The big news here is a septic, plumbing, and water crisis. It’s pretty bad.
The plumbing is getting jammed, and the toilets aren’t flushing. The Snell Septic family, our good friends, the Snells, came in and tore up the yard. They want to do some emergency work to get the water pipes working again, which means digging up a lot of the backyard and the pasture. The first bill, this morning, is $2,000 just for today.
(flower, a tulip I gave Maria for her birthday. It’s great to take that picture in the winter.)
They can’t finish the work until late Spring or Summer.
The cost will get a lot higher.
It has to be bone. It’s not a crisis; it’s life. The septic system was built around 1950. It’s time for some rehab.
On the bright side, our Bedlam Book Sale idea has taken off; the first seven books we put up for sale were sold immediately. Maria – [email protected] – handles the sales and shipping and keeps the money since she is doing most of the work.
We want to ask that people read the instructions. Several people just paid without asking Maria, and we must return the money. Please don’t send money until Maria says the book is still available. All the books are current, and each bought here at the Bedlam Farm Book sale will cost $10 plus $5 shipping.
No returns are possible. We only sell books one of us liked, and all are in excellent condition.
We’ll sell another batch on Sunday morning and post it on both blogs. Please remember to contact Maria – [email protected] – before sending a payment. People can pay via Paypal, Venmo, or by check, Maria Wulf, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
Photos are coming from our chewed-up yard.
Ian McRae, who came over for dinner last night, is returning tomorrow for another chess round. We’re starting our own chess club.
Fate is always ready to do something…we’re just not sure what
Tulip, black and white monochrome.Inside my office.
This morning looked like a foggy night in London; it was cold, misty, and dark.
The old white hen wouldn’t come out of the roost until the sun came out. If they can’t see the ground, they don’t come out. As of today, they can visit the ground.
The Four Sisters, I call them, four trees in a row that I love to photograph.
Many years ago I had to have my septic system replaced. It was quite old and failing. The company came to start work when I was at work. I came home to literal mountains of dirt. However, I was lucky and the conture of my land worked in my favor. Your composting toilet is a life-saver. Washing dishes and clothes may take a bit of consideration. Can you imagine city people dealing with this?
Yup, city people can deal with this, and it’s easier with a laundromat one block away from my house. Every place I’ve ever lived in (a village with 750 people was the smallest) outlawed septic systems long ago. In Minneapolis, I did have to deal with melt water intrusion in my basement, thanks to my negligent neighbor. I got three bids from a reliable source, went with the one that agreed with an architect friend of mine with no prompting on my part. The company got the job done in about two days because they had to dig a trench some 60 feet long, 4 feet deep and 10 feet wide between the two houses. The people were careful and friendly. They even used the backhoe to move a rather nice mock orange for me. After the work was done, and the crew was packing up, I spent some time chatting with the company owner. We discovered we are distant cousins.