Two photos from this past October:
10/25/2009
Two photos from this past November:
11/11/2009
--The Caretaker
Showing posts with label Sunset. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunset. Show all posts
Monday, December 28, 2009
TCC for 12/28/09
TCC for 12/28/09
Two photos from this past October:
10/25/2009
Two photos from this past November:
11/11/2009
--The Caretaker
Two photos from this past October:
10/25/2009
Two photos from this past November:
11/11/2009
--The Caretaker
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
TCC for 2/25/09
The Caretaker's Concern 2/25/09
The Caretaker was planning on posting his one and only Journal entry from 2005, it is about one of the times he almost died on Lake George, but he got home to the Island way later than he originally planned so it will have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime enjoy some photos from the archive.
--The Caretaker
11/21/09
10/15/08
10/17/09
The Caretaker was planning on posting his one and only Journal entry from 2005, it is about one of the times he almost died on Lake George, but he got home to the Island way later than he originally planned so it will have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime enjoy some photos from the archive.
--The Caretaker
11/21/09
10/15/08
10/17/09
Friday, February 20, 2009
TCC for 2/20/09
The Caretaker's Concern 2/20/09
The Caretaker hasn't much to report on today, busy trying to get caught up, so today's post will consist of photos from the archive and a journal entry from the archive. The Caretaker was not very diligent in keeping up with his journal for 2003, the last post with a journal entry from 2003 was the last journal entry he made for that year. For 2004 the Caretaker was extremely remiss in keeping a journal, he has but one entry and it consist of just two quotes, they are attributed to no one so the assumption is that he quoted himself, they are as follows:
Wednesday, October 5th, 2004
Two quotes from the Summer:
"Watching TV is not a hobby, it's a degeneracy."
"It is only in a Democracy that the people oppress themselves--by not voting."
End Journal for 2004.
7/30/08
11/12/08
10/17/08
--The Caretaker
The Caretaker hasn't much to report on today, busy trying to get caught up, so today's post will consist of photos from the archive and a journal entry from the archive. The Caretaker was not very diligent in keeping up with his journal for 2003, the last post with a journal entry from 2003 was the last journal entry he made for that year. For 2004 the Caretaker was extremely remiss in keeping a journal, he has but one entry and it consist of just two quotes, they are attributed to no one so the assumption is that he quoted himself, they are as follows:
Wednesday, October 5th, 2004
Two quotes from the Summer:
"Watching TV is not a hobby, it's a degeneracy."
"It is only in a Democracy that the people oppress themselves--by not voting."
End Journal for 2004.
7/30/08
11/12/08
10/17/08
--The Caretaker
Sunday, February 15, 2009
TCC for 2/15/09
The Caretaker's Concern 2/15/09
The Caretaker hopes everyone had a happy Valentine's Day. Today's post is going to just be a journal entry from his first year back to the Island. The posts for the next few days will most likely just be entries from his journal. The Caretaker needs to focus his attention on his submission for the Australian job, Tourism Queensland of Australia refers to it as "the Best Job in the World" however the Caretaker begs to differ, he already has the best job in the world but he is willing to take a step down in employment (not to mention that 150,000 Australian dollars for 6 months of work is a pretty easy pill to swallow). So, when the Caretaker finishes his 60 second video submission and uploads it to the job website he will be sure to let you know so you can go view it. You will also be able to rate it, his only request will be that if you find his submission funny and entertaining than give it a high rating, if not give it a low rating.
--The Caretaker
2/15/09
Posting of the Caretaker’s Journal entries from 2003 began on the 2nd of February 2009, if you’ve missed the earlier posts click on “TCC for Feb 02” on the left in the “Blog Archive” and begin reading from there.
The Caretaker's first stint on the Island was during the mid-nineties, then he returned for the Summer of 2003, the text that follows has been edited only for spelling, it is basically a verbatim transcription from his journal (thus unedited except for general coherency), this tenth entry is from his tenth day back at the Island. It is as follows:
June 5th, 2003, Thursday
Much of the day was spent doing work for myself and the Island. In the afternoon I went for a bicycle ride on my 12 speed road bike. I biked North on route 9N to the trail accesses for the Tongue Mountain range on the other side of the street from the trail access is a river with a nice water fall. I hung around there for a while letting the sounds of the falls block out the noise from the road. After a while I returned home. Overall it was a nice ride, around 14 miles round trip. The only drawback were the packs of Stick Twisters, and of them it was really only the noisy ones, thankfully Americade is only a week long. It's good for commerce they're here, but it will be nice for the peace and quiet when they're gone.
The Canadian geese are passing through, yesterday while hanging laundry a gaggle flew overhead in "V" formation, from end to end was probably over a mile long. They make enough noise at times to almost be more of a nuisance than the Stick Twisters.
Overall today was quite long. Most of my days have been long. Which is good, pretty soon I will have finished all that there is to do here on the Island and will have to get work off Island. I am not looking forward to that, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do--hopefully I can figure some way out of it.
(The Caretaker didn't get no job. Of course he figured a way out of it. It was simple, he didn't look. This probably needs not be stated but if you haven't noticed, the Caretaker is perhaps the world's greatest procrastinator, lazy as lazy can be.
--Caretaker's note 2/15/2009)
End Journal Entry for 6/5/2003
Coming tomorrow the Caretaker’s journal entry for 6/6/2003.
The Caretaker hopes everyone had a happy Valentine's Day. Today's post is going to just be a journal entry from his first year back to the Island. The posts for the next few days will most likely just be entries from his journal. The Caretaker needs to focus his attention on his submission for the Australian job, Tourism Queensland of Australia refers to it as "the Best Job in the World" however the Caretaker begs to differ, he already has the best job in the world but he is willing to take a step down in employment (not to mention that 150,000 Australian dollars for 6 months of work is a pretty easy pill to swallow). So, when the Caretaker finishes his 60 second video submission and uploads it to the job website he will be sure to let you know so you can go view it. You will also be able to rate it, his only request will be that if you find his submission funny and entertaining than give it a high rating, if not give it a low rating.
--The Caretaker
2/15/09
Posting of the Caretaker’s Journal entries from 2003 began on the 2nd of February 2009, if you’ve missed the earlier posts click on “TCC for Feb 02” on the left in the “Blog Archive” and begin reading from there.
The Caretaker's first stint on the Island was during the mid-nineties, then he returned for the Summer of 2003, the text that follows has been edited only for spelling, it is basically a verbatim transcription from his journal (thus unedited except for general coherency), this tenth entry is from his tenth day back at the Island. It is as follows:
June 5th, 2003, Thursday
Much of the day was spent doing work for myself and the Island. In the afternoon I went for a bicycle ride on my 12 speed road bike. I biked North on route 9N to the trail accesses for the Tongue Mountain range on the other side of the street from the trail access is a river with a nice water fall. I hung around there for a while letting the sounds of the falls block out the noise from the road. After a while I returned home. Overall it was a nice ride, around 14 miles round trip. The only drawback were the packs of Stick Twisters, and of them it was really only the noisy ones, thankfully Americade is only a week long. It's good for commerce they're here, but it will be nice for the peace and quiet when they're gone.
The Canadian geese are passing through, yesterday while hanging laundry a gaggle flew overhead in "V" formation, from end to end was probably over a mile long. They make enough noise at times to almost be more of a nuisance than the Stick Twisters.
Overall today was quite long. Most of my days have been long. Which is good, pretty soon I will have finished all that there is to do here on the Island and will have to get work off Island. I am not looking forward to that, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do--hopefully I can figure some way out of it.
(The Caretaker didn't get no job. Of course he figured a way out of it. It was simple, he didn't look. This probably needs not be stated but if you haven't noticed, the Caretaker is perhaps the world's greatest procrastinator, lazy as lazy can be.
--Caretaker's note 2/15/2009)
End Journal Entry for 6/5/2003
Coming tomorrow the Caretaker’s journal entry for 6/6/2003.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
TCC 1/16/09
The Caretaker's Concern 1/16/09
Ghetto temp. 48 F.
Island tmp. .5 F. Today's L/H: -4/8 F.
Current conditions: Mostly clear night, mild wind from somewhere.
Today's report will be posted tomorrow but more likely Sunday because based on the Caretaker's schedule for tomorrow he's not likely to be back to the Island in time to post to his blog for Saturday. Have a good weekend.
--The Caretaker
1/16/09
1/9/09
6/11/07
Ghetto temp. 48 F.
Island tmp. .5 F. Today's L/H: -4/8 F.
Current conditions: Mostly clear night, mild wind from somewhere.
Today's report will be posted tomorrow but more likely Sunday because based on the Caretaker's schedule for tomorrow he's not likely to be back to the Island in time to post to his blog for Saturday. Have a good weekend.
--The Caretaker
1/16/09
1/9/09
6/11/07
Thursday, January 15, 2009
TCC for 1/15/09
The Caretaker's Concern 1/15/09
Ghetto temp. 45 F.
Island tmp. 5 F. Today's L/H: 7/8 F.
Current conditions: Little to no wind, mostly clear night, a touch more than a half moon has just risen above the horizon, oh, and it's still cold.
1/15/09
1/9/09
1/9/09
It was rather cold today, the Caretaker was out and about on the Island as little as possible, in the morning there were two men over by Dome Island, they had a dog with them. It didn't look like they were ice fishing, the Caretaker couldn't figure out why they were out there, their dog probably couldn't either. Given how cold it was the Caretaker decided to stay inside and listen to the Senate hearing for Barack Obama's choice for Attorney General. It was rather shocking, the man gave straight answers, often times using declarative sentences that included words like: "Yes", or "No", very informative. Little to almost none of the usual equivocating as practiced by the Bush administration appointees. Other than that not much else to report.
--The Caretaker
Ghetto temp. 45 F.
Island tmp. 5 F. Today's L/H: 7/8 F.
Current conditions: Little to no wind, mostly clear night, a touch more than a half moon has just risen above the horizon, oh, and it's still cold.
1/15/09
1/9/09
1/9/09
It was rather cold today, the Caretaker was out and about on the Island as little as possible, in the morning there were two men over by Dome Island, they had a dog with them. It didn't look like they were ice fishing, the Caretaker couldn't figure out why they were out there, their dog probably couldn't either. Given how cold it was the Caretaker decided to stay inside and listen to the Senate hearing for Barack Obama's choice for Attorney General. It was rather shocking, the man gave straight answers, often times using declarative sentences that included words like: "Yes", or "No", very informative. Little to almost none of the usual equivocating as practiced by the Bush administration appointees. Other than that not much else to report.
--The Caretaker
Saturday, January 3, 2009
TCC for 1/3/09
The Caretaker took advantage of the open water today to get over to the mainland to replenish fuel tanks for heating, cooking, and shower water. He also obtained a number of other things while on the mainland and wound up staying far later than he expected to so he was not able to take any photos, instead here are some photos from earlier in the year.
11/21/08
10/13/08
10/6/08
The Caretaker's original plan for today was to get over to the mainland not long after the crack of dawn, he missed his alarm and so didn't get over until after 8:30 or so. The second part of his original plan was to shoot down to Queensbury to pick up some groceries and fill his fuel tanks, then get right back to the Island, that didn't happen either, at least not as planned. He did pickup some groceries (about 20 pounds of frozen vegetables, they're much easier than fresh to store in a freezing climate when not maintaining a "heat-orator") and he filled his fuel tanks. He then hung around for a bit taking care of some other things in order to kill some time, late the night before via e-mail the Caretaker learned of a friend's loss of a loved one so he wanted to see this friend in person to pass on condolences. From there the Caretaker had one last stop, to pick up a some one pound canisters of propane, the place with the lowest price on these oh so wasteful fuel containers is the Coleman Outlet store, so on his way back to the Lake the Caretaker stopped in at the store to pick some up.
It was the Caretaker's lucky day, the store was having a 30% off sale on everything in the store (even the one pound propane canisters--which never happens).
The Caretaker feels that the one pound propane canisters are wasteful because they are "disposable" (i.e. once used up they are to be thrown away) which to the Caretaker's mind is a total waste of resources. There is a way to refill these canisters from 20 or 40 pound propane tanks, it requires a particular attachment. The Caretaker has this attachment and has used it a number of times but there is one problem with refilling "disposable" one pound canisters, the valves were not intended for refilling so eventually the refilled canisters leak. Some leak after one refill, others after four or five refills, and a few will take up to ten refills before leaking, there is a way to cap the one pound canisters so they don't leak but it is not 100% guaranteed, which is fine during the Summer months when the one pound propane canisters are used more as a luxury, however, during the Winter months it is not okay. The Caretaker likes to keep at least four new one pound propane canisters on hand incase of an emergency--like running out of propane before he can get to the mainland to refill his tanks. In the past they used to make "refillable" one pound propane canisters, they were red, they don't make them anymore, or at least they are not available for sale here in the States. (Here in our great country there isn't much profit in things we don't throw away, perhaps with the down turn in the economy our brilliant leaders in Washington will see fit to rescind the legislation that outlawed refillable one pound propane canisters. Better yet, why not make a one pound canister with a valve similar to that which is found on a 20 or 40 pound propane tank so the one pound canisters can be made safe to refill and transport? well, at least relatively safe.) So, for emergency purposes the Caretaker likes to keep some "disposable" propane canisters on hand and that is why he went to the Coleman store, the 30% off sale is why he walked out of there not once but twice with plenty more than just propane canisters.
Being an outlet store most all the merchandise is regularly selling at a discount, with an additional 30% some of the stuff was practically being given away. Most everything the Caretaker bought were things he uses so he didn't feel too bad about this unplanned shopping spree, but there were a few things that he didn't necessarily need but just couldn't pass on the price. One example was another Peak 1 propane stove, the Caretaker already has one but since they have been discontinued the thinking was to have a second as back-up and/or for parts (this was something that the Caretaker had been thinking of doing ever since he learned that the stove was discontinued so this would not really be considered an impulse buy). Another "steal" was a kerosene lantern, the Caretaker also already has one of these but this was a deal he could not let pass. Pressurized kerosene lanterns are not nearly as popular here in the States as electric. propane. or white gas/gasoline lanterns and so the Caretaker has always been mildly concerned that Coleman would at some point discontinue their line of kero lanterns. Although concerned about the possible discontinuation of the kero lantern the Caretaker always felt the cost of a second one as a backup wasn't worth the price. Some retailers charge up to $120-$130.00, the Caretaker bought his first kero lantern for around $80.00 which is certainly less, but not low enough to be worth buying a second. So, how much did the Caretaker spend on the "backup" kero lantern he bought? He walked out of the store having only parted with $33 dollars and change.
While walking around the store looking over the various outdoor products for sale playing the "Do I really need this?" game, the Caretaker noticed that all but one of the kerosene lanterns were price tagged at $80.00. The odd one out was priced at $44.00, that was a price certainly worth paying for a backup lantern. He thought about bringing it to the register to see if they would ring it up as marked, but then thought it would be unwise to try to capitalize on a clerk's error in price marking, so he left it on the shelf and proceeded to find other things he "needed". This was the second time he was in the store, after leaving the first time he looked at his receipt, realized how much he was saving and decided he should go back, he figured he should at least stock up on lantern mantles--and to see if there was anything else he missed. He did come across a few things he missed and so bought them. While his goods were being rung into the cash register by a clerk the Caretaker struck up a conversation with the assistant manager about outdoor products, the usual prices at the store, the prices with the additional 30% off, and a number of other topics. At one point, as the conversation went the Caretaker felt it relevant to share with the assistant manager that one of the kerosene lanterns was miss priced. In the end the lantern was offered to the Caretaker as priced, the Caretaker stated that he didn't feel he should benefit from someone's mistake and so at first declined the offer. The Caretaker then learned from the assistant manager that there is a law that a product on the shelf must be sold as marked, the Caretaker didn't hesitate to take the offer, and so with the additional 30% off, that is how the Caretaker bought a kerosene lantern for $33 dollars and change.
Real exciting stuff huh?
Who doesn't like a good deal?
Anyway, the Caretaker took care of a few other errands and eventually made it back to the Island well after nightfall.
--The Caretaker
11/21/08
10/13/08
10/6/08
The Caretaker's original plan for today was to get over to the mainland not long after the crack of dawn, he missed his alarm and so didn't get over until after 8:30 or so. The second part of his original plan was to shoot down to Queensbury to pick up some groceries and fill his fuel tanks, then get right back to the Island, that didn't happen either, at least not as planned. He did pickup some groceries (about 20 pounds of frozen vegetables, they're much easier than fresh to store in a freezing climate when not maintaining a "heat-orator") and he filled his fuel tanks. He then hung around for a bit taking care of some other things in order to kill some time, late the night before via e-mail the Caretaker learned of a friend's loss of a loved one so he wanted to see this friend in person to pass on condolences. From there the Caretaker had one last stop, to pick up a some one pound canisters of propane, the place with the lowest price on these oh so wasteful fuel containers is the Coleman Outlet store, so on his way back to the Lake the Caretaker stopped in at the store to pick some up.
It was the Caretaker's lucky day, the store was having a 30% off sale on everything in the store (even the one pound propane canisters--which never happens).
The Caretaker feels that the one pound propane canisters are wasteful because they are "disposable" (i.e. once used up they are to be thrown away) which to the Caretaker's mind is a total waste of resources. There is a way to refill these canisters from 20 or 40 pound propane tanks, it requires a particular attachment. The Caretaker has this attachment and has used it a number of times but there is one problem with refilling "disposable" one pound canisters, the valves were not intended for refilling so eventually the refilled canisters leak. Some leak after one refill, others after four or five refills, and a few will take up to ten refills before leaking, there is a way to cap the one pound canisters so they don't leak but it is not 100% guaranteed, which is fine during the Summer months when the one pound propane canisters are used more as a luxury, however, during the Winter months it is not okay. The Caretaker likes to keep at least four new one pound propane canisters on hand incase of an emergency--like running out of propane before he can get to the mainland to refill his tanks. In the past they used to make "refillable" one pound propane canisters, they were red, they don't make them anymore, or at least they are not available for sale here in the States. (Here in our great country there isn't much profit in things we don't throw away, perhaps with the down turn in the economy our brilliant leaders in Washington will see fit to rescind the legislation that outlawed refillable one pound propane canisters. Better yet, why not make a one pound canister with a valve similar to that which is found on a 20 or 40 pound propane tank so the one pound canisters can be made safe to refill and transport? well, at least relatively safe.) So, for emergency purposes the Caretaker likes to keep some "disposable" propane canisters on hand and that is why he went to the Coleman store, the 30% off sale is why he walked out of there not once but twice with plenty more than just propane canisters.
Being an outlet store most all the merchandise is regularly selling at a discount, with an additional 30% some of the stuff was practically being given away. Most everything the Caretaker bought were things he uses so he didn't feel too bad about this unplanned shopping spree, but there were a few things that he didn't necessarily need but just couldn't pass on the price. One example was another Peak 1 propane stove, the Caretaker already has one but since they have been discontinued the thinking was to have a second as back-up and/or for parts (this was something that the Caretaker had been thinking of doing ever since he learned that the stove was discontinued so this would not really be considered an impulse buy). Another "steal" was a kerosene lantern, the Caretaker also already has one of these but this was a deal he could not let pass. Pressurized kerosene lanterns are not nearly as popular here in the States as electric. propane. or white gas/gasoline lanterns and so the Caretaker has always been mildly concerned that Coleman would at some point discontinue their line of kero lanterns. Although concerned about the possible discontinuation of the kero lantern the Caretaker always felt the cost of a second one as a backup wasn't worth the price. Some retailers charge up to $120-$130.00, the Caretaker bought his first kero lantern for around $80.00 which is certainly less, but not low enough to be worth buying a second. So, how much did the Caretaker spend on the "backup" kero lantern he bought? He walked out of the store having only parted with $33 dollars and change.
While walking around the store looking over the various outdoor products for sale playing the "Do I really need this?" game, the Caretaker noticed that all but one of the kerosene lanterns were price tagged at $80.00. The odd one out was priced at $44.00, that was a price certainly worth paying for a backup lantern. He thought about bringing it to the register to see if they would ring it up as marked, but then thought it would be unwise to try to capitalize on a clerk's error in price marking, so he left it on the shelf and proceeded to find other things he "needed". This was the second time he was in the store, after leaving the first time he looked at his receipt, realized how much he was saving and decided he should go back, he figured he should at least stock up on lantern mantles--and to see if there was anything else he missed. He did come across a few things he missed and so bought them. While his goods were being rung into the cash register by a clerk the Caretaker struck up a conversation with the assistant manager about outdoor products, the usual prices at the store, the prices with the additional 30% off, and a number of other topics. At one point, as the conversation went the Caretaker felt it relevant to share with the assistant manager that one of the kerosene lanterns was miss priced. In the end the lantern was offered to the Caretaker as priced, the Caretaker stated that he didn't feel he should benefit from someone's mistake and so at first declined the offer. The Caretaker then learned from the assistant manager that there is a law that a product on the shelf must be sold as marked, the Caretaker didn't hesitate to take the offer, and so with the additional 30% off, that is how the Caretaker bought a kerosene lantern for $33 dollars and change.
Real exciting stuff huh?
Who doesn't like a good deal?
Anyway, the Caretaker took care of a few other errands and eventually made it back to the Island well after nightfall.
--The Caretaker
Thursday, January 1, 2009
TCC for 1/1/09
12/31/08
1/1/08
1/1/08
1/1/08
This New Year's Day was most definitely on the cold side, down to around zero Fahrenheit or something, whatever the number, the Caretaker had difficulty getting Birch kindling to light for a fire in the fireplace. Eventually he got the fire to go, but since the stone of the fireplace was so cold it took an awfully long while for the hearth and fireplace to throw any heat, it wasn't exactly what one would consider warm and cozy. Other than being rather cold the day was mostly unremarkable, a bit windy so not too great for being out and about outside. The Lake is certainly cold enough to freeze over but the wind has been keeping it churned up so it hasn't iced over yet.
The photos taken today are of the ice formation along the shore, the ice was caused by the high winds blowing the water out of the Lake and up onto shore. The bottom photo is of ice coated frozen blades of grass.
Much of December of 2008 wasn't all that remarkable and the Caretaker's schedule kept him quite busy thus he wasn't able to get much out in the way of posts to his blog. As for photography during the month of December? For the most part the sky was overcast, accompanied with either rain, sleet, snow, or some combination of the three. In essence, the month of December for photography was a wash, however, there were a few incidents during the month that the Caretaker feels are worth mentioning.
Sometime during the middle of December, it was a Monday, the Caretaker was doing some work in the kitchen in the main house. He was pulling down some paneling to look for evidence of rot within the walls and ceiling, as he was pulling down the paneling he would allow it to fall on the floor, much of it still had nails sticking out of it. The Caretaker was aware of the potential risks associated with not being diligent about keeping the floor clean for walking, however if knowing is half the battle the Caretaker lost the other half. He was stepping down from the ladder so he could move it to a different location when he brought his left foot down onto the ground driving a rusty nail straight through his boot and consequently his foot. His right foot was still on the last rung of the ladder and so his immediate response was to step fully off the ladder in order to remove the nail from his foot, and like a grim comedy of errors he brought his right foot down on top of a nail too driving it into his foot. With nails in each foot the Caretaker immediately raised his left foot up, thankfully the nail came out. Putting his weight on his left foot he raised his right foot up, thankfully that nail came out just as easy as the first.
Not wanting to contract lock-jaw or at least do whatever he could to prevent it, the Caretaker quickly hobbled out of the kitchen to the Ghetto to dress his wounded feet. On his way to his desk chair he grabbed some bandages, iodine, and topical anti-biotic gel. Upon sitting he quickly threw off his left boot and sock and stopped the bleeding, doused the puncture wound with iodine and then applied a bandage treated with the topical anti-biotic, he did the same for his right foot. After dressing his wounds the Caretaker decided it would be a good idea to inspect the souls of his boots, sure enough there were one or two nails in each boot that needed to be removed. Before grabbing a pair of needle nose pliers the Caretaker observed that these holes would probably not be too good for the water-proof quality of his boots. He then wondered if these holes would prove to be not too good for the souls of his feet and thus his health overall, he hoped not. As he finished up removing the nails from his boots he noticed that he couldn't feel any pain associated with the puncture wounds, then he realized that it was because it was so cold both his feet were going numb. The Caretaker quickly put socks back on his feet and then put on his boots, laced them up and took a few tentative steps, all seemed well enough so he went back to work in the kitchen, the first thing he did was to cleanup all the paneling, especially the bits with nails sticking out. For the remainder of this job the Caretaker managed to finish it up injury free.
--The Caretaker
P.S. See the Caretaker's new blog:
http://www.theblatheringidiot.blogspot.com/
1/1/08
1/1/08
1/1/08
This New Year's Day was most definitely on the cold side, down to around zero Fahrenheit or something, whatever the number, the Caretaker had difficulty getting Birch kindling to light for a fire in the fireplace. Eventually he got the fire to go, but since the stone of the fireplace was so cold it took an awfully long while for the hearth and fireplace to throw any heat, it wasn't exactly what one would consider warm and cozy. Other than being rather cold the day was mostly unremarkable, a bit windy so not too great for being out and about outside. The Lake is certainly cold enough to freeze over but the wind has been keeping it churned up so it hasn't iced over yet.
The photos taken today are of the ice formation along the shore, the ice was caused by the high winds blowing the water out of the Lake and up onto shore. The bottom photo is of ice coated frozen blades of grass.
Much of December of 2008 wasn't all that remarkable and the Caretaker's schedule kept him quite busy thus he wasn't able to get much out in the way of posts to his blog. As for photography during the month of December? For the most part the sky was overcast, accompanied with either rain, sleet, snow, or some combination of the three. In essence, the month of December for photography was a wash, however, there were a few incidents during the month that the Caretaker feels are worth mentioning.
Sometime during the middle of December, it was a Monday, the Caretaker was doing some work in the kitchen in the main house. He was pulling down some paneling to look for evidence of rot within the walls and ceiling, as he was pulling down the paneling he would allow it to fall on the floor, much of it still had nails sticking out of it. The Caretaker was aware of the potential risks associated with not being diligent about keeping the floor clean for walking, however if knowing is half the battle the Caretaker lost the other half. He was stepping down from the ladder so he could move it to a different location when he brought his left foot down onto the ground driving a rusty nail straight through his boot and consequently his foot. His right foot was still on the last rung of the ladder and so his immediate response was to step fully off the ladder in order to remove the nail from his foot, and like a grim comedy of errors he brought his right foot down on top of a nail too driving it into his foot. With nails in each foot the Caretaker immediately raised his left foot up, thankfully the nail came out. Putting his weight on his left foot he raised his right foot up, thankfully that nail came out just as easy as the first.
Not wanting to contract lock-jaw or at least do whatever he could to prevent it, the Caretaker quickly hobbled out of the kitchen to the Ghetto to dress his wounded feet. On his way to his desk chair he grabbed some bandages, iodine, and topical anti-biotic gel. Upon sitting he quickly threw off his left boot and sock and stopped the bleeding, doused the puncture wound with iodine and then applied a bandage treated with the topical anti-biotic, he did the same for his right foot. After dressing his wounds the Caretaker decided it would be a good idea to inspect the souls of his boots, sure enough there were one or two nails in each boot that needed to be removed. Before grabbing a pair of needle nose pliers the Caretaker observed that these holes would probably not be too good for the water-proof quality of his boots. He then wondered if these holes would prove to be not too good for the souls of his feet and thus his health overall, he hoped not. As he finished up removing the nails from his boots he noticed that he couldn't feel any pain associated with the puncture wounds, then he realized that it was because it was so cold both his feet were going numb. The Caretaker quickly put socks back on his feet and then put on his boots, laced them up and took a few tentative steps, all seemed well enough so he went back to work in the kitchen, the first thing he did was to cleanup all the paneling, especially the bits with nails sticking out. For the remainder of this job the Caretaker managed to finish it up injury free.
--The Caretaker
P.S. See the Caretaker's new blog:
http://www.theblatheringidiot.blogspot.com/
Saturday, December 6, 2008
TCC for 12/6/08
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Caretaker will continue to be on hiatus until Friday the 19th.
If he happens to get any new photos, and if he has the time, he will post them.
12/5/08
11/2/08
10/11/08
If he happens to get any new photos, and if he has the time, he will post them.
12/5/08
11/2/08
10/11/08
Thursday, December 4, 2008
TCC for 12/4/08
The Caretaker's Concern 12/4/08
Lake Temp. 43 F.
Ghetto temp. 42 F.
Island tmp. 63 F. Yesterday's L/H: 36/38 F.
Current conditions: Cloud covered night sky, no stars, light South wind, 5 mph with mild gusts
12/4/08
10/6/08
10/13/08
The morning began with rain, hail, and snow with a strong wind from the South. It wasn't looking so hot for the Caretaker's dump run but in the end he was able to make it there. Up on the mountain it was all snow, maybe about an inch accumulation at most. The wind continued on throughout much of the day finally settling down at sunset. At around sunset the Caretaker was in the kitchen doing some work when he left to get a shovel from outside, looking up towards the Narrows he noticed some color upon the East shore so he grabbed his camera and took a few shots, they weren't worth keeping, but when he turned back towards the Ghetto he noticed the color upon the West sky so dashed around to the South dock and took a number of photos. Funny how just yesterday the Caretaker was commenting on how the weather conditions had not been cooperating of late for photography. Granted the photo for today is just another sunset shot, just another lousy day in paradise.
Back to the dump run, so the Caretaker loaded up the boat, in the blowing rain/snow/hail, with a bunch of trash bags and a number of bags of recyclables, motored on over to the mainland and began to load the pick-up truck. The Caretaker then waited for the person who was accompanying him to the dump to gather up his various contributions to the dump. Upon arriving at the dump the Caretaker was hoping to first get rid of the trash and recyclables, but sure enough that didn't happen, the person accompanying the Caretaker drove them over to the metal pile to go scavenging for "finds" to take home. Often times, the person who accompanied the Caretaker to the dump, brings home more than he leaves. The Caretaker was well aware of this person's habits so instead of waiting in the truck he decided to accompany him on his scouring expedition through the metal pile--when in Rome. The Caretaker took great pleasure in pointing out all sorts of things this person could take home and use if he repaired here or there. Oddly enough, the Caretaker ended up finding something he could use, so he took it. What great treasure was it? A plastic fuel spout from a metal fuel can, the can was rusted on the inside so was of no use for fuel but the fuel spout, oh ho, that was a gem--the ridged plastic kind with attached cap and fuel screen. Ever since the state mandated that only ventless fuel cans may be sold these fuel spouts are nearly impossible to come by here in New York. The Caretaker has a lengthy diatribe against the ventless fuel can and how utterly useless they are, but the Caretaker has already shared this in the past so he won't bore his readers again with that nonsense.
So after collecting the found "treasures" the Caretaker and Guest proceeded to unload the garbage and recyclables. At this point the Caretaker figured they'd be on their way, but oh ho, there was still one more place to go--the construction waste dumpsters. So they get out of the truck and have a look around, the Guest doesn't see much of interest but the Caretaker decided he needed some prodding:
"Look at all those 6 by 6 blocks of pine Guest, I bet you could find a use for those, why you could jack up your house with those."
"Nah, they're pine, besides, they're at the bottom, it's hard to get out of there."
"Poo-shaw, you could climb out on that crappy looking box spring."
Guest wasn't interested, so they went over to the third dumpster.
"Not much here," said Guest.
"Look at all those soggy sheets of cardboard, I bet there's something of great value underneath them, why don't you hop down in there an root around, I bet you'll get a real find."
"Nah, not worth it, with the snow and all."
"Guest, you'll never know unless you look."
"I must say, with all your ideas from the metal pile to here, you're certainly getting me a bit excited, but I think I've got enough."
And with that they got in the truck. Both the Caretaker and Guest know that his proclivity to scavenge is perhaps a bit much at times and so the Caretaker doesn't feel bad about revving him on it. Now, to be honest, the Caretaker is a bit of a scavenger himself, not so much in his adult life, but when he was a kid, "junk day" was always a high time. Once a month the collection service allowed people to put out whatever they wanted. Probably the Caretaker's greatest finds have been bicycles, most of which needed but some minor effort to get up and pedalling again. So yes the Caretaker used to scavenge himself, but he would always follow one important rule, if there isn't an immediate need, don't take it. As opposed to Guest who found himself a bucket over in the metal pile:
"Ah-ha, look at this, a perfectly good bucket, all it needs is a new handle."
"Don't you already have enough buckets?"
"You can never have enough buckets."
"Yes. You can have enough buckets."
"I disagree."
"Well, I suppose if you were planning on starting a bucket brigade you'd be right, but I think the modern fire engine has certainly done a great job of wiping out the need for bucket brigades."
"You'll see."
"I know. I can't wait."
Anyway, so the two of them finally start driving out of the dump, as they're heading towards the gates Guest mentions going to the Post Office, which the Caretaker was more than happy to go along with because he needed to check his mail too. They pass through the gates and begin to turn towards town, when Guest then turns the truck the other way and says he needs to check something.
"Oh yes, what's the other way?" Asks the Caretaker while thinking to himself, now what?
"Sand without salt from the road department."
The Caretaker felt this was a worthwhile thing to look into because sand in the Winter is always handy on the drive. Guest stops the truck, turns it off and goes inside. The Caretaker felt no need to go in so he waited in the truck. While waiting he looked over the municipal fuel pumps, he wasn't quite sure but it looked to him like it pumped fuel from the top of the above ground tank. The Caretaker felt this was a foolish way to do it, he was of the opinion that it should draw from a bit above the bottom just in case there was a power failure. In an emergency fuel could still be drawn via gravity. The Caretaker is certainly no expert in these things so he let his mind drop the topic and pondered other things. Eventually Guest returned to the truck,
"No sand."
"They've got fine gravel."
"Nah, sand."
He then went to start the truck. It made a struggling noise but didn't start. Guest tried it again, no luck. Then a third time, still wouldn't start. The Caretaker then suggested turning the ignition completely off and then trying it. The truck started, and down the road to town they went.
"Well, if we're going to the Post Office I would suggest that you do not turn off the truck while were there."
"Nah, it started, I'm going to assumer every thing's okay."
The Caretaker wasn't so sure, especially since he knew how it is that Guest maintained his vehicles. Not being his truck he didn't want to tell another man how to operate it so he quickly began to think of a way to convince Guest that there was real value in not shutting off the truck until they returned to his house, besides, the Caretaker didn't really want to have to walk back from the Post Office.
Then Guest said, "I'm sure it's fine, besides, I've got more pressing things to deal with, the truck is going to have to wait."
BINGO!!!
"Well, if you shut off the truck at the Post Office and it doesn't start, the truck will top your list of priorities."
"Hm. Maybe you're right."
The Caretaker left it at that, but was thinking to himself, "yes I'm right, what is up with you?"
Now, to be fair, the Caretaker knew what was up, Guest was thinking about the fuel wasted while idling. Which is certainly laudable, however, the truck not starting again was a real possibility which would then require a tow, which would consume more fuel than what would be used up while idling at the Post Office. Thankfully Guest did not shut off the truck and they made it home.
Thus concludes the tale of the dump run.
After word: Some of the above dialogue was embellished (but not by much) for illustrative purposes.
--The Caretaker
Lake Temp. 43 F.
Ghetto temp. 42 F.
Island tmp. 63 F. Yesterday's L/H: 36/38 F.
Current conditions: Cloud covered night sky, no stars, light South wind, 5 mph with mild gusts
12/4/08
10/6/08
10/13/08
The morning began with rain, hail, and snow with a strong wind from the South. It wasn't looking so hot for the Caretaker's dump run but in the end he was able to make it there. Up on the mountain it was all snow, maybe about an inch accumulation at most. The wind continued on throughout much of the day finally settling down at sunset. At around sunset the Caretaker was in the kitchen doing some work when he left to get a shovel from outside, looking up towards the Narrows he noticed some color upon the East shore so he grabbed his camera and took a few shots, they weren't worth keeping, but when he turned back towards the Ghetto he noticed the color upon the West sky so dashed around to the South dock and took a number of photos. Funny how just yesterday the Caretaker was commenting on how the weather conditions had not been cooperating of late for photography. Granted the photo for today is just another sunset shot, just another lousy day in paradise.
Back to the dump run, so the Caretaker loaded up the boat, in the blowing rain/snow/hail, with a bunch of trash bags and a number of bags of recyclables, motored on over to the mainland and began to load the pick-up truck. The Caretaker then waited for the person who was accompanying him to the dump to gather up his various contributions to the dump. Upon arriving at the dump the Caretaker was hoping to first get rid of the trash and recyclables, but sure enough that didn't happen, the person accompanying the Caretaker drove them over to the metal pile to go scavenging for "finds" to take home. Often times, the person who accompanied the Caretaker to the dump, brings home more than he leaves. The Caretaker was well aware of this person's habits so instead of waiting in the truck he decided to accompany him on his scouring expedition through the metal pile--when in Rome. The Caretaker took great pleasure in pointing out all sorts of things this person could take home and use if he repaired here or there. Oddly enough, the Caretaker ended up finding something he could use, so he took it. What great treasure was it? A plastic fuel spout from a metal fuel can, the can was rusted on the inside so was of no use for fuel but the fuel spout, oh ho, that was a gem--the ridged plastic kind with attached cap and fuel screen. Ever since the state mandated that only ventless fuel cans may be sold these fuel spouts are nearly impossible to come by here in New York. The Caretaker has a lengthy diatribe against the ventless fuel can and how utterly useless they are, but the Caretaker has already shared this in the past so he won't bore his readers again with that nonsense.
So after collecting the found "treasures" the Caretaker and Guest proceeded to unload the garbage and recyclables. At this point the Caretaker figured they'd be on their way, but oh ho, there was still one more place to go--the construction waste dumpsters. So they get out of the truck and have a look around, the Guest doesn't see much of interest but the Caretaker decided he needed some prodding:
"Look at all those 6 by 6 blocks of pine Guest, I bet you could find a use for those, why you could jack up your house with those."
"Nah, they're pine, besides, they're at the bottom, it's hard to get out of there."
"Poo-shaw, you could climb out on that crappy looking box spring."
Guest wasn't interested, so they went over to the third dumpster.
"Not much here," said Guest.
"Look at all those soggy sheets of cardboard, I bet there's something of great value underneath them, why don't you hop down in there an root around, I bet you'll get a real find."
"Nah, not worth it, with the snow and all."
"Guest, you'll never know unless you look."
"I must say, with all your ideas from the metal pile to here, you're certainly getting me a bit excited, but I think I've got enough."
And with that they got in the truck. Both the Caretaker and Guest know that his proclivity to scavenge is perhaps a bit much at times and so the Caretaker doesn't feel bad about revving him on it. Now, to be honest, the Caretaker is a bit of a scavenger himself, not so much in his adult life, but when he was a kid, "junk day" was always a high time. Once a month the collection service allowed people to put out whatever they wanted. Probably the Caretaker's greatest finds have been bicycles, most of which needed but some minor effort to get up and pedalling again. So yes the Caretaker used to scavenge himself, but he would always follow one important rule, if there isn't an immediate need, don't take it. As opposed to Guest who found himself a bucket over in the metal pile:
"Ah-ha, look at this, a perfectly good bucket, all it needs is a new handle."
"Don't you already have enough buckets?"
"You can never have enough buckets."
"Yes. You can have enough buckets."
"I disagree."
"Well, I suppose if you were planning on starting a bucket brigade you'd be right, but I think the modern fire engine has certainly done a great job of wiping out the need for bucket brigades."
"You'll see."
"I know. I can't wait."
Anyway, so the two of them finally start driving out of the dump, as they're heading towards the gates Guest mentions going to the Post Office, which the Caretaker was more than happy to go along with because he needed to check his mail too. They pass through the gates and begin to turn towards town, when Guest then turns the truck the other way and says he needs to check something.
"Oh yes, what's the other way?" Asks the Caretaker while thinking to himself, now what?
"Sand without salt from the road department."
The Caretaker felt this was a worthwhile thing to look into because sand in the Winter is always handy on the drive. Guest stops the truck, turns it off and goes inside. The Caretaker felt no need to go in so he waited in the truck. While waiting he looked over the municipal fuel pumps, he wasn't quite sure but it looked to him like it pumped fuel from the top of the above ground tank. The Caretaker felt this was a foolish way to do it, he was of the opinion that it should draw from a bit above the bottom just in case there was a power failure. In an emergency fuel could still be drawn via gravity. The Caretaker is certainly no expert in these things so he let his mind drop the topic and pondered other things. Eventually Guest returned to the truck,
"No sand."
"They've got fine gravel."
"Nah, sand."
He then went to start the truck. It made a struggling noise but didn't start. Guest tried it again, no luck. Then a third time, still wouldn't start. The Caretaker then suggested turning the ignition completely off and then trying it. The truck started, and down the road to town they went.
"Well, if we're going to the Post Office I would suggest that you do not turn off the truck while were there."
"Nah, it started, I'm going to assumer every thing's okay."
The Caretaker wasn't so sure, especially since he knew how it is that Guest maintained his vehicles. Not being his truck he didn't want to tell another man how to operate it so he quickly began to think of a way to convince Guest that there was real value in not shutting off the truck until they returned to his house, besides, the Caretaker didn't really want to have to walk back from the Post Office.
Then Guest said, "I'm sure it's fine, besides, I've got more pressing things to deal with, the truck is going to have to wait."
BINGO!!!
"Well, if you shut off the truck at the Post Office and it doesn't start, the truck will top your list of priorities."
"Hm. Maybe you're right."
The Caretaker left it at that, but was thinking to himself, "yes I'm right, what is up with you?"
Now, to be fair, the Caretaker knew what was up, Guest was thinking about the fuel wasted while idling. Which is certainly laudable, however, the truck not starting again was a real possibility which would then require a tow, which would consume more fuel than what would be used up while idling at the Post Office. Thankfully Guest did not shut off the truck and they made it home.
Thus concludes the tale of the dump run.
After word: Some of the above dialogue was embellished (but not by much) for illustrative purposes.
--The Caretaker
Sunday, November 30, 2008
TCC for 11/30/08
The Caretaker's Concern 11/30/08
Lake Temp. 44 F.
Ghetto temp. 41 F.
Island tmp. 34 F. Yesterday's L/H: ?/? F. Temperatures not noted.
Current conditions: Rain, mild wind from the East shore, rare direction for the wind on this part of the lake.
11/30/08
11/29/08
11/27/08
The precipitation rolled in not too long before sundown, it started as snow, eventually turning to a mix of hail and rain. It was a mostly windless day, the Lake was mostly flat, unfortunately the cloud coverage was so thick that the Sun wasn't visible for most of the day. If the sky was open and the sunlight could have shined down on a day like today with no wind it would have been a rather glorious day on the Lake, but it wasn't.
--The Caretaker
Lake Temp. 44 F.
Ghetto temp. 41 F.
Island tmp. 34 F. Yesterday's L/H: ?/? F. Temperatures not noted.
Current conditions: Rain, mild wind from the East shore, rare direction for the wind on this part of the lake.
11/30/08
11/29/08
11/27/08
The precipitation rolled in not too long before sundown, it started as snow, eventually turning to a mix of hail and rain. It was a mostly windless day, the Lake was mostly flat, unfortunately the cloud coverage was so thick that the Sun wasn't visible for most of the day. If the sky was open and the sunlight could have shined down on a day like today with no wind it would have been a rather glorious day on the Lake, but it wasn't.
--The Caretaker
Friday, November 21, 2008
TCC for 11/21/08
The Caretaker's Concern 11/21/08
Lake Temp. 46 F.
Ghetto temp. 52 F.
Island tmp. 23 F. Yesterday's L/H: 24/32.5 F.
Current conditions: Crystal clear star filled night, just after dusk the galaxy was rather visible, late into the night it was still visible but not as distinct. At dusk a planet was illuminated brightly enough for its light to be reflected on the water. Wind is from the North, mostly mild, less than 5 mph. The wind was from the North all day, not too strong but strong enough to make you cold pretty quick. Mostly sunny day, out of the wind and in the sunlight it was rather pleasant.
11/21/08
11/21/08
11/21/08
11/21/08
The first half of the day was rather uneventful, the second half of the day was a time for packages, the Caretaker received two packages which made him happy. Unfortunately the one package he is waiting on still has not arrived, this made him at touch displeased. Chances are this one package he is looking to arrive won't come tomorrow, Saturday, he is hoping it will come Monday, if not, then he will be rather displeased. Of the two packages that did arrive one was a replacement for a part of his "no running water, water system". The Caretaker knows that he had mentioned in the past that he would have posted an explanation of his water system by now but he his schedule has kept him too busy and since one of the key parts of his water system has totally failed he has decided he will hold off on the explanation until he can work out a replacement. Speaking of a replacement, he did hear back from one of the manufacturers that he was hoping to patronize, turns out their product won't work for the Caretaker unless he gets hold of a water pump. The Caretaker would rather not do that, he would much rather have a gravity fed system. It's looking more and more like the Caretaker will have to build his own tankless water heater, however he won't be able to get started on that until after the weekend and possibly not until the end of next week.
The replacement for a part of his water system that arrived today was definitely a plus, especially since he no longer has his tankless water heater. For the past three Winters the Caretaker used an enameled pot that held about three gallons of water and had a spigot. He would use this for rinse water to do dishes, being a metal pot he would fill it with warm water and then run the soapy dishes underneath the water from the spigot, it makes rinsing very convenient. However his enameled pot has started to rust on the inside, so he decided it was high time to upgrade to a stainless steel pot with a spigot. Last week he had picked up a spigoted pot but it was made of aluminum, which certainly would have worked but not wanting to run the risk of contaminating himself with aluminum he decided he should return it and splurge on a stainless steel one. He found one on the internet that wasn't all too expensive, he figures it's worth the investment, he doesn't want to get Alzheimer's in his old age, well, at least do as little as possible to contribute towards it. The only draw back of the stainless steel pot is that it is really much larger than he needs, it holds about 8 gallons, but that is a minor trouble that the Caretaker can certainly live with. Regardless of its size it certainly made his shower this evening much easier to get together than to do with out it. The spigot makes filling his shower bag a breeze, to do it otherwise requires a funnel and pipe which often times ends up making a mess of water on the floor. As easy as the pot makes getting water into the bag, it doesn't make getting the temperature correct any easier, the Caretaker is quite out of practice and so will have to work on getting back in the groove. Yesterday's shower using this method was a touch on the cool side, around 92 degrees Fahrenheit, which isn't insufferable, but he prefers his shower water at around 104. Tonight's shower water temperature? It was decidedly warmer. Not wanting to take a cool shower again the Caretaker overcompensated a bit too much, tonight's shower water was above 128 degrees Fahrenheit. The Caretaker waited a bit for the water to cool down but he didn't feel like waiting too long so he went with it as it was. Hopefully the third time will be the charm and tomorrow night's shower will be like the last bowl of porridge--just right.
The Caretaker's other package was from Campmor, it had a few things that will make his winter camping more pleasurable, one of which is a down sleeping bag rated for zero degrees Fahrenheit. The Caretaker will be testing it out tonight, it isn't supposed to go down to zero tonight but it is supposed to be one of the coldest nights on record for this time of year. Conveniently enough the Caretaker won't have to sleep outside to test his new sleeping bag, instead he'll just shut off all the heat in the Ghetto. If it turns out that the sleeping bag is not as effective as it claims to be rated for he'll just turn the heat back on and sleep in the usual pleasurable 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Caretaker is thinking of writing a book:
"The Joy of Winter:
How to enjoy living in the cold... but why?"
--The Caretaker
P.S. The photo of the rock is of the first ice from the Lake on the Island, it has been so cold that when the waves splash on to the rock the water has frozen to it (the ice may not be too visible in the photo given its size.
Lake Temp. 46 F.
Ghetto temp. 52 F.
Island tmp. 23 F. Yesterday's L/H: 24/32.5 F.
Current conditions: Crystal clear star filled night, just after dusk the galaxy was rather visible, late into the night it was still visible but not as distinct. At dusk a planet was illuminated brightly enough for its light to be reflected on the water. Wind is from the North, mostly mild, less than 5 mph. The wind was from the North all day, not too strong but strong enough to make you cold pretty quick. Mostly sunny day, out of the wind and in the sunlight it was rather pleasant.
11/21/08
11/21/08
11/21/08
11/21/08
The first half of the day was rather uneventful, the second half of the day was a time for packages, the Caretaker received two packages which made him happy. Unfortunately the one package he is waiting on still has not arrived, this made him at touch displeased. Chances are this one package he is looking to arrive won't come tomorrow, Saturday, he is hoping it will come Monday, if not, then he will be rather displeased. Of the two packages that did arrive one was a replacement for a part of his "no running water, water system". The Caretaker knows that he had mentioned in the past that he would have posted an explanation of his water system by now but he his schedule has kept him too busy and since one of the key parts of his water system has totally failed he has decided he will hold off on the explanation until he can work out a replacement. Speaking of a replacement, he did hear back from one of the manufacturers that he was hoping to patronize, turns out their product won't work for the Caretaker unless he gets hold of a water pump. The Caretaker would rather not do that, he would much rather have a gravity fed system. It's looking more and more like the Caretaker will have to build his own tankless water heater, however he won't be able to get started on that until after the weekend and possibly not until the end of next week.
The replacement for a part of his water system that arrived today was definitely a plus, especially since he no longer has his tankless water heater. For the past three Winters the Caretaker used an enameled pot that held about three gallons of water and had a spigot. He would use this for rinse water to do dishes, being a metal pot he would fill it with warm water and then run the soapy dishes underneath the water from the spigot, it makes rinsing very convenient. However his enameled pot has started to rust on the inside, so he decided it was high time to upgrade to a stainless steel pot with a spigot. Last week he had picked up a spigoted pot but it was made of aluminum, which certainly would have worked but not wanting to run the risk of contaminating himself with aluminum he decided he should return it and splurge on a stainless steel one. He found one on the internet that wasn't all too expensive, he figures it's worth the investment, he doesn't want to get Alzheimer's in his old age, well, at least do as little as possible to contribute towards it. The only draw back of the stainless steel pot is that it is really much larger than he needs, it holds about 8 gallons, but that is a minor trouble that the Caretaker can certainly live with. Regardless of its size it certainly made his shower this evening much easier to get together than to do with out it. The spigot makes filling his shower bag a breeze, to do it otherwise requires a funnel and pipe which often times ends up making a mess of water on the floor. As easy as the pot makes getting water into the bag, it doesn't make getting the temperature correct any easier, the Caretaker is quite out of practice and so will have to work on getting back in the groove. Yesterday's shower using this method was a touch on the cool side, around 92 degrees Fahrenheit, which isn't insufferable, but he prefers his shower water at around 104. Tonight's shower water temperature? It was decidedly warmer. Not wanting to take a cool shower again the Caretaker overcompensated a bit too much, tonight's shower water was above 128 degrees Fahrenheit. The Caretaker waited a bit for the water to cool down but he didn't feel like waiting too long so he went with it as it was. Hopefully the third time will be the charm and tomorrow night's shower will be like the last bowl of porridge--just right.
The Caretaker's other package was from Campmor, it had a few things that will make his winter camping more pleasurable, one of which is a down sleeping bag rated for zero degrees Fahrenheit. The Caretaker will be testing it out tonight, it isn't supposed to go down to zero tonight but it is supposed to be one of the coldest nights on record for this time of year. Conveniently enough the Caretaker won't have to sleep outside to test his new sleeping bag, instead he'll just shut off all the heat in the Ghetto. If it turns out that the sleeping bag is not as effective as it claims to be rated for he'll just turn the heat back on and sleep in the usual pleasurable 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Caretaker is thinking of writing a book:
"The Joy of Winter:
How to enjoy living in the cold... but why?"
--The Caretaker
P.S. The photo of the rock is of the first ice from the Lake on the Island, it has been so cold that when the waves splash on to the rock the water has frozen to it (the ice may not be too visible in the photo given its size.
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