It has already been a spring that will long be remembered that is for sure. I hope that this newsletter finds you and your family in good health and able to stand being home as much as possible. Here in Maine we have now been under a stay at home directive for a month. That means that my fly and tackle boxes are organized and resupplied for the coming season. The boat is uncovered and waiting for the first launch of the season. All of this is about a month ahead of schedule. Hopefully you have been able to get at least a couple of projects completed too.
The weather has been pretty wild here over the last week or so. Spring was moving along nicely warmer days even a little on the dry side. Last Thursday the forecast was for a couple of inches of spring snow. The wet heavy kind with some wind. The forecast was wrong and after a wild trip back from the doctor’s office in Waldoboro (about 15 miles away) it continued to snow and blow all night. I woke up in the morning to 15 inches of new snow and of course no power. Fired up the wood stoves and dug out the camping gear setting up a camp kitchen in our kitchen.
Power was out for a couple of days but at least it was not cold. Monday’s forecast was another joy to behold. A couple of inches of warm rain and 60 mile an hour wind! Always interesting even without a foot of snow on the ground to add to the abundance of water. On the upside the wind was out of the south which does not blow as hard on the house and garage. We only lost a few shingles. On the downside all that water. Not a good time to discover that the drain from the cellar was plugged and that water was rising up out of the drain onto the cellar floor.
Our son Nicholas is here for the spring, he suggested a siphon; ok maybe 3 times before I gasped what he was thinking. Once I understood we executed a siphon with a garden hose from the cellar down to the brook by the house. For the record the easiest siphon I ever started and after 48 hours the longest running one. Good thing: it was late and the end of an exhausting stretch of trying to unclog the drain and lugging water out of the basement all while the rain poured down in buckets. We will be a long time drying it all out but for the moment all is safe and like I said self-bailing!
After a couple of days I went to launch the boat thinking that I would try for a pike or two but unfortunately the parking lot was flooded and the parking area closed at the boat launch. So I wait for my season start just like most everybody else. These days am at my desk a lot of the time and would be delighted to talk on the phone or by Zoom online. If nothing else we can swap stories!
Stay well and I hope that your life has been less of an adventure than mine for the last week or so.
Yes those are my dogs in the picture above. Nell the English Pointer on the left and Bets the English Setter on the right. Both asking to please be let out!
Best regards,
