Rough Day

The snow storm brought only 6″ here, but it was still enough that I needed to clear the driveway. That’s where the issues began. First of all, my leg, it fucking hurts like a motherfucker when I get walking back and forth. I have to come back into the house to rest my leg and by the time I sit down, I’m almost in tears from the pain. Then more bullshit. The damn cable that engages the drive wheels on the snow blower broke. After multiple jerry-rigging attempts, I got it to work long enough to get the driveway cleared. It took me close to 5 hours to do the drive, with all the stops I have to take for pain, and to do the rigging up the cable. I’ve order a new cable from Amazon and it will be here Wednesday. It’s time like these, among others, where I really wish I had someone to talk to.

Also, I’ve been off from work on PTO and holiday time for 6 days, and not once have I been out to enjoy myself and relieve some of the funk that’s in my head most days.

More Outages

Lost cell service and cable internet/TV around 8:00 PM last night. I just got cell service back, but still waiting for cable.
I heard from the mail lady that both services are area wide.

So what does one due while all communication is down?
Rake the snow off the roof.

I also worked on the Subie a for a while. I got the exhaust partly back together.

Update: Cable TV and internet are back up. I called and they said that a fiber cable was damaged, and that’s why the whole area was out.

Spectrum

Since Wednesday during the snowstorm, I have talked with Spectrum internet and cable no less than 5 times about their lines. Two of the talks I called them, and the other three were them calling me. Every time we talked they said there had been an outage and it has been restored, and every time I tell them it’s not an outage, it’s their line that is hanging almost to the ground. Behind the quonset in the woods, the line is just as bad. A tech is coming out today at around 1:00 PM, but he is just a tech and not a linemen, I know this because I’ve had him out many times about my service going in and out. Oddly enough, I do have service now. The tech has told me that the line needs replacing and he has put in a service call to do such, but it never happen. I lose service if the wind blows, if it gets warm out, or if it gets cold.
We shall see if anything gets done today.

Other news… I got the snowblower working again. It was a rock that was jamming the impeller and stopping it from rotating.
I can’t do anything about my car due to everyone is still closed for the holiday. :/

Thanksgiving Post 2

I got the driveway cleared, but only after having to shovel the very last bit. Something has clogged my auger on the snowblower and making the auger belt smoke. I’ll dig into that when I feel like it, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
I looked under the Subie and found out I’m fucked. I need a new Y pipe because when I hit what ever it was, it banged against a U-clamp and in the process it disconnected it self and also broke the mounting point on the driver’s side muffler. I can get a new Y pipe for under $100, but getting on is a different story. At this point I don’t know what I’m going to do.
After all that crap, I got something to eat and sat back to take a nap. Then the sun came out. I couldn’t stay inside, so Eli and I went for a walk around the property and took some photos.

Happy Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving will be mostly work, work to clean the driveway, and work under the Subie. Yesterday during the storm I drove out to see what was happening on US-41 as it rounds Keweenaw Bay. During this drive I came across a smallish tree down and across my road, this tree had also brought down the power lines and snapped a power pole in half. Anyway, I saw a couple tracks crossing the tree, so, so did I, and without any problem. I went to the end of my road, parked and went to the shore for some photos of Lake Superior washing up rocks across the road. I went back to my car and made a call to report the downed tree and power pole, and within just a few minutes the fire department were coming down the road. I turned around and followed them to the point of where the tree was, talked to them for a few, then the power company showed up. I needed to get out of their way so I crossed over the tree again, well this time I heard something and bam I heard a loud sound somewhere under the Subie and it’s now making a loud sound from the exhaust system, somewhere. I checked it quickly when I got home, but things felt tight, so today I need to drive it up on the ramps and find the issue.
Before I can get to that work, I need to finish clearing the driveway. I started it late yesterday, but couldn’t finish it due to excruciating pain in my leg, and I mean fucking excruciating pain.
Now to back track a bit in time to yesterday’s snowstorm. It was quite a good storm, but with it being so warm, the snow is very wet and heavy. I lost power a little before sunrise, called it in and waited. Once it was light enough outside, I noticed lights through the trees at my closest neighbor’s house, then I saw my power line was sagging and almost touching the ground. I went out to check things out. I walked behind the quonset and saw the problem, a huge tree had fallen and brought the line down. I called again to report what I found, and the crew were right over. After about 2 hours of them working, I had power again. Ah, but only about 10 minutes after the power crew left, boom, there went the power again. I checked things out again, but didn’t see anything here. I didn’t know where the issue was until hours later when I drive out to check the waves and US-41.
In the mean time, I called Spectrum to let them know their line was still hanging and almost touching the ground. They told me they can’t come out during the storm, bullshit. Oddly enough though, I still have cable and internet. They said they would be here Friday afternoon to look at it. Their line is fucked, it’s hanging behind the quonset and hanging low from the quonset to the house, if fact, I have to duck under it when walking back to the quonset.
So anyway, the storm brought 10 inches of snow here, and there are reports of around 2 feet in other areas with some people still without power. I guess I was lucky being without power for only about 8 hours.

So with that all being said… Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Rocks being washed over US-41

Power line down across the road

My lines

Snowy Pines in my yard

One Day Work Week

I originally wasn’t going to take any days off this week, we’re closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving anyway. Then I changed my mind and marked myself off for Wednesday. Then, with the coming snow storm hitting Tuesday night, I’ve decided to take off Tuesday also. I need to go into Houghton and get some salt for my water conditioner, and with the coming storm, I thought it’s best to go Tuesday, early Tuesday. After that, everything is up in the air with no plans at all, just being home alone for the holiday.

Cat

For the past couple weeks I’ve had this visitor around. I think she/he might be living under my quonset/shop. The cat isn’t afraid of Eli at all, but won’t let me come near.

Short Drive

I couldn’t do it, I just couldn’t stay at the house today, so I grabbed Eli and we went for a quick drive. Seeing I didn’t have much snow here at the house, I headed up Menge Creek Rd past my driveway where they stop plowing during winter. Well, much to my surprise, there is much more snow out and up that way, much more. I started to wonder if I would make it up the steep hills with the snow ruts and ice. Ha, I didn’t even spin a tire. I was dragging bottom in a few areas where the snow ruts were deep and the middle was still deep, but all went well. It was like driving a slot car because the snow ruts were so deep and rock hard from the thawing and freezing again.
I then just went along Plains Rd, not to be confused with Baraga Plains Rd, to M-28 and on home.

Menge Creek Rd

Menge Creek Rd

Sturgeon River from Plains Rd