Time flies. It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post so I thought I’d better get with it and publish some updates.

702 Main

The Iowa retirement house purchase moved ahead with the appraisal accepted by the bank. Right now we are looking at homeowners insurance, which must be in place by time of closing. (We’ll pay the insurance premium as opposed to having an escrow account that pays it.) Pam is also filling out paperwork for the local Elma Co-op (our source for LP gas), internet options, and establishing electrical service in our name. Contact was made with the “bat boys” to get us on their list for remediation work. A handy man has been secured to help put up a catio and assist in installing fencing for a dog run. We are in the process of opening new checking and savings accounts at the local bank — the same one handling the mortgage.

At home

And the packing continues. The house stereo is packed along with several more household items.

Pam is doing some painting, both in the house and on the south side of the garage where the paint has faded. The new paint looks good!

I did some work on the back deck, adding some wire to replace the wood slats I had removed earlier in the year. Pam thinks the wire, and painting that went along with the install, looks much more modern than the old picket fence arrangement.

The Lot

I rented a U-Haul trailer and moved the Ford 8N tractor up to The Lot. I hope to use the 8N to move the chipper around The Lot – but – it also moves the tractor off our yard and will be one less item to have to transport to Iowa.

Other activity included bringing home the last logs from the Aspen Grove, transport of a load of burn pit wood, and filling two bins of chips for landscaping use around the house (on the parking pads where the Scout, Honda, and tractor used to sit).  I managed to fell a few dead trees and cut some brush on the area I call the Grassy Ridge. This work is slow-going due to the steepness of the terrain. Lots of breaks taken as I worked this area!

Truck maintenance

The F-150 truck had been making an engine noise for a few months. I thought it was the alternator that was replaced a while back; nope, with the help of a neighbor the noise was traced to a faulty idler wheel that keeps tension on the belt that runs the power steering, alternator, and air conditioning compressor. New parts are on order. There are four idlers in total in the system so I ordered replacements for all four.

Given the relocation and trailer-pulling demands that will be put on the truck in the coming few months, and the fact that it has over 195,000 miles on it, I thought it best to replace all the idlers (three wheels and a tensioner) rather than risk a breakdown somewhere along the way (like Nebraska or South Dakota). The belt itself was replaced along with the alternator so I didn’t think it was necessary to order a new one.  Cost was not excessive, less than $65.00, and it will take an hour or two for me to install the new components. That will be one of my tasks this weekend.

Moving On

It is hard to believe September is nearly here. We close on the 16th, which means it will soon be time for the first trip to Iowa. There will be closing and delivering the first load of “stuff” to the house and getting started on projects there. I have vacation time approved from mid-September going into October; in three weeks, we hope to move Pam, the house pets, garage cats, and the bulk of our belongings to Iowa. After those trips are completed and I return solo to Colorado, I shut down The Lot for the winter around the first week of October. Busy, busy, busy….

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

As I keep multiple balls in the air, both at home and in Iowa, let’s hope my aging brain is up to the relocation task. It certainly is a Type A project of the highest order.

Happy Trails.

There is news on a couple of fronts from last week. Here are a few items.

House Purchase

The appraisal for 702 Main in Elma, Iowa came in and just squeaked by. The bank is satisfied with the appraisal and our offer, and will finish our loan application shortly. We did have to send in updated documentation in the way of my last couple pay stubs but just for background; we has sent stubs earlier and these new ones are just a current update. It looks more and more like the retirement house acquisition will go through and we are now planning on closing September 16th.

Stuff gone

This past week “downsizing” efforts, to decrease the amount of stuff to be moved, took on new life. Our 2001 Honda was donated to Colorado Public Radio — they came and hauled Old Bessie Lou away. The car had 412,000 miles (plus!) on the odometer; we have been commuting in it since 2004. That Honda Accord has been our most reliable car ever. (Close second was the Toyota Tercel we drove back in the 90s.)

I sold my 1976 Scout II that I had owned since 2002; it went to a neighbor. While I will miss it, the cost of moving and lack of storage on the Iowa end pretty much made the decision to sell somewhat obvious.

With more downsizing needing to be done, moving along two vehicles was a good start.

Around the house

Pam continues to pack stuff, and has started working in the garage. That will be a challenge as there are numerous boxes and shelves to go through. Pam ordered colored dots to mark boxes. In the photo below the dots are shown, along with a list of rooms and colors assigned to them. (OCD?…or “CDO” in their correct alphabetical order.)

I was able to get the load of firewood (brought home from The Lot) cut and stacked along the driveway. Our friend Kathy will be by to pick up the wood later this month.

This load had some larger than normal trees in it and Kathy may need to split some of the bigger pieces. By the way, the steel item holding up the left end of the pile is the grill guard for the Oliver OC-3.

The week ahead

Packing will continue, along with sorting and getting rid of stuff. One big packing chore will be the two stereo systems I have, one in the house and the other in the garage. Packing a 10-inch reel-to-reel deck is a real challenge, but there are two turntables that will need special attention.

We have mede up a list of “stuff to fix” before we can list the house, and those projects , primarily concerning the two decks and some painting, will need to be undertaken soon.

And so…

Life goes on with the normal attention to cats, dogs, yard work, vehicle maintenance, and now actively preparing to move. We’re quite busy!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Additional tasks at hand: finding an insurance agent in Iowa (mortgage insurance), locating appliances we need (gas dryer, refrigerator) at Iowa stores, contacting the Elma clerk to establish utility and garbage service at closing, signing up for LP [propane] delivery, transferring vet records to an Iowa animal hospital, firming a date for bat mitigation. I’ve already scheduled a handyman for a few days the week after closing to assist Fields in building animal enclosures.

Some items need to be ordered/purchased: washing machine (it appears the model we prefer will need to be purchased in CO and transported in the box), replacement slipcovers, bath rugs, small microwave, additional flat screen TV, heavier two-wheel moving dolly. I’m sure that list will grow in the next month.

One topic of discussion – what to do with the super-king water bed this move. It is huge and heavy. Can parts of it be recycled???

Happy Trails.

There are several projects going on; here is an update on the major events of this past two weeks.

House Purchase

We are in a waiting period. The property appraisal has not come back to the bank yet so we are waiting on the bank to finish our mortgage loan application. We did hear that the current mortgage rate has fallen to 3.125 percent and may drop a bit more if the Federal Reserve makes another cut later this year.

Sorting and winnowing projects keep moving along. Pam has removed much of our wall art and packed everything in boxes with ample amounts of bubble pack, particularly for the odd-shaped stuff that does not fit into boxes very well. There is still much to go through.

The Lot

The weekend of August 3rd I made a trip to The Lot to bring home a load of firewood and another load of ‘burn pit’ wood. I was able to fire up the chipper and process two piles of brush, one on Birdhouse Ridge and the other in the corner of the Aspen Grove. Except for some firewood left over after the trailer was full, this finishes the major work in the Aspen Grove for this year. (I need to spread the chips generated this trip and bring home the last of the firewood, both relatively small projects.)

Next up, and started this trip, is to work on the upper end of the Grassy Ridge. While not as thickly covered with dead and fallen trees as the Aspen Grove, the terrain is steeper and trees and brush need to be carried further as access for wheeled vehicles gets more limited. The work will be slow going.

Each time I go to The Lot I take some chipmunk food, generally odds and ends of bread products. This time I had some cherries from our cherry tree.

The chipmunks are fun to watch, and this time of year they are stocking up for the winter on seeds from various grasses and so are very active. I did not see how they reacted to the cherries but bet they had a fun time eating the fruit I spread out for them.

This summer has been wetter than normal and the pine trees are producing a bumper crop of pine cones.

This weekend Pam and I did a short overnighter to The Lot. Pam had only been to The Lot one other time this year; plans were to do only a few light chores — to bring back a bin of wood chips to use around the house and to clean up a bit of the Grassy Ridge. These two items were accomplished, along with a bit of driveway clean-up, between light rain showers.

The weekend marked our 45th wedding anniversary on August 10th.

This week it is back to work during the day for me, and beginning to cut firewood and pack the garage in the evenings. Plenty to get done!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I would say 45 years of marriage is a very, very long time.

Happy Trails.

Here is an update on the home buying process.

Elma House

As I write this we and the sellers have come to an agreement on price and a closing date. (September 16th.) Now we are waiting for the bank to finish processing our loan application. Part of the process includes getting an appraisal done on the property, ordered by the bank, and that seems to be moving along OK. We were lucky to get on the appraiser’s list quickly. The appraiser had a couple of other properties to appraise in the area and 702 Main will be included as part of that group instead of ending up on the bottom of a “To Do” list. The bank will let us know how the appraisal went and the status of our loan application once they get the results.

Around Home

At home Pam is packing stuff and planning trip schedules and what goes where when. It is quite likely that I will make the trip back for closing solo while Pam stays with the animals in De Beque. I will take a trailer full of non-essential stuff, such as the John Deere lawn tractor, my motorcycles, and other bulky and large items that can be stored in the garage for the time being. (I also have to take some tools.) While I am in Elma I need to get a dog run built, if only temporarily, and get the appliances we need (washer, dryer, refrigerator) installed. The bat remediation people will have to be there to do their thing, and we hope to hire a local handyman to get started on the other projects that need to be done before we move more stuff.

In particular, Pam wants the utility shed (which is about 4 x 8 feet) set up as a place for the outside cats to use. This involves building a cat patio , or catio, on the side of the shed. The cats would be able to go into and out of the shed at will but not be free to roam a strange neighborhood.

We hope the appraisal goes OK and the house will qualify for the loan amount we are asking for. The Fed just dropped interest rates and we hope to lock in a historically low rate which would help the retirement budget. Much needs to be done at both locations before the move happens but we are moving forward!

Colorado

I-70 west of Glenwood Springs, where I work, is built through a canyon. Last Friday a heavy rain caused mud slides that closed both the east and west bound lanes of traffic.

I didn’t know if I was going to get home from work Friday evening. However, the State Patrol gave the Sheriff’s Office permission to take a convoy of 5 cars through the mud-impacted area. Those of us in the Sheriff’s Office who had to go west to get home ended up in two of our transport vans (10 people each) and three private vehicles, all 4-door and all full of people. I rode with our HR Manager who lives further west than I do, along with two other people in the car.

I arrived home at around 9:30 PM, about 3.5 hours later than normal. The east bound lanes were opened by Saturday afternoon but the west bound lanes (only one) did not open until Sunday morning. Pam and I made a trip to Glenwood later in the weekend to retrieve the Honda which I had left in the parking lot at work.

This kind of messed up the weekend plans. The Honda needs an oil and filter change and was not at home, and going to The Lot was questionable because I didn’t know if the return trip would be possible. So it was on to Plan B which involved doing some work on the motorcycle (replacing a broken speedometer cable and burned out dash light bulb) and getting some yard work done. The Sunday trip to Glenwood included stops at Tractor Supply Company to get pet food, and I stopped at Wally World to get a few items. We also decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream goodie at Culver’s, a pretty special stop for us given my Type-2 diabetes.

Speaking of Motorcycles…

The quiet weekend gave me time to work on a new Gallery using photos and video taken at our Owner’s Association motorcycle rally held in Durango earlier in July. For any who might be interested, take a look at my Durango 2019 gallery. There is a link to a video clip at the bottom of the page as well.

A few more photos of the Magnolia Mill were added to my Wheeler Lake gallery as well.

Conclusion

Anticipation — mixed with a little dread — about the Elma house purchase, work on projects and maintenance items, a bit of an ice cream treat, road closures…it was quite the week!

We will continue to work on sorting and packing and getting rid of “stuff” we no longer need or want. Life goes on. I have projects to do at work and will begin to move more duties to my assistant who will take over my spot once I retire. Stay tuned for more updates as things happen.

Pam’s Penny

Some of the stuff departing the house this week was in a pile of shredded documents from the two-drawer file – past taxes, bills and notes from years past. O-u-t.

Even though I have been packing and sorting and throwing “stuff” out since April, there still seems to be a bunch of items to go through. Next up – the garage.

Happy Trails.

Much has happened since my last post concerning the house purchase, a motorcycle rally, and trips to The Lot. Here is what is going on.

House Purchase

Our initial offer on the house was countered and we upped our offer price a bit. This offer was accepted but was contingent on a home inspection and financing approval. We submitted our financials to the local bank and arranged for a home inspection, to be paid for by us.

The bank side of things did not pose any problems, but the home inspection did turn up some unknown issues. Some problems can be rectified as we go forward, such as some wiring that is not up to code. Biggest problem, and a deal stopper, was bats found in the attic. We asked the sellers to remediate this and they refused. Pam was adamant – the bats had to go. We thought the deal was dead and Pam prepared to start looking, once again, at other properties listed for sale in the NE corner of Iowa.

Then, out of the blue, the realtor – Phil – contacted us and said the sellers had reconsidered their decision and offered to reduce the price of the house to compensate for the cost of fixing the electrical issues. We countered with our original offer, and suggested we would pay back the sellers the cost of bat remediation if they did it before closing. We also suggested moving the closing date from September 30 to September 16, to potentially give us some more “good weather” time to move and get a few other projects done.

As I type this (on Tuesday 7/23) the sellers are getting a free estimate for the bat removal, after which they have until this Thursday to accept or reject our current offer.

The home inspection, 75 pages in all including a several page summary, turned up a few other problems we had not noticed, such as a few gaps between the sill plates and foundation. These gaps would have to be sealed. One upstairs bedroom does not have heating / cooling vents. In the garage, the wiring has the neutral and ground wires on the same buss and they should be separated.

The report was very thorough and included images from a drone the inspectors used to view the outside, roof, and gutters of the house. The report was not particularly cheap, and not money  we really wanted to spend. But, on old houses, it’s worth it to discover what projects we would have to schedule with over time. Planning for one major renovation project per year ($5,000 +/-) is realistic.

Right now we’re waiting for the seller’s decision. If they agree to our offer, the next step would be for the bank to order an appraisal as part of the loan approval process. There are a lot of moving parts!

We had to pause and take stock after mentally moving away from this house after our counter had been rejected – and – in light of the issues turned up in the property inspection report. While we were pondering, a second Victorian house in Iowa, about 20 miles away from the first and listed at $50K, had come on the market. Two calls to the realtor revealed that this place was in the middle of a remodel and the owners had decided to walk. Only half-finished, the place needed a LOT of work. The realtor indicated a contractor would (probably) buy the place, finish the work, then flip the house when it was completed. We didn’t want to take on such a large project, but it did take our minds off the Elma house. Going over the pros and cons, we decided to make this last offer in Elma. Now it’s the sellers’ move. We await their decision!

The Lot

I went up to The Lot the weekend of July 20 – 21st to continue this year’s clean-up work. I was able to finish the corner of the aspen grove that I had not had time to finish last year.

The results of the weekend’s work turned out to be three piles of wood; one for chipping, one for salvage logs for firewood, and one for “burn pit” wood.

I  also worked in The Nook, cutting a few trees that had not survived the winter. A few were large enough to salvage, but most were small and were added to the chipping pile I started on Bird House Ridge. The steepness of the slope made this work particularly tiring as I had to hand-carry the chain saw up and down and carry the trees and brush down to the piles…serious exercise for the legs to do!

Motorcycle Rally

Our Yamaha Owner’s motorcycle group held a rally in Durango beginning on Thursday evening, July 11th, and ending on Monday, July 14th. (I had to be home Sunday night, July 13, so missed part of the rally.)

I rode to Durango on Thursday evening and met up with a couple other early arrivals. Base camp was a United Campground, and I set up my tent and gear before we headed into town to find a late dinner.

Friday morning we rode up Dolores Canyon, one of my favorite places in Colorado. The route includes mountain scenics, river valleys, alpine lakes, and some open countryside…just about everything Colorado offers with the exception of high desert.

The rest of the group had arrived by Friday evening, and we had a cookout in the campground and shot the breeze with other riders. There was only one person I had not previously met, so the conversations were pretty friendly and I caught up with people not seen since the last rally.

I’ll be putting together a gallery of photos from this event and will add a link to a future post for those who might be interested. I enjoyed the camping, seeing old friends, and riding in the picturesque SW corner of the state.

Conclusion

It’s been a busy few weeks since my last post, with way more activity than usual. We await the decision on the Elma house, and if positive, will move on to the next step in the transaction process.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I’m not terribly fond of all the paperwork involved in house purchase transactions. Or all the fees. Or all the back-and-forth.

Packing, planning and preparing is at a standstill until we know which direction we’re going. Probably just as well; this is the hottest part of the summer, when quiet projects in front of the air conditioner have their merits.

Happy Trails.

Regular readers will know that we have been looking for a retirement home for the last two years. After several trips and many house visits, the search may be over.

The last house we looked at on our most recent trip (July 4 – 8) may be “The One.” We have contacted the realtor to enter a bid.

More photos, including interior photos, can be found on the listing. (Note: Link does not open in a new tab.) This home has a bed and bath on the main floor as well as more bedrooms and a 2nd bath on the top floor. The back door enters into a mud room complete with washer and dryer. A detached two car garage begins to take care of auto storage. The corner lot is larger than most city lots and backs up to an alley, which provides garage access; this means no in-your-window neighbors on three sides. The remaining neighbor is separated from the house by the side yard. Two porches, both shown above, add some outside seating.

Pet Problems

The trip did not start well. Barely two hours on the road and our pet caretaker called to inform us JoJo had jumped into a pile of weeds that also has some fencing in it and had cut her inner left upper leg. Eight stitches were required to close Jo’s skin, but luckily no muscle tissue was damaged. Shortly after that, another call let us know that one of the cats, Velvet, had problems with a tooth that must have become infected and the abcess had broken open. Other than dosing with antibiotics and cleaning the gums, little else could be done for Velvet until Pam returned home and could make a vet appointment.

On The Road

The trip went OK. Total mileage was 2,746 and about 300 of that was driving around looking at homes in several communities. We based out of Oelwein, but visited Decorah, Spillville, Elkader, Elma, Harpers Ferry, and many other small towns in the area.

We were surprised at the amount of standing water in Nebraska and South Dakota. This trip we chose the “northern” route, turning on Hwy 83 North out of North Platte, Nebraska, and crossing South Dakota on I-90. Hwy 83 had a surprise; part of the route was under water! Here is a photo Pam took out the window while we drove through the low spot:

By and large the trip to and from Iowa was uneventful but contained miles of repair work, a few one-lane sections, and some rain showers.

Other House Hunting

We looked at a few other homes this trip. The Bridge Street home in Elkader had been the prime candidate, based on Pam’s previous visit and on-line pictures, but the lot, very small, ruled it out. The house had other issues as well, including a non-functioning fireplace and severe in-town restrictions on building a garage (impossible) and was located on one of the busiest roads in town.

We really tried to like this place as it had historic features as well, but, in the end the lot (both size and restrictions) took this one off the “possible” list.

Next up was a “For Sale By Owner” home and, as a bonus, had an ex-corner service station as part of the deal. While the house was tidy and updated inside, the small size would not have accommodated us and the pets.

Just for fun, we drove by a home situated on a ridge near Harpers Ferry. Out of our price range, the home featured draw-dropping scenic views of the bluffs and valley around it. Photos really do not do it justice.

Discouraged

By the time we were ready to head to Elma, we were pretty discouraged. The Bridge Street home was out, the Spillville place was out, the ridge home was yet to come but one we knew was over our budget, and we were getting tired. Elma was next on our list, but we had previously driven by the house on the incoming trip and were not terribly impressed. However, we had an appointment and we intended to keep it.

Pleasant surprise

When we arrived in Elma we met with the realtor, Phil, and started going through the home. It soon became apparent this place met our major checklist of desirable features: full bath and bedrooms upstairs, full bath and bedroom downstairs, mud room / laundry room on the main floor, large (for a city lot) open spaces, two car garage, utility shed that could be utilized for the outdoor cats, and Victorian styling. No air conditioning, but the place had been upgraded for a 200 amp service, also rare, in expectation of adding an a/c unit to the existing forced air furnace. Elma is not much of a town, a bit more rural than we would like, being about 30 minutes from four different county seats and about an hour away from several large metropolitan areas.

We would be comfortable here. There was no “Eureka!”moment; it just became obvious that this could be our retirement home.

After discussing our options during the return trip, we decided we would contact the realtor and put in an offer once we returned home. We also looked up the local bank and are in the process of submitting a mortgage loan application. After this flurry of activity there will be a quiet period as the process continues, assuming our bid is accepted. (There may be some back and forth on the price before we come to an agreement.)

We are both excited and relieved that our long search may finally have borne fruit. Now, for the next few days, all we can do is wait and see!

Miscellaneous

Here are a few other photos taken along the way. They don’t really belong in any of the narrative above so I’ll add them in here.

Home again.

On return home there was a lot to do. A priority: fixing the washing machine which was not draining water. A plugged discharge hose was found to be the culprit.

There was laundry to clean, lawn to mow, groceries to buy, and stuff to put away. I have a Colorado-based motorcycle rally this upcoming weekend so needed to go though my motorcycle camping stuff and trailer to get ready for that trip.

In addition, we finalized our paperwork for the bank application and real estate offer. Busy!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Hallelujah – could this mean I no longer have to review For Sale listings every day?

Deciding on a home closes one door, but opens a list of moving parts, all of which have to be managed to get the entire retinue from here — to there.

One thing I’m sure of – I don’t like driving on a road where the car has to become a boat. The Midwest humidity was oppressive, especially the morning where a person could almost reach out and grab a handful of fluid air. We kept the car AC on mainly to dry out the air so our Colorado noses could breathe. There will be an adjustment period.

Happy Trails.

I know it’s been a couple weeks since my last post. It has been a busy time for us and I’ll try to cover what has happened over the last few weeks.

Critter Stories

A few weeks ago Pam and I visited The Lot. Out of that trip come a couple of “critter” stories I have not previously mentioned.

As we approached our turnoff in South Park, I saw something crossing the road ahead of us but couldn’t identify what it was. Getting closer, we saw a mom coyote with six kitts who had just crossed the road.

Now this is rare; coyote kitts are rarely seen in daylight. I don’t know why the mom was moving them, but the kitts were as cute as can be. Little triangle ears poking up from small but well defined heads. Each kitt was a miniature image of the mother. We didn’t stop for a photo, but the image remains clear in our memories. Cute!

One of my chores when we start the season is to get fresh water, something I mentioned in an earlier post. However, while I was on my first water trip, I came around a corner and almost ran into three adult pronghorn bucks. I stopped the truck, but when I started to move to grab my camera, the animals took off.

They looked great. Black ebony horns rose above clearly marked faces. One looked to be molting his winter coat in a small area near his belly, but otherwise they were sleek and healthy.

Again, no photos but the memory remains. Seeing these critters was a highlight of that trip.

The Lot News

I have made a couple more solo trips to The Lot and have been able to get some work started. I haven’t done as much as I’d like, primarily due to the weather.

Two weeks ago I went up on a Saturday – Sunday visit; the weather report called for a low of 34 degrees and a chance of snow. In fact, it did snow on the way home, enough to accumulate on Vail Pass, and there were flakes in the air in many places. The main goal was to take up the chipper, replace the LP lines on the tanks, and do some replenishing of items we had forgotten on the first trip. Good thing my goals were not any higher!

Last weekend I made another overnighter, this time to get some work done. I cut brush, chipped small piles of brush, salvaged a few logs for firewood, consolidated some of my pine wood, and cleaned up some dead wood along the driveway and on Homestead Acre. However, rain moved in and I had to cut my visit a few hours short. I brought home a truck full of ‘burn pit’ wood; this stuff is too rotten to salvage and too big to chip.

Here are a few photos from the most recent trip:

Once the storm rumblings began I closed down my operations, put the ATV in shed storage, and shut down The Box in preparation to head for home.

Around the House

The home place looks a little bare with the utility trailer and the chipper gone from the spots they had occupied over the winter. However, the hollyhocks are blooming profusely and the lawn remains very green due to recent rains.

I picked all the cherries off my cherry tree. There were not as many as last year. Pam froze them pits-in for future distribution to the squirrels and chippies at The Lot this fall and early winter. (Pam was not impressed with the crop of “pie cherries” last year; this year’s crop was meant for a different fate.)

So the summer goes on. I have a motorcycle rally in a couple of weeks, based out of Durango in Colorado’s southwest corner. Looking forward to it.

We hope everyone has a Hppy 4th of July!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I’m spending quite a bit of time this season being the door concierge for the dogs and a couple of cats. Out/in, out/in, out/in, repeat, repeat, repeat…

Toward the end of July, I may just assemble materials and start working on the Winter Solstice cards. The number of holiday cards I send is dwindling; this past year saw another handful of folks pass into the ether and off my list. I’m thinking of Solstice cards in sapphire blue, since the sapphire is the precious stone representing 45 years of marriage — a milestone Fields and I will pass at the end of the summer.

Happy Trails.

The weekend forecast was for 48 degrees and raining at The Lot so I decided to stay home this weekend. In addition to the normal chores I decided to do some work on the Ford 8N and Oliver OC-3 tractors.

Now don’t roll your eyes… there will be a few bits from around the house and life in general as well.

Ford 8N

The Ford is getting a bit closer to operating condition. The leveler box I ordered arrived and was installed along with the 3-point hitch adapter and top link. As you might expect, the top link attaches between the top of the hitch adapter and the tractor and keeps the hitch from pitching forward or back.

The new leveler box is at the right-hand side of the hitch. The top link keeps the hitch vertical as the hitch is raised and lowered. I hope to test this arrangement by pulling the chipper around a bit this week.

OC-3

A few hours were spent working on the Oliver OC-3. One job I knew I had to do was replace the clutch linkage, as when I bought the tractor parts of the link were missing. I had ordered a replacement and now was a good time to begin that work.

The OC-3 has an adapter that goes between the clutch and the drive shaft that had to be removed. Once I had the adapter off I found quite a bit of dirt, old seeds, and even a few small stones that had found their way into the adapter and clutch assembly. What a mess!

After some scraping and several tanks of compressed air to blow out the crud, the assembly looked to be fairly clean. I was getting ready to reinstall everything until I realized the replacement linkage I had ordered (used) was missing a nut and washer, according to the OC-3’s parts manual. These are standard hardware parts but I did not have them on hand, so I came to a stopping point. I’ll get them on my home from work tomorrow.

Here are a few photos of this project so far:

It will be a long time yet before the OC-3 is in running condition but getting one of the many projects that need doing under way is a step in the right direction.

House

Pam has been busy with her Solstice card project plus working on the yard’s aesthetics by adding a few more flowers and greenery.

Pam added several more geraniums to the corner planter; due to cooler early summer temps than last year, flowers are thriving.

Another “Pam Project” has been putting together this year’s Summer Solstice cards. Using cutouts from catalogs and craft store stock, the [few] cards created are unique and bright.

Conclusion

So, even though it was an “at home” weekend instead of an “at The Lot” weekend, we both kept busy and I proceeded to Plan B projects. (There is always a Plan B.)

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

This coming week, I’ll probably start going through more of the boxes we currently have stored above the garage. How did we get so much crap up there anyway?

Happy Trails.

Last weekend (June 8 – 9) we made our first overnight stay of the season at The Lot. The visit consisted mostly of restocking The Box’s dry and canned goods, replenishing the linens that had been removed for winter storage, and getting a supply of fresh water.

Water

Getting fresh water in The Box’s storage tank is always a chore the first time each season. Water has to be hand-pumped from the community well and each round trip takes just over an hour. Two trips are required.

The storage tank hold about 40 gallons of water and the hot water heater holds another 6 gallons. With the water jugs I have, each trip will get me about 23 gallons. I use my home-built water transfer system (a 12 volt pump and two hoses, one for the jug(s) and the other for the water tank) to move the water into the storage tank. This not a fast process but works better than trying to pour the water from the jugs into a funnel to get it into the tank.

Weather

Saturday’s weather was terrific. It was warmer than expected, low 70s, but a breeze was blowing to keep us cool, even when in the sun. The blue sky was populated with white clouds, and recent snows had the mountain tops painted in white which made them really stand out against the sky.

Sunday’s weather was not so good. We awoke to a heavy mist and grey skies. This was OK with us as we had planned to return home fairly early in the day, this not being a “work” trip. Any moisture is always welcome at The Lot.

Aspen

At this elevation spring has just begun and the aspen had that “new spring leaves” look going, which is quite attractive. Young pine already have new growth on the ends of their branches.

A walk around The Lot revealed work to be done to remove some aspen that had not survived the winter. This happens every year as aspen are not long-lived trees; I generally begin the season by doing “clean up” in areas we had previously worked.

Walking through the area we call the aspen grove was an absolute delight. With all the dead wood gone a person can move unhindered through the area, taking in the sunlight filtered through the new leaves. We remarked to each other that young pine, some only a few inches tall, could now get the sunlight they need to thrive.

Plan for 2019

It became pretty clear that 2019 will be a tidy up year for The Lot. In addition to removing the trees that didn’t survive the winter, several smaller jobs need to be done.  These include consolidating the pine firewood I now have scattered in several piles around The Lot, finishing cleanup in one small corner of the aspen grove, hauling logs to a central location for processing this fall, and chipping piles of brush left from clean up efforts in 2017 and 2018.

Last year we harvested around 4 cords of firewood. This year that number will be more in the 1 to 2 range, just because we are moving higher into The Lot and the dead wood is not as thick on the ground as it was in the aspen grove. That is OK with me; my left arm is improving but still not 100% and I don’t yet know how it will react to very hard labor.

Conclusion

The trip turned out well. The Box is now ready for summer use. A plan of action for the summer has been formulated. Now I just need to get my chipper, trailer,  and other tools to The Lot to begin this summer’s clean up activities.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Hard to believe we’re almost at the Summer Solstice already. I sent out a few cards to mark the occasion.

Things are heating up on the retirement house search too, with a potential road trip in the planning stages. Stay tuned.

Happy Trails.

There is no “theme” to this post; it is the time of they year when summer its not quite here (aka working at The Lot) and our time is filled with tasks large and small and just doing “stuff.”

Packing

Last weekend Pam and I removed several boxes of items that had been in storage in the garage attic. Pam has spent several hours going through these boxes, repacking what we would like to keep, and throwing out things we no longer want.

There is quite a bit of “Kid Stuff” in these boxes including Legos, computer games, posters, and books. Some will be sent to the kids, some will go to a local donation charity and some may get sold on eBay. This is all in preparation for an eventual move to a Midwest retirement location.

Lawn

Last year we had our big cottonwood trees trimmed back in an effort to save it from a fungus that attacked that species. The tree is not looking good this year. I had to use my chain saw to remove several dead limbs. We decided any shade was worth keeping so the cottonwood will remain in place for the rest of the summer before we decide to remove or keep it.

To help offset that loss we planted a new tree, a globe willow. There are several of these growing in the neighborhood so I hope this one will take root and grow well.

Flowers

Some of our flowers are going great guns. Blue and yellow iris are in bloom and one of our columbine plants has popped out some red and yellow blossoms.

The yellow columbine, blue iris, yellow iris, and blue flax are adding color to the yard.

Last weekend we stopped at a home improvement store and bought some annuals and mulch. Pam has been busy arranging the flowers in the corner planting box.

Some red geraniums are in the planter and will add a spot of red when they bloom. The greenery in the background is hollyhock plants, budding out now and getting ready to sport a variety of pastels. When they do we will have the nicest corner in town!

Ford 8n tractor

In addition to helping Pam, mowing and weed-wacking the yard, and handing down boxes from the garage attic, I have been doing a bit more work on the Ford 8N tractor. I am hoping to use it at The Lot this year to move the chipper around to places I could not get to using the ATV.

I put in a few minor repairs to the air intake system but the bulk of the effort went into the “load leveler” box, part of the rear hitch.

The load leveler had one major function: plowing. With the tractor’s right wheels in a plow furrow farmers needed to be a way to keep the plow level. The right-hand hitch linkage is adjustable to make this happen. When not plowing, the adjustable link was used to make the drawbar level.

On my 8n the adjustable link was frozen (rusted) in the plowing position. If I am going to use the tractor for towing I needed to have the drawbar level.

After much work, including removing the link from the tractor, I was able to get the link to move only to find it is rusted beyond usefulness. Decades of sitting outside had allowed water to enter the threaded area of the link, damaging the threads beyond use. I now have a new link (around $50.00) on order and hope to get it next week.

The last, and major, project to do is replacing a leaking gasket. This requires removing the PTO shaft and dropping the hydraulic pump out of the tractor. The work is not terribly precise but is very messy and involves moving and lifting quite a bit of weight. It will take several hours to complete as once the pump is removed one must clean everything, and based on my experience so far, cleaning the pump and the cavity it fits in will be no small job. It needs to be done but I am not looking forward to doing it.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

I’ve been watching news reports of the flooding in Iowa, first in Davenport and now in Burlington. The Mississippi River has been predictably high since the snowmelt started. So have other rivers in the state, which we saw first-hand during our visit in April. Something to consider re: the relocation.

It’s already heating up on the high desert. Bummer that. Fields is putting up blocking panels on all our skylights. It’s amazing how much heat comes in from the roof through those skylights. One of our cats, Velvet, will not be happy with this development, as she follows incoming spots of sun around different rooms for her naps.

Happy Trails.