SageHill
Herd Master
We're the Mama Bears the school systems are afraid of!
Alaskan's Journal
- Thread starter Alaskan
- Start date
I pulled my kids out of the public school system. Home schooled the oldest his 8th grade year, my daughter 7th-8th, youngest 5th-7th. Then I like to say God blew up a transformer at one of the dams. Dale never had any over time before that. We had just enough extra to first, enroll our oldest in a private Christian High school, then the other two when it was their turn. God kept providing just enough to get them all through high school.
- Thread starter
- #2,463
Alaskan
Herd Master
Well... just because I love punishment? 
I ordered a dump truck load of dirt, so my youngest could take apart the entire run and coop, spread the dirt and put it all back....Usually winter has started by now... but we have been circling 40s... so why not?
And... the day the guy is scheduled to show up, it starts blizzarding/pouring slushy snow. Guy calls up, says that his dirt is now mud.... and so I would have to wait until it dried out, maybe next week, maybe June, or he could bring me pit run for more money.
I said I wanted to get it done, so SURE, the more expensive pit run (about 200 more, so $400, yeah, that is double).
It came, it was dumped, and kid got in the bobcat to spread the pit run and stuck the bobcat. Back tires were a foot down and it was well sunk.
So... took us over a day to get that back out! Kid shoveled bunches, and then I used the plow truck to pull. There was a bunch of pulling... it took awhile.
Once the bobcat was out... I explained to the kid... just use the bobcat to push the fill and make a road for the bobcat into the goose pen... pushing, and moving the fill as you go. Kid was all
Something about NOT wanting to get stuck again. He said he would use the bobcat only with the bobcat OUTSIDE the pen, on firm ground, and he would do the rest by hand! Eh... ok. He is the one doing the work, whatever.
Anyway.... in the midst of all this mess... married kid, who is SICK (seriously? Couldn't schedule his down time a bit better??
) calls me, and it turns out his house, and the apartment below have zero hot water. That also means that his part of the house has zero heat. That house WAS SO POORLY BUILT!!! 
Anyway, I call around, pay a stupid overtime house call... to find out that the electrical is OK (the circuit on the boiler tripped twice).
And....now I have a call into the plumber/boiler guy... I decided enough hemorrhaging of money... they (son, his wife, and the renter) will wait for hot water and heat (renter has heat, she is only out hot water).... because to get the boiler guy out on Friday was only possible with another huge surcharge. Big extra fee, plus all labor costs doubled.
He should be out Monday, Tuesday at the latest.
That boiler is maybe 30 years old. Plumbing people were all "don't you get it serviced every year, or at least every other?" Ha!
Never done anything with it. For the 20 years I have been taking care of it. Zero input, and it has worked flawlessly.
Ok.. I think I am no longer typing coherent.
Anyway! I was thinking we should have space heaters just in case anyway.... so bought them some space heaters....
And there went my day!
We did NOT help kid 3 with his house, because he wanted pitch hoppers (so he can climb safely on the metal roof he hopes to put up Saturday). There were zero in his town, zero in ours, and so he had to drive up to Anchorage today to get some.
We shall see how far we get on the roof on Saturday. Sadly... Spouse and I have told kid 4 he may no longer come down to help. The pass is now nasty and his car is a piece of junk. kid 2 will force himself to rally, and work tomorrow.
So, only kid 2, 3, and 5. And one old broken parent.
I ordered a dump truck load of dirt, so my youngest could take apart the entire run and coop, spread the dirt and put it all back....Usually winter has started by now... but we have been circling 40s... so why not?And... the day the guy is scheduled to show up, it starts blizzarding/pouring slushy snow. Guy calls up, says that his dirt is now mud.... and so I would have to wait until it dried out, maybe next week, maybe June, or he could bring me pit run for more money.
I said I wanted to get it done, so SURE, the more expensive pit run (about 200 more, so $400, yeah, that is double).
It came, it was dumped, and kid got in the bobcat to spread the pit run and stuck the bobcat. Back tires were a foot down and it was well sunk.
So... took us over a day to get that back out! Kid shoveled bunches, and then I used the plow truck to pull. There was a bunch of pulling... it took awhile.
Once the bobcat was out... I explained to the kid... just use the bobcat to push the fill and make a road for the bobcat into the goose pen... pushing, and moving the fill as you go. Kid was all
Something about NOT wanting to get stuck again. He said he would use the bobcat only with the bobcat OUTSIDE the pen, on firm ground, and he would do the rest by hand! Eh... ok. He is the one doing the work, whatever. Anyway.... in the midst of all this mess... married kid, who is SICK (seriously? Couldn't schedule his down time a bit better??
) calls me, and it turns out his house, and the apartment below have zero hot water. That also means that his part of the house has zero heat. That house WAS SO POORLY BUILT!!! Anyway, I call around, pay a stupid overtime house call... to find out that the electrical is OK (the circuit on the boiler tripped twice).
And....now I have a call into the plumber/boiler guy... I decided enough hemorrhaging of money... they (son, his wife, and the renter) will wait for hot water and heat (renter has heat, she is only out hot water).... because to get the boiler guy out on Friday was only possible with another huge surcharge. Big extra fee, plus all labor costs doubled.
He should be out Monday, Tuesday at the latest.
That boiler is maybe 30 years old. Plumbing people were all "don't you get it serviced every year, or at least every other?" Ha!
Never done anything with it. For the 20 years I have been taking care of it. Zero input, and it has worked flawlessly. Ok.. I think I am no longer typing coherent.
Anyway! I was thinking we should have space heaters just in case anyway.... so bought them some space heaters....
And there went my day!
We did NOT help kid 3 with his house, because he wanted pitch hoppers (so he can climb safely on the metal roof he hopes to put up Saturday). There were zero in his town, zero in ours, and so he had to drive up to Anchorage today to get some.
We shall see how far we get on the roof on Saturday. Sadly... Spouse and I have told kid 4 he may no longer come down to help. The pass is now nasty and his car is a piece of junk. kid 2 will force himself to rally, and work tomorrow.
So, only kid 2, 3, and 5. And one old broken parent.
Last edited:
SageHill
Herd Master
Wow - yeah - what a day.
I saw this on youtube just yesterday - getting car out of ditch - wonder if it would work on a bobcat??
I saw this on youtube just yesterday - getting car out of ditch - wonder if it would work on a bobcat??
Baymule
Herd Master
I have ropes, straps and all sorts of crap in the truck, in the car? Nah......
Same here. Maybe we should start carrying some....lol
SageHill
Herd Master
closest I come in the van - dog leashes and poop bags 
Now the truck - that's another story - lots of strapping tie downs. But they are all so pretty - not a speck of mud
- oh wait, mud??? what's that!???- Thread starter
- #2,468
Alaskan
Herd Master
Huh! Interesting!
