Chit Chat in VOLTVILLE Thread #2 :)

[SandySu]

Actually my car does really well in snow. It's compacted snow and ice where if fails. I don't see myself going out in a foot of snow anyway. I plan to stock up on groceries so I don't have to go out.

Some winters, that might work, but others, you might have snow that covers the ground for months. At least that's how it is around here. I think you need to plan on what to do if you want or need to get out in winter.

 

[cindycated]

I love what you've done to your place. It looks great and I can see how busy you been. I wish I had your energy.

Sometimes energy comes from necessity. I have a feeling that you'll be a busy little bee too, pretty soon!

 

[tmcase]

Another option is to get someone to plow the driveway for her. There are all sorts of arrangements, but I know someone who has an ongoing contract with someone local who automatically comes and plows if the snow is over a certain depth. They pay a flat rate per winter, no matter how much or how little snow there is. Once Terry has a house, then she can see what options are available and whether it would be more economical to hire someone of buy equipment and do it herself.

Thanks Sandy. I didn't know that.

 

[cindycated]

Actually my car does really well in snow. It's compacted snow and ice where if fails. I don't see myself going out in a foot of snow anyway. I plan to stock up on groceries so I don't have to go out.

Sounds like somebody's trying to rationalize not having to plow through snow...

 

[tmcase]

Sometimes energy comes from necessity. I have a feeling that you'll be a busy little bee too, pretty soon!

I'm looking forward to being busy. I'm sick and tired of sitting on my ..... all day.

 

[tmcase]

Sounds like somebody's trying to rationalize not having to plow through snow...

Actually I don't want to spend the money for a tractor or plow. I'm poor.

 

[tmcase]

Sounds like somebody's trying to rationalize not having to plow through snow...

Love that .gif. Stolen.........

 

[Renolizzie]

Sometimes energy comes from necessity. I have a feeling that you'll be a busy little bee too, pretty soon!

So true, Cindycated, so true!
.
I'm working on finishing the rail fence today. So far I have two out of three posts in and two out of six rails up. I might just get this done before lunch time.

Maybe I will get it painted tomorrow

 

[SandySu]

Actually I don't want to spend the money for a tractor or plow. I'm poor.

I think you'll have to spend money on snow one way or another, whether it's hiring someone to plow or buying equipment. Then again, I knew some poor people who had a circular drive, and they also had a snowmobile, and they just drove round and round till the snow was all flattened. I wonder how the cost of gas and upkeep of the snowmobile compared to more traditional methods. I guess that was more fun, anyway. It was noisy, though.

 

[SandySu]

Here's another option to consider. Have some sort of parking spot down by the road, don't plow the driveway, and just walk to and from the car. Grocery shop on days when you can actually drive up to the house, but keep the car down by the road all winter so it can get out easily.

Another thing to consider is driveway maintenance. If it's not paved, and my guess is it won't be, occasionally, you'll have to add a truckload of gravel so it doesn't turn into a mud pit. A car can get stuck in the mud as easily as it can in snow.

 

[Renolizzie]

http://[URL=http://s1364.photobucket.com/user/renolizzie/media/036_zpsae971c19.jpg.html][/URL]

One of the sparrow hawks on top of the nest box. Two parents and three babies are still in the area. The parents are still feeding the babies. Very cute...the parent arrives with a lizard and makes a huge fuss until one of the babies takes it.

They also call to the babies to encourage them to fly.

http://[URL=http://s1364.photobucket.com/user/renolizzie/media/033_zps4f8467bc.jpg.html][/URL]

Since I am working alone I have to get creative to get the boards up. These milk crates have come in handy.

http://[URL=http://s1364.photobucket.com/user/renolizzie/media/038_zpsf3056a79.jpg.html][/URL]

There it is...done...the last three posts and all six rails are up!!!! I still have to put the gear away and find the paint for tomorrow but I am ready to take a long break. Lunch time

Bonus: You can see the grape vine growing nicely behind the fence. And it has baby grapes on it.

 

[Qew]

You guys are scaring her away! It all works out Terry, you have the will and will find a way!

We didn't have a plow for the first few years, Mr. Q hooked a section of a log, that was kind of flat on one side, to the back of the pickup, then dragged that to moosh and push the snow so we could get down the driveway. We both had trucks/SUVs and it worked well enough. We did have to call a snow plowing service once or twice, but it wasn't too bad.

We do have to dress the driveway gravel too, but most years we can get by with just filling in the low spots or the curves, the gravel disappears there. Drainage is key to buying less gravel!

 

[SandySu]

You guys are scaring her away! It all works out Terry, you have the will and will find a way!

We didn't have a plow for the first few years, Mr. Q hooked a section of a log, that was kind of flat on one side, to the back of the pickup, then dragged that to moosh and push the snow so we could get down the driveway. We both had trucks/SUVs and it worked well enough. We did have to call a snow plowing service once or twice, but it wasn't too bad.

We do have to dress the driveway gravel too, but most years we can get by with just filling in the low spots or the curves, the gravel disappears there. Drainage is key to buying less gravel!

If I know Terry, I doubt anyone can scare her away. She seems to be a pretty determined lady. Of course she'll figure it all out. I guess I was just free-associating all the care that goes into a house, starting with snow removal. Sorry, Terry, I didn't want to burst your balloon.

 

[Uncle]

all the care that goes into a house,

AND - That is "WHY" there are these things called "Apartments" . . .

Just Sayin' . . .

("My" BAD - Couldn't resist . . . )

 

[Qew]

Nice Lizzie! I bet you feel so good when you do such a good job. So good that you deserve a vacation....say to, Michigan?

Seriously, I'm impressed!

 

[awsum140]

Hey Lizzie, invest in a couple of adjustable bar clamps for holding things in place while you're working. I used two when I built the blueberry enclosure to hold a twelve foot 2x4 in place while I was screwing it to the vertical posts. That way you can line things up exactly where you want them and have them held, solidly, while working.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Jorgensen-2-in-x-12-in-Light-duty-Bar-Clamp-3712-LD/100172251

 

[rave]

This morning, Penny got her teeth floated. That's done by an equine dentist. As horses chew their food, if the upper & lower teeth don't match exactly, they wear uneven places that can develop into sharp points that then can poke the inside of their cheek, tongue, etc. Eventually, it could hurt to chew food. So once a year, an equine dentist comes to file down the points and make sure the teeth match as well as possible. It's a maintenance procedure, not addressing a specific problem. For this, the dentist or a vet will give the horse a shot of sedative so it's easier to work on the horse's mouth, which can't feel comfortable or natural to a horse, and unlike a person, you can't explain that the minor discomfort is necessary and to not fight it. If the horse holds still, the job is easier for the dentist and he can do a better job.

Penny is very hairy from Cushing's disease, and increasing the dose of her medicine, which was done about a month ago, hasn't seemed to help her shed out her winter coat. So I bought clippers, and have been a little scared to use them, since I never clipped a horse, and Penny has never been clipped. So the dentist and the vet both urged me to clip her while the sedation was still affecting her.

Over the winter, I got her used to the sound and feel of the clippers, but I was still worried about how she'd react to actual clipping. So, even though you're supposed to give a horse a bath and have a clean horse so the clipper blades don't get dull, I decided to follow their advice and clip some of her. They said to at least do her neck, which usually doesn't get as dirty as the rest of her. I groomed her first to get any obvious dirt off, then started clipping. At first, she was very groggy and stood still. As the sedative wore off, she was already being clipped and realized it wasn't hurting her. In fact, maybe it felt good to have some air blowing on the spot that lost the long hair. So she continued to remain calm, even when she became alert. I just did the underside of her neck and her chest, since my spare blades were at home. It went very well. I learned as I went. I'll probably go back and do the job right, with a bath beforehand, on Thursday. At least she'll be a little cooler in this heat.

And once again, I am ever so grateful that I don't have a horse!! It was so great that you foresaw the problem that the clippers could cause and took steps to avoid it.

About 25 years ago I had a lot of pain in the joints. Found out how to stop it. I just stay out of those joints now.

OK, maybe not this one either:

OH OH! That one's perfect for me! Much better suited to a wood nymph than the others.

Just knowing I didn't have a "blinky" with me would have driven me crazy and would have probably turned around.

Me too.

I could never leave the house without my binky! Oh noes!!!!! Glad you survived your ordeal, Cindycated.

Good morning, Voltpeeps.

Here is a few pics of our project.

That looks great Lizzie! WOW!

Those look fine, Lizzie! Thunder woke me up during the night. It has been years since that has happened. My phone was also beeping-- it was an area-wide alert for flash flooding. It has rained constantly since midnight, and we have gotten nearly an inch of rain. There may be another inch before the day is over.

Hope that your rain has stopped by now and that you don't have problems with flooding.

Hey Volties.Yes it is very early for me. I woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep thinking about the house that Rave looked at yesterday. She said she would send pics today but in the meantime here are a few pics of the house I like the best that I took off the listing and a property line map (in purple) that Rave got from the Realtor. This is the one I want. 11 acres. She's so great! She said there are 2 lofts with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom (probably a 1/2 bath). 2 small bedrooms downstairs and another bathroom. Fireplace in living room, wood furnace and electric furnace in the basement. 1 attached garage and 1 detached garage. Other outbuildings. The house is hard to see in this map but it's at the end of the white looking driveway hidden in the woods.

House hunting is a bit nerve wracking

Dunno what yer talkin' about. I'm enjoying the heck out of it!

Morning gang, hope everyone is doing ok.

Lizzie, I really like how your patio project is turning out, you and your hubby will enjoy having that to sit and relax out of the sun. Great job! I think having a wooden floor will work out great, I bet that sand gets pretty darn hot on the feet.

Terry, Wow, I hope you get a crack at the house, it seems like it has all the things you have on your list. It's nice how you can drive right inside, we wished we had thought of that when building our house. Especially in the winter! The loft, ooh, lots of possibilities, love it! It looks pretty private too, I know that is important to you. How exciting is this? I'm crossing my fingers for you! ETA, Yep, a plow, for sure.

Actually, there are TWO lofts with the great room in between them. Another neat thing is that she can drive right in the garage and unload firewood to a stack near the wood furnace without being out in the cold. Wish I had that option! And if she doesn't want to use the wood furnace, she can use the electric furnace. Both are ducted with blowers. Then there's also a wood burning fireplace in the great room. There's a bedroom in each of the lofts. One of 'em has a restroom, and two more downstairs. Best of all, she has a pond with a picnic table next to it and a horseshoe pit behind it. There is also a stable, a detached garage that's mostly insulated, and other outbuildings. Lots and lots of woods. I fell in love with the place immediately.

I don't go out much in the winter especially if there is snow on the ground. I have a 4x4 car if I need to go to the store. I hope that would be enough. I don't really know how much snow they get there or how long it lasts so you might be right.

Actually my car does really well in snow. It's compacted snow and ice where if fails. I don't see myself going out in a foot of snow anyway. I plan to stock up on groceries so I don't have to go out.

Around here, stocking up on groceries and supplies when a major storm is due to arrive is the only option. Even if you had the equipment to plow your own driveway, that doesn't mean that the road out will be plowed. I've been snowed in here for over a week before some farmer plowed the county road. Just sayin'.

You guys are scaring her away! It all works out Terry, you have the will and will find a way!

We didn't have a plow for the first few years, Mr. Q hooked a section of a log, that was kind of flat on one side, to the back of the pickup, then dragged that to moosh and push the snow so we could get down the driveway. We both had trucks/SUVs and it worked well enough. We did have to call a snow plowing service once or twice, but it wasn't too bad.

We do have to dress the driveway gravel too, but most years we can get by with just filling in the low spots or the curves, the gravel disappears there. Drainage is key to buying less gravel!

Every five years or so, I have to dress the driveway too. I'm just glad that the driveway is gravel rather than asphalt because it has much better traction in snowy conditions.

 

[JerryRM]

Oh and Terry, you will need to get your pilots license and a small single prop plane, for the trips into town for supplies.

 

[awsum140]

But you'll need a snow cat to haul the big stuff!

 

[JerryRM]

But you'll need a snow cat to haul the big stuff!

Yes, Awsum, but she will have to leave home at the crack of dawn. Otherwise, she might not get back home, before sunset.