Cold Windy Weekend

It was another busy weekend. Didn't make much progress in any area but dealt with a number of issues.

Just as we were going to move the washer and dryer to the basement last week the washer had broken. It spun itself to a screeching halt and the drum would no longer turn. I spent a little time on it and had it spinning again but this fix only lasted a few loads. Eventually it spilled water all over the basement floor, smelled like it was going to catch fire, and emitted noises as though we had placed an alley cat in the drum instead of clothes.

Luckily our neighbors Gery and Bobby Jo let us borrow a spare washer they had. Thanks guys!! This ended up working out great once we adjusted the amount of soap used so as to not overwhelm the floor drain with suds.

Saturday, the excavator came by to talk about the septic and level the dirt piles on the drain field. This would offer protection from freezing if we happen to switch over to the new system soon.

I got out on the drain field that night with a laser level to take some topography measurements. It seems the finished field will blend into the surrounding grade rather nicely on three sides. We'll need to do some grading work on the remaining side.

It was extremely windy one night. The power went out and did not come on by morning. At daybreak I went out in the sub zero wind chill and proceeded to get the generator out of the barn. I knew the main drive belt was broken but had a few spare belts to try for a fix. After handling icy sockets and breaking cold rusted bolts I found that none of the spare belts I had would fit properly. As I was ripping the machine apart the power came back on. When my fingers were thoroughly numb I decided it was time to put the generator back in the barn and warm up in the house. Upon entering the house the power went out again. We weren't sure when the power would come back on so we left for a restaurant to warm up and get some lunch. About 10 minutes after we left the neighbors let us know that the power had come back on. Frustrating!

The harsh winds had blown 3 plastic shutters off the house and scattered them in the yard. Also the wind blew open the barn doors, bending a latch in the process. I made a new stronger latch to keep them closed.