Jim and I are probably the only ones who were sad to see Daylight Savings Time come around where we had to spring forward. No more darker, cozy evenings. We have continued our daily long walks - we used to enjoy the setting sun and all the colors it presented through the trees...now it's still bright out when we are finished.
Speaking of walks, we are still enjoying our daily adventures. Although about a week ago, I got bit by a bulldog on our walk - with the owner standing right there with his 3 bulldogs yelling to us how friendly they are! Thank goodness for heavy coats and wool sweaters...because I still got a nasty bite that swelled up like a goose egg with distinct teeth marks. He didn't puncture the skin, mostly just scraped it. So now Jim carries a stick while we walk and dog repellent has been ordered and is on its way!
And although the temperatures were creeping up a bit, the nights are still cold so the snow has stayed around. Jim went up to Angel over the weekend and while you can now see the Honda a bit, the snow was still too high to allow the doors to be opened and for him to start it up. But on a good note, all the vehicles started up. While he was there, he took the Bobcat and plowed down to the chain so that future walks will be a little bit easier than trudging through knee-high snow.
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Things are getting exciting on the building preparation front too. Jim is still working diligently on all the construction drawings. In addition, he has to "build" the foundation on paper with those Nudura insulated concrete forms so he knows exactly what he needs and what to order. He is trying to get that done this week and then wants to go back to Vermont to meet with his rep and give him these drawings to get a quote.
But other quotes have started coming in! The first was for all the structural steel we will need - this is for the heavy-duty steel that will hold up the floors and reinforce the concrete walls and floors. We are talking I-beams that weigh 2500 pounds, steel trusses for the 2nd story that weigh a total of 2700 pounds, 1300 square feet of steel decking for the concrete floor, and 6500 feet (or 1.2 miles!) of rebar - that weighs about 5700 pounds! So this is BIG steel! He found a place in Glens Falls and they came through with the first quote. It was actually very close to what Jim had estimated, so that was good news. Jim also sent off the same quote request to a steel place in Albany. On some of the things, they came back with a lower price so that was even better!
We are going to use a lighter-weight steel for wall and roof framing instead of wood but that will come from a different supplier so will be a quote for another day.
Then we should get our Pella window quote back any day too. They had a question about screens - apparently you can get half screens for double-hung windows which I think only makes sense. Anyone who knows me knows that I have kind of a dirt phobia...never liked the windows open to bring all the outside inside to my clean house! But on Angel it will be different. The breezes we get up there are pretty incredible and we will want to have the windows open a lot more. So half screens sound nice!
Yesterday, the temps got to about 50 degrees! It was really amazing on our walk to not be totally bundled up. It makes walking a bit easier too - the snow and ice compacted in so many places is thawing out. Of course, here they use tons of sand on the roads and sidewalks so as the snow melts, it's kind of muddy. I told Jim that we definitely need a mudroom in our new house plans! That sand in your shoes would do a number on hardwood floors!
Even with the warm temps yesterday, you can see below that Angel holds onto her snow! This was the path that Jim had made previously with the Bobcat. He went up yesterday to see if a part he had ordered for the excavator would fit. Sadly, it didn't so he'll be heading back to the Bobcat store soon. 
But today, Mother Nature has sent us back into a winter wonderland! They are predicting anywhere from 12-20" of snow! It's been snowing most of the morning and everything is beautiful pristine white again. It will be a fun walk this afternoon!
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