So, I waited to post today - I’m in a really cr@ppy mood and I’ll explain in a bit. ;)
First of all, or Surprise Party for Benny went really well, yesterday. Close to 50 people showed up for his award ceremony. Benny is the original founder of our Bear Hunters Club and Beau put him in for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Benny is well into his 80’s and has every conceivable ‘Old Guy Ailment’ wrong with him - we put this together in a weeks time because time is of the essence where Benny is concerned!
Anyhow, he was very pleased and happy and SEEMED to get the gist of what was going on. His dear brother cares for him, so he was explaining things as we went along.
Food was fantastic - so many good Wisconsin Cooks, and my burgers were a big hit - none left over - hot dogs, either - but the kids gobbled those up.
The setting was at the farm of one of our hunting friends. They have a large garage that we used for the food, and could have needed it if the weather was bad, but the day was perfect - sunny and breezy, in the 60’s. They have a beautiful setting with two ponds at the front of the property, lots of domestic and wild ducks and the kids had great fun pestering the ducks and playing around the edges of the ponds. Someone brought their new Plott Hound puppy, so he made the rounds and got a LOT of ‘socialization.’
It was great to see everyone, and after all this time I’m finally remembering everyone’s names, and they seem to remember me, though I am usually ‘behind the scenes’ as I just raise the dogs they use for hunting. I got to see one of the pups (I called her ‘Joker’ but her name now is ‘Sugar’) and she is just as sweet as she always was - though she likes to bark too much, so she was sporting her no-bark collar. ;)
So, the reason I’m in a bad mood is that we’re having water well pump issues. Beau and I kept hearing a funny noise - but each if us thought the other was just running a fan or it was the dehumidifier in the basement. Turns out we have a leak somewhere between the wellhead and the house. We still have water, we’re just shutting if off most of the day and overnight. So, this entails hauling out 300’ of hosepipe to get to the pump to see what’s what. Ugh! HOPEFULLY, the leak isn’t that far down, so we don’t have to haul all that pipe up out of the ground! No soppy spots in the yard as far as we can see/feel - and we looked! Beau is super-handy so I’m sure he can fix it - it’s just one more problem that no one ever needs.
So HAPPY I stashed 10 gallons of water in milk jugs. I’ve learned that I can make it through a day on 3 gallons for ‘flushing, brushing and taking a Bird Bath’ at the end of the day! Always have water stashed if you have a well. Well pumps will seemingly work for-ever - but when they don’t they DON’T - all of a sudden!
And then I cut my right index finger on a newly sharpened knife this morning. I’m still bleeding a bit, but it’s not big enough for stitches. Typing has broken it open again - time for a fresh wrap!
Tonight we are in for some bad storms, but most is SUPPOSED to go north of us. Large hail, rain, bad winds, tornadoes - the whole mixed bag. Double UGH!
I’m taking a jug of water with me and I’m going to bed early tonight, LOL!
Thanks for listening! :)
OK, ‘Debbie Downer!’ Let’s count our BLESSINGS!
* You don’t need stitches! Yay! :)
* You DO still have running water; you just have to turn it on and off at the pole!
* 90% of the DOZENS of Solar Lights Mom found in her garage work just fine - will look lovely in the garden at night!
* Benny did NOT die before we could give him his party! :)
* No more mice nibbling in the greenhouse! This is HUGE!
* We NEED the coming rain!
* I got to see one of my grown puppies, yesterday!
* Nasturtium seeds are soaking to be started in a few days. Mom got me three packets they were giving away at church for Lent.
* We don’t have a single ill, PREGNANT or injured animal on the property!
* Beau’s Rotator Cuff injury seems to be healing!
* This week I will be starting Zukes, Cukes, Nasturtium, Winter Squashes and Watermelon! ONWARD!
* Just picked the first stalks of Rhubarb and am making Rhubarb Sauce for a treat with ice cream tonight!
* All of my Tulips and Daffodils are blooming and putting on a show. I have a lovely mixed bouquet on the kitchen counter.
* Hascaps have set fruit - looks like a nice crop!
* Saskatoon Serviceberry trees are in full bloom. Lilacs soon to follow!
Oh no. That’s a bummer. Beau will fix it. Sucks when you have critters and livestock. We’ve been there til we got our generator.
How awful about the well. I hope you discover the problem soon, and that it can be fixed easily. Whenever we’ve had no water, I give myself permission to use paper plates. It helps cut down on water usage for more important things.
I’m glad to hear that y’all had a nice party for Benny! I’m quite sure he loved it! I think it’s sweet that you got to see your puppy, even though it has a new name.
If I can think of one good thing about getting cut with a newly sharpened knife, it’s that (for me, anyway), sharp cuts heal up pretty cleanly and quickly. Don’t forget the antibiotic on bandage changes.
I hope your evening improves.
Well problems are never “fun”!!!
(There’s an unintended pun in there!)
Hauling up 300 ft. of pipe - I assume that takes some piece of equipment? My shallow well hose/pipe is heavy enough...
Hopefully this one will not be too much of a “bugger” for you and Beau. Good luck!
Calendula salve is great for healing up scratches & cuts quickly- I wish I could ‘Star Trek transport’ you some.
I have lived with a well since 1981. The first was the old timey shallow well - move the big concrete top, look inside & you could see the water surface down in there. We had a hand pump on the top which came in really handy if something happened (pump crapped out, electricity went out, etc.).
After living there a couple of years & having to conserve water with the shallow well, we dug one that was 360’ .... dad had some extra depth added for good measure. Instead of a pump in the pump house, we now had a submersible pump. Over the years, lightning hit a big tree nearby & fried the pump - fun times. We had water tank issues too - water logged, pressure valve failed. Until something did happen, I tended to take the well for granted & certainly underappreciated it for all the times it was working, which was the vast majority of time.
I hope your well/leak issue gets resolved quickly. We have a well here at the new house too & I have no idea who to call if there’s a problem - at least at the old house, the company that drilled the deep well & installed the submersible pump(s) would come fairly quickly if we had an issue.
Happy the picnic went well - sounds like time was of the essence for Benny - you won’t regret doing it.
Glad you had a good picnic party and made some great memories!