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Family members gathered to take care of seasonal tasks. The focus was to prepare for the last chipping day of the year, coming up the following week. Peter C, Peter M, Vince, Rosemary, Sophia, and Katie came and pitched in. One of the tasks that required a team effort was clearing branches and wild grape vines from the lake road so that the chipper truck could make it down. See the photos and video posted below, notably, the hauling of vine debris by the jeep!
In recent weeks, Peter C. had been working to fix a leak in the new solar pump system-the brush inserts in the valve attachment to the pump was faulty, and needed replacing. Peter replaced them and added replacement brushes to the lock box in the pump house. However, when the system was faulty, a lot of water from the lower tanks was lost, and the spring needs time to replenish. For that reason, everyone visiting the ranch for the time being must conserve water, and not run hoses for watering. There needs to be 5 " of rain before the spring will be adequately replenished and we can begin pumping water and irrigating as normal. We did some aproximate calculations of the rate of water accumulation of the spring and came up with about 3.5 hours x 9,500 gallons of water equals about 48 gallons accruing a week in the spring.
One highlight of the work weekend was the discovery of two adorable small frogs who found refuge in the WC. I believe they are Pacific Treefrogs. Uncle Peter showed me one that was hiding under the white tin saucepan on the wall. It's good to see these amphibians doing well at Shang.
Coming up, Katie and Tessa and their broods are visiting the ranch in November, with the Madsen clan following for Thanksgiving. One task the Frank/Barrows are focusing on is stacking wood in the shed.
Rosemary arranged to have a chimney sweep come up, and Peter C. will be up there for that work to be done the Monday before Thanksgiving. I expect both groups will be picking persimmons, too.
Lastly, please check out Ingrid's story on the building of the Dutch Oven over on the History Page! Got a memory or story? Please send it to Katie and we'll add it to the site!
Happy Fall, everyone. 🍁
Seeking solitude and community at Shang is healing for us all.
In recent weeks, Peter C. had been working to fix a leak in the new solar pump system-the brush inserts in the valve attachment to the pump was faulty, and needed replacing. Peter replaced them and added replacement brushes to the lock box in the pump house. However, when the system was faulty, a lot of water from the lower tanks was lost, and the spring needs time to replenish. For that reason, everyone visiting the ranch for the time being must conserve water, and not run hoses for watering. There needs to be 5 " of rain before the spring will be adequately replenished and we can begin pumping water and irrigating as normal. We did some aproximate calculations of the rate of water accumulation of the spring and came up with about 3.5 hours x 9,500 gallons of water equals about 48 gallons accruing a week in the spring.
One highlight of the work weekend was the discovery of two adorable small frogs who found refuge in the WC. I believe they are Pacific Treefrogs. Uncle Peter showed me one that was hiding under the white tin saucepan on the wall. It's good to see these amphibians doing well at Shang.
Coming up, Katie and Tessa and their broods are visiting the ranch in November, with the Madsen clan following for Thanksgiving. One task the Frank/Barrows are focusing on is stacking wood in the shed.
Rosemary arranged to have a chimney sweep come up, and Peter C. will be up there for that work to be done the Monday before Thanksgiving. I expect both groups will be picking persimmons, too.
Lastly, please check out Ingrid's story on the building of the Dutch Oven over on the History Page! Got a memory or story? Please send it to Katie and we'll add it to the site!
Happy Fall, everyone. 🍁
Seeking solitude and community at Shang is healing for us all.
