Diēs Caniculārēs

The Dog Days began in late July. Definitions vary, but the Romans fixed the dates at July 24 through August 24. They invented the Julian calendar, so I'll accept theirs as the authoritative version. 

W graciously interrupted her busy day to laboriously demonstrate the traditional dog day pose. The proper technique involves sprawling out to match the curvature of the earth.

We had our first visitors, long time friends from Florida a few weeks ago and family from Connecticut last week. That's always fun for us, and I hope they had a nice time here. We've planned outings, but it seems as if the guests want to hang around here and relax. It is a peaceful place for an afternoon nap...as W can occasionally attest.

The shed is taking form but there's a lot of work remaining. I hope to get the rafters up, and the siding on the roof and walls completed this month. It's a slow evolution, but I don't work more than a few hours at a time on it.

We finally moved into the new firehouse, here's a photo of #345, our American LaFrance pumper, on its final departure from the old station. I was offered the brush truck to drive to the new station but I declined because I haven't been checked out on it. That was prescient because then I'd have to back it into the new station, which I may have literally done.

The new facility is nice, we have more space and I can store all my gear there. I can also charge my pager using the outlets right above my locker. The pager is an analog device, inefficient compared to the digital electronics that are common nowadays. Recall the 'old days' of analog cell phones, back when a battery charge would last a few hours. EMS pagers in more affluent areas (pretty much anywhere else) are routinely upgraded but due to the vast coverage area, remote and mountainous terrain - and limited budgets - we can't expect to stay current with the technology. So, it takes a lot of energy to charge my pager and the battery life is short. That's a problem for us because we don't generate much power from our 5W solar panel. It's a luxury to have an AC outlet available!

Anyway, here are the trucks safely parked in their bays. 

And here's a photo of my turnout gear's new home, this is so much better than leaving it around the cabin or car.

I've enrolled in a pumper truck operator class, 3 hours every Wednesday night for 8 weeks. Although pumping water looks easy, doing it right (and safely) involves a plethora of hydraulic theory and a solid understanding of the mechanical components. The class is taught in the Jay firehouse, the converted old schoolhouse, with big open windows, cool evening breezes...it's probably the finest classroom on the planet. Our class of twelve students ingurgitates a staggering amount of chewing tobacco during the lectures. I sip coffee, which feels appropriately old-school and, to a casual observer, looks like just another spit cup.

On a less repulsive note, the weather has actually gotten a bit cooler - in defiance of the Romans - the ominous prevision of a long heating season. 

I've cut and trimmed many trees, but the impact on the property is almost unnoticeable. We have an abundance of trees, which appear to grow faster than they can be harvested. 

Here's my latest woodpile, about a cord, which I figure will last about a month. I don't have a splitter so I hope that the small logs will suffice, as is. I may get a splitting maul, but I've never had much luck hand splitting logs. A gas engine powered log splitter would be the obvious gadget but I'm resisting the temptation to buy everything I think I need. It's not easy to do.

My firewood routine is to cut down the trees, limb them and either chip or burn the brush. Then I section the trees into cordwood logs, stacked and dried at the edge of the forest for a couple of months. Here's a photo of two cordwood piles around the property.

After that bit of seasoning, I cut the cordwood to size and restack it, letting the wood dry for awhile more before use. It's a lot of work but the reward is heat without using fossil fuels and nothing beats a wood stove on a chilly day. Although some fuel is used by the chainsaw, it has a tiny engine and consumes little fuel and bar oil.

In addition to laying in a stockpile of wood, I have to tune up the backup KeroSun heaters (we have a primary and a spare in storage), and clean the chimney.

To reduce heat loss, I began the loft window replacement, removing the old one and establishing the rough opening for the new one. Once that's squared up the installation should go fairly smoothly.

I completed the Election Inspector class, passed the state test and was sworn in. We have another primary on September 9, so I may work that day. Tonight is the Volunteer Ambulance meeting, and later this week is the big Oozeball tournament. The inmate detail from Ray Brook worked on the site last week and will finish up the preparations this week.

Soon the dog days will be waning and it'll be apple season. With luck, the bugs will become less energetic and we'll be harvesting more goodies from the garden. The tourists will start to diminish and it'll be even more pleasant to be outdoors...maybe we can sneak in a few hikes!