Beware!

 This appeared in the newsletter I used to edit when we lived at Vantage House.  I don't know if the writer experienced this or this is relating someone else's story.  Seems to me I have heard this before.  Worth sharing again for those who do pick up the phone not knowing who is calling (something we no longer do).

Don’t Fall for This Scam

I just got a call from a 304-area code. Thinking it was someone I know in West Virginia, I answered. It was a man claiming to be from customer service (didn’t say what company only “customer service”). The first thing he asked was Can you hear me?”

I remembered something I saw on Facebook saying people are calling and asking if you can hear them, then using the recording of your “Yes” reply as a way to sign you up for all kinds of stuff.

So, I replied, “I hear you,” to which he again asked, “So you can hear me?”

Me: I hear you.

Him: I just need a yes or no.

Me: I hear you.

He hangs up. Without that story I would have answered “yes” the first time he asked.

Spring Signs

 We returned from a nice visit to family in Buffalo.  We got there last Thursday and the temperatures were in the 80s.  We were not dressed for such weather.  Spring had definitely arrived there.

Upon our return noticed these signs of spring here.

Now of course come Thursday evening this could all be covered with snow!  We have a winter storm watch in our forecast!

Thanks for all your comments on the wooden snow shovel.  Still haven't decided what to do with it,  Dan wants to give it away.  He asked today if I wanted to put it on the side of the road as we set out the parts to a cedar Adirondack chair. They'd been left in the barn (of course) but after closer examination this afternoon we realized it's a woodworking project that was never completed and looks like parts are missing or have not been cut out.  We'll see how long before it disappears as other items have.

Do You Know What This Is?

 

See that wooden contraption above to the left of the window?

Below its in the rec room loft.

I looked up sledge on the internet and found this.

They called it a snow shovel - 19th century style.

We really don't know what to do with it.

Any suggestions?

The Barn - Part 2

 

Our plan for the barn is for the first bay to be a garage.  It will keep its barn character with a side rolling door like it has now.  We have a contractor who will stabilize the barn and pour a concrete flooring for the two right bays and grade our entire driveway.

To speed the project up Dan took on the task of removing the loft above and the flooring in these two bays.

I didn't take any photos of him in the loft, prying up the boards and sliding them down.  You'll have to use your imagination about how he balanced once he got to the last boards.  Here they are spilling out of the barn.

Then he went to work removing the joists which held the boards up there.

These sizable beams got stacked on the floor.

 

Can you see the dust?  I had to wash his clothes every night.  They were filthy.

Looking up you can see the small plywood door used to access this upper loft.  On the other side of that is the finished loft.

On another day he started with the flooring which was in two layers.

Under the bottom layer was a midden or refuse heap.  Dumping grounds from before this barn was built.

I went to work pulling things out.

Eventually all the wood went into this pile.  I salvaged one very long piece for a shelf in the rec room loft. Emily and I took some other pieces to make wooden quilts.

Here is some of the salvage.  I did some research on the marks on the backs of the plate fragments and the bottle and the items date from 1890-1910.  We figure that's about when the barn was built.

So this is how it looked on Monday, March 29th.  Now all that is gone.  A neighbor took the wood under the tarp and will build a small barn is his backyard.  He used his Volvo station wagon to haul the loads.  Some of the wood was 18 feet long and was a sight to see hanging out of his car.  He had only three houses to go to unload. The doors, windows and shutters have also gone to new owners.

Work should start in the next few weeks on the conversion to garage space.