A lot has happened since the last posting. Since I could not get my truck back in time, Gerald Disher, of Disher Homes, supplier of our Minihome, agreed to move our trailer for us on July 1, Canada Day. A very auspicious beginning! So we camped there for a week, the big difference being that we were able to hook up to the Septic Field. Hauling water, well, we were used to that, same as running the generator in the mornings and evenings. But disposing of the “Black Water” is a pain when you don’t have a hookup. Dump into a tidy tank, haul this onto a pick-up truck and off to the nearest “Sani-Dump” UGH!! Don’t miss that job!
Then on July 8, just as promised, our home came a-rumbling down the road from “Fred’icton”, some 100 and a bit kilometers away. It was built to order by Maple Leaf Homes up there. We were still not hooked up to electricity and the well, but, we did start bringing things into the house and slept in it that first night on the mattress from the trailer bed, which we dragged in, “Dry camping in our house” Ah well, it was still pretty cool.
Next day was a busy one. Christina drove me to Cabano, Quebec to pick up my truck from the body shop, aka “Salon de Debosselage” Made for a long day for both of us, but we had time for some good conversation on the way there. On the way back we outran a huge thunderstorm that was making its way along Highway 2, and nearly caught up to us in Saint Leonard. It was very nice and sunny back home after an uneventful drive. As I was driving in to the driveway, I tried to blow the horn to announce my return. No sound….no horn. Aside from that minor glitch, the truck looks very well repaired and runs and rides just as before. It was a long 5 weeks without it! I still thank my guardian angel for protecting me from worse harm, as I hear so many stories of people having been maimed or killed in moose encounters. And here I was, walking away from it with a serious scare and a newly repaired truck after a bit on inconvenience due to the language barrier and the distances involved.
On the evening of the 12th of July, we had thought about going to the Garden Club potluck dinner, but changed our minds. good thing, because the well guys arrived at 6:30 pm and began digging a trench to install the water and power lines for the wellhead. I was able to show them what to avoid digging and move stuff out of the way for them.
Allan Short, owner of Clearwater Well Drilling, and excavator operator, even cleared an area behind the house so we could start a garden. “There’s at least 2 feet of good loom there to garden in!” he said as he dumped all the mats of roots and sod into the ditch he had dug.
Gotta love those large motorized and hydraulic garden hoes!! I GOTTA get me one of THOSE!! to quote Will Smith in the movie Independence Day. Only thing, the noise sure scared the cats. Pi hid under Mom’s sewing desk, and Snoopy hid behind the toilet in the main bathroom.
Next morning, July 13, at about 8:30 AM, more rumbling. NB Power came to hook up the power! Notwithstanding the snippy-sounding woman at the office who said we would have to wait anywhere up to 12 working — yes, WORKING days from the day the permit went in. The fellas who came to do the work said “Ya they don’t know what they are talking about at that office” Seems we were lucky anyway because they were supposed to be working on Campobello Island that day, but didn’t have the right materials.
As they drove out of our yard, they got their truck stuck up to the axles in the mud. They called up another crew that was working close by to pull them out. No problem. To compensate for the damage, they agreed, approved by their boss, to bring me a couple yards of topsoil to “fill in the ruts”. I said I’d even spread it. Since I was being reasonable and not getting excited on them, this was delivered within 2 hours. WOW! Good service!
We turned on the power to the pump. with the help of the well guy, to begin running water from the well and clear out drilling debris. By the end of the day, we started running water into the house. BROWN BROWN BROWN. to be expected from a new well. Within a few days, it went mostly clear, except for the hot water. This is disconcerting when the bath water looks almost yellowy-brown. Seems that they drilled into a deposit of Iron Pyrite on their way down. The well driller gave us three little pieces of Pyrite crystal that came up intact. We gave each of the grandkids one piece of this crystal.
At 270 feet, the well is one of the deepest in our area. 1.5 gallons per minute is an okay rate of flow.
