Water
I lived for many years without running water and quite a few without electricity, but once I got set up with it I expected it to work. When we didn’t have electric we had a hand pump, you know, the old fashioned pitcher pump kind you have to prime with a little water each time. We had to remember to keep a little extra water stashed nearby to pour in the top to get a suction going. In the winter our prime water had to be kept inside where it wouldn’t freeze, which also meant we had to be careful not to leave water sitting in the top of the pitcher pump, or it would freeze the whole pump solid. In that case we had to take hot water from the stove to thaw it out. That was rough on the leather gasket of the plunger though and best not resorted to. In the summer it was a much easier and more enjoyable task altogether.
The Cabin
I have since gotten used to having hot and cold running water and I appreciate it every time I turn on a tap. It is such a time saver. Even our cabin out in Pendleton County, West Virginia has indoor hot and cold running water, with a shower and toilet and everything. It is still amazing to me that not only do I live in a real house now, but I have a second one out in the mountains that is way nicer than the one I lived in back in the seventies. I went from living in an un-insulated block milking shed with a dirt floor, to having a big, centrally heated, air conditioned house and workshop along with a second small house in the mountains. I have definitely come up in the world. Sometimes I feel a little guilty for having so much, but then I look at how hard we have had to work to get here, and feel OK about it. At least we have something concrete for our efforts and our pay has not been totally frittered away.
So this Presidents Day weekend we went out to west Virginia cave country and arrived at the cabin around 9:30 in the morning. It was really cold outside and dropping fast.The first thing I did was turn the breakers on to the water pump and the water heater. Nothing. So I crawled under the house and discovered that both hundred watt light bulbs that we keep burning in the insulated pump box had burned out. These were American made incandescent bulbs that we bought at the local hardware store in hopes that they would last longer than all the basic Chinese made bulbs we had gone through. Apparently American made was not an improvement. Who knows when, in the last three weeks, the lights had gone out. I did not see any obvious cracks in the cast iron pump housing or any sign of leakage, so maybe it wasn’t too bad. I screwed in two fresh bulbs closed the box back up and crossed my fingers. I went upstairs, got a good fire going in the woodstove, and after a bit, we headed to Thompsons Motel in Franklin to meet up with our Grotto members.
Caving
President’s Day weekend used to be an annual caver tradition for our group which has fallen by the wayside somewhat over the past few years. Heavy snow sometimes puts a stop to it. And in the last few years, many of the caves have been closed due to White Nose Syndrome in the bats. This was Jeff’s twenty seventh year out here and he always looks forward to having somebody to cave with. Cavers tend to get a little squirrely when they are prevented from going underground for too long and it is best to let them go at least once in awhile. I prefer being above ground most of the time, appreciating the sun and sky, so I am not always much fun. I can get claustrophobic in tight spaces if conditions aren’t just right. While we waited for everyone else to make their way to Thompson”s Motel and get their gear together we decided to make a run down to the hardware store for a small space heater. The guy behind the counter said he uses one in his pump box and it works much better than a lightbulb. We bought that and some requested batteries and kneepads as well. After everybody who was going caving finally left for their trip, a couple of us decided to drive to Davis and check out the crafts gallery shop there.
The weather report was calling for some serious cold temperatures this weekend, single digits to down near zero degrees Fahrenheit with winds up to fifty miles per hour. Luckily, only an inch or two of snow was called for with it. At one point, after we gotten back to the motel from Davis, it was a blizzard with zero visibility and the snow blowing sideways.
That did not last long, but then the temperature started to plummet. When the cavers went in to New Trout cave, which is two miles down the road from the cabin, it was thirty four degrees outside with an overcast breezy sky. Five hours later they emerged to about twelve degrees with wind driven snow and couldn’t even see the car parked a hundred feet away. They were all really dirty from the cave, with blackened faces and had showers before walking across to the Fireside Café for dinner. About twelve of us ate and visited for our Valentine’s Day dinner and then Jeff and I headed back to the cabin for the night. I was relieved to find that the warmth from the new light bulbs had thawed the pump while we were gone and it was now able to run again. We set up the tiny space heater for the pump, flipped the breaker on for the hot water heater, and brought in lots of firewood for the night.
Chimney Fire
While firing the stove up nice and hot just before bed, it started roaring and we could see flames through a not quite so tight joint high up in the stove pipe. I am not sure how we managed to get a creosote buildup in there that quick. We just installed this stove in November and the pipe was clean. I try and fire it up good and hot with no damper twice a day to prevent that. I cut the air off and let it cool some before slowly bringing it back up again. I think the creosote had burned off by then and it was fine afterwards. In the process, we discovered that the smoke detector actually worked and reminded ourselves of where the fire extinguisher resides, just in case.
The high winds forecasted for Saturday night turned into, not a steady blast, but a few gusty bouts during the night. Strong enough for the cabin walls to grunt a couple of times. I am so glad we are not located up on a ridge top. The views might be better but it would scare me in fierce storms. We enjoy the protection of numerous hills around us, although sometimes the wind can funnel right up through the draw at a pretty good clip.
When I got up Sunday morning the deck thermometer read four degrees, which was better than I expected. I got up once during the night to stoke the woodstove and it was still warm inside the cabin. We didn’t open the bedroom windows like we usually do though, only about a quarter inch on one of them for some fresh air. Our down comforter and one extra blanket kept us warm enough. We had four folks staying with us, two right by the stove on the futon, and two in the back bedroom and nobody froze.
On Sunday the thermometer read a whopping twelve degrees at twelve noon and the wind was lightly ruffling the bare branches, with a gorgeous blue sky. Jeff and five friends drove to Crossroads cave, about an hour away. A friend I hardly ever get to see managed to make it out to visit me and we spent a little time drinking wine and listening to music. I enjoyed a little writing and editing time and cooked up a big pot of veggie stew, using our butternut squash and potatoes and some red lentils, to have ready when they got back. There was fresh baked cornbread, brownies for desert, wine and beer, and everyone was happy. The hot water ran like it was supposed to and the cabin was toasty while we all relaxed for the night. We went out on the deck to look at the multitude of stars for a bit but it was too cold to stay out there very long.
In the morning it was still twelve degrees outside and looked like snow. Everyone had to think about driving home before the roads got too bad. We went into town to pick up the turtle that needs a home and say goodbye to everyone who stayed at the motel. We are supposed to get somewhere between 3 and 11 inches but who knows? The weather reports have been so far off this winter. There was about two inches on the ground when we left the cabin and it snowed all the way home, which took about three and a half hours instead of three. We got home to happy dogs, fed the critters, and settled back in. It was a good weekend.
-Wendy lee
-writing at https://www.edgewisewoods.com