Life update lightning round!

 Hoo-ee am I behind on all that's been happening here in Maine!

It's been well over a month since my last post, and since I really would like to continue doing this, I'm going to try and get you up to speed, and fast:

• A home inspector came out, snowshoes in hand (this was back in February) and took a look around.
• We have evidence of bats in the attic and barn, mice everywhere, and the suspicious looking support beams in the basement were likely caused by powder post beetles. He recommended a pest specialist. He also recommended metal, disposable pie plates as decorations off the roof to keep the dang woodpeckers from boring holes into our home. I have always loved accessorizing...
• We had a pest specialist come out, and he informed us we also have rats. He said the best he could do was come back and fix some of the issues on the roof/chimney where bats are likely getting in, and set bait traps for the mice and rats. He told us he'd set up another appointment. We haven't heard from him since. (Though we don't want to do bait traps anyway, but that roof stuff would've been nice.)
•  The rotted floor under the tub is actually under the shower, and is not wildly concerning because it's the topmost out of three layers of flooring? Still needs to be fixed, but we can wait. (And Josh has since taken care of the leak in the shower causing the water damage.)
• We need to very seriously consider getting a new oil tank. Yaaaay.
• The gas line was installed through a gap between two granite slabs in our foundation. He said this was a definite no-no. (We have since called the propane company, and they say that since the line is coated, it's legal and up to code. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.) 
• The service wires to and from the meter were fully stripped of insulation and had created a waterslide into our fuse box when it rained. You will probably not be surprised when I inform you that this is no-no-very-bad. And a secondary fusebox in our barn was installed directly onto the wall, creating a hazard for when we re-side the house/barn. (Which is another thing he advised us to do, eventually.)
• We had an electrician come, and he fixed it all! Amazing!! It only took us one day of having no power, and one irritated aunt, as that was the moment I found out we shared the well. Oops! Won't be doing that again without warning...
       

•  On our own walks around the house we've found several openings that have, very likely, operated as open, welcoming doors to our unwanted rodent house guests. Including a cat door in the exterior basement door. We were perplexed at first, but I wager it was for an outdoor barn cat, who had free rein to tidy up the basement as well. Whenever it finally stops raining, we're going to have our work cut out for us filling in those holes, mostly with cement. 
• We met some of the neighbors on our first official night, at home, in Maine!: 

  

  "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

  
  
• We registered our cars, and should soon be getting our licenses in the mail! We are Mainers, dun da dun dun, da dun dun! (Sung to the tune of the Farmers Insurance jingle, of course)
•  Josh shoveled out a lot of the silt and dirt years of rain had washed into our basement, and used it under our porch to cover the exposed fieldstone foundation, sloping it away from the house. It was a lot of hard work in a very small space. And the recent rain has brought a lot more silt and dirt into the basement. It really does feel like one step forward, two steps back sometimes.
  
• Which is why, during a break in the rain, Josh dug a trench and installed a French style drain to try and help with the water issue created where two slopes of the roof meet and dump a torrent of water beside the bulkhead. Hopefully this will do the trick. And later we can address the very large, and sketchily shifted rock in the foundation of the bulkhead. I should have taken a picture. Maybe next time!
  

  

  French-style drains getting a little cozy on the driveback from Home Depot

• We've made our way around (almost) every room, filling in holes and boarding up gaps, in an attempt to get more of a grip on this pest situation.

  

  This was a doozy. Should've added something for scale. This hole was under the bed in our guestroom with clear gnaw marks

  
  

   

  
  

 We've raked, weeded, and trimmed our little arms off! Of course there's always more to weed, but, besides the black flies, it's work I'm finding very rewarding.

 

Tore the rose bush out of our windows and siding. Since it's a climbing rose, we're not sure if we're going to keep the plant, or remove it entirely, but it's a needed start. It's hard to tell just how a part of the house the bush had become, but I hope you can get the idea.

    

We removed the wood pile in our basement - yes, in our basement - that was leaning up against the oil tank. So many rat droppings, so much spider evidence. 

Saw the largest fluff container of my life.

Took a day off and went to the coast! We spent some time in Ogunquit, Perkins Cove, and even drove up to Kennebunkport. It was a beautiful day and a much-needed escape!

    

    

 

 Discovered may apples on the property. Excited to see if any fruit, and hoping to try some if they do (and the chipmunks and squirrels don't get there first.)

Josh finished the wooden counter above the cabinets where my aunt's old cook top used to be. I think it looks amazing! Josh is a harsher critic.

Hosted our first overnight guest, our buddy, who helped us start fixing the fallen ceiling in one of the rooms.

   

Put some heavy-duty bucket-style mousetraps along with a similar rat trap in the basement. Already caught a mouse!

 Went to the NH Renaissance Faire! (And released the mouse on our way...)

  

Tried making dandelion fritters, and a dandelion greens gremolata pasta. One was definitely more successful than the other. I'll let you guess which.

And finally...we adopted this little weirdo!

Frankie was a stray that showed up on my mom's doorstep. I was home, picking up more of my things, and I heard him mid-morning, yowling outside. We took him in, got him fed, and brought him to see if he was microchipped. He wasn't, nor was he neutered. My mom tried to find out if he had owners and a family was missing him, but no one came forward or contacted her. After several weeks (of him crooning his hormonal love song late into every. single. evening.) she had him neutered, and he made the great trek up to Maine to become our son!

   

   

Why the name Frankie, you ask? Well, despite his crooning days being over now, the dapper, tuxedo wearing gent did love to serenade, just like Frank Sinatra. Plus, when he's being a little monster, we get to call him Frankie-stein. A name for all occasions!

He loves being held and getting belly rubs, and is the silliest goof that ever goofed. His favorite toy is a rolled up magazine page tied to a shoestring, is often, unfortunately, a menace at 5 am or earlier, and he's already caught a mouse!

Phew! That was A LOT. But I think we're all caught up now? I kept delaying posting because I knew how much was happening, but now, maybe, I can actually keep up with it. And maybe start remembering to take more before pictures while I'm at it...

Until next time!

Sarah