May/June 2008-Chore week

We had a blast staying a whole seven days at Sierra Solitude. Mary, Joann's Mom came with us. Our longest stay yet. I can see why people want to stay a whole week up here. It's very relaxing! Yet for six out of the seven days I stayed very busy with chores. For the record, here's a list of the things I got accomplished.
Did two days of burning the burn pile. Kept the fire small and always well tended. Placed water hose to burn pile.
Recharged 6 volt batteries on John Deere. Started up immediately. Celebrated.
De-assembled and repaired the sliding pocket door in the utility room.
Made two new book shelves in living room to get books off the coffee table
Re-created drip irrigation lines and water to all plants. Helped plant some plants
Applied wood preservative to all joints and ends on and below the deck with low pressure sprayer
Painted house siding and deck with waterproof sealer
Cleaned rooftop with air blower
Raked all grounds around house and gathered fallen branches
Moved three very large loads of pine needles to the burn pile. Fitted the tractor bucket with taller walls to hold more.
Moved large logs to the splitter
Chain sawed logs into rounds to split
Worked on several new trails
Cleaned and trimmed trees at the bottom of the driveway
Cleared the road and roadside of silt and rocks and overhanging branches
Removed a light fixture and moved it.
Rewired a phone line to the breakfast/game nook area
Experimented with motion sensing light switches
Replaced another couple dozon incandescent lights with low wattage flourescent bulbs
Removed and replaced shower heads with low-flow heads
Drained and removed toilet and replaced wax seal that was leaking (drove to Downieville to get flange)
Moved key lock box.
Cleaned the ceiling and walls and cabinets in the kitchen
Organized kitchen utensils and put down some new shelf liners
Cleaned all windows inside and out
Made some cedar hole covers and covered over the woodpecker holes
fixed the alignment of all the dead bolts. Added 3" long screws to all door hardware
Filled a couple high-up bird feeders
Brought in 20 gallons of sand to fill area near driveway/deck
water-sealed the bear sculpture and repainted the black details
mixed some yellow/orange oil paint and painted the stair edges on the wood deck
added some stainless steel deck screws where needed on the deck planks
rewired and neatened up the satellite radio and added two additional floor speakers
water-sealed the deck gate and stair railings and railing top surfaces
Repaired some damage to the roof
Cleaned the wood storage area and removed some materials. Checked fuel oil level
coiled the long hoses neatly
thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed and emptied the bbq
Cleaned the outdoor sink and watered the maple and dogwood trees
cleaned the kitchen oven
Checked and tried to fix the driveway flood light sensor.
Hung a wall plaque and removed some house decorations
added aeration to several water faucets
Hung a decorative branch on the side of the house per Joanna's request
Changed the water filter under the house
Cleaned and straightened up the garage and tools and work area
Met with Don Philips
Took Scamper to the vet in Truckee to get stitched up
Met and trained Bill the magician to help with the house and house cleaning
Took trash to the tip
Cleared several cross-country trails of fallen branches
Picked up a small amount of trash and fishing misc. from the river area
and for leisure:
I painted 2 oil paintings plein air

Previously, on the visit prior I:
Repaired all the broken picnic table legs
cleared a fallen tree from the driveway
began raking the property of fallen needles and branches
Raked the driveway of fallen materials
removed the window shutters




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On the visit