Thursday, January 12, 2012

A Refreshing Pause

Progress has stopped.  And it’s OK.  It was time to take a break.  We decided that we would take the two weeks that Daniel had off for Christmas and not work on the house.  That was great.  Then Daniel went back to school and not working sort of fit pretty good.  So we took a third week off.  Oh, the daily and weekly chores got done, the bills got paid and the garbage went out, but we basically did not work on the house.

We continue to pause for crabs.  Since Don retired from Coke, he has been working winters for our friends Mike and Z in Brookings, Oregon on the crab dock.  This year was a 'maybe' since we moved and had a house to finish and the crab wasn’t crabby enough to be ‘potted’ yet.  The people in authority delayed the start of crab season until January 15th and Don left on the 10th to help on the dock.  So, progress on the house is on hold.  I think this is a good thing because we can regroup, make better decisions about how to proceed and reflect on how far we have come.

However, as with any new construction, there is much to share.  Beginning with our below zero temps this morning.  I didn’t need light the wood stove until just before noon.  The insulation in this house is phenomenal.

We also have a rainforest in the upstairs bathroom.  What?  Did you think this build would be perfect from beginning to end?   A rainforest is kind of a cool idea, but in sub-zero temps in the winter?  Come on!  Plus, where does the water go?  Right now it goes into a plastic bag lined cardboard box.  Where does it come from?  Remember that awesome solar tube I opted for in my bathroom because there were no windows?  I believe I posted pictures on a previous blog.  It’s really cool for light.  The rain option was unexpected.  Never even thought that when the warm temps from the house rose to meet the freezing temps on the roof, we would have enough condensation to hydrate a third world country.
 
I am sure this will be beneficial during times of disaster, but we really had not planned on it.  If we had, we would have centered the solar tube over the bathtub.  Temporary inconvenience.  I am sure come spring the temps will even out and we won’t even notice. Don isn't so happy about it though.

Meanwhile, I am supposed to be getting satellite internet tomorrow.  I was hoping for a miracle of gigantic proportions and being able to download and upload photos and video, but after talking to the neighbors, I am hoping to just be satisfied that I will no longer be tying up the phone line.  The internet connection here just plain sucks.  I am sure it’s God’s way of telling me I don’t need the internet, but I really enjoy the connection to the outside world.  Daniel would kill for real time gaming, but that isn’t going to be.  I am sure that was the Lord’s gift also.
So, instead of writing a weekly blog, I am avidly photographing wildlife via the game camera.  I have placed a nice feed block in front of the camera in hopes of luring the deer in for candid shots.  I’ve been lucky to get quite a few.

Mom is feeding the chickadees and they are wonderful to watch and you can almost walk up to the feeders and touch them while they snack on sunflower seeds.  I was out there today with the camera Daniel gave me for Christmas trying to capture their antics, but they move about pretty fast.


Tonight, while getting wood from the supply off of the back porch, I had to call Daniel out to hear the serenade of the coyotes and neighborhood dogs.  It was an incredible display, almost an orchestra in motion.  If we weren’t used to the sounds and couldn’t decipher the distance, it would almost be spooky.  It didn’t help to have just watched Ghosthunters on TV.

Daniel, instead of gaming, is turning pens.  The one he made tonight is one of his best yet.  I told him that I would be more than happy to sell them for him, they are THAT good.  He has an eye for uniqueness and he is enjoying the creativity.

 
There are things to do and see and make happen without the internet.  The problem I have is that I want to share it all with folks who are interested or who may have a comment or experience to share with me.  I do miss human interaction, even just via the internet.  I am getting a little crabby myself.


P.S. - Next day - I am posting this via my new satellite internet connection.  The poor installer came at 9 this morning (it was -4 when Daniel left for school).  The installer had to dig a hole and plant a post and it took him a couple of hours.  (Don had put in a post for the TV and we thought he could use it.)  But after four hours of hook up, I am checking out the new toy, faster internet.  (I still miss DSL.)




1 comment:

  1. Robin, I love reading of your adventure. Yours far exceeds what Dan and I and Skipper (3 yrar old terrier) are doing.
    We love Lake Havasu City. It is a wonderful small resort town (like the one where I grew up).
    It expands to quite large when the snow birds arrive in January through April. Retired people, but happy to be here. The down puts on lots of activities for all of us. This weekend is winterfest. We already had the baloon festival.
    I love your new home and am very happy for you all.
    Will write more as it occurs......SandieC

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