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.