[Rhodes22-list] those who can identify...raise your hands...

[ejor2 at aol.com]

Rob,

That was great, thanks for the humor, and to think I've just been upset because it's been to cold/rainy every weekend to sail or work on the boat. I feel much better!!
Eric






-----Original Message-----
From: Lowe, Rob <rlowe at vt.edu>
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Fri, Feb 19, 2010 3:36 pm
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] those who can identify...raise your hands...


I've got both hands up! Real high!

his is my personal story.
Some background information.
e've had three good snows this year, each about 14 inches.  
y driveway is a challenge even in good weather.  A quarter mile long, 220 foot 
ise from bottom to top, with 5 switchbacks. The house sits at the top.

Snow 1, a few days before Christmas.  
h yes, a white Christmas.  Just me and the wife and the pets snowed in.  A 
ouple of days off from work.  Shovel a path out to the hot tub and sit in the 
ot tub sipping champagne with the snow coming down.  Ah, life is good.  I love 
now!
1 day later.  Go out to start the tractor to plow.  Starter motor frozen up and 
ractor won't start.  Ah well, don't have to go anywhere for several days.  
e'll just wait for it to melt.  Back to the house and pour a glass of rum.
3 days later, still snowed in and running out of beer and rum.  The dogs are 
ired of breaking through the snow to pee.  Been selectively shoveling and can 
ow get the car halfway up the driveway.  Still walking up the top half.
4 days later, have to cancel visiting family for Christmas because I still can't 
et a vehicle all the way up.  Not altogether a bad thing.  Still shoveling but 
id manage to restock rum supply.  
5 days later, still selectively shoveling and between that and sun, get melted 
ut enough to get car all the way up.  Wife leaves immediately to take advantage 
f after Christmas sales.  What?  Pick up some rum while you're out please dear.  
ives us a chance to restock with groceries.
Tractor is kind of old and beat up and leaks hydraulic fluid.  And now the 
tarter motor is frozen up and more snow is forecast.  Time to buy that newer 
ractor I've been lusting after.  Although this year was supposed to be the year 
f the newer boat.  Ah well, got to have a tractor that works and already have a 
oat that floats.  Besides, no one is going to be selling boats this year that I 
an afford.
Find a nice, slightly used small Kubota tractor for $8K.  Even comes with a 
oader bucket, which I've never had before.  The new tractor even comes with a 
rink holder so I can drink beer while I'm working.  Would be nice to have 
round that house.  Drive up to look at it and buy it.  The admiral is doubtful 
hen told the news.
Storm 2 is coming and no tractor yet!  The day before the storm is to hit the 
ealer calls and says it will be delivered later that day!  Yeah!  Bring on the 
now, I'm ready for it!
Snow 2, a couple of days before New Year, another 14 inches.  Shovel a path out 
o the hot tub and sit in the hot tub sipping champagne with the snow coming 
own.  Ah, life is good.  I love snow!
1 day later.  Fire up the new tractor and start plowing.  I usually do the 
riveway in three passes.  Go down the middle, come back to the top and then 
low off on side.  Return to the top and plow the other side.  So, down to the 
ottom clearing the middle as I go.  Hey, this is nice!  I'll be done in no 
ime!  This snow's not so bad.  Get to the bottom and start back up.  And - 
an't - get - back - up.  The tires are slipping in the snow and I can't climb.  
o here I am with my new tractor stuck at the bottom of the driveway.  Walk back 
o the house and tell the admiral.  The admiral is not amused.  Thinks I wasted 
y money on my new tractor.  Stupid snow!  Stupid tractor!
Call the dealer I brought the tractor from.  "Oh, you need chains for it, we're 
ust ordering some, you want a set?  Only a hundred bucks and they will be here 
n two days."  Not really having a choice, I tell him yes.  The admiral is still 
ot amused.  Walking the driveway for two more days until the chains come it.
Pick up the chains and put them on in the cold wet snow.  Stupid cold snow.  But 
he chains make quite a difference and up to the top I go.  Sweet!  I'll get 
his plowed in no time!  I'm working away and get about half of it done.  I'm 
bout ready to quit as it's getting dark and I'll finish tomorrow.  And then I 
et the tractor stuck in a ditch and it won't move.  So I walk back up to the 
ouse and tell the admiral.  Admiral is not amused (anyone notice a theme here 
et??).
The next day take the truck down and pull the tractor out with a chain.  Tractor 
ops right out of the snow back.  Thank goodness.  Take the truck down to the 
ottom (I can get vehicles down, but not back up).  Walk back up to the tractor 
nd continue working.  
Check the oil in the oil tank (we have oil heat and a woodstove).  About a 10 
ays' worth of oil left and no way the oil truck can get up to the house.  Have 
ood, but it's running a bit low.  I'm getting a bit anxious.  I'm also out of 
um, beer, wine, champagne, and the pantry is running low.  Stupid snow!
   
ake half a days' vacation the next day.  Borrow an empty 55 gallon drum from 
ork and put it in the back of the truck and drive to the oil dealer.  A $130 
or 50 gallons of oil?  Yikes.  
Spend the next three hours plowing and pushing snow off with the bucket.  You 
now, pushing and digging snow with a loader is kind of nice!  This is fun!  
ice tractor!
Finally get it cleared enough to make a run at it with the truck.  Up to the top 
 go!  I now have beer, rum, and oil up at the house.  The next day we go out 
nd restock the pantry.  All is well and I relax a bit.
The next day I move oil.  The drum of oil is in the front of the house and the 
ank is in the rear and there is no way to get the drum around back.  So I 
iphon 5 gallons into my diesel container, carry it around back, and pour it 
nto the tank.  What fun!  What a mess!  I reek of oil!  Do this three times and 
ay screw it!  That will hold me for a week.  
Storm 3 is coming but we're ready.  Got rum, beer, wine, champagne, and the 
antry is full.  Have some oil in the tank and 30 gallons sitting in a drum.  
ring it on!
Storm 3 is the one that dumped 2 feet in DC and shut down the government.  We 
et about 13 inches.  Shovel a path out to the hot tub and sit in the hot tub 
ipping champagne with the snow coming down.  Ah, life is good.  I love snow!
When storm 3 passes it gets cold, real cold.  In the teens with highs in the 
0s.  Go out to start the tractor to start plowing.  Tractor starts, runs for a 
ouple of minutes, and dies.  Will not start.  Tell the admiral, who is not 
mused.  Something about wasting money on my new tractor.  Sigh.  Stupid GD 
ractor.
Call the dealer to discuss and he surmises that there is a bit of water in the 
uel supply and it's trapped in the fuel filters and the fuel is gelled or the 
ater is frozen.  Asks if I have a hot pad or electric blanket to lay over the 
ractor to heat it up.  Yeah, right.  But I do have a space heater that I put 
nder the tractor.  The dealer says he will mail me new fuel filters for free.   
fter an hour being warmed by the heater the tractor starts.  Whew.
I start clearing by the house which makes the dogs happy.  They now have space 
o pee without trouncing through the deep snow.  Yeah for pee spots!
The snow from storm 2 is still piled along the driveway so I can't plow off the 
atest snow because there is nowhere to push it.  So I'm having to use the 
oader to dig, move, and dump.  It works, but it's slow!  And after my last 
iasco I'm starting at the top and working my way down.  I can't afford to get 
he tractor away from the house as I have to heat it up each time until the new 
ilters get here.
I work over the next several days clearing snow.  I have to warm the tractor an 
our each day first, which really cuts down on work time.  And the bad thing 
bout working my way down from the top is you still have to walk up the entire 
riveway.  We talk about getting our exercise and the admiral is a good sport 
bout the whole thing, but I tell you, carrying a case a beer up the driveway in 
he snow (now turning to ice), sucks!
Check my oil supply again.  It's been cold and the furnace has been running a 
ot.  Between what's in the tank and what's in the drum, I've got about 10 days 
eft again.  I shift into panic mode.  I'm also out of rum, beer, and wine 
gain.  This is not good!
Take half a days' vacation the next day.  Borrow a second 55 gallon drum from 
ork and put it in the back of the truck and drive to the oil dealer.  A $130 
or another 50 gallons of oil?  Yikes.  
Spend the next two hours plowing and pushing snow off with the bucket.  You 
now, pushing and digging snow with a loader is kind of nice!  This is fun!  
ice tractor!
Finally get all the way to the bottom of the driveway!  I'm clearing off the 
inal stretch and I'm working on the first curve (turn 1 at our house, we refer 
o the turns by number, starting at the bottom. Turn 3 is the real bitch).  And 
 get the tractor off to the side and get it stuck.  Real stuck.  Off the entire 
riveway stuck.  And almost ready to roll stuck.  And it's stuck where I can't 
eat it up so I know it's not going to start the next day stuck.  Stupid 
ractor!  I guess it's really the stupid tractor operator.  I'm in tears at this 
oint I'm so frustrated.
But I think I can get the truck up now and there is just enough room (2 
nches??) to get around the tractor.  Of course this is barreling up the drive, 
etting around turn one at the same time missing the tractor.  Screw up the turn 
nd I either hit the tractor or put the truck into a snow bank.  So I drink 
nother beer and make a run at it.
Well, I made it.  Couldn't have missed the tractor by much but I now have more 
il at the house.  Tell the admiral that latest situation with the tractor.  The 
dmiral is not amused.
The next day I offload the oil and load up chains, shovels, salt, a come-a-long, 
nd a blow torch.  Figure I get one shot at this.  I need to heat up the fuel 
ystem so the tractor will start and then pull it out with the truck again.  And 
ry not to roll it while pulling.
It's a nice day, the sun is out and some of the ice is melting.  I work on the 
uel system with a blow torch for an hour as the admiral shoves snow.  Tractor 
on't start.  The admiral is not amused. Stupid tractor!
Well, we figure that since we got past it with the truck once, we can do it 
gain.  Back (walking) to the house to change clothes so we can go grocery 
hopping (and hit the liquor store).  On the way back down, try the tractor once 
ore.  It starts!  Seems the sun has warmed it up enough.  Pull the truck around 
nd hook up the chain.  The admiral drives the truck and we ease the tractor out 
f the ditch, without rolling it.  I'm not taking any chances of not having the 
ractor near a heater so I take the tractor up to the house and walk back down.  
ff to restock again and we get both vehicles up the driveway that afternoon.  
eah!  Oh, and the new fuel filters are in today's mail!
The next day is oil day again.  But first I replace the fuel filters, taking a 
ath in diesel fuel doing it.  But I'm not carrying 5 gallons of oil at the time 
his time.  I can put the drum in the loader bucket and carry it around the back 
f the house where I can siphon directly from the drum to the tank.  But can I 
et the tractor through the snow back to the tank?  I try, but the snow is too 
eep.  So, I start shoveling.  I shovel the first 10 feet and try it and it 
orks!  I can drive the tractor where I shoveled and then it gets hung up again 
n the snow.  So, back to shoveling.  But it's a long way to shovel all the way 
ack to the tank. But wait a minute, I've got a loader on this tractor.  What 
he hell am I doing hand shoveling?  I'm not too bright on occasion.
So, I use the loader to clear a path to the oil tank.  Who the heck else is 
learing their back yard of snow?  But it works, I get back to the tank so back 
o the front of the house to pick up the oil barrel.  I lay it down in the 
ucket, carry it around back, and siphon the rest of the drum into my oil tank.  
eah!  Oil in the tank and a cleared driveway!  
So, tomorrow is oil day again, with the second drum of oil.  But instead of 
iphoning I'm going to pour.  I've got a spigot that fits in the drum opening 
hat so I position the whole thing above the tank and just open the valve to 
mpty the drum.  Life will be good after that. 
Now, what really, really hurts is that, not one, but two, beautiful Rhodes came 
n the market in the $8K range right after I bought my tractor.  I'm afraid I 
an't afford both a tractor new and a new boat, so the boat will have to wait 
nother year.  The admiral is not amused!
The good thing is the new fuel filters work, the tractor fires right up now. 
Feels so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am 
 tied to the bed?   
So, how's your winter going?
rob
/V Getaway



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