1/10-12/06 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

It was raining and 33 degrees when I arrived at 1:15. I measured 20 inches of snow on the ground that was the consistency of mashed potatoes. The driveway was plowed again halfway to the trailer so it was handy to drive in that far.

I brought six dining room chairs with me that Joe was going to throw away. Since the seats were covered in fabric, I got them out of the rain and up to the building as soon as I could. I am glad to have the extra seating for when the scouts come up next week.

After lunch, I went to work and temporarily wired up the receptacles I had installed in the living room and the dining room. Having those receptacles hot will make it more convenient for the scout parents, and for me too.

On Wednesday morning there was a couple inches of new snow. On the way up to the privy I saw that a cougar had made tracks up the hill, behind the rock pile, and up the "Cougar Trail" pretty much in the same pattern as they were on 12/17/97. I think it is kind of neat having him/her as a neighbor. It would be a treat to be able to see him/her - from a safe position.

I spent the entire day organizing and cleaning the cabin to get ready for visitors. It rained or snowed off and on all day with the temperature hovering right around freezing. During lunch, the power went off. I called Mike and found out his power was still on. I went down to the power pole and found that the main breaker had tripped. I had the heater on in the cabin trying to dry out the chair seats and I also had the heater on in the trailer. I figured that the load had heated up the distribution wires enough to cause enough extra power drain to blow the breaker. After blowing the breaker a second time like that, I turned the heater in the cabin down from high to medium. I had also installed a few more light bulbs than I normally have, so I guess I am right on the threshold of 20 amps.

On Thursday morning it was mostly clear and 32 degrees. I built railings around the hole in the main floor and handrails on the stairs leading down through it. I don't want anyone accidentally falling through that hole.

Before I left, I measured the snow depth again and it had shrunk to 18 inches. It was snowing heavily when I left at 2:20 so I expect it accumulated some more after I left.