I found this title in a slide show program I use called Smilebox at www.smilebox.com.
I thought the title was humorous because we have had so many problems with trying to sink the water well for the heat and a/c system. At this point I think this summer has been more like Halloween!
The captions are a little small, hopefully, still legible.
Here is another video I put together to show you what was going on while the team was sinking the well for our central a/c and heating system. The first well was sunk to about 120 feet but they could not find any water. Ooops! All the pipes had to come back out. They, then, moved the truck, ever so slightly and started again. We were told that the second well was down 27 feet and that they had found good water. This team then cleaned up and told us that the next crew, would be coming in three days to plumb everything to the pump. Woohoo.
Happiness was in the air until the crew came and told us the well was really only at 13 feet. Panic because we had, the contractor (who removed the fence) came back and put the fence back up. So, the only option for the men was to come back and sink the pipes deeper the old fashioned way, manually. We certainly didn’t want to take the fence down again!
I have started this particular section of my blog with two previous posts from my Garden Journal. As this seems to be an on going saga. Let me recap just a little. I have a very old house (built in 1914) and have lived here for 12 years. The Hubs and I have done upgrades at every opportunity. This one just seems to take the cake!
We started on this trek about 3 months ago. Our existing heating and a/c system has been in the house for about 20 to 25 years. The system was at that point very top of the line!! Since we have lived here it has been a wonderful, energy efficient, economical system. I have loved it because even with a balloon structure home (no insulation between inside and outside walls) we have always had exceptional heating and air conditioning bills, compared to others around us. But, as you see with my previous Garden Journal posts. The water well finally went dry!
Before we realized that we had no water we had purchased two new pumps. (I will probably try to sell those locally, trying to recover anything I can.) Just this Spring we had to have a new compressor installed in the system because the old one died. Only problem was that they didn’t make them anymore and we had to have one built.
When we found out that we needed a new well, it was already two weeks. First called my trusty faithful Mechanical Guy, no dice…. he said no water was incoming. Then made a call to well digging folks. Another week goes by. Well checker guy comes and gives us the bad news. Next crew comes to give us estimates, prices and what will have to be done. Have to make a copy of plot. Have to send to the State (EPA/Health Dept, I guess) to get permission to put a new well. It, apparently, doesn’t matter that the existing well was here for so long! NEW rules!! This takes another two weeks because they are short handed due to cut backs in their budget. This, btw, cost another two hundred dollars!
Finally, we get permission to dig. Have to hire seperate contractor to take fence down and then, of course, put fence back up after job is done. Another $500.00 dollars.
Then the truck comes. We pay extra water charges to the city so we can have the truck come without water. Fill it up on site because the new driveway might bust from the weight of the truck. This is necessary because our main city sewage line lies just beneath the new driveway! Don’t want that sewage lines to break.
The truck has finally arrived and here is a clip of the progress. Then, this Saga will continue.
Cripe, I paid off my home and, now, I get the distinct pleasure of paying a property tax (rent to the city) if I want to stay here the rest of my life! Sort of like renting an apartment, just at a cheaper rate. Well, I suppose, if you consider maintenance and repairs. I guess I should be greatful! lol
Although, those cheaper rent rates might not be happening if our city keeps going via the way of California. Even if I can manage to hang on to it for the rest of my life, without getting taxed out of the house, will my kids even see any benefit from its sale? Death taxes for them, Woopee!!
I am, finally, ready for the Welcome Home Sale at www.onlineauction.com . I was able to get about 30 items listed at very inexpensive prices. The participanting members in this sale have items listed below $10.00, so bargains will abound.
This is just a little preview of some of the 30 new items I have listed. Just remember these Auctions don’t go live until August 2, 09. Then they will run for 7 days.
Details of this Toulouse-Lautrec, Course de Galop – Jockey Club Post Card Auction CLICK HERE
Details of this Fürstenberg Porcelain depicting Wilhelmshaven, Germany Auction CLICK HERE
Typing WHS into OLA’s Search Bar will show the many Auctions featured in the sale. Come find some other great bargains under $10.00 from me, too.
I am so sad. Now that my little garden has been torn up for the installation of a new water well we got the bad news today. Not enough water to run our water to air heating / air conditioning system. And to think we live only a block away from water!
You see, new State rules are in place. My previous water well system is not grandfathered, even though it is very energy efficient and cost effective. Now, we sit here in all this heat after two months, going on three, waiting for estimates to have an air to air system installed!! I could just cry thinking what heating and cooling costs will be now. Very sad day.
This is not a Poser This is A Rant!
Politics is always so controversial. Each of us have our needs that come into play when we make decisions at the voting booth. I was recently in a chat room and a discussion about politics arose. These are some of my personal thoughts about today’s issues.
When I was younger I didn’t really pay much attention to elections. I tended to get caught up in the media hype, I was even excited in elementary school when we were all hollering “I like IKE”! Then, as you age, your life lessons come into play, some bad and some good. That is when you start making better decisions when going to election booths.
Example of, what I consider, stupid congressional moves. I remember when I was younger, I could see no reason for medicare. I thought it should never come out of taxpayer moneys and that is really a HMO type of operation, really not far removed from socialized medicine. But back then there were a lot of people approaching the age and they thought they would be better off. I wonder how many people, that are forced into medicare at age 65, think that now? There are so many of the elderly, that I talk with, that are so screwed because of the extra expenses it just makes me want to cry. I am not far from being elderly and am approaching medicare. I, still, have my reserved ideas about it because anytime the government forces a situation down our throats, I don’t like it! But, the politicians suckered everybody in and now that the elderly are dependent on the government. Because of fear they just can’t let it go! Now, we have no choice.
Socialized medicine is really scarry. My Mother had to have her kidney removed last year. She is 81. When speaking to her Brother and Sisters, who live in Germany (Germany has socialized medicine) they told here she was lucky that she lived in the US because had she been in Germany there is a cap of 80 years old and surgery would not be covered in their system. Granted, if she wanted to pay for that same surgery, out of pocket, she could have it if she could find a doctor willing to operate. How many 81 year olds have enough money to pay for surgery out of pocket?
On a side note. If Insurance companies had not been allowed to flourish, I think we would still have Doctors making house calls!
People that make the news, I say who cares about a small fish. The media just focuses on the Palins and Jacksons so that it takes heat off the Congress when they start passing their own agendas. Lets stab them (voters)in the back while they(us people) aren’t looking! You can complain all day long but it will never get us anywhere until we have a viable third party to stop both the Democrats and the Republicans. Unfortunately, the politicians are soooooo powerful that I probably will never see that day. I will never stop trying though.
I have been an independent voter since long before Ross Perot. My Hubs tells me that I waste my vote, every election. Ha, I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils. My personal opinion, mind you. Over the years I have observed a lot and most of it has been watching politicians line the pockets of their friends with pork, themselves and totally waste taxpayer dollars. I don’t blame any president, ever elected, for much because I see Presidents as nothing more then the figure head for the henchmen running the show (sort of like the Mayor of a city). That would be the party in Power!
I cannot tell you the countless times I have written myself into a ballot because I refuse to vote for someone that has no opposition. Our wonderful city has chosen to have a ward system to insure that some elected officials will never be thrown out of office! I don’t even know why they bother to put them on the ballot when no one is running against them. It sucks when I see this crap going on. I don’t see the Presidential elections as much more promising. Pretty much fixed to a two party system.
Politicians are mostly, in my personal opinion, nothing more than crooks dressed in nice suits and, occasionally, have law degrees. If we want to see Any Change, forget the Presidential office and get the Congress Ousted!
I don’t want to seem too negative but the way I see it…. the Mafia didn’t disappear they all just became lawyers and politicians!
My Son told me I had to conclude my rant with an ending and a solution. So, I am. If I had my way the Constitutional Party would be a great escape from the world of the Republicans and Democrats!
But, I guess heat and air conditioning takes a priority.
Here is my very bad rendering of some video footage I took while the well drilling was going on! My itsy bitsy, already little, garden is now a wreck! When I get better at this YouTube thing, I will post some better footage. Meanwhile, here are two short clips.
Nearly two months ago our heating and air conditioning system quit running. Much to our chagrin, we found out that our unit was ok but the problem was with the well. That had gone dry! Yikes. You see, we have a water to air heat pump. Now you know the background.
When the well diggers came they told us we would have to put the new well in the only spot available to the well digging rig. In our Garden! Not only that but we would have to take down our gate to allow the truck access to the backyard. This has been a two month nightmare. Waiting, waiting for permission to sink the well, getting a contractor to come and take down the Gate and part of the fence. Of course, that same contractor had to come back and put the gate and fence back up. That meant that our new driveway needed to be torn up. Oh, then there is the Dogwood tree, the branches needed to be trimmed back because the well rig was so large.
If you follow this journal you have seen pictures of the garden before but here are a few recent ones. We have harvested plums, green beans, kohlrabi, lettuce and the list goes on and on, even though we have to fight with the critters we have been very lucky with the crops from our small garden.
While we were preparing for this event I took a few snaps. I just had to take a snap of the Morning Glory. My little bench corner.
But this is what the corner looks like now. This is where we had to store all the things we had to remove from the other side of the yard.
Here is a picture of where the fence and gate had to come down. You can see where we had to make our Dogwood look like a toothpick!
Then, here comes the truck. My goodness! I thought there was a whole house coming up our street. The driver had a really interesting time getting into our small space. Backing into drive.
Finally backed in and parked. See what I mean about a tight squeeze?
They were finally set up and ready to start drilling. The generator was positioned on the street.
This is where they let out the excess water.
We have to dig in the silt they left us. Hopefully, we will be able to till it in with a little neutra green which should fortify the soil (a product we can get locally).
So there ya go, now you know why we only have half a garden. It is gonna take some doing to get it straightened out but the job is still not done. They have to come back and put an injector down in the ground.
I will get a picture of the dirt pile, once called a garden, with the next post. and if I get really creative, I will try to get some video capture on line and place it here.
(This writing has no structure, it was meant to be an “Automatic Writing” exercise. Don’t get too frustrated reading it.) Knowing that the event would be coming to an end very soon, and that I needed to experience this NYC happening first hand, so that I would be able to reflect on it in a wacky [...]
Gus Goes Hunting ! Howdy folks, So now that I am in school again, I had this lil’ homework assignment. To make a 30 second animation in After Effects, to be used in an “Exquisite Corpse” game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_ corpse). Well, the idea for this came to me in the morning on a Thursday, I had the whole [...]
