Welcome Back Amphibians

This evening, while Suzan did some trimming and raking of old dried fall stuff and Ken planted a bunch of Aus Tree clippings up on the front edge of the property, the kids reintroduced themselves to our old bullfrog friends that have come out of hibernation. Mojo, Banjo and Beulla have returned and a boatload of imigrants (and/or offspring) have joined them. Hayden caught them and then turned them over to Morgen, who addressed their spring wardrobe needs.

Polar Bear Cub Club

Today is Uncle Sam's big day. To help us take our minds off of the joy of hacking away at our earnings and sticking them in an envelope with a few vouchers, we were faced with another interesting project. A mid april spring storm brought in inches of rain, a bit of snow and wicked winds. Our little hero, Morgen, woke us up at 5:30 a.m. to advise that the electricity was off. A quick check in the basement led to the discovery that the sump pump battery backup was a gonner. Ken forged the weather and pulled the battery out of the Trooper and saved the basement in the nick of time! Suzan didn't have wheels today, but the basement was dry.

This crazy spring weather reminded us that only two weeks ago, it was warm enough to inspire the kids to don bathing suits and be the first ones in 2007 to jump into the pond. it was FREEZING. Momma didn't raise no wimps.

Hip-Hip Horray for VacuFlo!

Thanks to the 2 certificates we purchased at the school auction, the heat was on to FINALLY put out a shout to the central vacuum guy. As suspected, he found a giant clog between the den and the basement. The culprit was a large piece of grout, a little stick and a flower hair clip. These naughty items set up a “trap” in the line, causing a dust/hairball jam over a foot long behind it. Lovely. All fixed! He also replaced all of the caps/seals for maximum suction. Let the quiet, dust-free vacuuming begin!

No worries – still here

Good news for the patient among you! A large void in postings does not mean that the projects on Meadow Lane have come to a halt. We just landed in a non-posting valley of sorts. We have chipped away at, and improved upon several things over the last few months. The project that received plenty of attention was the planning and building of the basement workshop. Ken is doing an awesome job- good use of space and thoughtful details.

While working away down there, Ken noticed that our water pressure tank was on its way to retirement (scary bubble-blisters). It was fastidiously replaced, including all new soldered pipes and a “shelf” for better future emergency draining, which also doubles at maximizing space for the large shop dust collection system beneath it. The kids took “The Great Water Turn-Off” seriously and came up with some creative ideas to remind us not to flush or use any faucets.