A Waiting Game

Straw Bale house update: As we're waiting for foundation drawings and a copy of title for submission to Islands Trust, Ive been cutting some of the blow-down trees on the lot. Last winter's storm has produced enough firewood for many years. We spent Saturday afternoon selectively cutting a few trees to enhance the view from the house site. This will be done slowly as we want to ensure maximum protection from any wind-blown rain. We will be well sheltered from the easterly wind which generally brings the bad weather. South-west is the least likely to produce any serious threat and fortunately that is the direction of the view. The first picture is the view as it is today. The second shot is the road into our lot. It's actually one of the nicer roads on the island. There is still one of the 10 acre original lots on the market. Rumour has it that the largest lot which is 40 acres, will go back on the market this week for an additional 100K. A nice flip if he can get it. The power lines still aren't complete and our driveway looks like a war zone. It may be a couple more weeks as there have been unforeseen problems at the other end of the line.

Last Wednesday was Tax Freedom Day.... the day which we begin working for ourselves after paying taxes for almost half of the year. BTW, the feds are sitting on a 29 BILLION dollar tax surplus.

Currently CRA are doing their usual jerking around. It urks me when they make up rules to suit whatever situation occurs... kind of a "make it up as we go along approach". Don't they realize that they do everything possible to promote an underground economy? It reminds me of a true story....Once a salesman was on a call on a snowy winter day. When he returned to his car, he found it snowed-in and unable to move. The salesman went to a near by hardware store and bought a $10 snow shovel. He dug himself out and continued on his way. At the end of the month the salesman submitted his monthly expenses to the company. Included in that month's expenses were business lunches, hotels, entertainment, auto expenses and the snow shovel.

When he received his expense reimbursement cheque, there was a note that explained the snow shovel expense had been disallowed.

The next month, the salesman included the snow shovel expense once again, but included a detailed explanation. He explained he had been on company business and that he would have lost time, sales calls and company profit had he not bought the $10 shovel. He offered to ship the shovel to head office as he had no further use for it. Once again his expense check came and the shovel had been disallowed.

The third month, the salesman submitted his expenses as usual, with a note attached that read..... "the shovel is in here, find it".

On Friday, three of us (firefighters) and a backhoe operator set up a "standpipe". Because the island has no central source of water for firefighting, water must be pumped from any and every source. A standpipe makes it much simpler for a pumper truck to simply pull off the road and fill up. The standpipe is made up of lengths of 4 inch PVC pipe with the last length being flexible. It is then attached to a rough filter and suspended just below the surface by attaching it to an auto tire. This setup takes advantage of a farmer's pond that is within reach from Northwest Road.