Well, the work on the wood burning stove continues, even in the freezing cold at the cabin.  This week, Jim had to erect scaffolding to get the top pieces of the stovepipe up to the ceiling.  The next job is to cut a hole through the roof to put the stovepipe through, and then install the outside pieces.  I know there are specific sizes and pipes and roof pieces that have to be installed so that the heat from the stove doesn't burn the place down, but I don't have a clue what it entails.. That's more of Jim's genre.

Jim is frantically working to empty out the Panguitch storage building.  We've had it for years, but there isn't enough in it to justify having just a few thing be left in it over the winter that we don't need this winter.  AND, for the first time in all these years, the rent went up...  So, it's time to close it out.  Hopefully, this next weekend, it will be over and done.

A couple of weeks ago, Jim asked me to order a vent for the furnace in a cream colour.  I don't know where he got the original one from, but the cream colour that came, doesn't match the cream coloured vent that was already installed.  The original one looks gray and the new one actually looks cream.  I personally don't see a need to get another one... Doesn't bother me in the least.  He bought a third one that will be installed later but it is cream coloured as well.  I guess we can say the cream ones are for the furnaces and the darker one is the water heater.   

And, Jim finally got the lines from the propane tank all covered up.  It's been raining and snowing to the point we couldn't get the backhoe in there to cover it.  But, it was dry enough last weekend to get the job done.  Makes it a little easier, at this point, to get the bucket truck to the side of the house, so that we can get the stovepipe cut through the roof.  Let me tell you, that bucket truck has saved out bacon so many times.  It was so worth the cost!

WARNING...  If you don't want to be potentially grossed out, just skip this last part...

Jim got up to the cabin late on Friday night.  Saturday morning, he went outside on the deck and saw that "some animal" relieved itself on the far side of the deck... In all reality, we're in the middle of no where and we have had several different animals on our deck, including squirrels, cougars, gophers and chipmunks..  Jim called me and told me what was there, and we were trying to decide exactly what kind of animal left this present...  We had a cougar mark our front door last year, so this really isn't much of a surprise.  The surprising part, however, is that whatever this beast is, had eaten a squirrel, and the head and tail had made it through it's system intact... I think it was a cougar, but don't know for sure... Um...  With that I was a little freaked...Hopefully, Jim builds a gate to stop these intruders from enjoying the deck... (Our neighbours have all reported seeing a bobcat in the area recently, and a couple of domestic cats have gone missing, so I am suspecting, it was said bobcat... although we haven't seen it..)

It's now starting to freeze at night.  This next weekend, it's supposed to be 16 degrees at night, and mid 50's during the day.  Jim thinks it should be ok to work in.  Getting that stove up and running would be a blessing.  I've convinced Jim not to stay at the cabin, but take a motel room in Panguitch - and, he agreed.

With that, this post will end, the adventure continues,

Love Jim and Cheri

Week starting 11/5/2022

I am putting two posts into one... it's month end at work and I didn't have time to get last week's entry posted... so, here goes...

Yep.. it's snowing early in the season... and I mean, it's really snowing and super cold.  I think it looks beautiful, but along with this beauty, comes... cold... not my favourite.  As I keep saying, I'm really a crappy Canadian because I don't like snow, and I hate the cold...  All of you can go skiing and skating and all that good stuff... I'm content to stay inside and watch... beside the fire... or the furnace...

It was Jim's birthday this past week, and I was really struggling to find something interesting to give him for his birthday... In years past, I've given him guitar lessons, and a cement mixer, and a plethora of things he would really like, but, I think he's just about got all the building tools and materials he needs...  So, this year, I got him brass signs for the bathroom doors...  The doors in the cabin are solid oak, antique, and the little signs saying "boys" and "girls" were taken off before we bought them... and it kind of left a faded image on the door... I had looked to have the signs replaced before, but Jim told me not to get them because in his opinion, they were too expensive.  But, it was a birthday, and I was desperate, so they weren't too expensive in my estimation.. So, here they are:

The work continued on the wood burning stove in the living room...  Jim got the scaffolding up and thought he had purchased the right length of pipe to reach the ceiling... BUT, he bought an 18" piece and he really needed a 24" length... So, it's got to go back to the store and exchanged.  The store is really good about these things, so it won't be a problem.. The only problem is... we still don't have heat...  It's kinda frosty inside...  The big black square thing up in the rafters is a cathedral box.  It's a building code thing that insulates the hot chimney from the wood of the roof as it passes by going out the roof.  Now all we have to do is connect it together!

And, the "closing out the storage building" project continues.  We are hoping that one more trip will get the job done... and, hopefully, that will be this next weekend.  I didn't realize exactly how much stuff was in there...  But, the job is almost done... We can see the back of the storage unit, so it's getting close!

And, I bought some barstools for the island in the kitchen.  I don't know if I am going to keep them, or change them out eventually... but, for now, they'll be great....

And, this was another week of  grandson Coy playing hockey... He went to hockey camp this past summer and his game and skating has improved significantly..  It's so fun to watch him play!  It's especially fun to see him climb over the boards... cracks me up!  (Coy is the player on the far left, on the ice...)  Every year, it takes months for the team jerseys to come in... so, I am not sure if Coy is number 42 or 92... Lowell and I were talking about it, and he thinks that the jerseys will come in by March or April... giggle...  In either case, Coy is having a blast, and it's fun to see Brianne turn into a hockey mom...  Giggle.

Until next week, the adventure continues.

Love, Jim and Cheri