I [Michael] was trying to change the format of our blog this morning.  The links on the left needed some changes, adding new things and taking out old.  According to the blog manager the changes have already been made, although the visual reality so far this morning tells me that the blog manager LIES!

Sometime, probably by the time anybody but me reads this, the links will finally update.  In the meanwhile, the links I wanted to put on the side were twofold:

Michael's newspaper column, where all of the articles from my Juneau Empire column are posted, including the most recent which appeared in yesterday's paper.

Michael's Music Recordings will let you listen to the songs I've recorded.  They're nothing fancy, just me and the guitar.  I used to be really picky about getting just the "right" sound, with the result that I never liked anything I recorded.  Now that my technical skills on the guitar haved waned somewhat I just feel lucky to still be able to play the damn thing, and if I can remember all the words, so much the better!

We've had some good news on the avalanche situation.  The utility company is planning to bypass the destroyed tower and say they may be able to make repairs within a month, assuming the weather cooperates.

I spent a good deal of time yesterday on the phone trying to verify just when the 300% (because the utility is now running diesel generators instead of our regular hydro power) rate increase would take effect.  When the answer was not forthcoming I called their Director of Consumer Affairs, whom I've met on a couple of occasions and have a good rapport with, and she got me an answer:  our rates will go up in the NEXT billing cycle.

I needed to know about the rate because we have about one month worth of wood for our wood stove.  Last year we started burning our emergency wood supply (scrap lumber I had saved over several years) the day of the avalanche, and had used most of that supply BEFORE the 500% rate increase (because diesel was more expensive last year) went into effect.  I was determined not to let that happen again this year. 

Posted at 11:18 AM YST

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Nice socks, aren't they?  They are a Christmas present from my [Michael's] mom. Knitted them herself, she did. Comfortable, warm, everything socks should be.

They're going to come in handy too.  The power line that supplies Juneau's hydroelectric power is down again.  Avalanche, just like last year.  Last year we were told this was a once in a century event. They haven't told us how often to expect back-to-back events like this.

Last year our avalanche came on April 16, at the end of winter.  Spring set in a week later.  Even so, it was early July before the repairs were complete.

The avalanche came earlier this winter, January 12.  Nobody has set foot on the ground to assess the damage yet.  If I were to guess, it will be a long time before anybody can.

Last year nobody could get on the ground for several weeks after the slide because of the danger of further avalanches.  Why should this year be any different?  Well it will be.  I can only speculate, but assuming they can only set people on the ground when it is "safe", it will be months, not weeks, before repairs can be initiated.  It's raining hard down here, but it's snowing hard up where the power line runs, and above it.  When will it be safe to start a repair?  My guess is May.  I truly hope I am wrong.

Last year our power rates went up 500% when the utility company fell back on its diesel generators.  This year the price of diesel is supposed to be lower (although the homeowners I've spoken to say their oil deliveries are still well above $3 a gallon), but it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a 300% surge in power rates.  It isn't a question of "if" they will raise rates, it is only a matter of time.

Last year we started burning wood to heat the house the day of the avalanche.  This was possible because of a stash of scrap lumber I used to keep, otherwise we would have been without wood to burn: one great irony of last year is that I was burning the very last of our firewood the day of the avalanche.  The other great irony is that the utility company waited until I had burned my wood stash before raising the rates!

I am not burning wood now.  This year we will wait until the day the new rates take effect before we revert to wood again.  We are well short of having a sufficient supply to last the winter.  I do have some of my scrap lumber remaining and will burn most of that.  There are also a couple of dead trees still standing on the property that may be dry enough to cut up and get burning.  And then there are pallets, lots of wood pallets brought in by most of the city businesses, many of which are dry enough to burn straight away.

Last summer I built a second storage area beside the garage.  I had planned to use a portion of it for firewood storage.  Given the circumstances I wish I had carried through with that plan last summer.  So much for planning.

Looks like the utility company will have to hire that security guard back. 

Posted at 9:50 PM YST

Updated: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 12:42 AM YST

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We got out our Christmas stuff during the Thanksgiving weekend.  I [Michael] worked on the inside lights.  I was a little surprised to discover over a half dozen light strings that no longer worked, including three that were known to work when I put them away last winter.  So I punted and used different lights this year.  One of the differences from last year is the string of big incandescent lights: last year they were all blue, but this year we bought bulbs of different colors (it was cheaper than buying new light strings).  And as for energy conservation, all the bulbs inside the house provide exactly as much heat per watt as any other electrical device in the house, and since our heaters are all electric we might just as well use the lights and save a little wear on the heaters.

Sheryl spent two weekends in the yard with the lights, a bunch of the new LED ones that draw a fraction of the power of the incandescents (it was Sheryl's early Christmas present).  This is the first year we've done outside lights, and given all the property we have to cover it took a little doing (hence two weekends of effort on Sheryl's part).

The picture on the bottom shows a little of what Sheryl did, and the yard really does get pretty bright at night with all the lights on (though not quite as bright as this enhanced photo shows).  The top picture shows some of the living room lighting: note the time on the clock (early sunsets here), and the outdoor strings that also appear in the bottom picture.

And the new ceiling insulation must be doing a good job: I've noted a distinct reduction in how often and long our front room heaters have been running compared to last winter (when the fire is out in the wood stove).

Posted at 8:44 AM YST

Updated: Monday, December 15, 2008 9:23 AM YST

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Winter is upon us, and it's time to put in a little extra effort to keep warm. Most people in Juneau heat with oil, some have electric heat, and some rely primarily on wood. A lot of folks (like us) use a combination that includes wood. And we’ve got wood to burn, lots of damp wood.

Nothing ever really dries out in Juneau, at least not outside.  I [Michael] have noticed that wood brought inside for three days or so burns considerably better than wood carried straight from the wood shed to the firebox.  The problem has been to find a way to put more wood in the house.
 
After a couple of weeks actively pondering solutions, I found the answer waiting in the garage.  Several months ago I bought a wire paper storage rack, of the kind used in classrooms to sort student paperwork, from the state surplus warehouse.  Looking at it yesterday, I suddenly realized that the two frame pieces could be reoriented to make two sides, and the paper rack became a wood rack.  Each shelf holds about as much wood as what fits in the basket we use to shuttle wood in from outside.  Before this revelation I thought I would have to build a rack from scratch, but Sheryl and I both think this looks at least as good as anything I could have fabricated.
 

Posted at 3:51 PM YST

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Quite the picture, isn't it?  Becky made this.  It was her concept too.  A shirt depicting smiling person wearing a smiling shirt.  Very clever for a Kindergartner.

We're into the transition between autumn and winter.  Cold days and wet snow followed by days of seemingly colder rain that doesn't melt the snow on the ground, only turns it into a slushy slurry that lies in wait for truly cold weather when it turns into a treacherously surreal terrain of ice, frozen into the shape of tire ruts and footprints. Luckily, I scooped up the snow on the driveway with the snowblower just before the latest round of rain had a chance to saturate it (after which the blower is of no use).

Sheryl's been busy with Christmas lighting.  Her early present this year was a plethora of LED Christmas lights, which Sheryl has been stringing through the front and back yards.  She likes lots of lights, and I like to avoid using unnecessary amounts of electricity outside, so the LED's offer a compromise.  For my part I have been decorating inside, using all the "wasteful" incandescent holiday bulbs where their heat contributes to keeping the house warm (and reduces wear and tear on our heaters too). Ho, ho, ho.

My good cheer has been somewhat tempered this season by a broken tooth.  It's an old injury, dating back to when I was eleven and broke my top left front tooth.  The original repair took a very long time as I recall, and the fake tooth lasted for many years.  Unfortunately, the remaining fragment of tooth that formed the anchor for the crown finally gave way, and now the job will have to be done over, removing the remaining fragment of the original tooth and adding a bone graft and an eventual metal stud upon which to cement a new crown.  The worst aspect is waiting for all this to happen: the tooth broke at the end of October, the initial round of surgery is scheduled for December 22, and the job won't be complete until late 2009 or early 2010.  Luckily there has been very little pain: a root canal done on the tooth back in the 1970's eliminated the nerve, so the only discomfort is when the gums get pinched. The other bit of good fortune is that the tooth broke below the gum attachment line and didn't fall out; with luck it will stay in place until the surgery.

The "Mikado" has been postponed until November 2009.  The new high school won't have a functioning theatre in time to meet the original schedule.  I'm a little disappointed by the schedulte change because it means going into rehearsal when the outdoor weather is still passable, but at least I won't be in rehearsals in the springtime, which is even worse.  The best scenario is when the opera shows in mid-April, so that rehearsals fill the winter months and the show ends just in time for spring and sunnier weather.

And yes, I'm still doing the newspaper column.  November's installment can be found in the archive, right here.

Posted at 10:05 AM YST

Updated: Sunday, December 7, 2008 10:15 AM YST

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