And then the rain came

After a couple scorchers we finally got some much needed rain. Saturday evenings brief rain showers marked the first measurable rain we have ever had while in the new house. The roof finally got its first test drive and I was finally able to see if the gutters were all hooked up correctly. The gutter on the shed is still sloping in the wrong direction, and the new gutter on the side seems to be leaking near the bottom, but no big deal there. I also made our first attempt at figuring out what animal is spending some time in our ceiling. We assumed it was a squirrel because there is an obvious hole in the soffit and because it seemed to be much bigger than a mouse. So I covered up the hole with computer paper and duct tape just to verify that something was coming in and out through the hole. It took a half day, but finally the paper had been pulled back and is now just dangling. I am not sure of the next step, from what I read we are going to have to catch the squirrel and move him or kill him because now that he has a home in there he will do whatever possible to get back inside, regardless of whether or not we cover over the hole.

We had a nice relaxing weekend. Megan and Jamison came over yesterday and we went over to my mom's to go swimming. Today we did a little shopping in the morning and then stayed home in the afternoon before Amy came over to visit us. At this point I am not sure what else to do in the yard, it might just be time to call it a year and start fresh in the spring. Now it is time to compose a list of all the things we need to do this fall and winter.
- Fix the drainage around the house
- Buy a de-humidifer for the basement
- New electrical panel
- Build/buy an arbor for all the grape vines out back
- Get rid of the giant stump in the back yard
- Fix the spigot outside
- Remove the rotting wood structure in the basement and replace it with lally columns
- Install a railing on the stairs
- Rid house of squirrel
- Railings for the deck
- Replace some rotting trim
- Get chimney checked out
- Put in new smoke detectors with a battery back up

It seems like quite a list, but I don't think any of the things are too crazy. I think I will certainly be busy this winter though.

Keeg