We Entertained!
We entertained our first overnight guests last night! Our good friends, the Wilkus’, with son, Ryan, are here. And, we are expecting even more folks today, for brunch. Cyndie’s parents are going to make their first visit. This will serve as a bit of a test for our planned Thanksgiving holiday, as we’ve invited quite a few folks for that feastly event.
Last night, we built a fire outside and cooked steaks, in the dark. The temperatures were relatively mild for this time of year, and there was nothing more than a whisper of wind, so it was plenty comfortable to be out around the fire after dinner, melting marshmallows for s’mores. Wonderfully rustic.
The 5 of us easily fit around the old Hays family table for dinner, even though, for the table to work in the space available, we’ve removed all of the 5 center leaves. It will be expanded to full capacity for Thanksgiving, but doing so will block the doorway to our garage, so we will only go to that extreme on rare occasions.
Even though the time switched back to standard time last night, I feel like we stayed up a little too late, watching part of the movie, Koyaanisqatsi. It seemed like a good idea, at the time, but when I mentioned I was falling asleep on the flick, Cyndie and Ryan both echoed the same, and we called it a night. Barb and Mike had already retired to their new little camping trailer they brought to test. It is a pull-behind that is about the size of a 4-person tent, but with hook up for electricity like a full-size RV. Pretty cute.
Our guests are well-informed about many aspects of how things work. I got a lesson in changing the main water filter, Ryan tested an outdoor light fixture that isn’t working, and they showed me the house alarm system still works, even though we aren’t subscribed to a monitoring service.
It is really rewarding to host guests who provide valuable information! I plan to learn as much as possible from them during the remainder of this visit.
Relative Something 
Ian, I learned more about how the septic system works, the water softener behaves, and they showed me how to adjust the control of our water pressure. We also learned that it takes longer than we expected for our in-floor heat in the sunroom to get up to temperature. We didn’t think it was working, but it is, just takes more time than we thought.
johnwhays
November 5, 2012 at 8:53 pm
Great going!
Ian Rowcliffe
November 6, 2012 at 4:48 am
Ah, the old Hays family table – I have heard tell of it!!!
Quite important for the moment about the alarm system – so when are you getting Cyndie a puppy or shouldn’t I ask? I think I’d be tempted to get a husky, but I guess you have your preferences. A good dog does give you a feeling of security – I can’t imagine living without one. Of course, it would need to learn to get on with horses:-)
Ian Rowcliffe
November 4, 2012 at 4:52 pm
We may add a cat before we get a dog. We can use the immediate help controlling mice, and they can get along on their own better, while we are away for long spans of time.
Both Cyndie and I have a strong affection for huskies!, but for our purposes, we think there are other breeds, or even a mutt, that will be better suited. I’d like a dog that would be interested in ridding the area of moles and gophers, in addition to discouraging other unwelcome critters (raccoons, coyotes), and, most importantly, be a friend and protector and companion to horses.
johnwhays
November 4, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Right, so what sort of dog would that be? Unfortunately, there may be many abandoned dogs to choose from at a dog shelter. You may have heard that Stephanie found a home for one a few months back that followed her home. Obviously, my thinking was that a dog might dissuade unwelcome visitors exactly when you are not around. Clearly, the previous owners put in that alarm system for a reason. Nevertheless, I can see that you may not exactly have the time to train a dog right now… everything has happened so quickly. Did your friends give you any more tips?
Ian Rowcliffe
November 5, 2012 at 3:56 am