7/13-15/10 I went up to Camp Serendipity for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at 12:20 and was promptly greeted by Bert and Ernie in a cloud of mosquitoes. After the biscuits and hugs, I went up to the cabin and spooked a packrat that was on the workbench outside. He tried to get out of sight but since Bert was right there on the porch the only way out was to crawl onto a projecting log at the corner and try to hide. He eventually ran down under the porch. It was disappointing to learn that they are still around and that they are evidently too smart to go into my Paiute Indian deadfall trap any more. I’ll have to think of another strategy to get rid of them.

When I went into the cabin, I found one mouse in a trap upstairs. I am hoping that one got in when the two got in last week and that the hole he got in is now plugged up. I guess time will tell.

I went to work and installed the crawl space light switch in Box T. Then I did a survey of the existing temporary lights down there to figure out what additional parts I need for the permanent lights in circuit 13. Then I switched gears and started installing the outside receptacle for the back porch. The plan is to feed it from receptacle Box 18 in the utility room. I pulled the wires out of Box 18, removed a knockout from the back of it, and then bored a hole through the log beginning in the knockout hole. Then I went outside and began chiseling the recess to hold the outside box. The chipmunk showed up a few times while I was working out there and I had to stop work to give him his peanuts.

I heard a knock on the door and when I opened it, there was yet another census taker. This was a different guy but he asked the same questions and marked the answers on the same forms as the other guy did – twice. I told the guy that with as many census visits I have had, I was beginning to question the legitimacy of them all. He just sort of shrugged it off and said that I could call the Kennewick office if I want.

After the census guy left, I took a shower and then went down to the trailer for dinner. Before I did, I set a mousetrap out on the porch thinking that I might catch a packrat. I tethered the trap with a piece of wire so if I caught him, he couldn’t run off with my trap.

On Wednesday morning, the mousetrap outside was sprung and the bait was still intact. I’m not sure what happened.

While it was still cool and before the mosquitoes got too thick, I made the rounds of the sequoia trees and gave each one a small scoop of Vigaro. All the trees looked like they were thriving, although Bill hasn’t grown at all that I could see even though it is a nice green color.

After that, I finished installing the outside receptacle box and put Box 18 back together. Then I connected circuit 11, which contains the utility room receptacles, and the outside receptacle, to the service panel. Up until then, the circuit was fed by a temporary plug connected to another circuit. I fed the chipmunk a few times during the work before I went in for lunch and a nap.

I went back to work in the service panel and installed the breaker for circuit 13 which contains the basement lights. While I was at it, I labeled the wires inside the panel that hadn’t yet been labeled. Then I went down to the crawl space and began wiring up circuit 13. As soon as I started wiring up the first light fixture box, I realized that my design was badly flawed. I had designed it so that all the lights would always be on until you turned on the switch. Then when you flipped the switch, they would all go off because the switch would trip the circuit breaker. Very stupid.

I sketched out the corrections to the circuit and then took a shower and quit for the day.

On Thursday morning I was awakened by a call from Ellen. She was unable to start the car and I was unable to help her over the phone. She decided to take a bus to work and I agreed to go home early and deal with the problem.

After breakfast, I went up to the cabin and found a mouse in the trap out on the porch. That was not what I wanted to catch, so I decided against using a mousetrap out there again. I’m not sure what I will do about the packrats.

I went to work and wired up the first of the six crawlspace lights correctly, so for the first time I could turn on at least one light down there using a switch by the door. I fed the chipmunk a few times, and then quit for the week. I left for home at 10:30.