Well, hello there. I am writing to you live and direct from Vermont. I have made my way back to the East Coast, and up. After a short stint visiting family, weathering a hurricane, visiting my parents homes in North Carolina and Alabama, I have made my way up to the "Green Mountains." It is my goal to ride them when they turn white!
I moved back to Virginia in August in hopes of working for a friend's construction company. Things didn't go quite according to plan and after a few weeks I knew that I had to be back in the mountains. The only question at that point was, "which ones?" I called up my buddy, Gregory Brown, who I had met while we were both volunteering for Eco-friendly companies (Protect Our Winters and RAMP) at the Gorge for the Dave Matthew's Band Caravan, and asked him if he knew of any work opportunities in his area. I knew that he was in the snow scene up here and figured he would be a good contact to touch base with to see about mountain living in the North East. Having lived in the Pacific Northwest for the past six years it only made sense to try out the other side of the country for a seasonal comparison. Greg said come on up and check it out, so I made my way here this past Friday after my first Thanksgiving with my Mother in over 12 years.
Friday I traveled. I actually missed my first flight due to a delay, complications figuring out when the new boarding time was, beers in the lounge, and a lack of attention to the overhead paging system. I guess they still have them, and apparently they will try to call you over it several times. I didn't make the flight but I somehow managed to get booked for a later flight through a completely different connecting airport, and I was bumped up to first class. Greg met me in Manchester and we drove the final hour and a half to the house. All-in-all a very long day of traveling and drinking on my way to a new state for the first time.
This Winter I will be living up here in the farmhouse with Senior Brown. The first night was pretty chilly. Second night got much colder. Last night was REALLY cold and I could see my breath when I woke in my room, which is the upper floor of the house. We decided that the current situation would not do once the snow starts to fall and heat is a big deal after being on the mountain all day. This morning we embarked on a simple insulation replacement. That was until the small scampering across the drywall the past couple nights went from an assumption of a few field mice to a gang of flying squirrels. We were opening up the ceiling and from the amount of debris and animal shit there were a lot more than a couple. What neither of us knew is that there were over 14 calling the roof area their home. We had removed a decent amount of insulation, then packed it back with new insulation. Just as we were putting up plastic on the hole we heard a lot of commotion from the new zone of pink. Greg pulled the plastic down and as he was pulling out some of the new stuffing one of the little dudes flew at him, bounced off his chest in my general direction, I screamed like a little girl and ran as the little sucker ran laps all over the room. Freaked me out!
For the next few hours Greg battled the squirrels. Initially the plan was to achieve a humane relocation for the little guys, eventually the plan was impossible and "The Great Flying Squirrel Massacre of 2012" ensued. We left the house at about quarter to nine with the ceiling open, windows open to air out the mess, the door to the room closed, and a much larger project to complete before the house is habitable again. Tomorrow we will take the findings to the landlord and see what we can work out as far as a solution. Not too bad for my first few days in the North East. One thing I can say is that this has been anything but uneventful.
Update: Landlord returns from hunting Friday. We finished cleaning out the baffles in the ceiling and removed all of the old insulation today. This evening we had a funeral for the Flying Squirrel Tribe. May their souls rest in acorn and fiberglass heaven.
PS: Leave me a note to say "Hi" if you stopped by. =D
I moved back to Virginia in August in hopes of working for a friend's construction company. Things didn't go quite according to plan and after a few weeks I knew that I had to be back in the mountains. The only question at that point was, "which ones?" I called up my buddy, Gregory Brown, who I had met while we were both volunteering for Eco-friendly companies (Protect Our Winters and RAMP) at the Gorge for the Dave Matthew's Band Caravan, and asked him if he knew of any work opportunities in his area. I knew that he was in the snow scene up here and figured he would be a good contact to touch base with to see about mountain living in the North East. Having lived in the Pacific Northwest for the past six years it only made sense to try out the other side of the country for a seasonal comparison. Greg said come on up and check it out, so I made my way here this past Friday after my first Thanksgiving with my Mother in over 12 years.
Friday I traveled. I actually missed my first flight due to a delay, complications figuring out when the new boarding time was, beers in the lounge, and a lack of attention to the overhead paging system. I guess they still have them, and apparently they will try to call you over it several times. I didn't make the flight but I somehow managed to get booked for a later flight through a completely different connecting airport, and I was bumped up to first class. Greg met me in Manchester and we drove the final hour and a half to the house. All-in-all a very long day of traveling and drinking on my way to a new state for the first time.
This Winter I will be living up here in the farmhouse with Senior Brown. The first night was pretty chilly. Second night got much colder. Last night was REALLY cold and I could see my breath when I woke in my room, which is the upper floor of the house. We decided that the current situation would not do once the snow starts to fall and heat is a big deal after being on the mountain all day. This morning we embarked on a simple insulation replacement. That was until the small scampering across the drywall the past couple nights went from an assumption of a few field mice to a gang of flying squirrels. We were opening up the ceiling and from the amount of debris and animal shit there were a lot more than a couple. What neither of us knew is that there were over 14 calling the roof area their home. We had removed a decent amount of insulation, then packed it back with new insulation. Just as we were putting up plastic on the hole we heard a lot of commotion from the new zone of pink. Greg pulled the plastic down and as he was pulling out some of the new stuffing one of the little dudes flew at him, bounced off his chest in my general direction, I screamed like a little girl and ran as the little sucker ran laps all over the room. Freaked me out!
For the next few hours Greg battled the squirrels. Initially the plan was to achieve a humane relocation for the little guys, eventually the plan was impossible and "The Great Flying Squirrel Massacre of 2012" ensued. We left the house at about quarter to nine with the ceiling open, windows open to air out the mess, the door to the room closed, and a much larger project to complete before the house is habitable again. Tomorrow we will take the findings to the landlord and see what we can work out as far as a solution. Not too bad for my first few days in the North East. One thing I can say is that this has been anything but uneventful.
PS: Leave me a note to say "Hi" if you stopped by. =D
Poor squirrels! :(
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