Utilities

Saturday, August 10

Ate lunch with Chuck and Josh around noon yesterday before they left for Tillsonburg. I then went to the bank in Apsley as planned only to find that the ATM was out of order and the bank itself closed. I took the bike so it was a pleasant drive across 620 and it’s significantly shorter than going via Bancroft. I felt terrible about leaving Molly behind and had no choice but to lock her in the house as she’s never been tied up and I’m not sure how she would react. Maybe I should build her a dog house.

I spoke to a Bell engineer over the phone and am now looking into getting a radio phone... According to him, I would have to install poles and cut down several dozen trees to make a corridor between the house and the road several hundred metres to the north and all at my expense estimated to be several thousand dollars. And aesthetically, the idea of having a corridor through the bush from the road to the house is even more repugnant than the cost... If it were solely up to me, I’d forgo the whole telephone business just to avoid the aggravation it’s causing. But I know the kids, especially Lisa, won’t have it. 

Now for the good news. Mike from Wescrafts was just out to evaluate the site for solar power with the result that I’ve ordered a complete system including two panels, two batteries, a converter, cables and mounting pole which he will have ready for me to install by this time next week.The best site for the panels is at the crest of the hill about five metres west of the house. Aesthetically the location is not the best as they’ll always be in my face so to speak but I can certainly live with that. And in practical terms, the closer the better because the longer the cables the more power is lost transporting it to the house.

I also found a suitable but tentative location for the new outhouse which, unlike the existing one and my soon to be solar panels is completely out of sight of the cabin. It’s actually just the west and a few metres north of the large white pine so it’s still reasonably close which I am sure I’ll appreciate in the dead of winter. The ground is very sandy so, with the exception of tree roots, it should be easy digging. This is still tentative because I can’t be certain of the depth of the sand until I start digging in ernest. There is always the possibility that I’ll hit a large slab of granite which will dash any chance of using this location. Here’s hoping.

I finally got around to meditating this morning for about 45 minutes. Immediately afterwards Molly and I went for a walk in the woods. Later on, we went to town to the library to check my finances and research a few things on the web. Bought beer and ice and returned home. It was another very hot day and the spring seems to be on its way to drying up again. Tomorrow I may have to do some more digging.