Yeah, that's right Poppy Sox (my red Subaru Forester) and I are official residents of Vermont, as of two days ago. I keep trying to figure out if I feel any different--nope, no different. The only way I do feel different is that I do not have to go to work every day, now THAT is different. Of course, I like it.
Well, things are moving along with my ice damage problem. I finally filed a claim with the insurance company and an adjustor is coming out tomorrow to evaluate the mess. Thank goodness.
And a roofer is going to come soon to do a temporary fix and then again in a few weeks to put up a brand new standing seam metal roof, on the house first and then on the other 2 buildings. Instead of picking burgundy red, I think I will choose charcoal gray, so that, if we want to, we can have options when we paint the trim. If I chose burgundy red, I would have to stick with colors that go with it. Plus, reds fade fast and are not guaranteed as long as other colors. Who knew? The roofer, of course.
I went for another visit with a staff person at the School for International Training on Wednesday. I have decided to take the summer peacebuilding program (June 1-19) and then continue with the graduate certificate in conflict transformation in the fall. If I want to go on from there, I can the following year.
So, my days of being a hermit are drawing to a close and winter is beginning to turn to mud season. When we have warmish days, the foot of my drive becomes muddy, so I get a taste of what is coming. But I am looking forward to what comes after that, spring and all the surprises in store for me as the flowers in my yard wake up and the birds and other wildlife come wandering through. That will be fun to see.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Snowing again
Nothing new there, it's snowing again. We're supposed to get 6 to 8 inches. It just means that I get up and clear snow off my drive instead of going to workout. Oh well.
I've been busy this week. I spoke with a financial advisor about rolling over my 401(k) stock investments into a safer IRA. I am particularly interested in socially responsible investments. My investment strategy is kind of conservative. I don't feel I need to make a lot of money, I just do not want to be losing as much as I have in the past 6 months.
I will be refinancing my home in Vermont, now that I have sold the place in Maryland. I will be lowering my interest rate 1.5 percent to 5 percent. I think that is pretty good.
I visited the School for International Training to check out what courses I would like to take. I think I will start with the certificate program on conflict transformation and possibly continue in the master's program on intercultural service, leadership, and management.
I also visited the Brattleboro Clay Works, a local pottery co-op. I think it would be better for me to join this group than to try to make pots on my own. It will be less expensive ($80 per month) to belong than to build my own studio (at least $15,000 to renovate the workshop/barn). It will be good to have company, to be inspired by others.
I will be meeting with a couple of architects tomorrow to discuss improvements to my house and property. I want to have new roofs on all 3 structures, plus new wood floors in the house, a screen porch to replace the deck, and have all the walls painted. I want to know if the windows are double paned and I would like to have new toilets (ones that are taller so that older people can use them comfortably) and have a few things repaired.
So, all is well.
I've been busy this week. I spoke with a financial advisor about rolling over my 401(k) stock investments into a safer IRA. I am particularly interested in socially responsible investments. My investment strategy is kind of conservative. I don't feel I need to make a lot of money, I just do not want to be losing as much as I have in the past 6 months.
I will be refinancing my home in Vermont, now that I have sold the place in Maryland. I will be lowering my interest rate 1.5 percent to 5 percent. I think that is pretty good.
I visited the School for International Training to check out what courses I would like to take. I think I will start with the certificate program on conflict transformation and possibly continue in the master's program on intercultural service, leadership, and management.
I also visited the Brattleboro Clay Works, a local pottery co-op. I think it would be better for me to join this group than to try to make pots on my own. It will be less expensive ($80 per month) to belong than to build my own studio (at least $15,000 to renovate the workshop/barn). It will be good to have company, to be inspired by others.
I will be meeting with a couple of architects tomorrow to discuss improvements to my house and property. I want to have new roofs on all 3 structures, plus new wood floors in the house, a screen porch to replace the deck, and have all the walls painted. I want to know if the windows are double paned and I would like to have new toilets (ones that are taller so that older people can use them comfortably) and have a few things repaired.
So, all is well.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Been Busy
I'm getting better at building fires in my woodstove, I just needed to read The Woodburner's Companion and practice.
But the ice in my gutters still confounds me. I was out on my deck yesterday afternoon chopping away at the ice, got a great upper body workout, got soaking wet, had to take off my glasses so they wouldn't get smashed by flying ice chunks, and had to wear my bike helmet to protect my head from same.
I think I'll try drilling the ice at strategic points and then chopping again. After all, if the people who ice fish can drill the ice, why shouldn't I try it? It might work, at least I'll get more ice out of the gutters, but I don't know what to do about the ice inside the eaves, which is melting and dripping down the wall in my living room. So, I've put big plastic bins up against the wall, to catch the dripping water.
I've been checking out my neighbors' houses, to see what they do about ice dams. It looks to me that the most successful prevention strategy is to have a standing seam metal roof. So, when I meet with the architect, I'm going to ask about having standing seam metal roofs installed on all 3 structures. I've heard it's expensive, but worth it in the long, long run.
My brother and his family are coming for a visit today. So, in addition to chopping ice in my gutters, I tidied up the place, vacuumed all the floors, lugged wood inside and downstairs, etc. The place feels good, like a home, at last.
Of course, I still have lots to do, but all the junk is no longer in my way. So, I have started doing some encaustic painting. Did 4 paintings and like 2. I'm thinking of cutting up the other 2 and repositioning the pieces into collages, maybe combining them with other things. But I am pleased to be creating again.
But the ice in my gutters still confounds me. I was out on my deck yesterday afternoon chopping away at the ice, got a great upper body workout, got soaking wet, had to take off my glasses so they wouldn't get smashed by flying ice chunks, and had to wear my bike helmet to protect my head from same.
I think I'll try drilling the ice at strategic points and then chopping again. After all, if the people who ice fish can drill the ice, why shouldn't I try it? It might work, at least I'll get more ice out of the gutters, but I don't know what to do about the ice inside the eaves, which is melting and dripping down the wall in my living room. So, I've put big plastic bins up against the wall, to catch the dripping water.
I've been checking out my neighbors' houses, to see what they do about ice dams. It looks to me that the most successful prevention strategy is to have a standing seam metal roof. So, when I meet with the architect, I'm going to ask about having standing seam metal roofs installed on all 3 structures. I've heard it's expensive, but worth it in the long, long run.
My brother and his family are coming for a visit today. So, in addition to chopping ice in my gutters, I tidied up the place, vacuumed all the floors, lugged wood inside and downstairs, etc. The place feels good, like a home, at last.
Of course, I still have lots to do, but all the junk is no longer in my way. So, I have started doing some encaustic painting. Did 4 paintings and like 2. I'm thinking of cutting up the other 2 and repositioning the pieces into collages, maybe combining them with other things. But I am pleased to be creating again.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Kindling and ice dams
Well, I admit it, life in southern Vermont involves a lot more physical work than working and living in the DC area.
Before, I was a bureaucrat, I worked in an office. Before, I lived in a townhouse, I didn't have many concerns about my home.
Now, I live in a single-family home, with Lily, my calico cat; a hungry woodstove; and a gutter full of ice, also known as an ice dam.
The woodstove and I are becoming good friends. I am getting better at feeding it, though I still don't know how to damp it down at night so it still has embers in the morning. Embers in the morning are good, they would make firing up the stove a lot easier every day. But I am learning. I am getting closer. And I have realized I need more kindling, so, where do I get more kindling? I had been thinking I would call the woodstove store and ask where I could buy some, but decided I could do better than that. So, I bought a good ax and have been chopping up bigger pieces of wood, making little pieces of wood. Homemade kindling!
As for ice dams, they suck. I now know what I should have done each time it snowed. I should have gone out on my deck and raked the snow off the roof and I should not have let the ice accumulate in the gutters because when ice collects in gutters, it also collects under the eaves and any snow that melts under the eaves cannot run off, so where does the water go? Inside, down the wall. So, I've got buckets lined about along the wall, collecting cold, dirty water that drips off the rafters.
That's a good solution for this winter, but not for the longterm. I'm going to get a new roof put on, I'm thinking I will have standing seam metal roofs for all 3 structures. This will be a major expense, but, in the long run, it will be worth it.
So, not only have these few weeks of winter been good for getting things accomplished, like the unpacking and sorting I have done, they have been good for learning what needs to be done to make this place more comfortable, more livable.
Before, I was a bureaucrat, I worked in an office. Before, I lived in a townhouse, I didn't have many concerns about my home.
Now, I live in a single-family home, with Lily, my calico cat; a hungry woodstove; and a gutter full of ice, also known as an ice dam.
The woodstove and I are becoming good friends. I am getting better at feeding it, though I still don't know how to damp it down at night so it still has embers in the morning. Embers in the morning are good, they would make firing up the stove a lot easier every day. But I am learning. I am getting closer. And I have realized I need more kindling, so, where do I get more kindling? I had been thinking I would call the woodstove store and ask where I could buy some, but decided I could do better than that. So, I bought a good ax and have been chopping up bigger pieces of wood, making little pieces of wood. Homemade kindling!
As for ice dams, they suck. I now know what I should have done each time it snowed. I should have gone out on my deck and raked the snow off the roof and I should not have let the ice accumulate in the gutters because when ice collects in gutters, it also collects under the eaves and any snow that melts under the eaves cannot run off, so where does the water go? Inside, down the wall. So, I've got buckets lined about along the wall, collecting cold, dirty water that drips off the rafters.
That's a good solution for this winter, but not for the longterm. I'm going to get a new roof put on, I'm thinking I will have standing seam metal roofs for all 3 structures. This will be a major expense, but, in the long run, it will be worth it.
So, not only have these few weeks of winter been good for getting things accomplished, like the unpacking and sorting I have done, they have been good for learning what needs to be done to make this place more comfortable, more livable.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Loving life
Yeah, you bet I love life, retirement is great.
I knew January and February would be kind of slow months, I knew I would not get out much. I viewed them as fallow months, but busy just the same. I planned on unpacking and going through all the boxes of my stuff from my parents' house and I did it! All done, all organized, now I know where things are. All the photos from our family, about 100 years' worth, are in one place; I've gone through all my books and notebooks and have chosen which I will keep, which I will try to sell or toss. I've gone through lots and lots of pots I made years ago and decided which I will keep, which I will smash. I've gone through my clothes and have decided which I will wear and which I will consign or donate.
Oh, I still have plenty of projects, but this first layer is gone and it was a big impediment. Now I can breathe, now I am free.
And I have begun to meet people. I've been to Meeting twice, I have a new dentist, I have joined the Brattleboro Food Co-op as a working shareholder, which means I have to work 2 hours a month to get a 10% discount. I help by bagging groceries and I meet lots of neat people.
I've been spending lots less money. I only shop at the Co-op. And I have learned to plan ahead mostly according to what the weather forecast is for the week.
I am learning to work my woodstove, fire is a harsh teacher, like clay. And, now that I have gotten through my unpacking challenge, I feel I have time to devote to clay. The unpacking had to come first, before everything.
So, you see, all is well with me. I still have to learn how to upload photos, but maybe I'll get David to help with that.
I knew January and February would be kind of slow months, I knew I would not get out much. I viewed them as fallow months, but busy just the same. I planned on unpacking and going through all the boxes of my stuff from my parents' house and I did it! All done, all organized, now I know where things are. All the photos from our family, about 100 years' worth, are in one place; I've gone through all my books and notebooks and have chosen which I will keep, which I will try to sell or toss. I've gone through lots and lots of pots I made years ago and decided which I will keep, which I will smash. I've gone through my clothes and have decided which I will wear and which I will consign or donate.
Oh, I still have plenty of projects, but this first layer is gone and it was a big impediment. Now I can breathe, now I am free.
And I have begun to meet people. I've been to Meeting twice, I have a new dentist, I have joined the Brattleboro Food Co-op as a working shareholder, which means I have to work 2 hours a month to get a 10% discount. I help by bagging groceries and I meet lots of neat people.
I've been spending lots less money. I only shop at the Co-op. And I have learned to plan ahead mostly according to what the weather forecast is for the week.
I am learning to work my woodstove, fire is a harsh teacher, like clay. And, now that I have gotten through my unpacking challenge, I feel I have time to devote to clay. The unpacking had to come first, before everything.
So, you see, all is well with me. I still have to learn how to upload photos, but maybe I'll get David to help with that.
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