BROKEN OAK HILL(R) Dispatches from the heart of Wisconsin At the Farm
This deer bed was just down behind the garage, not more than 10 feet away.
July 4-7
Holiday visit is anything but a respite
A sudden rainstorm was one of the surprises of this visit, lasting only about 20 minutes but coming down at a good clip. It certainly didn't hurt anything, and it softened up some of the soil around the house th
at had become like hard-packed clay as it baked in the sun over the past several days. It created a few momentary rivulets, and it drove a ground hog from somewhere near the smokehouse off to the protection of the woods along the road.
We had arrived before noon on July 4 to meet a couple that was interested in the propane cookstove from the kitchen. They decided it would work for the cabin they
were building on their newly aquired country property north of Madison and took it off our hands for $50 -- a $10 discount because it needed some cleaning. It was the stove that replaced the original cookstove that Dad wrote about in his essay years ago.
I had a list of things I wanted to get done in the woods on this trip and thought I would have time, but the real reason we were here was to put sealer on about 100 pieces of car siding that will be used for the ceiling of the front porch, and if there's enough left over, for the back porch, too. Since we put two coats on each board, it took most of two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) to get the project accomplished. I was bummed because once again I d
id not make it to the top of the hill to mow a path, but I did get down through the south pines and remowed some of those trails.
The big changes for this trip were that the windows were in, the Tyvek wrap had been put up, soffits were in place all around the house and some of the work on the plumbing and wiring had begun. And the cooking deck off of the dining room had been built.
We were able to meet with the plumber on Tuesday morning (he was waiting for us when we arrived from the motel in Mauston) and we made a lot of progress. We decided to rearrange the upstairs bathroom, even though some work had already started there according to plan. It may cost us a few hundred extra dollars
because of what has to be undone, but that is a lot better than a $10,000 remake a year or two down the road if we decided we didn't like it. Our builder, Jim Langendorf, came by in the afternoon, and then later as we were wrapping up on work on the first coat of polyurethane, the electrician showed up, too, and we got to go over the plans with him, reconfirming some of the things we had talked about the first time we met with him and altering a few things.
Wednesday we were treated to a visit from Rita Kranz and got to catch up with what's going on with her and to give her a tour of the place. It's always nice to see an old neighbor and friend.
Holiday visit is anything but a respite
A sudden rainstorm was one of the surprises of this visit, lasting only about 20 minutes but coming down at a good clip. It certainly didn't hurt anything, and it softened up some of the soil around the house th
at had become like hard-packed clay as it baked in the sun over the past several days. It created a few momentary rivulets, and it drove a ground hog from somewhere near the smokehouse off to the protection of the woods along the road.We had arrived before noon on July 4 to meet a couple that was interested in the propane cookstove from the kitchen. They decided it would work for the cabin they
were building on their newly aquired country property north of Madison and took it off our hands for $50 -- a $10 discount because it needed some cleaning. It was the stove that replaced the original cookstove that Dad wrote about in his essay years ago. I had a list of things I wanted to get done in the woods on this trip and thought I would have time, but the real reason we were here was to put sealer on about 100 pieces of car siding that will be used for the ceiling of the front porch, and if there's enough left over, for the back porch, too. Since we put two coats on each board, it took most of two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) to get the project accomplished. I was bummed because once again I d
id not make it to the top of the hill to mow a path, but I did get down through the south pines and remowed some of those trails. The big changes for this trip were that the windows were in, the Tyvek wrap had been put up, soffits were in place all around the house and some of the work on the plumbing and wiring had begun. And the cooking deck off of the dining room had been built.
We were able to meet with the plumber on Tuesday morning (he was waiting for us when we arrived from the motel in Mauston) and we made a lot of progress. We decided to rearrange the upstairs bathroom, even though some work had already started there according to plan. It may cost us a few hundred extra dollars
because of what has to be undone, but that is a lot better than a $10,000 remake a year or two down the road if we decided we didn't like it. Our builder, Jim Langendorf, came by in the afternoon, and then later as we were wrapping up on work on the first coat of polyurethane, the electrician showed up, too, and we got to go over the plans with him, reconfirming some of the things we had talked about the first time we met with him and altering a few things. Wednesday we were treated to a visit from Rita Kranz and got to catch up with what's going on with her and to give her a tour of the place. It's always nice to see an old neighbor and friend.
