by Robert Fischer
I’m looking out at a beautiful warm sunny day in the woods as I write this. The time draws short before we close up Potlatch and head south for the winter. It is always a sad time but also exciting looking forward to the charms of St. Simons.
Potlatch is a beehive of activity today with my Mexican friends here blowing leaves off all the roofs and around the big cabin. There is always much to do to make sure everything is secure for the winter months. As luck would have it, the big gas heater in the kitchen—the one that is essential to prevent frozen pipes—went out yesterday. KC, our man Friday, showed up early this morning to fix it but has to order a part. That means I will be using the kitchen wood stove exclusively for heat as the temperature falls below freezing this week. Fortunately, with the leaves off the big roof, it is now safe to fire up the stove without fear of sparks igniting the leaves.
KC also drained the water in the White Pine Saloon. He had winterized all the out buildings last week so we are now just about finished with everything and can depart soon without worry. He will also pick up a new battery for the mule and has hooked both it and the golf cart up to maintenance chargers to keep the batteries humming while idle. Poison has been put out in all the machinery to keep the mice from eating the electrical wires.
Ah, the burdens of country living. Worth every minute of it!