Life has been a bit of a struggle out here on Dogstar Farm the past week.  Temperatures plummeted to -14 degrees and a strong wind blew for several days.  Then, last Saturday, there was no water coming out of the tap.  The only thing we could think of was a frozen water line due to the lake levels being 4 feet below normal, lowest levels in memory.

I'll give you a bit of background on our water system, which in the 12 years we have lived here, has never, ever failed.  We have a 3/4 HP submersible pump about 150 feet out into the lake, just over the drop off where the water is cold and deep.  The water line and electrical cable runs on the lake bottom until about 50 feet from the shore, where the water line goes underground.  It runs about 6 feet underground from there to the house where it comes up into the house and feeds the pressure tank.  The electrical cable stays on the surface until about 25 feet from the shore where it then goes underground until it comes into the house and connects to the pressure switch.  The water runs through a 5 micron filter then into the house system.  It all works extremely well.  The water is pure and tastes good.

Due to low lake levels many residents have had to deal with freezing water lines.  We thought we had escaped this problem as here it is end of March and we have had no water issues.  Until Saturday.  When the water quit Dennis went out and built fires on the water line from the shore line up to the ice.  This is because most problems start right where the water line meets the shore, or in this case, the ice.

 As you can see, the weather is definitely not Spring-like!

 Normally you could see across the lake.  We were in a blizzard with very cold temperatures and wind bringing the chill factor to something we do not want to even put in print!

We gathered wood that we had stacked around the property when we cleared parts of the land.  It was old cottonwood and aspen and burned well.  The wind was at least 30 kph, so the fires burned hot and fast.  Poor Dennis basically spent the day hauling and splitting wood and feeding the fires.  By 11:00 pm that night we had water again.  We both showered, happy that the fix went so quickly. I did a load of dishes in the dishwasher to put demand on the water system to keep it from freezing. Next morning I did 2 loads of laundry and had another long, hot shower.

Our joy was short lived because by 3 pm the water quit again.  This time we said we didn't care what it cost, we were getting a plumber to steam the lines.  We called the plumber who could not make it out until Tuesday.  So for 3 days Dennis hauled water from the lake, filling a garbage bin which he had placed inside the front door.  This water would be for flushing toilets, bathing and doing dishes.  We went to a neighbour for two 5 gallon jugs of drinking water.  I put stock pots on the stove for heating water.  We bathed in a basin placed in the tub.  This was getting old really fast!

On Tuesday the plumber came out.  He ran a thin snake of sorts down the water line and said the line was not frozen.  He ran it out nearly 200 feet, which took it well into the deep water.  He checked the circuit and found there was power from the house to the switch but the pump was not drawing power when we had it turned on.  So the problem was the wiring between the house and the pump.  He said that the ice has likely shifted and broken the wire cable, due again to the low water levels and the cable being exposed to ice.  He would come back next day and splice a new cable into the old one as a temporary fix, until the ice melts.  Dennis' job was to saw a hole in the ice, find the cable, then saw a trench at least 10 feet long so they had room to work on splicing the wire.

This work took the rest of Tuesday and most of Wednesday.  Those ice blocks are very heavy and very difficult to lift out of the water.  One needs ice tongs to do the job properly, something which we don't keep on hand!  (note the difference in the visibility compared to the first photos.)

Mike (our plumber) came out next day with the cable, hooked it up and presto, water flowed through the lines once again.  Now our job is to keep the line from freezing into the ice.  Twice a day Dennis goes out and frees the wire from the ice and ensures it moves freely on top of the surface.  This he will do until the ice is gone.  If the wire freezes into the ice the ice will shift during break-up and take the wire with it.  The ice is so powerful it rips out docks and anything else left in the lake or on the lakeshore.

 The wire is on those blocks of wood to keep it from freezing down into the ice.  When the sun hits the wire it warms up enough to sink it into the ice.  The blocks help to prevent that from happening and make it easier to free the cable.

Here are a few more pictures taken during the 36 hour blizzard.

 I took this one after the water was working again on Sunday morning.  Little did I know there was trouble afoot.

 This one speaks for itself.  Let's just say Dennis was not amused!

 Parka was definitely necessary!  Poor dogs just wanted to go inside!

 Our vegetable garden.  Normally you can see Colleymount from here.

 Hauling wood, hauling wood...

Stoke the fires, stoke the fires....

And since it is so wintery, I decided to get busy on my Christmas cakes for this coming winter:

Well, that's it for now.  With any luck we'll have new lamb pictures for next time!  Any day now!!

bye for now!

Today is spring, according to the calendar.  The weather has other ideas, starting the day with -10 C and blowing snow.  I really do understand why people just give up on life at this time of year, especially here in the north.  I do realize there is a lot of Canada that is much more north than we are, nevertheless, this is depressing enough for me.  I feel I have spent the better part of my life here in north central BC.  It has been a good life.  Now I really need a change.

Purchasing a place in Quartzsite, Arizona has been a part of that needed change.  Dennis and I flew from Prince George to Phoenix in December.  We rented a car and toured around, staying in Quartzsite.  We felt that the lot and double wide trailer in Quartzsite was what we could afford, plus we would be neighbours to friends of ours from Colleymount.  Having friends there that we knew was a big influence in our purchase.  I think it will help with the transition.

I flew down on January 31 to tend to the business end of having a home in Quartzsite. I was there for four weeks.  Friends were kind enough to let me use their vehicles, phones and computers as I came down with nothing other than my clothes.  It was still difficult to arrange trailer movers, water, sewer and electrical hook-ups, permits etc.  The pad for the trailers had to be built and packed prior to the moving of the trailers. Tammy, the person I was buying the lot from, owns a backhoe and Mike, my neighbour, knows how to run it.  Mike did an excellent job of moving dirt and gravel from the wash adjacent to the building site on to the building site.  I hosed it down while Mike packed it and within a few days we had an excellent, well-packed pad.

Once the pad was inspected and approved by the mover, it was hurry up and wait time.  In the meantime I organized transferring the electrical bills into our name, along with paying up capacity fees for the water and sewer for the lot, which had not been paid at time of subdivision.  I also got the city to change the name on the file to our name and address so the bills would now come to us.  Next I had to open a bank account at the local bank so I could pay bills from a local bank.  The movers were a bout 2 weeks late in moving the mobiles, and that only happened after many phone calls and a reminder that my time in Arizona was limited and quickly coming to an end!  Finally, the big move day arrived.

As you can see, this double wide is not exactly new.  It has a lot of work needed but it is sturdy and solid.  But back to the move.  Once the first half was on site, it was time to move the other half.

As you can see, there were a few minor mishaps, but in the end, the building was placed exactly where we had staked.

So, there we are.  I did not get much time to deal with the inside.  Next time I will post some inside pictures just to give you an idea of the project that lies ahead.  Ahh, potential!  The word that keeps us positive! 

Well, I suppose I should include some of our pipe laying pictures - again, not without mishap, but in the end, all's well that ends well.

I thought I had some pictures of the water line going in, but can't find them.  Well, pipes in the ground are just that, and not very exciting at all.  So, there you have it.   Bye for now!

Today was another sad day on Dogstar Farm.  One of our eldest dog stars was laid to rest.  This has been one of the more difficult days for me.  My Bridget passed while I was away in Arizona.  I was not able to be there to hold her as she left this life.  It still hurts incredibly.  Today Dennis and I, and Finn, Rhaq and Niko laid Bridget to rest one last time.  We sent her off with dog cookies, flowers and a love letter, then toasted her life with a glass of wine.  We lit a fire for her, as she loved the heat and would be found nearly burning her fur as she lay close to the fire.  So, in honour of Bridget, here are a few photos.

Bridget, greatly loved, sorely missed.
March 1998 - February 2014

 Bridget with her pal, Jenny.  Jenny passed a few years ago.  Both are gone now.

 Bridget loved the heat.  Here she is willing the door to open.  Crystal (RIP) behind her, waits to see what happens.  Crystal passed a year ago.