Millions of people got hit a lot harder than we did thanks to climate change, but we got destroyed this summer. We had to replace much of the roof; our basement nearly flooded with water, we had a minor rat infestation, and a dozen slate tiles on the barn roof were damaged and cracked – several large holes in the roof could have severely damaged the barn.

Mother Nature cost us several thousand dollars, and we are happy and grateful to have each one of these problems fixed. We are using our generator for the first time; severe storms keep knocking out the power, and we imagine more trouble in the winter. I think our roofs are secure in the farmhouse and the barn.

Dan returned today from an annual rabbit hunting excursion with old friends in the Adirondacks. He didn’t get any rabbits, but he did shoot a grouse instead; he said it was delicious. Dan is a find. He is meticulous and competent, comes when he says he will, does a first-rate job, and continuously charges less than we expect. He’s great fun to talk to. We lucked out running into him; we weren’t sure where he was.

He’s working on Case Page’s horse wagon for her coffee and sandwich cart. He’s coming back in a few weeks to get our compact toilet working upstairs. We greatly appreciate Dan and the work he does. He’s becoming a friend.