More White Stuff and Water Quality Issues

Wow, we got socked with tons of snow, not that I'm complaining because it's really nice to see. It snowed all night, we must have gotten over a foot, and this morning it's still coming down. Ruth and I were commenting on how when you live in Vermont, you really get the white Christmas thing going, unlike most places. It's the real deal out here, and that's why we love it, though it adds an extra burden of work to your life.

Speaking of which, I have mega amounts of shoveling to do. I shoveled all day on Thursday and now I'm going to be out there all morning, but at least I filled the wood box and we have heat. Wouldn't it be nice just to sit inside by the wood fire?

We finally got our water test in and like the loser that I am I forgot the coliform test, which is probably the most important. The whole thing confuses the heck out of me, why are there so many tests? I returned the wrong ones but in the process sent back the one I needed, and now I have to order a new one. Will it never end. There are times when I think that forces are conspiring against us in terms of getting this barn finished. Every step of the way there's a new challenge, which is all the more ironic when you consider that we were inches away from the place being finished. If we had simply gotten a lower estimate, the project would be moving ahead, but instead, it's dead in the water.

In certain ways, it's as it should be. We had gotten too soft, it was too easy to come to rely on Bob to fund the project, and in the end, we acted irresponsibly by washing our hands of any involvement. Consequently, we put him in an uncomfortable position, and then he backed out. I'm guessing there's still an outside chance that he'll re-enter the fold, but for now, we're on our own, and though it's hard to imagine how we'll pull this off, I really feel like we can do it. Don't ask me how, but I'm an optimist. It comes with being naive.

I spoke to Terence Shearer with the state and he's been really cool about getting these tests done. It takes a lot of time to get the results, and he's been completely cool about it, so we caught a bit of a break right there. He's a nice guy, I'm glad we're dealing with him.

At least things are moving, and that's the key.

We've been doing lots skiing on the XC trails, and boy are we lucky to have the trails right there. Audrey and Nicholas have really taken to the sport, and we've been going out every day. It's nice to have the chance to do it so easily.

So much to deal with as we dig out of this storm, not that I'm complaining. My name is Fred Lee, and until the next time, thanks for reading.