Porkupine

Last night at a stirring lecture on the fate of the Canada Lynx, I received a complaint about the frequency of my postings. So now,with a small glass of scotch to keep me company, I'm here for an update. Faithful readers must understand that no matter how much I want to have something to write about our construction project, the weather couldn't care less. Right now it's dipping below 20 and blowing. Not good news for a break in the freeze/thaw cycle. I did manage to get over to Sedgwick today for a few hours of dragging dead Christmas trees to a more chipper accessible spot. We'll probably rent a chipper next weekend.

Got a call from a plumber this week about an estimate. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $23,000. A number like that prompted a visit to another plumber for a second opinion. I want to choose my battles carefully, and plumbing is one I'd rather not tackle. The learning curve would be too long and painful for the tight schedule we're facing. Our first estimate did come with some suggestions to help bring the number down. We thought-- wouldn't it be nice to have a laundry facility upstairs. But then we found out how much it would cost.

I also chatted with a guy who installs solar domestic hot water systems. A state-of-the-art system sufficient for a family of four runs about $10,000. State rebates and federal tax credits bring that number down a few thousand. Seems like solar hot water gives the bigger bang for the buck compared to solar electric.

After receiving two estimates involving 5 digit numbers, I quickly added up several of the other 5 digit estimates we've gotten, and came up with $65,000. This total does not include important things like lumber and a roof. It's no wonder that housing prices are high. Even a modest project like ours will end up costing around $200,000 (land but not labor included).

The list of possible road names is getting shorter. One of the favorites is Porcupine Ln., suggested by Aidan and inspired by a resident porcupine. I would be tempted to spell it with a K. We do, after all, pine for pork. Or, even better, porkewepine.

That's all, Meggan. My glass is empty.