I am building my first home. Lucky me because it is in the woods! It is an adventure I surely will not forget.

Me with Rory

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Arrest Made

The city police detective finally arrested the guy who committed Identity Theft against me. The guy admitted to the detective last November that he had charged the stuff to my phone. Yes, He confessed. So why did it take until two weeks ago for the detective to arrest him?
Had he been on the lamb? No, Had he moved? No. Had he changed his confession. No. So why?
I have no idea.
Every time (the few times the detective returned my calls) I asked what was up, the detective replied that he had a lot of cases on his desk. My favorite line was when he told me that 'this was not the crime of the century.'
Thank you, Detective Cole.
But the business is done now. No word from the city prosecutors office, yet.

$4,000 Paper

Looking over floor plans, interiors, and exteriors of log homes is a full time job, or it could be if I wasn't in grad school, working, and trying to do laundry. I love doing it (the house research, not the laundry) and use it as a filler to break up the monotony of working on my paper.
You, know, The Paper. The one I get six credits for. The one I am now referring to as the $4,000. paper.
It may become a year long project or even longer. I started it in August as an Independent Study and am working on it now as my final project.
Wow! Now that I think about it, it is a $6,000 paper! I am getting 9 credits for it, inadvertently, because I already got 3 on the beginning research phase, as indie study, and now 6 more. Wow!
If you want to see $6,000 paper just ask me to send it to you.
It is becoming my Opus, my academic Opus.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

First water


Finger in the shot belongs to my friend Earthgirl. She spent some time looking over the 'job' with me on Barry and my first day of pumping.

This is the first water and boy did it taste minerally!

I'm in charge

Well pumping water out of the hose.
Well with sonar, hose, and power attached.

Generator in place.


Here is the well pumping action as I am in charge (for a few days anyway).



Yumm
















Friday, April 3, 2009

Snowballs in Spring

Funny how a generator purchase snowballs...

This is the way this is going:
1. I buy a generator
2. realize I now need truck tailgate ramps for it
3. realize I need a 5 gallon gas can to keep with it
4. I need a green/camo tarp to wrap it in in the woods with a cable and padlock to lock to tree
5. then I realize I need a shed at the Hill to keep it and other tools in
6. then I figure I really should get tenants insurance and make sure it covers stuff I leave out there
7. then I figure I need a trailer to haul the generator and other logs, materials, tools, etc,
8. then I need DMV papers for the trailer which must mean $ registration
9. then I need insurance for the trailer...

End result...I should have just grabbed power from neighbor! lol

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Pumpin'

I got to pump the well myself today. Barry says it's like watching paint dry. He handed the job over to me today, so I don't have to pay him to come out 2 hours a day for the next few days. I get to do it. I started the generator by myself, yes, to those doubters, and ran the well pump. I had so much fun!
I realize more and more how I have almost no one to share all this fun with, so I hope some people are out there reading this blog.
I used my 'new' drawknife today and cleaned the bark off a log. I tried it yesterday so see if it was hard to do or not. Not. Only where the branches stick out, then yes.
I was so fortunate that I went to a wood workers show on Sunday and bought it from an antique tool vendor who happens to live near the build site! Coincidence. Nice old-timer. He helped me select one that would fit my hands and body size well, and it truly does.
I love using it. I moved the log after I finished it to a place to dry and I dropped it on my thigh so that is the kind of stuff I have to be really careful about! I may have to think about getting steel toed boots, too.
I will peel as many of the fallen pines as possible. I can use them for stairs and porch poles, and railings, etc. I would love it if it turns out I can work it out to build the walls with them, too.
I've read that for the purlins, white pine doesn't have enough tensile strength, so they would have to be red pine.