Setting things straight...

As the weather turns warmer and drier, we have returned to working full time on the house and shop. Our friend Harvey Church returned with his bulldozer to straighten the sharp turn in our driveway and work on the area around the shop. This will eliminate the problem we've had in the past of trucks getting stuck on that corner.
While Harvey worked on the driveway, I was busy preparing a spot for the upper pump house. Because of the almost 100' rise in elevation between the well and the house, an additional pump will be installed at the top of the hill to give us acceptable water pressure at the house. I have dug a trench to connect with the existing water pipe, and will set one of the surplus communication shelters over it to house the pump and pressure tanks. The electric company has set a temporary meter next to the transformer at the top of the hill, so we now have power at the house site.


All my work on the diesel tank finally paid off. Today I filled up the tractor from the tank for the first time. It sure beats lugging gas cans around. I'll get 15 - 20 fillups from one tankful.



Now that the weather is becoming milder, we are seeing more wildlife. Turkeys are everywhere. This evening we saw a bull elk on the hill behind the shop, and this doe welcomed me yesterday morning as I drove up the driveway. The bird is a Dusky Grouse - a member of the Blue Grouse family.

Along with finishing the bathroom in the shop, our next tasks will be installing a French drain around the house, and installing the below grade plumbing in the daylight basement.