Not much work, just prepping for the holidays.

I haven't done any work this week, just some cleaning and organizing.  It did put a chill in my plans to clean out the truck on Tuesday though.  The forecast was 44 and sunny.  It never hit 35, and I came home to this.  

I am heading to visit family over the holidays, and will remain there until after Christmas, so there won't be a lot of posts between now and then.  At this point, the usefulness of the checklist has passed.

Finished up the AC cover, fetched some rocks. Goodbye Nissan.

 I went out late last week and picked up the siding.  It is now present.  

It was kind of chilly and wet Saturday morning.  The ice froze in a neat looking pattern on the car.  

The fog looked kind of neat too.  

I went to go install the siding, but I think I want the wall to dry out first, I don't want to trap moisture in the wall.  The Home Depot housewrap I used is a weave (like a tarp), it isn't the solid plastic like the Tyvek.  As a result, water does still sometimes pass through it.  There is still a little moisture in the wall.  I ended up covering the siding and putting blocks on it to hopefully minimize the curling.  

First I went out and did a wi-fi survey.  Hannaford's wifi was unreliable (sometimes the speedtest wouldn't even run), but McDonalds was decent.  I got an obnoxious result on the first test, but it settled in around 20Mbit down.  The uplink was pretty consistent at 11Mbit.  

So instead I went and fetched some rocks.  Greg had a pile that he wanted to get rid of.  I had intended to put a tarp down in the utility trailer and use that, but it had other ideas unfortunately.  Something else to look into in the spring.  My guess is it needs a new hub.  

It doesn't look like much, but it was enough to completely flatten the back end of my truck, even despite most of the weight being in front of the axle.

I finished filling in the hole in my front yard.  Again.  

I put the rest in a pile.  At that point it was after dark.  The short days suck.

Sunday I sold the Nissan.  It is crazy to think that the Nissan is literally a quarter of my life.  

While I was waiting for the guy to show up for it, I did finish the AC cover.  Just in time too, we got some nasty storms last night.  A lot of large sleet, and a lot of wind.  I had no issues with ice buildup in the heat pump last night though.  While it is still too early to call it a success, it certainly holds promise.  

I also went and got another load of rock, which is still in the back of my truck.  I plan on working remote this afternoon as a dry run for whether everything is going to work, so during lunch I will go unload rocks.  After lunch I will head back to McDonalds (they had the best wifi in town), buy a burger so I don't feel bad about using large amounts of data and see how it goes.

At this point, I am unlikely to complete anything remaining on the checklist before I head to KY.  There is a slim chance I might try to at least a couple pieces of siding up, but I effectively have no daylight outside of short bursts at lunch.  The house went all last winter without siding on it though, and the windows aren't critical to be done before winter (they can be done during winter), so there is no worries.

• Support the shed (either pilings or add additional bracing)
• Get windows installed in the shed
• Paint the carport
• Re-route the electrical cords
  
• Install driveway markers
• Get chains and a blade
• Finish moving piles around (gravel and dirt)
• Grade the driveway
• Install acrylic and braces in carport.
• Realign the front door
• Winterize mowers
• Shut off hose.
• Install siding on south wall.

Got the itch, started building the AC cover.

It was nice out on Tuesday, so I got the car cleaned out.  All that is left to do is vacuum it out before I sell it.  I might be able to finish that up today if the rain holds off.

Last night I got bored and had the itch to actually do something, so I started working on the cover for the heat pump.  It is nice being able to work in the rain after dark, even if I don't do it often.  I got the framing built, though I apparently screwed up one of my calculations somewhere; the back is a little shorter than expected.  It shouldn't hurt the functionality though, it just means it is a 5.5:12 pitch instead of a 6:12 pitch.  

I really don't like these screws.  They don't fit my square bits very well and despite being self-tapping, they are dull (hard to start) and split wood very easily.  And I have gotten a lot of duds like this.  The 3 inch screws are awesome, these ones (these are only 2.5") not so much.

No movement on the checklist.  I briefly thought about getting the siding last night (despite having to drive halfway to Boston to get it), but got lazy and didn't.  I might go tonight after vacuuming the car.  

• Support the shed (either pilings or add additional bracing)
• Get windows installed in the shed
• Paint the carport
• Re-route the electrical cords
  
• Install driveway markers
• Get chains and a blade
• Finish moving piles around (gravel and dirt)
• Grade the driveway
• Install acrylic and braces in carport.
• Realign the front door
• Winterize mowers
• Shut off hose.
• Install siding on south wall.

Yard work done for the year.

I got back from VT on Sunday, but didn't really do anything when I got back.  I also took Monday off though, and managed to get some stuff done since it was still really nice out.  

Greg gave me a wheelbarrow that it looked like a tree branch or something had fallen on it.  I managed to straighten out the handles and structure on it.

I don't think I can use it for mixing concrete though. There are cracks that can't be fixed by just putting a bigger washer on it.  

I never figured out why it wouldn't start last time, but the mower started first pull.  So I finished my yardwork for the year.  I also pushed the knotweed back a couple of feet.

One unfortunate side effect of pushing it back is finding new trash in the yard.

The leech field and the side are done.  

The other side required me installing the discharge chute; mulching alone was not sufficient.

The back yard wasn't too bad, most of the leaves had blown out anyways, but I wanted to run the rest of the gas out of the mower.  

The mower is now put away for the winter.  

I also fired up the snowblower.  It felt weird starting the snowblower when it was in the mid 60s outside.  It started right up.  I think the weird issue I had with it last winter where it would start at a really low RPM is related to the throttle cable.  It did that when I started it, and I had to jiggle the lever a lot to get it to shut off.  Once I got it to shut off, it restarted and everything worked fine. 

This ticks another item off the checklist.  Nothing left at this point is critical before winter.  I went all last winter with no siding on the wall, and the windows will get done whenever they get done.  

• Support the shed (either pilings or add additional bracing)
• Get windows installed in the shed
• Paint the carport
• Re-route the electrical cords
  
• Install driveway markers
• Get chains and a blade
• Finish moving piles around (gravel and dirt)
• Grade the driveway
• Install acrylic and braces in carport.
• Realign the front door
• Winterize mowers
• Shut off hose.
• Install siding on south wall.

Lights

I didn't really do much this week.  We got another snowstorm earlier in the week.  

In addition, it was very windy.  It even blew snow into the carport on the east side, where the overhang goes almost all the way to the siding.  

I did a little experimentation with trying to make blueberry tea.  This one didn't turn out great.  The blueberry is too close to a smoothie and not enough like juice.  It came out tasting OK, but it was a little strange and not as good as the original formula.

I also picked up a couple of lights that went on sale (hooray for the shopping season starting earlier every year).

I got a 12V one that is on the roll bar.  This gets it above the bucket.  It was surprisingly bright (it is only a 30W LED).  Apparently the 12V outlet on my tractor is very loose fitting, so hopefully that won't be an issue.  The magnet base is very strong on this one.  

I also picked up one for the bucket.  This is a battery operated light.  I was curious how these work.  It worked OK, but not great.  I have concerns about the magnets on this one being strong enough to hold it while plowing.  

They seem to provide adequate light, though I suppose I will find out more when the snow flies.  

None of these things were on the checklist, so no movement.  I will be out in the mountains of VT this weekend, so I won't be getting much done.  

• Support the shed (either pilings or add additional bracing)
• Get windows installed in the shed
• Paint the carport
• Re-route the electrical cords
  
• Install driveway markers
• Get chains and a blade
• Finish moving piles around (gravel and dirt)
• Grade the driveway
• Install acrylic and braces in carport.
• Realign the front door
• Winterize mowers
• Shut off hose.
• Install siding on south wall.

White Halloween

Friday I brought the car in for inspection.  While I was waiting for it, I went out for a walk and took some scenic shots.  Snow is still in the pretty stage of the year.

Sadly the snow in Swanzey was already largely melted when I went out.  They didn't get as much, and it was warmer there.

Some trees are probably slightly confused about what season it is.

A couple pictures of the Ashuelot river.

The repairs for the inspection were cheaper than I expected; they were actually able to replace the gasket in the exhaust that was leaking as opposed to cutting chunks out and welding new chunks in.  My dodecagon tire was replaced too.  The car is nice and quiet and drives much nicer/smoother.

Halloween was cold.  Apparently there is a lot of moisture in the carport.  There was frost on both sides.

We had a white Halloween.  It was cold enough (at least in Sullivan) that the snow hadn't melted off yet.  

I went and got the chains and some anti-gel for the tractor.  I also picked up a new set of nice gloves.  I like deerskin gloves, though they are really expensive.  Hopefully I won't wreck this pair too quickly.

After that I made like a ghost and disappeared.  I was apparently a drunk for Halloween since I spent most of the afternoon napping on my couch.  That evening I did some cleanup inside.  I can sit in my chair again, which hasn't been possible since spring.  It is also nice since my winter hats and gloves are in the seat.

Sunday was a little bit warmer and sunny.  It didn't take long for snow to melt off that was in the sun.  I also did a little final smoothing on the driveway.  It rides much smoother going up and down now, and I don't have to crawl with the car to not scrape now.  It will also hopefully allow the blade to work better clearing snow.

I also went and put the anti-gel into the tractor.  The bottle instructions were pretty obnoxious (one bottle per 50 gallons, which is very useful for people who put diesel in 5 gallons at a time...), so I went and put marks on the bottle for each ounce, which at least helps a bit.  It is approximately 3-4 ticks per 5 gallons.

After that, it was time to install the chains.  My first attempt I tried to put them the traditional way (lay them out, drive on them, wrap and clip).  When I took them out for a spin though, it didn't go well.  

So instead I went and did it the way I used to install them on my lawn tractor.  They went on much tighter, much faster, and passed the trip up and down the driveway.  Interestingly my jack doesn't fit under the tractor, I had to drive the tractor up on a board to get it underneath.  

The chains are all on.  The tractor is now ready for winter.  I debated putting a spot light on it, but I might wait until I know the headlights are inadequate.

I also forgot that I have a leftover bag of concrete.  I might get a chance to use it later this week or early next week, we should see some 60s by the end of the week.  If not I might bring it to KY since I know if I try to store it it will be a brick by next year.

Since it started raining and got very dark pretty early on Sunday, I decided to go do some more organizing in the shed.  I decided to attack the broken tote of hand tools sitting in the shed.  I quickly discovered that while the Craftsman box was indeed mouse free, my other box was not.  I still had some leftover lavender mothball things that I used when I packed the totes to keep rodents out, so I have now made my toolboxes smell like a public restroom.

While sorting through the crap I found a spare set of trailer wiring.  This would have been good to know about last spring.

I got the white bin cleaned out, and it is now a trash can again.  I put some of the broken tote away, but it is pretty clear that I need a new strategy for my tools; my drawer for screwdrivers is overflowing for example.  

I also found this strap.  It was brand new (still had twist ties holding it together) but I don't remember buying it.  It is odd in that the strap is a loop, there are no hooks on it.  I am not entirely sure what I would use it for, but it is now in the truck with the other straps.  

When I got a break in the rain I went and measured the outside cover for the AC.  Saturday night it started its annoying fan scraping on ice since we got a lot of snow and rain and then everything froze routine.  I started to design a little cover for it so it doesn't get the rain and snow inside the cover.  In the end I decided to just make a box with legs.  I still have some leftover pieces of roofing from the house that I can use for it.  And plenty of excess lumber.  Hopefully this will prevent any wake-ups at 2AM because the water in the unit froze and the fan makes a loud scraping and thwacking noise when it hits the ice.  

The tractor is now ready for winter, which checks another item off the checklist.  I am quickly running out of weekends, and now that the clocks have changed, I don't have evenings outside of artificially lit ones.  Still, work on the checklist is drawing to a close.  Despite the snow scares, everything is proceeding well.  I do still need to make a decision on the south wall siding though.  

• Support the shed (either pilings or add additional bracing)
• Get windows installed in the shed
• Paint the carport
• Re-route the electrical cords
  
• Install driveway markers
• Get chains and a blade
• Finish moving piles around (gravel and dirt)
• Grade the driveway
• Install acrylic and braces in carport.
• Realign the front door
• Winterize mowers
• Shut off hose.
• Install siding on south wall.