New House...Missing in Action...Lack of Turning

[John Hart]

Howdy!!!!

Hey everyone...Sorry I've been missing in Action lately. For the past month, I've been buried in muck. One of the first things I needed to do with this new house is install electricity. (For those of you who don't know....we bought an Amish house that has no power) What was required by the Electric Company, was that I dig a 300 foot trench from the road to the house and lay in the cable and hook it up to the house. I don't know how many of you have worked with 0000Guage wire, but I gotta tell ya.....It is the most difficult and unyielding stuff I have ever delt with!!!!

But the BIG problem is the rain. After renting a trenching machine and getting the trench dug to depth....it rained.....caving in most of the trench and filling it with muck. I spent a week, fighting thunderstorms, dredging it out by hand (laying in the muck and bailing out muck with a pitcher)....then I got the cable laid in and buried it. The Building Inspector failed the project because I didn't meet the proper specifications on the conduit under the driveway.....SO I had to dig it up again!!!! Spent another week digging and dredging and got hit with another big storm. To make a really long story short.....I got it complete last night. Woo Hoo!!! Reinspection is on Tuesday.
I'm having my morning coffee right now and then I'm off to go start on installing all the outlets in the house. During the rainstorms, I was able to install outlets and lighting in the shop and hook up a generator and that's working pretty good.
I also went out and bought a garden tractor...a 20HP Toro. It's very nice and I was able to mow the pasture that had grown to 2 feet high. The front 2 acres now looks like a lawn instead of a field. Still have horses and cows in the back 3 acres still waiting to be moved to their new home....then I'll have to mow all that too.

I haven't taken any pictures yet (sorry Tyler) But I'll take some today and post them. Again, I'm sorry I've been out of the loop......This trench had me terrified that we would not have electricity in time for the kids to start school at the end of August (There's a 6 week waiting list for power-up) .
My 10KW generator is on order and should arrive this week so we'll have to run on generator power for a few weeks.

Sorry for this being off-topic...but the Turners Forum is my normal hangout....Please move this JM if you see fit. Oh wait!!! I know!!! My lathe is just waiting for me to start turning again. I have a spindle that I have to turn for the Amish folks that just built their new house. It's a four footer...Bannister End...Aromatic Cedar. It'll probably crack.

I hope to spend more time on the Creek now.

Off to work I go! Laters!!

[tod evans]

hey john good to hear from you! a few years ago i pulled 3 runs of 4ought and a strand of double ought to power up the shop........375` through 3" conduit by my lonesome. no fun at all! i`ll bet you`re pooped and fustrated. so how far out are you from moving? i take it the girls haven`t talked you into keeping just oonnee horse? try and stop by once in a while....tod

[Dennis Peacock]

Good to SEE you John Hart..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!!!!!!!! You've been through a lot lately. Glad to know you and the family are ok, just real busy. Yup, I know about wrassilin' 4 aught cable, used to do it almost every day. Kinda reminds me of trying to wrestle and fold up a big bore hog.

Keep safe and thanks for posting John, we were getting kinda worried about you and the family.

[Karl Laustrup]

Glad you're still kicking and fighting John and making progress. I see you had your priorities in order when you installed lights and outlets in the shop BEFORE the house.

Just check in every couple of days so we know all is OK. OK??

Karl

[Ernie Nyvall]

Inspectors... I think there's a special place for them when they die. Just kidding, I know we need them... on someone else's job. Glad to hear you got through that part John. If I was retired, I'd make myself useful. I could stand around your place and point at things that need to be done.
Nice to hear from you John. Good luck with everything else.

Ernie

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Glad to know you are making progress and you are alive my friend! I'm thinking about you.

[John Bailey]

John,

Good to hear from you. Last spring I went 180' with the stuff and it wasn't fun.

John

[Andy Hoyt]

Man! I'm glad to see your name on a post. Be well.

[Kenneth Hertzog]

missed ya John know what you are going thru. Glad your back
ken
slippery rock, pa

[George Conklin]

Man! I'm glad to see your name on a post. Be well.

Me too!!!

Been thinking about you lately. It looks like there's light at the end of the tunnel. Hum??? Sounds like there might be a pun in there .

As you can tell, the crew has missed you around here. Good luck. Come back when you can.

[Tyler Howell]

Thanks John,
Pixs when you can.
Now that I'm abysserated I've gotten soft and mellow from beathing exotics . I've know the joys of 0000. Take care.

TJH

[Bernie Weishapl]

John good to hear from you again. It seems like forever but know you have been busy. I know about 0000 cable. Laid over 2000' of it. No fun and especially with all the rain you guys have had. Hope things go well from here on.

[Jim Becker]

Good to hear your update, John. I hope the rest of the electrical falls into line. It really would be nice if the inspector would have looked at things before you filled in the trench! But having had my own run-in with a local inspector not long ago (fortunately, the paperwork was on my side), that would likely be asking too much...

[Corey Hallagan]

Glad your doing ok John. Hope yo get thru all the electrical mess etc. soon and you can start enjoying the new place and the new shop!

Corey

[Doug Thompson]

John, I could not imagine pulling that much wire... if there is a bright side you only need to do it once. If you need some help with the move contact me, I'm only a hour away.

Hang in there,
Doug