Despite the fact that it was 10° below zero this morning when we got up, and our high temp for the day was 11° above, we had sunshine all day long.
This was taken at 2:45 this afternoon with the glorious sun streaming in our south facing windows. The sun has been extremely shy about showing its face so far this winter so when we get a sun-filled day, it's a cause for a mini celebration.
The wear and tear on my fingers will be forgotten when I finish hand-quilting this wall hanging that I worked on today. Even with a good thimble, there are spots on my fingers that get really sore.
One of the items on Papa Pea's list today was to replace the gasket on the door of the wood stove in the living. He put on his handyman hat and did a thorough, efficient job of it.
Then he decided to take a nap. The truth? He's lubricating the track that the door slides on (under the stove) when we have an open fire.
Anyone else ever noticed how those homestead/household maintenance duties are n-e-v-e-r done? Even when you think you're "set up?"
What's the most recent maintenance you had to do around your place?
15 comments:
So you open your door on your wood stove when you're burning it? No glass front? Does it make you burn your wood faster? Great job that he can do that himself! There's always little projects here and there but that's one that helps heat your home so good for you!
Nancy - No glass door on the stove, but a screen that fits over the exact opening so no sparks can pop out. And, yes, the wood does burn faster with that arrangement, but the stove is also air-tight (or can be shut down to air-tight) with the cast iron door closed. The only time we have it in the "open" position is when we're sitting in the living room at the end of the day and really enjoy being able to see the burning fire. The rest of the day (and night) it's closed up and the draft is regulated depending on outside temp and temperature we desire inside the house. It does hold a fire overnight if we so desire. Then we just have to open up the draft in the morning and put in some small pieces of wood to get it started again. We have the same exact stove in the kitchen and have had them for years and love 'em.
Well, that is a perfect little stove! Our living room stove is a propane fireplace, and it is a really good one! We never run our electric furnace, because the gas fireplace does such a great job! One of the nagging maintenance things I seem to put off is the dang garage door lube, and don’t you know that it usually rears it’s ugly head when it gets cold outside! So, 6 garage doors later, they all seem to work like a charm, until next year ! Lol !
Rick had to clean the stove pipe cap, that got clogged with creosote. Then he brought the ladder in to get the make and model on our ceiling fan to see if he could order a replacement motor. The last time I turned it on, last winter, it sparked and popped. Well, he couldn't find anything wrong so we tried it again with no problems! Hopefully the spark was just a wayward bug or something.... Yesterday before the snow accumulated I did some limb pruning on the flowering plum and Japanese maple in the island bed with our little chainsaw. Good thing, as the snow would have bent those limbs low over the driveway to catch on vehicles.
Those sunshiny days sure are a treat after all the grey ones of late. Yes, there always seems to be a list. One of those sunny days was perfect to do an Equalization on the solar battery bank, which we do monthly. Its been hard over the last two months to find a day that was sunny from beginning to end to accomplish this! I am curious about your stove and can't quite figure out how it works. Does the door slide off to the side? Would you mind telling what variety it is so I can look it up?
Nope, they NEVER are!
We bought our 100+ yo house 18 years ago and completely redid everything. My husband has learned not to say "at least I won't have to worry about that again in my lifetime". Our 30 year roof began leaking at 15. And now has a brand new attic condensation problem so we will probably have to refresh the insulation this year. Our 5 year old furnace is untrustworthy and will be replaced this year. Water heater last year. The replacement windows need new seals. There is no end to the amount of Great Stuff Foam that an old house will absorb. And its about time to start round two of wall painting. My husband says he is sick to death of undo-redo. Home ownership is not for the faint of heart.
wyomingheart - But isn't it a satisfying feeling when those garage doors go up (and down!) just as slick as can be? Yep, it's the little things that sometimes seem like big chores but are so nice when they function properly!
Michelle - Hooray for easy maintenance jobs like Rick did with the ceiling fan! (If only all "chores" would go that quickly and easily!) In your climate and all of your lovely outside landscaping, you must have maintenance to do year 'round. And good job getting that pruning done just in time.
Rosalea - Our stove is a Jotul #4 Combifire. The cast iron door slides right under the stove, front to back on the track that my husband was lubricating. Slick engineering feature. Then you place the screen over the opening and, voila, an open fireplace!
Cockeyed Jo - You speak the truth! ;o)
SmartAlex - Yep, home ownership is a great and wonderful thing. But also has it's drawbacks as you well know. It's no wonder so many people have opted for the condo or house in a community where all the repairs and outdoor services are included in the package.
That's a nice little stove. DH once talked about getting a wood burning fireplace or stove of some type. My eyes burn so badly & I have trouble breathing any time I've been buildings that have them. I have no idea if it's poor installation, poor operation, or nature of the beast. The subject hasn't been brought up again for a few years. And yes, maintenance is never done, especially if you add outbuildings, animals, gardens, and all the stuff to deal with those on top of the house.
Our most recent was the furnace blower decided it no longer wished to blow. Middle of the night of course, but at least it wasn't super cold, and the HVAC people had one in stock and got it installed in short order. Otherwise it's been cars that need attention - new tires & water pump on my car, tires on DH's work car, alternator & battery on the "good" car...ungh. Knock wood we're done for a bit.
JustGail - A lot of people are allergic to wood smoke. Friends of ours have one son that ccouldn't tolerate the stove they were using inside for heating the main part of the house. Turns out he was only allergic to birch wood. When they used other varieties, he wasn't bothered. So it can get complicated.
And, oh, YES! The vehicle maintenance! We sure need vehicles in our daily lives today, but keeping them in good running condition seems to be an on-going chore. We have a really good mechanic who is a friend and we're so, so grateful to have him when we need work done on our "old" vehicles!
Doesn't the sunshine make all the difference? It's been cold enough here that I've been spending my time at the kitchen table where the sunshine keeps that part of the house nice and toasty. Hm. Maintenance? Burned some brush, pruned some roses and changed the HVAC air filters.
Tami - The only "bad" thing about the sunshine is that I'm noticing 1) a lot more dust on surfaces all through the house, and 2) boy, are my windows D-I-R-T-Y! ;O)
We've had very little sun here in West Virginia this month, too. When it came out briefly the other day I had to call my husband to come and look. And maintenance, oh my yes. Most recently Larry had to unclog the line to the septic tank--big YUCK. And then fix the drain from the kitchen sink which had come loose under the house, and re-install the outside water line in a new location. The roof has a leak we've been chasing for a year. The siding on the back of the house needs repair, and...I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting.
Yug! Maintenance chores. Cleaning bathrooms! I am almost to the point of paying someone to do it.
Thank you, Mama Pea. Just got back on line so am checking it out. I couldn't figure out how the door slides under, (it must be heavy), and then, how does the door lock back on to the opening to make it air tight? Our air tight is an Enviro Kodiak, with a glass door so one can watch the flames and has been wonderful through this recent few days of lovely, -20's C weather. I like the little clean-out door on the floor, so you can rake down the ashes to the box underneath, and they settle and cool before you take them out. If you are careful, it is relatively dust-free.
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