7-13-14

It was a fairly dry spring - certainly not as wet as last year.  The day lilys are not blooming very much.

Tennis court and new fencing done in the last week or two.  The tree that was apparently hit by lightning looks to be dying.  The stream was near dry a couple of weeks ago but is running now and has a bit of algae.  The wasps aren't nearly as plentiful so far this year, perhaps due to the cold winter.

Deer flies out and the Japanese beetles have appeared in the last week or so.

Trying to keep up with the strimming.  So much to do; it requires at least an hour a day to keep up.  I started strimming around the tennis court.

We already have cherry tomatoes, which seems early.

Happy 4th of July!

7-5-13

Very hot and humid.   The last three weeks have seen a lot of rain but it's been fairly dry the last four days.  The deer flies are out and very bothersome.

I've been here for two weeks and Char is spending a week of vacation here now.  Her parents were here for five days and left this morning.

Char has been tending the roses and harvesting currants.  We washed the large rug in the long room.  I have vacuumed spider webs out of basement ceiling.  The garden, consisting mostly of lettuce and tomatoes, is doing well.

De-Humidifier #2
Up to know, I have only been dimly aware of a 2nd de-humidifier in the basement and I've just checked it and got it working.  Like the one in the middle of the basement, the 2nd one is mounted on a platform, but it's in the southwest corner, straight ahead if you're coming down the stairs.  It's the same brand as that in the downstairs bedroom.

The intake faces a passage from the main part of the basement to the area under the downstairs bedroom, so I assume it's meant to address moisture under there.  Whether it will help with considerable sweating on the lower part of the walls in that area of the basement I don't yet know.

De-Humidifier in SW Corner of basement

Passage from main basement to area under bedroom - the hose seen here goes to the de-humidifier in the bedroom.

Basement wall "sweating"

6/18/13

Summer in full swing but it's been wet and cool.  Much rain and the ground is well-saturated.  Things done on recent visits: cleaned out and put screens in rain gutters, worked in garden, strimmed, started up de-humidifier in basement, dug a small trench around remaining standing apple tree near wall (to prevent swamping), trimmed trees around the periphery, dead-headed Lilacs.

Water Heater
I had turned off the water heater and had trouble re-lighting it.  We had John from Ormsbee out and he cleaned the burner, thermocoupler and pilot tubes, and it lights and runs much better.  $75.

Apple Tree
I cut off the dead parts on one of the apple trees outside the back door.

Beaver
There is definitely a beaver in the beaver pond now and his dam threatens to flood the road.

Paul mowed today.

Saturday May 4th

Picked up Char, Sarah and Robin in Hudson for a day of antiquing.  Had lunch at Swoon.

This weekend: Char planted some lettuce and other things.  Robin supervised the cleaning and painting of a lot of the porch rails.  Turned furnace pilots off.  Took them to train Monday morning.

Lilacs nearing full leaf.   Roses leaves starting.  Many little bugs.  Moths starting to appear.  Lawn flowering.

Spring Visit

Char came up Friday with Sarah and Robin and I met them here.  This trip: cleared garden!

Monday: 3pm drive up - Black Chrysler 300 with MA plates beginning with 444.

Still much snow but some warmer temperatures and rain so it's melting fairly quickly, resulting in considerable seepage in the basement.

It is very, very muddy with fully saturated ground.  I BARELY made it up the driveway, with the very bottom after the turn being the biggest problem.

This trip: vacuumed firebox and lower parts of chimney.

March!

Arrived afternoon of March 1st.  All in order.  Still lots of snow on the ground.  Temperatures warmer than last visit.  Spring on the way!