Benjamin Scribner's Blog, page 16

New life on the mountain

Mountain living can be harsh and a challenge it times, but things like this make it all worthwhile.

This cow and her calf were on the road this morning when we headed down. I, of course, stopped the pickup and shut it off, though I didn’t get out like I normally would have. A cow moose with her calf can be a dangerous animal.

My wife snapped this picture while I talked to the moose.

 

Working around the cabin and this weeks news.

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

I have one small patch of snow left in my yard. A stubborn holdout, refusing to melt, even with the high temperatures we’ve been having lately.

Plants are budding out quickly, it’s as if they know they are a few weeks behind their cousins down lower on the mountain. Huckleberry, wild blackberry and wild strawberries are all trying to catch up, as if they know they only have a short time before winter once again buries them.

Now that I can drive my pickup in, I have been haunting the free sites on the Internet, looking for any useful building materials or anything else I might have a use for.

I did manage to grab a small chicken coop this past Monday, and plan on putting it to use as soon as I can build a cycote proof pen.

Since we have had more than one day of nice weather this past week, I have started some of my summer projects and added a few more to my ever growing list of things I would like to see finished.

As a result, I haven’t been in town much lately, but did have coffee with the old loggers this morning, filling then in on my latest chapter which included the Bigfoot story. This got a good laugh and a promise of more sorted tales from a few of them, including the sheriff. Great bunch of guys.

Town is gearing up for the boat races at the end of this month. Boats come from all over the country, even some of the eastern provinces of Canada to compete. Normally I won’t come into town that weekend, but I happen to have a book signing that Saturday, so will have to brave the madhouse that will be on the roads that weekend.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

A little trip down memory lane.

Feeling a bit nostalgic today for the small town I once lived in in New Hampshire, and the town next door, Sanbornville.

I hauled a pilot house for a tugboat into Portsmouth NH. a few years back, and with no return load I decided to take the weekend and roam around my old stomping grounds.

First stop was Sanbornville, still the small town it was when I lived nearby. Though Sarah’s Spa and bus stop had burned down some years earlier. I once worked for a construction company that replaced the old roof on the building, back before I joined the Navy.

Next stop was Cedar Park, where my family lived for a few years after moving from Castine Maine. The house was still there, though the barn my dad had built was long gone, torn down, or fallen down from neglect, I don’t know which.

Headed to Wolfeboro after that, past the engine house where the old Wolfeboro Railroad stored the steam engine while the line was running a tourist route that I actually worked on back in the mid 70’s.

On into town proper, where I looked at Brewster Academy, where I attended two years of high school before dropping out.

The school had grew since I left, more and bigger buildings on campus (this was a private school, kids from all over the world attended.)

I hung around town for a few hours before heading south, towards Alten Bay, another small town at the south end of Lake Winnipesaukee.

I had lived in the nearby town of Gilsum Iron works for a time after returning from the Navy. Before heading west and ending up where I am now.

It is true what they say. “You can always go home, but you can never go back.”

I guess if most of us could go back we would refuse. We can’t change what’s past, only look to the future.

Who we are now is a product of where we came from, and I, for one, wouldn’t change anything.

This week’s news.

 

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

I can almost get the pickup to the cabin, it’s just down below near what I call the thimble berry grader, a 19 50’s grader that was “given” to the residents of the mountain by the woman that owns all this property.

It’s really a big paperweight, the cost to repair it is more than it’s worth and nobody up here, (us permanent residents, of which there are two) has the money to mess with it anyway.So it sits near Earnest T ‘ s cabin, covered by Thimble berry’s in the summer, and snow in the winter.

Chipmunks are starting to come out of hiding, much to the delight of Mouse and Little Shit, the former has escaped more than once this past week, only to want back in when she figures out there is still snow in the yard.

Down at My Kitchen, the old loggers are still getting some mileage out of the Bigfoot story, and the sheriff did ask me just how much of what goes on around the table would end up in my next book. I just laughed.

I’m getting ready for the summer construction up at the cabin.Tina and I decided we wanted the entire north wall of the cabin to be glass. Since I happened to have four nice double pained window panels that used to be outside sliding glass doors, really good ones, not the cheap kind. So, when I can get my truck in, I will be hauling in the rest of what I need to do the job.

I’m hoping to get the roof done, but have to wait for this rain to let up for longer than a day before I tare off what’s there, exposing the inside to rain.

I can tare the front of the cabin apart without much concern for the weather, as long as I can get a tarp over the opening, all will be fine.

The only other thing is keeping the cats from running out. Pet carriers for them for a few days. They are not going to be happy, but better that than being eaten by a cycote.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

This week’s news, and more “pilgrims ” Moving in.

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

Still raining, though as I write this it’s snowing at this elevation.

I can get the pickup right up to the turn off that is my road. Another week or two and I might be able to get it in the driveway.

Allen has been reduced to hiking out. His side of the mountain still has large patches is snow, so driving in close to his cabin is out of the question.

It seems there will be more folks moving up here this summer. I found out today that a woman was at Idaho Rigging asking about a UTV with tracks so she can get into and out of her property next winter.

Seems she is planning on either building, or there is already a small cabin on her lot, which is on the road past my cabin and about halfway between Allen and us. At least she understands the road, so far. I guess she works in the city, fifty miles north and will be needing to get out every day.

Another couple is planning on moving in on a lot below us. They have heavy equipment and are planning on plowing the road down from their place. Another fool I will have to educate on mountain living. But that will come later this summer when I see evidence of building down there.

The other person of concern is the woman we have all been referring to as the loony from Louisiana. From what I have heard around town, this gal is clueless. She believes the road is county maintained and she will be able to just drive right in year round. When told that won’t be possible, she told the person that she has a four wheel drive truck and it won’t be a problem.

She also has seventeen pot bulls she plans on letting run loose to kill their own food.

I will be stocking up on ammo for my 30 30.

She, from what I can gather, is planning on have her dogs drag in any trees she cuts. Never mind that what she plans onx cutting will still be green and not burnable until the following winter. But that’s not my problem.

We are starting to think the wilds of Alaska would be suitable.

Down in town, the old loggers are still getting some mileage from the Bigfoot story, and of course our sheriff is helping it along.

This morning, one of the guys put up a sign on the side street next to the dinner saying parking for the sheriff only. This gave him quite a laugh when he drove up. I think the sign was still there when I left town this afternoon.

Up here, I am itching to get started on a few things outside. Rainwater storage is a priority this summer, as is the west side of the original roof. I need to get it tight before next winter so I don’t have any leaks again.

A greenhouse is also in my plans, if I have time.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

There’s a dragon in my garden.

A little something I threw together a few nights ago

THERE’S A DRAGON IN MY GARDEN

There’s a dragon in my garden,

I don’t know why it’s there.

There’s a dragon in my garden,

It gave me quite a scare!

There’s a dragon in my garden,

Hording all the guords,

There’s a dragon in my garden,

Looking rather board.

There’s an army in my garden,

Marching to the tower,

There’s an army in my garden,

Laying siege to a sunflower.

There’s a dragon in my garden,

Throwing pumpkins to and froe.

There’s a dragon in my garden, and one hit me on the toe!

There’s an army in my garden,

Running fast as they can.

There’s an army in my garden,

Trapped in an old tin can.

There’s a dragon in my garden,

It gave me quite a scare,

There’s a dragon in my garden,

Oh wait, it’s just a hare!

This week’s news, and a little about our sheriff.

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

Rain is knocking the snow down, but in the process, it’s making it harder to ride the snowmobile up the road.

Luckily we got the UTV back yesterday evening, so we didn’t have to hike up from the pickup.

Tina had twisted her ankle yesterday morning and I didn’t want her walking on it.

Allen and I drug Tina’s machine up on the road last Sunday, it’s a total loss. I will be looking for another good used machine next fall. In the mean time, Allen has the twin to it at his cabin, so now if he needs parts, he can strip them from mine.

Not much else going on this week, Jack showed up, not sure how long he intends to stay this time. He wants to live up here full time, but hates the road and has no way to get around in the snow. Time will tell with him, and since he and Allen have been friends for years, he will be his problem.

Down at My Kitchen, the old loggers have been discussing the spring hunts, but most of the time the talk is about fishing.

Me, I’m waiting for the day I can get the pickup all the way to the cabin. Then it’s spring cleaning time. There’s quite a lot to do before the end of summer. Starting with finishing the roof on the west side of the cabin. The guy that built it originally had no clue about construction, putting metal roofing down right on the rafters with nothing underneath. It’s been a problem since I bought the place, and I had re done the east side two summers ago, hoping to get to the west side before long. Other things took that time and it never got done. There always seems to be one more thing that needs doing before the snow hits, and it always seems to be a bigger priority than that roof.

This year, as soon as the sprig rains stop, it will get done.

I normally sit at a table near the old loggers. Since these guys gave known each other for far too many years, I don’t want to take a seat and leave one of them out when he comes in late.

Now the Sheriff stops in mornings before starting work. He greets everyone by name… Including me. Now I don’t know if I should be nervous or happy he knows my name.

But I will say this. He knows I am carrying, it’s right there on my hip, he’s even asked me about it before. He must trust me though, twice now he has taken a seat where his back is to me.

Guess he figures I’m ok…

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

This week’s news, and more rain

Well it’s been another quiet (and rainy) week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

Flowers are blooming in town now. Up here, there’s still a little over a foot still in my yard.

Allen’s side most likely has much less since he’s on the south side and gets more sun. Soon he won’t be able to get out by snowmobile, and will have to resort to hiking until he can drive his pickup in.

The road down is showing bare sports now, making driving down by snowmobile difficult, dodging bare spots and the occasional icy spots.

The way the snow melts off, driving our trucks in won’t happen until the first part of next month.

Still waiting on the motor for the UTV to return from it’s second rebuild. I really could use it now.

We are down to just one snowmobile now. The Yamaha decided to go full throttle by itself last Thursday, almost taking me off the bank with it since I was standing next to it while starting it.

If I had been sitting on it, I could have controlled it until I got to the kill switch. Now it sits aginest a tree about twenty feet down the back.

Hopefully this weekend, with Allen’s help, we can get it back up on the road and access the damage. I think it’s salvageable, but won’t know for sure until this weekend.

It’s raining today, hard at times, and flood warnings have gone up in town once more.

The weather service is predicting three days of rain, which will do much clearing the snow off the road, but make driving a snowmobile that much more difficult. With any luck, I should be able to get the pickup closer to the cabin by the middle of next week. It’s already parked halfway up now, so not much longer.

I’m getting spring fever, itching to get to work on a few projects outside.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

The weeks news, and Bigfoot sightings

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

April is here, and with it some warmer weather, though it seems the rain will be with us for a while longer yet.

A mountain lion was spotted down by the spring where we have been parking our pickups.

As the road clears of snow and ice, we move our trucks up closer to where we can get the snowmobiles to. This makes for a shorter trip in the morning and afternoon so we don’t have to spend that much time getting rained on.

The talk around the old loggers table this week has been about a Bigfoot sighting about a week or so ago, when a woman from a town south of us hit a deer and told police she had been looking in her rear view mirror at a Bigfoot and didn’t see the deer. This story somehow made the paper, and a lady from California wrote a warning letter to our sheriff telling him to take this sighting seriously. It seems this gal and her boyfriend were about to set up camp in some woods and were accosted by a Bigfoot that threw rocks at them until they ran to their vehicle.

So now, tongue in cheek, the county is talking about making the county a safe haven for any Bigfoot that might be hanging around.

They figure it will give a boost to the tourist industry and put the county on the world map.

If there are any Bigfoots out there, and if they have access to the Internet, my mountain is as safe as anywhere. Come on by and we can have coffee together. Just a thought.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

This week’s news

Well, it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

Rain, freezing rain, snow and a little sun have been the order of the past week. Flood waters are going down now, but the threat of flash floods is still there.

Down in town, the grass is starting to turn green, and trees are showing a few buds. But up here, there’s still quite a bit of snow around, though bare spots are starting to show around trees and on the road.

It’s spring break here and I have been taking the time to recover from the wrestling of snowmobiles around every day getting Tina up and down the mountain for work. The pickup is now parked near the spring below me, about a mile down, and we can almost get close with the snowmobiles without too much trouble, though we are still having to lug supplies a few hundred feet uphill to the machines.

A week ago this past Wednesday, the UTV was finally towed off the mountain.  I had just gotten home and started a fire for the evening when two guys drove into my drive on a tracked four-wheeler.  They were from a local internet company that has a tower on the south side of the mountain and they had been up to service it.  They have a UTV in the same shop mine had been in and had found out from the owner of the shop that my machine needed to get off the mountain. They towed it down to the bottom of the mountain so all we had to do this morning was load it on a trailer and bring it back to the shop.  I told the shop owner if they needed any help next winter getting to their tower I would be happy to help them out.

My UTV is still waiting for a new motor.  The seized one was pulled out and shipped last Thursday. Hopefully, it will be up and running again soon. As the temperature warms up, pulling a sled full of supplies gets rather difficult as the snow is slushy and the weight drags the snowmobile down until it sinks and gets stuck.

The rain has kept Allen away since riding a snowmobile in this weather is not fun when one is soaked in minutes.

The moose have been moving back up as the snow melts; fresh sign and tracks have been spotted nearby. Allen came across one laying in the middle of the road the last time he came by. It didn’t want to move but changed its mind when he got closer. I’m watching one now, munching on twigs just below the cabin as I write this.

The snowshoe hares are starting to change color again, putting on their brown summer coats now. One has been living under the cabin and occasionally pokes it’s head out from under the deck, much to the delight of the cats who sit in the window and watch its every move.

Well, that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.