Layer cake and a lot of 2s

No matter how much snow we get, there still seems to be "only" 2 feet on the ground. I went to walk through the snow to try to take some more photos yesterday, and had trouble keeping my 2 feet on the ground! There are 2 thick layers of snow, with a layer of ice between and on top—a snow layer cake with ice for frosting (frost for icing?). I fell on my butt, and couldn't get back up—partly because I was laughing at myself, and partly because I couldn't push up from anything. My hands couldn't find the ground any easier than my feet.

I revived my old non-digital Minolta so that I could take some better photos of the eagle. Of course he has been in hiding since I got the camera running, but I did see a red-tail hawk in his absence.

Richie came back this morning to finish up 2 of the things on the punchlist from way back. The knots in the white dining room ceiling are now primed and painted (for the third time), and the drywall has been cut back from the woodstove flue to where it should have been in the first place (2" from the insulated pipe).

The only remaining punchlist items are to paint the knots on the tiny porch ceiling in the spring, and to work on the Andersen french door so that it stops leaking air. Of course if Jim the Builder waits long enough to take care of these piddly things, we are certain to find more things to whine about...but for all intents and purposes, the house is still done, and we are very happy with it.

I did not mention to Jim (yet) about my concern with the large icicles hanging from the roof (in photo) but Susan the Architect assured me that they should not cause an ice dam or leak because there is protection in place to avoid that. It's OK, Jim, we DO love our new house!

Related articles

• Handyman on call: Answers to your wintertime worries (boston.com)
• Ice Dams can Damage Your Home from the Inside Out (homesecuritysource.com)
• There's No Fun Like Snow Fun (timesunion.com)