mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 I haven't been on in a LONG time. My husband got transferred and we've moved, blah blah etc etc. My husband became obsessed with the house we moved to, I didn't want it. I thought I would share my adventures in the last week. We now live in the middle of the woods, Friday we had the grand experience of a snake in our house. I tried to get it out but when it wrapped around my wrist I freaked out and dropped it. Turns out it is a harmless snake but I didn't know that. What I did find out is that no one will remove snakes from your house. It just so happens that someone was coming to do work for my husband and he likes snakes so he got it out for me. Bless him!!! AND this morning I'm sitting in the living room reading a book when there is a huge bang on one of the sliding glass doors. The dog and I go look and there is a pilated woodpecker stunned and dazed on my upper deck. Poor thing sat there a good 10 minutes shaking it's head and trying to figure out what was going on. I think he hurt his wing also. All I had was my cell phone to take pictures and my dog wasn't happy when I went outside without him so he started barking at it. That got the birds attention and he started screaming, LOUD. He finally got some of his bearings and made it into a tree where I watched him for awhile. Still something wrong with him so I'm going to check the ground here in a few minutes and see if he fell out and needs rescued. Here are some pictures they aren't very good. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 last one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 So Michele was he screaming louder than you? LOL I hope he made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Believe it or not the dirt on the doors is in between the panes of glass. Still don't know what to do about that. LOL Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Aaaawwwwweeeeee! he needs fixin'. Do you think he flew into the glass? He has pretty red "hair." Years ago we lived in the country. I had 2 snakes in the house and 1 bat in 7 years. We also from time to time would have birds fly into the windows and break their necks. What am I thinking? I still live in the country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Heidi, The birds don't bother me but I guarantee I was screaming louder than the bird with the snake touching me. LOL Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollyrw Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Poor birdie. I hope he's okay. About the door, if there's anything between the panes, the seal is broken. Nothing you can do about it except replace them. The sellers should be responsible if they were like that when you bought the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 OMG, that house would be up for sale, i hate snakes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Sylvia, yep the poor thing slammed into the glass full force and I just happened to right there when it happened. I went out to look for it but something moved and chickened out. Thanks to the snake adventure I found out we have 4 kinds of poisonous snakes in the area and I'm not real thrilled about running into one of them. ICK. I'll have my husband check when he gets home. I'm such a baby. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Holly, They are old doors, probably 30 years old and there are 6 of them and not an average size. I think I can take the panes apart and clean them but that glass will probably weigh a ton. I figure in 10 years or so the more important repairs will be made and then I can think about new doors. LOL. Tracey, I didn't want to move here in the first place. The house is a pit which I have nicknamed an outhouse with a kitchen. Definitely a money pit but this is what my husband wanted blah blah blah. I guess I'll just deal. I will have a wonderful sewing area though. The house is built into a hill and my huge sewing room has a fireplace and 3 sets of sliding glass doors that go out to a back patio. It will just take a long time to fix everything up. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 This is a picture of the house. It is built out of an old barn. The cathedral ceilings have the red from the old barn on the still. Old barn beams hold the house up and together. I could make it sound like a really wonderful house but it isn't . LOL Lets see if I can get this picture to post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anita Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 The bird looks young. Those guys are huge and prehistoric looking to me. I'm feeling for you on the house, Michele. We bought a fixer-upper with good bones and it's cost us a mint so far. We were aware of the problems, just not of how much each problem would cost us. Good luck with it all! Take advantage of the fact it was his preference to buy it...get the best for the sewing room as you can! :P:P:D:P Anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 i know it is your pain - but you wrote it down so hysterically that i had to collect myself. now that i have regrouped.. let me echo anitas sentiments... he picked the house - you definately get the dream studio! and if you dont want a dream studio - may i suggest some very fine jewelry? a sporty convertible? whatever floats your boat! all joking aside - it looks beautiful out there in the woods. think of how inspriring the fall colors will be. make sure that studio has lots of windows. i bet it is nice and peaceful ~ unless there are snakes in the kitchen or bewildered birds on the deck ~ and once you live out away from the hustle and bustle for a while ~ you will start to wonder how you ever made it anywhere else. for now, i say get yourself your best thing you can think of and get it while the gettings good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 The house comes with a barn red STILL? Woo! Sounds like you need that, anyway! The house does look charming, but then, I've always wanted a cabin in the woods. I live in a house built in 1935 and it has issues, so I can hear what you're saying. I hope the bird has recovered. If not, is there an animal rescue in the area you could take it to? I've had to de-snake a house before, but while my brother was up on the couch screaming (he has a dreadful fear of snakes). Mine wrapped itself around my wrist too, but I held fast until I got it outside. The cat brought it in! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 This is great!! When I was a kid there was a pilated woodpecker in the woods next to our place at the lake. My cousin and I could see it pecking at a piece of dead wood, eating bugs. Wow!! Can those guys peck loud!! We ran in the house and told our moms that there was a woodpecker the size of a chicken in the woods...they thought we were crazy. They found it we were not!! At the time they were endangered....that was just the coolest thing to see one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Linda. No they used the barn siding for the ceilings in the main room. They aren't exposed to the elements, it's my ceiling. LOL. I have hand scrapped (because I can't spell huened ??) beams all over the place and in my sewing area the bark is still on. It's an interesting house. The walls inside are all rough cut lumber which there is no way to clean them, vacuum them is the best I can do and everything sticks to it. Someday I'll find my camera and post pictures but I wouldn't hold my breath. Camera could be anywhere. Too funny about your brother I can just see that in my head, laughing. I think I would have killed the cat!!!! Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Mary Beth, We had a pair at our other house so I did a little research on them a couple of years ago. What is really sad is that what I read was that they mate for life. So if this one dies how sad for the other. They are also highly territorial and there will only be the pair in one area about 3000 sq miles. (I hope I'm remembering that right, sure doesn't sound right.) So sad, but I haven't seen the fella on the ground. They are amazing to watch and if you think their pecking is loud you should hear them scream in your face. LOL. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda G. Craig Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Oh Michelle, what a beautiful setting you have. Gorgeous surroundings for sure! I love the look of your home, so charming. But then I'm a bit biased as I LOVE living in the country -- well, more like on the prairie, but we do have lots of trees. I have a story as well about a red headed woodpecker who used to use our fireplace metal chimney. We had no idea what it was at first. It honestly sounded like a machine gun going off in the house. We ran around trying to find out what was happening, then ran outside only to find this woodpecker slamming his poor beak into the metal chimney. Sheeeesh! We've been in our home about 32 years and it's happened at least a half dozen times that we're aware of. Too funny! I wonder if he gets a headache! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWBowser Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 I don't really like snakes either. I had 2 bats in my house and sat in a corner with a tennis racket with the front and back doors open and all the lights out except for the one behind me. The bats flew out. I was very relieved. My cats that it was great and tried to catch them. Heating a house like yours must be interesting. My old house was expensive to heat. I am glad that I moved out of that house but I miss the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 I'm sure that this isn't the time to tell Tracy that out by the clothes line I found a huge black snake the other day....gave me a start. it was about 5 foot long. And Michele...I know its not the house you would have picked out, but honestly I will trade you my 1969 ranch for that lovely house in the woods...I've lived in way worse than that as I was growing up and we didn't even have indoor plumbing for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anniquilter Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 We have a pair of Pileated woodpeckers here and boy, they are big and pre-historic looking. They are also very noisy as they peck away at some of our trees. They are even louder & more scary when they peck on the house siding right outside the bedroom window at 5 am on a spring morning! Hope yours recovers soon and good luck with the snakes. Yes, both my cats love them too. I've been told there are no poisonous snakes in Vermont. Hope that's true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 Charlotte Now that you mention heating that is actually one of the good points to this house. We own gas and mineral rights on land next door so we get a certain amount of gas usage for no charge. Trying to get the gas issues figured out is a mess and I think I'm going to have to contact a lawyer to straighten everything out. Bonnie, This actually the newest house I've ever lived in. LOL. It was finished in '79. I'd be closer to Heidi if we switched!! But you can keep the snake. Oh yeah you'd probably have to keep my husband also because he won't move out of it. ROFLMAO. Last night I did see his red head up in the tree but he was 40 to 50 ft up and I scared him. I'll check again this morning to see if he fell out of the tree so I can get him help. Poor thing. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.