Christmas Dinner

MENU:

Bruschetta and A Variety of Cheeses - Mother and John and Gael
Roast Beef - Mother
Two Salads - Cathy
Sweet Potatoes - John and Gael
Green Beans - Paul and Judy
Portobello Mushrooms - David and Elizabeth
Apple Crisp with Ice Cream - Brooke and Dave

We will be assembling at 3:30 on December 25 to open presents. This year we are having a "Chinese Auction" form of gift giving. Everyone brings one wrapped gift, suggested limit of $25. Everyone draws a number to decide who picks first, second and so on. The first person picks a wrapped gift. The second person can choose either a wrapped gift, or the first person's unwrapped gift. Subsequent pickers have the choice of any unwrapped gift, or a wrapped gift. The last person has the choice of any gift, including the remaining wrapped gift. The only rule is that a gift can only be traded three times, and then it remains with the person who chose it for the third time.

Thankgiving

We met at the cottage on Saturday, October 6. The menu was:

Appetizers - cheeses and curry hummus
Salad
Turkey and Stuffing
Potatoes
Veggies including Peas Masala
Pie and other desserts

Present were John, Gael, Noah and Braedon, Josh and Sarah, Paul, Judy, Lindsay, Brydon, Mother, Cathy, and David.

Plumbing and Plumbers

In 2007 we had the laundry tub hooked up to the septic tank. The work was done by M. J. Cullen in Peterborough who, I understand, are plumbers mother uses in Peterborough as well. They appear to have done a good job. The cost was $527.86 with tax.

Septic Tank. We had this pumped out in August 2005, when Paul was there. The company was Buckhorn Sand & Gravel (705) 657-9311, whom we contacted on the advice of Mr. Colbourn. It cost $150 to pump the tank, and $150 to dig down to the tank, plus taxes. They recommend pumping every two to three years, but I think we are thinking more we will have it done every 5 years. They also do excavating, landscaping, shorelines, retaining walls, and anything else that involves hauling sand and gravel. As a general rule it is estimated that the life span of a septic system is 25 to 30 years, but unknown whether that would be different when it is only used in the summer. We had it pumped out again in 2009 after it appeared to have been overloaded by all the people present on Labour Day.

According to a February, 2010 story in the Globe and Mail about architect Dee Dee Taylor Hannah building a cottage on Stoney Lake, Drain Brothers (yes, their name really is Drain) are the go to people for septic tanks in our area. She called him the "local hero".

John bought a new pump in 2003 at a cost of $265.04 plus $20 for fittings and other stuff for a total of $285.04.

The plumber we used in 2003 to repair a line under the cottage, was Martin's Plumbing and Repairs in Lakefield, (705) 652-3444. They charged $50.00 an hour. I don't know if anyone had an impression of them or not. Later that year we used Peter Craig to install new kitchen taps for about $100.

Excellent Tree Cutting Adventure

Work on cutting down a dead tree at the cottage had been planned for some time. Emergency services in the vicinity had been alerted and advised of Paul's blood type. Everyone hoped that someone else remembered what tree had to be cut now that they had no leaves and all appeared equally dead.

Paul and Judy went up the night before to try to warm the cottage by morning. John, Gael, Gabe, Fran, and David arrived Saturday midday. John bought a chain saw, newly bought for the cottage, and David brought an extension ladder which he bought that morning in Peterborough, also for the cottage. Paul brought a willingness to climb said ladder and attach a rope to the tree, in the hope that it would aid in determining where it fell (it didn't). Gabe brought snowshoes. Gael, Judy and Fran brought food and wine and bonhomie.

The tree fell in a good place, to no one's credit but nature's. It missed everything valuable, including the water vent pipe, and only took out a few branches of the old cedar tree.

No neighbours were annoyed in the cutting down of this tree.



Paul and Gabe Study the Situation



Paul up a Tree



Success



Paul Surveys the Damage



John Gathers Firewood



The audience was smaller than expected.



The Cottage in Winter



Walk Around the Lake







The Lake in Winter

Tools and Equipment Bought

Extension Ladder:

David bought this at Home Depot in Peterborough in March, 2007, at a cost of $142.50.

Chain Saw:

John bought this in early 2007 for $108.20 plus chain saw oil took it to around $120.00, however, John and Gael generously rounded it off to $100.00. There is a manual for the chainsaw in the boathouse.

Hydro and Electrical Matters

In October, 2009, John arranged to have our electrical service inspected, because our hydro bill had suddenly shot up. Here is what he reported.

"I called Jim(?) Johnson of Johnson Electric, who came down to the cottage and we talked about some of the problems we have been having.

He told me that the electric panel we have is top notch. They don't make them anymore, but he thinks what we have is very good and would not recommend replacing it. He also thinks the wiring we have is fine.

He suggested that the reason the hot water heater is tripping the switch so often is that the elements need replacing. He thinks he actually replaced them at our cottage about 10 years ago. He suggested that old elements tend to break and the two pieces to move apart. Electricity then starts to fire across the gap. This makes for a lot of hydrogen and oxygen, runs up the electric bill, and shorts our the circuit. He thought replacing the part now would simply allow them to corrode over the winter and shorten their lifespan, so he suggested spring was a better time. We will have to call him in the spring to get this done.

As for the heat, he thinks we really just need to get different electric baseboard heaters. The ones we have are likely drawing about 1500 watts, while each circuit likely has a load capacity of about 1800 watts. Two heaters on one circuit is going to trip the switch every time. Rather than rewiring the cottage, maybe we just need to replace the heaters. He told me of lost of pretty cool heaters which would do the trick, including some that go below the floor and look like regular furnace registers."

Hydro Service

Our service is provided by Hydro One. Their web site is here.

Usage:

Our meter is read once a year, in mid-June. For the rest of the year, readings are estimated every three months, so we pay quarterly at a more or less equal rate, even though our use is all in the summer. At the next June reading, it is brought into line so to speak and we start all over again.

Our usage costs are around $20-$25 for a three month period or around $7-$8 a month.

Delivery Charges:

Our delivery charge is the main part of our hydro cost. We are classified as Seasonal High Density. High density rates are lower than normal density rates. They are fixed by the Ontario Energy Board.

Delivery costs take into account the cost of maintenance and service calls. They are composed of a fixed charge and a fluctuating volume charge.

Hydro One explains that:

Delivery charges vary according to the classification or type of electric service you have at your residence. Your service classification is based on the customer density in your area: high or normal. Our rates reflect the cost to serve customers in each density classification, which means that rates are higher for customers in less densely populated areas.

Our current fixed delivery cost is $18.77 a month. This rate is the same for all of Ontario. Our average total delivery charge is $23.98 a month.

The Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Association has criticized this approach because it does not promote conservation. It recommends that users should pay more for actual usage and less for fixed costs. In an article in Cottage Life in the October 2007 issue, one David Zimmer made the same point. He wrote that he and his family tried everything they could think of to lower their hydro bill, reducing their use to almost zero, but it had almost no effect on their bill. So they now use hydro luxuriously, and again it makes almost no difference in their bill

Tree Clearing

Tree Clearing

There are two birch trees near the hammock that are dead and need to be cut down. David and John are agreed that any successful plan to remove these trees will involve two essential elements.

1) Beer.

2) Paul. To wit, in some circumstance of imminent peril, possibly on top of a long extension ladder with a chain saw, or holding a rope and pulling the tree in the direction we want it to fall, while others cut it down.

Any additional suggestions will be appreciated.

---

July 31, 2006

Actually, there are - or were - three trees that were dead and needed to be removed. While at the cottage I noticed that one of the trees which held one end of the swings near the barbeque was also dead. In fact, it had essentially already succumbed to gravity and was only upright because some other tree's branches were providing it with physical - rather than moral - support. Since this tree was within an eyelash of the Colbourn's property line and a stack of construction materials they have lining the fence, my mouth watered at the chance to do some damage.

The experience was enlightening especially with regard to future tree cutting. In this case I cut through the tree at about shoulder level, then smacked the trunk with a sledge hammer. This is good practice; don't you always see pictures of real lumber jacks hitting trees with sledge hammers?

Anyway, the tree came down exactly the same height as the saw cut and remained standing, only about five feet shorter than it was. The rest of trunk lay across my feet. So I went through the same process again and the tree went exactly where I, at least publicly, didn't want it to go. The video will appear on America's Funniest Home Videos in the coming months. I jumped around like a cricket on a griddle as the tree dropped from it's perch, then did a perfect swan dive across the fence and into the pile of whatever tubes, wood and metal the Colbourns hold precious.

Would have taken a stick of dynamite to cause any harm to the Colbourn's property though, so no (significant) damage done.

I will have ideas on what to do with the other trees once we have picked up the beer. - John

Work Done by John (and Gael)

Beach

Following excellent leadership by Elizabeth and David(?), John thinks we have reclaimed our beach, or most of it at anyrate. The process was tedious, but John dug out most of the weeds and grass which had not been already dealt with by David and Elizabeth. While there is still more to do, John thinks the place has a better feel to it. He also dragged most of what was dug up to the back of the cottage and deposited it between the parking area and the road. Should anyone ever need a tan but be disinclined to sit near the boathouse, there is plenty of sandy beach at the back now. We may even have enough for beach volleyball, much like when we first purchased the place.

John suspects much of the new look for the beach is cosmetic and at least some of the green stuff will grow back. However perhaps we have learned our lesson; the price of a great looking water-front property is to remain ever vigilant. A bit of work each year may help us keep things looking good.

John also suggests that people who engage in further beach weeding remember that there is an electric cable that runs under the sand from the boathouse to the night lights near the barbeque.

Back Steps

Having watched in admiration as Gabe fell down the back steps in 2006 while holding his bicycle in his arms, John thought he might try to secure them better so they wouldn't wobble when you were carrying a greater load than necessary. So the steps are now fastened to the supporting wall and, while they will not withstand a determined effort to dislodge them, they may make a night time arrival less eventful.

Clothes Lines

Tired of having rust stains and catch marks on most of her clothes, Gael replaced all the clothes lines at the cottage with newer nylon cord and new clothes pins.

Boat Repairs

Motorboat

In 2006 David repaired the rear starboard corner of the motorboat, which had disintegrated a little. The metal part to which the rope attaches had come loose. David used bondo Fiberglass Repair Kit, available from Home Hardware in Lakefield. Due to certain errors in calculation, there are no resin or hardener left, although there is enough fiberglass mat remaining to build another boat. This is stored in the locker. David replaced the three bolts, which are 2 1/2" machine screws. The oversized washers are called fender washers, also available from Home Hardware. There is an extra bolt and some washers in the plastic storage container in the boathouse.

Canoe

David used bondo Body Filler to fill in the space between the gunwales. and got about 3/4 of it done, including the worst spots, before it ran out. If it seems to work we can fill in the rest another time. Applied two coats of Miniwax Helmsman Spar Urethane (Improved Formula!), newly bought for the purpose. Nearly a full can remains. If this doesn't work we may have to consider fiberglass on the gunwales also.

Other Expenses

Motor. We take the motor to Haultain Service, whose address is Woodview but they are north on Highway 28 from our road. Normally when we store it there they winterize it, and in the spring they replace the spark plugs and gear oil and grease the motor and lubricate the unit plug washers (whatever those are) and replace the cotter pin and make sure it starts. Storage used to cost $70 but in 2006 went up to $75 and in 2008 to $80.00. Added to that are parts and taxes. Parts are apt to vary slightly from year to year. In 2005 we had the water pump replaced for $103.50 parts and labour, plus taxes. We bought the motor in 1997 at Paris Marine for $2,195-$50 (trade in) = $2,145

Chimney Sweep. In 2003 we used Jeff Martin, who charged us $85.55. I have no idea who Jeff Martin is, I just have the name.

Appliances and Furniture. In 2009 mother spent $214.09 on a new garbage bin.

John and Gale bought the electric heater in the living room in 2008 for approximately $100.00

John and Gael arranged for us to buy the refrigerator in May 2004. It had a list price of $689.99 although taxes and charges for delivery and removal of old fridge rounded it up to $800.

Miscellaneous Expenses:

• 2010. Paul spent over $100, which we rounded off, on various cottage related expenses, again including raccoon related expenses.
  
• 2009. John spent $138.06 on materials to rebuild the barbecue. Mother spent$109.65 on paint.
  
• 2006. Mother spent $34.21 on materials to repair the garbage bin.
• 2005. Mother spent $68.98 for paint for the canoe, at Adventure Outfitters in Lakefield.
• 2003. Mother spent $75.27 on locks.

Phone. We do not share this. Mother still pays it. We have to settle any long distance costs with her.

Insurance

Our policy is with State Farm. We deal with the Brian Mulligan Insurance Agency in Peterborough, 273 Hunter Street West, Unit 12, (705) 749-5424. Our policy is renewed on March 10 every year.

Reassessment 2011:

In 2011 our coverage was reassessed through an on site visit by our broker, and as a result, our coverage was increased from $113,300 to $152,000, with a corresponding increase in our premium.

CURRENT COVERAGE:

We have the following coverage, which is current for 2011:

• dwelling (cottage) $155,500 (our coverage is automatically increased each year, according to inflation)
• dwelling extension (boathouse) $15,500 (10% of dwelling coverage)
• personal property $85,525 (55% of dwelling coverage)
  
• personal liability $1,000,000
• damage to property of others $500
• medical payments to others $5,000

We increased the personal liability from $500,000 for a mere increase of $10.00 in our premium. Personal property coverage is automatically set at 55% of cottage coverage, and cannot be reduced, and even if it were reduced the saving would be minimal.

Boats are covered automatically if they are 16' or less, for up to $1,000 a boat. For boats longer than 16', or if we want coverage greater than $1,000, we need to take out a boat policy, which would add roughly $100 to our premium. Our green boat with the outboard motor is 14'. If we ever get the fireplace or woodstove going again, we need to advise the insurance company and this may alter our premium.

DEDUCTIBLE:

In 2008 our deductible was increased by State Farm Insurance to $1,000. This may explain why we had a relatively small increase in our premium in that year.

It had previously been $500. At that time we were able to set the deductible at $500, or 1/2%, 1%, 2%, or 3% of the dwelling coverage. In 2004 I calculated that increasing our deductible to 1% of the dwelling coverage would have saved us approximately $60 a year on our premium. Thus, if we made a claim in the next nine or so years, and had to pay a deductible of $1,066 instead of $500, we would lose the advantage of the lower premium. Put another way, the 1% deductible would only save us money if we made no claims in the next nine or so years. I circulated this information in 2004 and there was no overwhelming response in favour of increasing the deductible.

CLAIM FREE DISCOUNT:

Because we have not made a claim for 3 years (or ever), we receive a claim free discount of $162.

INFLATION ADJUSTMENT:

Coverage for the cottage is automatically increased every year according to an inflation index. Since coverage is for replacement of the cottage, the index is based on the cost of building a new cottage, which means the cost of contractors and building materials, and this index may be different from the general cost of living inflation index.

In 2003 our cottage coverage was $87,300. By 2007 it had increased by $19,300 or 22% which is probably higher than inflation as measured by the CPI. From 2006 to 2007 the Inflation Coverage Index at the cottage increased from 242.2 to 253.7, whereas in Mississauga it increased by only 2.00%. In 2008 it only increased to 254.9.

Television

Bell ExpressVu Account Information:
The phone number associated with the account is 705-743-5348 (Mother's number, not the cottage number). The address is GD Woodview, Ontario, K0L 3E0. The pin number is just 0520. This pin number allegedly allows us to do transactions, including starting and stopping service, by automated phone service (see below). Security is tighter here than at CSIS. Only mother and David are listed as persons permitted to deal with Expressvu. A number to reach them at is 1-888-759-3474.
Information on the service is available at http://www.bell.ca/shop/PrsShpTv_Landing.page. We can log in to view our account with Username "Thelonious" and password "Mickey05" at that site or http://www.bell.ca/selfcare. Username and password are case sensitive.
Bear in mind when dealing with Bell Sympatico that nothing is ever the same, policies change like the desert sands, and four different representatives will always give you four different answers.
Programming:
We always have the Digital Standard Service which was $27 a month and went up to $31 in February 2007. This includes over 100 channels. We have always also ordered a package of extra channels for those cold wet days and nights when there is nothing else to do.
In 2007 we ordered the Digital Essentials, which added five theme packs to the Digital Standard Service. These theme packs are: News and Learning 1; Sports 1 and 2; Variety 1; and Lifestyle 1. We can add additional theme packs for $5 each. This service does not include the Premium Movies. The cost of this package is: Digital Standard Service at $31.00; 5 themes at $20.00; total cost = $51.00. Our monthly bill, with tax, is $58.14.
In 2006 we changed packages because the one we had previously used no longer existed. We had the "12 Themes and Premium Movies" package. Our 12 themes were; Family 1 and 2, More Movies, Sports 1 and 2, News & Learning 1 and 2, Variety 1, 2 and 3, and Lifestyle 1 and 2. This package costs $61.00 a month, not including the Digital Standard Service. We also had some things called Buzztime Trivia, Kidswise, and Playin Combo. These together cost $14.00 a month. Monthly total when these were all added up was $102.00 a month, not including taxes. There was consensus that this was too expensive.
In 2005 we had the "Ultimate 7" package, which was the basic service plus 7 Theme Packs, plus movies. We paid a total of $73.58.
Suspending and Starting Service:
To suspend service therefore, you go to the site and enter username Thelonious and password mickey05, and then enter the pin number 0520. The site you want is "My Bell".
For 2009-10 service was suspended on November 4 and is scheduled to come back on on May 21, 2010.
We are allowed to suspend service for as little as six weeks and a maximum of seven months (it used to be six months).
We have to suspend the service in the fall. We generally keep it on until after Thanksgiving, in case anyone feels it important to watch Texas lose another big game. It appears that there is a charge of $15 a month if we suspend service through a service representative, but only $10 a month if it is done through the automated service.
Seven months after we turn the service off, the service is turned back on automatically. If we want it turned on earlier we can contact them. We are supposed to be able to do this also through the automated phone service. They say they need 24 hours notice.
When we suspend service we will receive some money back, since when we make our monthly payments we are paying for the month ahead. In 2007 we received a credit at the end of the year of $46.00 but this is not shown in the figures for 2007 but rather was deducted from our first bill in 2008, and so it shows up in 2008, since we are on "real time" accounting.