On Vacation from Retirement

Finally, I think we are really ready for winter. Saturday I finished the temporary shelters for the pipes and covered them with plastic and tarps. They aren't pretty, but they are only for this winter. Each shelter has an insulated frame made from structural insulated panels (leftover scraps from our neighbor Jeff). The frames are filled with as much fiberglass insulation as I could fit, then covered with lids made from some platforms left over from the camp Doug and Nancy had while they were building the log cabin. Under the main cabin porch, there is a small box shelter for the shutoff and the valve that drains the house and all the plumbing downstream from the booster pump. It can be completely removed to use the shut off valve.

The large lean-to shelter behind the bathhouse is for the pipes coming from the well and going into the bathhouse, as well as the pipes coming out of the bathhouse with pressurized water going to the yard standpipe and the main house. There is a shut off and drain where the pipes come out of the deep trenches to go into the bathhouse. Eventually this will all be covered by the bathhouse extension that is planned for next summer.

The lean-to has a large, heavy lid (8 feet by 5 feet made of 2x4s and planks) that must be lifted and propped open in order to shut the water to the bathhouse on and off. It had to be covered with enough insulation to protect the pipes and valves in case there are temperatures of -30 degrees or so, which is not uncommon here in winter. The shut off valves are now two feet below ground level in a hole with a removable cover, which in turn is two or more feet below the opening of the shelter under layers and layers of insulation. The only problem with this is that when the water needs to be shut off, we have to reach down more than four feet into a little hole. This entails literally hanging upside down into the shelter with one's feet in the air. It is actually quite uncomfortable.

How do I know?

Well, on Halloween Tom left for a month in Lawrence, Kansas working with the Kansas Geological Survey there. Since he was going to be gone and I was done with the work that absolutely had to be done before winter, I decided this would be a good time to spend a few weeks on Whidbey Island visiting friends and family and taking care of projects that need to be done on that house. With all the mud between snowstorms, this is a good time to be gone. So, after finishing the insulation shelters, I did the gymnastics required to shut off the water and drain all the pipes. Hanging upside down, reaching as far as I could to shut off the valves, everything fell out of my pockets and I had to wriggle even farther down to retrieve my cell phone and wallet. I had a devil of a time hoisting myself back out. When I pull stunts like this, it is hard to remember that I am a middle-aged retired lady. The dignity of age and the wisdom of maturity seem not to have descended upon me yet. Sorry, no pictures of me upside down with my muddy Sorels waving in the air, but taking pictures of myself in that position is not really possible. You'll have to use your imagination.

Anyway, besides finishing the shelters, I found a seed company in Three Forks that sells native high altitude grass seed mix in 50 pound bags, so I reseeded the areas that Randy tore up back in September. They tell me that the lupines and other wildflowers will return on their own. I sure hope so. Anyway, with all this grass seed, I'm hoping the whole disturbed area won't turn into a buckbrush thicket. Mucking around in the mud in the pouring rain broadcasting the seed by hand did not result in a nice even, sparse distribution of seeds, but I don't care. It will all be covered with snow any day now and then in the spring, after the mud season, I'm hoping it will all sprout into a nice meadow.

Meanwhile, the Wee Beastie and I headed off to the coast for vacation. It is funny to take vacation from retirement, but it has all been so much work getting the cabin and bathhouse ready for winter that I feel like I'm on vacation now. Besides, my tiny house in the woods on Whidbey Island seems downright luxurious now. Hot water comes out of the bathroom and kitchen sinks! I can turn on all the lights, use the microwave and the toaster, and run power tools all at the same time without having to start a generator! When I have to get up to pee in the night, I can just walk to the next room without having to put on boots and a coat! I can drive to the store and back without chains or using the compound low gears in four wheel drive! There is a washer and dryer! If I were to receive mail here, I could walk to the mailbox! What a fancy resort this is! But as much as I love it here, I miss Montana and the mountains and the fabulous sunrises viewed from the big picture window or the deck. I love the ocean and the ferries and the occasional glimpse of a whale or sea lion, but I miss the elk and occasional glimpse of a bear or moose. My little house is cozy and cute, but I miss the light and space and logs of the cabin. So I will enjoy being on the island, visiting everyone here, and the respite from the hard work of the summer and fall, but I will be anxious to return in December. Until then, since I don't have internet access here, this blog will take a vacation, too. See you in December!