Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
End of the Road Farm
Hopalong:
I remember, with each of my two divorces, how surprising it was that once the decision was made, all tension evaporated. Peace in the house. It was a sad transition but so much tension and anxiety just went away, even while we had to cohabit until the waiting period was up.
I'm glad Holly is finding similar relief. And for her sake, I hope they don't reunite. I'm sure M could learn lots in therapy but it sounded to me as though it's a personality type issue, and that doesn't normally get rewired without massive motivation.
In my case/s, the sudden drop of tension did re-awaken some affection that had been lost. But it never made me/us question the inevitability (in my case, also the rightness) of the decision. It is a mercy that I never confused "it feels much better now" with "let's undo our decision."
xxoo
Hops
sKePTiKal:
Word to the wise:
If you own property, and ever sell it to someone else... PLEASE sketch up a map of how the utilities run underground! I'm having the devil of a time trying to get things marked out here - so that I can plan out fence and plant the rosebushes that will get huge.
Miss Utility only marks from the pole to my transformer (and that meter) and DID mark from the pole to the meter for the barn. Now the electrician knows where NOT to dig to actually run the line from that meter to the barn. (Assuming it ever dries up enough for the bobcat work; got rain again yesterday - enough to reverse the drying process.)
I want to fence around the house, so I can keep a dog inside of it... and probably a compost pile and chicken coop down the road. Miss Utility says to contact power co to mark lines from the transformer to house... I call them and am informed they no longer do that - Miss Utility does; and then I'm told to TELL Miss Utility that information and have them come back, for what I want. I've been at this for 6 months now... so I was more than happy to do that. This time, I'm told that if that's the case, I'll have to hire an electrician or special "locator" service. SIGH...
Gas co guy was out yesterday (in the rain). His idea of marking things was to swing his arm from the location of the tank... to the garage/studio and again, to the house... where the regulators are clearly visible on the outside corners. But he WAS on site when the garage was built; and remembers the trench. He believes that the water line and power was run in that one trench... because uphill is an exposed rock ledge and then the house. But he did say that he's pretty close to me, and to just call him the day I start to work. He really didn't like the idea of me running the auger on the bobcat with Holly helping "aim" and steady it. So I'm STILL going to be guessing where to set fence posts. Even if I hire someone I can't tell them more than that. (I'm totally unsure where the water line comes into the house... my best guess is in the same vicinity as the gas/power which are visible. I'm going to try metal detecting that line; the gas line will be PVC so not detectable.
And it's going to be too danged hot & humid the next few days to do anything outside myself. THIS is why this year's projects are taking so long. I probably wouldn't so frustrated, if I hadn't been planting raspberries at the beach and cut one of the low voltage wires with my shovel. Never did get that lighting working right after that. It was a perfect spot for the berries - WHO KNEW there was a wire there? LOL. Took two hours and a couple phone calls and two guys to find the septic tank down there, to pump it out. When I had the break here - in February - I couldn't tell the plumbers where my tank was, how the lines ran, etc. Took them 4 hours until 11:30 at night in the freezing cold to scope all that out... and of course, it was old and no longer to code.
I guess I have SOME satisfaction in that I'm rectifying all these unknowns... and mapping them. Keeping the map with the surveys, too.
lighter:
Good Lord, Amber. I remember the time it took to figure out where my buried gutter lines emptied into the woods. I can imagine what you're going through.
Utilities are so... scary. You don't want anyone getting electrocuted, and what a huge PITA to repair them, worst case scenario. An electrician electrocuted himself at a condo property, when I was the President of the Association, years ago. Oy. Such anxiety! Gives me the vapors thinking about it.
I still need a new D box for septic system at this house. The entire area has failing septic systems, hence... no eating what you catch from the pond in the woods. :shock:
Because you talked about low voltage lighting, I just flipped the light switch to the shed to see if the Christmas lights (I left up all year) still operated. All but 2 feet lit up. Darnit. I really hoped I'd get 2 perfectly lit seasons out of all that work, and I now see I won't. Drat, and darnit. I should have taken them down, but another neighbor still has his lit, so...... it gave me the courage to leave them. I'm sure he calls them fairy lights, at this point. Oh well.
::shaking head::.
Can you ask the the sellers if they know where the utilities are?
Any help would be a good thing, IMO. Maybe there's a diagram somewhere?
If it's not one thing, it's going to be another.
While I was dealing with a blown pressure reducing valve, a friend was struggling with hers in another State. Neither of us understood the problem, or knew the other was struggling. We could have saved each others appliances, nipples in the shower, and garden hoses had we known what we were dealing with. If you encounter increased pressure, put together a list of all plumbing problems and leaks, and call a good plumber, ladies. Have him set the pressure valve where you want it, then leave it alone forever, as touching it will make failure more likely. They don't come with any guarantees, and they're expensive.
I wish this rain would stop. On the upside, the moss in the forest is magical. It's all around the trails, and usually there's hardly any in these woods.
Lighter
sKePTiKal:
I had asked for information like that at closing Lighter. I got a handful of manuals for things - and that was it. Seller told the realtor they had to figure things out the hard way - so the basic checklist of things I asked for weren't ever delivered. They're probably out of the country by now.
My plumbers are on speed-dial. LOL. As is the electrician. As much as he's been here, I probably oughta feed him. I've found markers I can sink into the ground (to mow over) that will mark all the various runs... once I figure it all out. I can kind of see the long mounds (opposite of furrows) that run in as straight a line as possible from point A to B, where the trenches were dug. They're visible to me, because when we built the first homestead in the 90s - we did all that stuff ourselves. The confirmation is me simply being nervous and not wanting an "oops" where someone gets hurt.
This is the LAST thing I need to nail down before I update my map. I'm going to try the metal detector; it might not be strong enough - but the contractors are supposed to bury some tape that will signal - along with the utility lines. At least now a days, they are. Chances are it wasn't required 20 years ago out here.
The heat is here; afternoon storms probably too. So I'm piddling around inside, getting caught up with housework. Might try to finish my beds tomorrow morning, if it's reasonably cool. But the bug bites (yes, I spray myself with two kinds of repellent) are making me crazy too.
Hopalong:
Hope my small hedgerow new shrubs are smart enough to grow their roots past the gas line when they are developing. They were planted just about a foot away (it was marked) because it was the only place to put them beside the neighbor's driveway.
I think new roots can figure it out though with their smart cells..... Pipe, bleaaggh, nasty.
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