Isn’t this lovely?
Isn’t this peaceful?
Snow is coming down at a steady clip on Buck Mountain ---and I love the gentle silence.
My world is a snow globe right now, a wonder to behold.
But baby, it’s cold. It’s been cold for more than a week with temps never going above freezing.
After yesterday’s fall—I was really ready to call Winter 2015 OVER.
But it’s not over.
Not yet.
Not by a long shot ---
Last evening when doing the dishes I noticed that the water pressure was just not what it usually is. We talked about freezing pipes, but here at the cabin everything is well insulated –so leaving all the faucets dripping wasn’t going to amount to much if the problem was elsewhere.
This morning – NO WATER.
This is the well house on the edge of our property.
We share this well with one other cabin up here on our street – I’ve only seen folks at that cabin once in the 1.5 years that we have been here. The blanket thing you see is the insulation that was pulled away to check what the problem might be.
But the fact of the matter is –we knew instantly that there was an issue…because amongst all of the snow….was this skating rink of frozen water that had run across the street:
This is not a good sign!
Broken pipes inside the pump!
Yeah. Not good. Not good at all.
Lovely Quilt Villa has no water until this can be fixed!
Icy snowy roads!
And while we could get UP the road last night with Shamu ---there is probably no getting back down this road right now and the snow is still falling at a good pace.
On the upside:
I am toasty warm with my gas logs glowing!
We have food, we have power, we have spare gallons of water for flushing toilets if need be. Mona has offered her cabin up for showers or anything we need as they are out of town. It’s a good idea that we also check what their water situation is.
This kind of extended cold just does not happen up here ---but we are tough old folks and we can survive.
I’ll think about the repair bills to the pump house later – at least it will be split two ways between two properties.
I have two quilts to bind. I have brought some piecing with me.
And last night I got this out to see how close I was getting:
It’s getting there!
Truth of the matter is – after yesterday’s fall ((I am very sore and bruised this morning)) and this broken pipe situation and how tired I am after this last round of travel, I was ready to throw in the towel and have a good old crying pity party. I feel better now. It’s not that bad. It can be fixed.
Yes it is a hiccup, but so many have it so much worse….I just need to go sew something.
Love from a Snowy Buck Mountain --
39 comments:
Well, darn. Glad you are at least warm. Attitude is everything. I hope you can get a repair service soon.
You've got the right attitude! It could be worse. Enjoy your warm house and the solitude and peace of the mountains.
Stay safe and warm.
Your hexie quilt is stunning Bonnie! Hugs to you from snowy and frozen Sault Ste. Marie...broken pipes and icy bruises are familiar to us too. Quilting something is a great solution. Hope your week improves....thinking about you! Lily (britei@shaw.ca)
You have the right attitude and years from now it will be known as " the weekend from h....." . You'll laugh about it and the damage isn't permanent. Quilting keeps us all sane.
Ellie
Every thing will get better Bonnie….So glad the broken water pipe was in the box not your walls. I am so excited my missing in action Feather-Mate is out for delivery and my Featherweight is repaired.
Hope you feel better soon!
As someone else said, glad it was the wellhouse and not the walls of your cabin. Well repairs can be quite expensive tho. Hope it doen't hurt too bad.
We used to have a well and we kept a 100W light bulb burning all winter inside the well house. Amazing how that works. Never had the well to freeze even tho temps got as low as they are now.
It's always refreshing to have a good cry. Winters can be so depressing.
That hexie quilt is stunning!!
At my family's cottage, we've never had running water in winter. So you chop a hole in the ice and carry up buckets of water. But the peacefulness and beauty in winter that you speak of, makes it all worth while. Take care and hope you feel better soon.
sorry for your water woes, no water here on Friday morning, but luckily the pipes were just frozen and had not burst. A quick fix by the local pump guy with his torch. Stay warm!
I'd rather be without water than to be without electricity! Hope you feel better soon.
Love the hexie quilt.
Deja vu, simular story here in Va. including the pity party. as you say could be much worst.
OUCH, I missed hearing that you had a FALL. I thought you were talking about the season. So sorry about the water pipes. Stay warm.
it's ok to party but no more than 5 minutes...we are human after all...things can always be worse and are for so many....time to count blessings and quilt on!
Better to be without water than to be without heat but still you have my sympathy. Your Hexie quilt is turning out beautiful. Amazing what you can accomplish with just short periods of time if you stick with it.
Susan L.
sulyle@yahoo.com
Hi Bonnie,
So sorry to hear about your water problems. My thoughts are with you. This winter has proven to be quite a test to our patience and resilience. It can be fixed and you are warm!
Lorraine
I am sorry to hear you are dealing with this. Glad you are ok. This has been one heck of a winter. Remember: this too shall pass!
Nadine
Anyahta@aol.com
I've been worried about folks down South since the cold traveled so far down there. Up in the Catskills, where we also have a spring house, we're used to dealing with pipe problems, but I'd bet that you are not the only ones with pipe problems! Your hexagon/mosaic is gorgeous. I hope that you will publish a book about it and another on Celtic Solstice.
So glad you have this weekend to rest. Binding quilts is the perfect activity. Enjoy your cocoa and the beautiful vista at Quilt Villa. Hope you are pain few soon.
Debra
Been there! Totally sucks! I have even melted snow to get some water! Hang in there it has to end some time.
OH MY! It does bring back memories, pulling the submergable pump from the well in February...dear hubby is a DIYer and I am his first mate. So glad it was a shallow well. On another note, there is electric in your well pit (for pump ... - add a 25 watt bulb (old kind)- it will provide heat
Sorry for your hiccup! tend to that sore hip as well.
Bummer. We got to 31 today which is like a heatwave in Delaware after the previous 2 weeks bitter cold. Now we wait for the ice and snow this afternoon. Neighbors with broken pipes and no water. I am hexi happy in the warm family room using some gifted scraps. Stay warm.
Bonnie- I have learnt many things from you (sewing wise) BUT, the BEST has been..."When things get tough, the TOUGH get sewing!"..its so true..keep at it girl, you keep us all sane! warmth is so important, so is water, but you seem to have good friends up the road- it will get better!
When we bought our farm in 1956 in Missouri, we had just a fireplace to keep the house warm. Mom, born in Missouri, said she didn't think it would be too cold. Well, we put 4" of water in the bathtub and lo and behold it was frozen the next morning. Thankfully we still had the outhouse. Winters can be challenging.
It's great to read all these hartwarming comments.
Hang in there! You are doing such a great job! We all love you!
Love from the Netherlands!
We were without running water for about 36 hours this week and it wasn't fun. But, on the other hand, we had electricity which meant we had heat. Given the choice, I would have picked having heat so I was a good sport while we waited for the plumber! And quilting is such a lovely distraction from life's little frustrations!
Such encouraging words from quilters everywhere! This is such a nice community! Id you want to bundle up some of that snow and ship it to Northern CA, we have very little snow and could use the water! Hang in there. The Hexie is a balm to to spirit! So lovely!
Have to give a bit of a giggle remembering the time my siblings and I cleared the snow off the yard between the pumphouse and house to make an ingloo.......Yep, by removing the blanket of snow it let the pipes to the house freeze! Dad was not amused! But, we had fun in our igloo for almost a month with the very cold temps that year! I don't remember how Dad got the pipes to thaw-been too long ago!
Neighbors like Mona are even more valuable than water! Hope your "well-mate" neighbors are nice. Agree 100-watt trouble light is best prevention. Ahh, more memories stitched into your hexie quilt.
Hate to say it but its the price you pay for your little piece of heaven.
Bonnie, do you draw out your plan for hexie quilts before you start them or how do you plan them?
your hexie quilt is coming along beautifully, sorry about the fall you talk sure am glad you didn't break anything.
This winter is a bear. I live west of Boston and we are buried in snow and also very cold. When things go wrong a good attitude is the best thing. Hope you can find a repair man to fix the issue
Its beautiful here in FLorida! HOpe you don't have to go anywhere anytime soon. Hunker down and that hexie is coming along!
So sorry for your fall and water woes but that picture of your cabin looks postcard beautiful! Love how the hexie quilt is coming along, too. You'll be binding
it sooner than you think.
So sorry to read about your water pump problem, and I relate. I'm a fellow N.C'ian, live in Wake Cty, and we have a small cabin in high Millers Creek (2 miles from N.C.16 Parkway entrance). No water at our cabin, for 2 days we thawed everywhere & never located the problem; probably underground and will wait for warmer weather. I've fallen twice, truly relate amid bruises. Upon returning to Wake Cty. I found the turn-off toilet valve leaking as I turned it open, so that is shut-down now. Life is a blessing amid the unexpected. We're elderly, eating well to gather strength since we do our own repairs. Blessings fellow quilter.
Jackie Roisler, jackiequilts@gmail.com
Building Codes in NC are very bad and you are living with the results.
OOOOHHH !!!!!!! just love the way your hexie quilt is going together. you have such a talent for putting color together. I am jealous..
Hope the new week brings you
better weather!!
Jane
Hi Bonnie!
So glad you have running water, been there, not fun. Our Hi temp for tomorrow is 3, with 3 feet of snow. Where??? near Buffalo new York. Hugs Ann
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