Far Muse
December 2009
"North River Mills Shop Journal, Part I"
By Ted Kalvitis
Foreword:
I just put the March/April "Of Grease and Chaff" in the mail to Peggy at Antique Power magazine. I've been communicating with editors and assistant editors at several outdoor sports magazines, looking for a niche there as well. The general manager of one of these publications is an Antique Power reader, so I've passed a writer's milestone--running into oneself in the publishing world. Oh, well, better to pass a milestone than a kidney stone, though the latter is probably more dramatic.
The tractor repair business is slow but steady--an agreeable pace, really. I was starting to allow myself to think that I was getting caught up on some of my regular duties when daughter/website manager Jessi said, "And your Far Muse story for December is . . . ?"
I just don't have a lot to share at the moment so, dear reader, I hope that you'll accept my journal entries from the new shop facility at North River Mills. I'm leaving out some details because they will be discussed in the next Traveling Mechanic column in Antique Power, and it's not nice to scoop your own publisher.
I'm starting with the day that we first started the cleanup of the place. You'll see references to Steve and Terry; they are my landlords.
"North River Mills Shop Journal, Part I"
July 18, 2009
The day of the docent. "Docent" is a word that I've bumped into more today than at any other time in my life. Some day, I'll look it up.
In my terminology, though, this is the first wave of the assault--storming the beaches, as it were, of this project. As with any such "assault," you prepare as much as possible, but you won't know what your real needs are until the end of the first day. I started the day by going to the bank and then to CVS for trash bags and 35mm film, then to Food Lion for beer and ice, of course.
Took Rte. 127 to Coldstream Road at Slanesville. A beautiful day with lots of haymaking going on. Large round bales dotted the fields with the dark, cool-looking mountains in the distance. Entering NRM (North River Mills), I saw many people and tents at the old Audrey Croston place. I told Jessi that I would be there at noon but was 40 minutes late--needed to wash the truck for photos, etc. A Honda SUV was parked in front of the shop, very much in the way.
A woman of mature years walked over from a group of people and introduced herself as a "docent," leading a group of people on a hike to Ice Mountain. The group was from Shepherdstown, WV. For some reason, she and the others in her group found us especially interesting, and took several photos.
One of the old locals stopped by with his basset hound peering happily out of the truck window. When I told him what we were up to, he said he was going straight home to break his tractor. (It's a mid-70s Ford 3000; I'm not holding my breath) Jessi and I tore into the job, removing great quantities of old leaves from the building adn bagging the obvious trash. Found the late Bruce Miller's "stash" of Jim Beam. Bruce passed away about 22 years ago, and the stuff had gone bad.
Jessi was a whirlwind. In fact, she's doing most of the project, acting as liason by email with Steve, etc. It seems that all I had to do was to come up with the idea.
What we wound up with was the place swept out, many antique iron gee-gaws displayed on level surfaces for Steve to make decisions over, and much not-so-old stuff--bee keeping equipment, Christmas figures, window frames, an exercise bike, some old mattresses and box springs that were obviously trash but for which we didn't have hauling space. Wound up with a lot of trash on the truck.
Local farmers were going by, hauling hay, as well as lots of other local folks that we either didn't notice or didn't recognize. Our activity would be well publicized shortly.
Knocked off, went home and cleaned up. Went to a picnic at Marino's with Steph. The old Noland Cemetary is there; lots of interesting historical talk about the markers with Laddy, Chuck, etc.
During our cleanup earlier, we found such tools as a rake and a broom there, which were of great help. We dubbed them the "docent broom" and the "docent rake."
Monday, July 20, 2009:
Transported the trash to the dump. Got permission from Steve to publish his phone number in Antique Power (for information regarding the annual North River Mills/Ice Mountain festival). He was very impressed with the progress so far. We made arrangements for Saturday. Steve and Terry wouldn't be there, but he would leave written instructions as to which stuff goes where.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009:
Mailed "The Traveling Mechanic" column featuring the shop to Antique Power. Jessi sent the related electronic images.
Thursday, July 23, 2009:
Worked on a grant letter. Called Peggy at Antique Power to explain the electronic messages that had arrived there (I left a voicemail). Peggy emailed Jessi to thank her for the material.
Friday, July 24, 2009:
I was at the Beavers farm near Middleburg, VA, pulling the radiator from the 1940 Farmall H when I stopped to access my voicemail. I found a message from Steve. He explained that he was a hopeless packrat and that I should not haul anything to the dump but rather place the stuff for storage in the part of the building closest the road.
This was to include the mattresses and boxsprings that were stored there for use in the old inn during youth church camps. He apparently hadn't looked at the mattresses closely enough to notice the damage done by rodent defecation.
Back home, I called Terry and told her I would comply precisely with Steve's request. I also described the condition of the mattresses. She authorized their disposal.
Saturday, July 25, 2009:
Entrance height: 75 inches. Floor: 1 inch oak on 3.5 foot centers on log joists. Drop from floor to ground at entrance: 10 inches. Entrance width: 79 inches. Interior width, excluding workbenches: 115 inches. Depth at present, with grain bin, etc.: 136 inches.
The above dimensions describe the center part of the building only, and do not include the two attached lean-to structures. The dimensions relate to the available secure, lockable space.
I'm working alone today. Jessi is at her job at Harvest Moon. Played NPR on the radio--opera. Sounded good in these surroundings. Concentrated on emptying the middle bay of Steve and Terry's stuff, as well as old stuff left by the Millers, and moving it to the agreed-upon place. Also tried to determine floor strength and designed a ramp to get tractors into the building. Scheduled a Kioti in need of a clutch replacement.
Almost tossed a match on the burn pile, but decided to wait until the hay was removed from the corn crib downwind. More traffice exposure. Glen Burton stopped by at the red barn across the road to feed the barn cats. Went home via Coldstream. Some progress on the old Pepper place. The screen door that Steph made when we lived there is still there, as is the shelf by the window from which we sold peaches.
July 28, 2009:
The fellow with the Kioti called in the evening. I was able to talk him into holding off a little longer and thus be the first customer at the North River Mills shop, rather than the on-site repair first proposed. He and I agreed that it might be another 2 or 3 weeks.
July 29, 2009:
Went up to "The Mills" via Coldstream Road from Capon Bridge. Arrived at the project during a gentle rain. Promptly loaded the mattresses and box springs, dumping at least a peck of rat droppings nest material onto the floor in the process. Once the mattresses were loaded, I borrowed the "docent broom" and swept most of it out of the door. Some, though, fell through the cracks in teh floor and remains under the building. I'm considering sweeping some burnt lime through the cracks to cover it up. How about lye? I discarded the gloves I had been wearing.
Gassed up at Slanesville, then went to the dump to complete this task. I wasn't thrilled to be hauling such a gross load, but it represented the clean-up of neat old barn, which made it well worth it.
Saturday, August 1, 2009:
Neither Steph nor Jessi were available to help as they were making their way home from Steph's folks' place in South Carolina.
Went to NRM via Rte. 127, etc. Arrived to find a van with Colorado plates parked at the "shop"--if I dare call it that yet. Several other vehicles were parked up the road. A tourist wandered by looking for the porta-potty. I gave him directions, and made him aware of the option of using the traditional facilities on the hill. I probably should have taken the .410 and a can of Hot Shot up there and "softened up" the place a little first . . . .
Had some interesting conversations with the departing tourists as they escorted their kids to the final porta-potty visits. I told the story of the Confederate troops' breakfast being usurped by the Yanks. (again) Already the unofficial docent.
I found my way into the old inn through the kitchen door and looked for a shovel with which to remove the last bits of dried rat droppings from the shop. None. The Miller's old Ashley wood stove that Bruce used to brag about lay as a pile of rusted sheet metal and collapsed stovepipe. The familiar Ashley stove top and thermostat lay on top of the pile.
I had recently told someone, after my severe yellow jacket attack, that I wished yellow jackets could be more like butterflies. After seeing Monarchs, Viceroys, and other smaller butterfly species alighting on this pile and apparently enjoying it, I'm not so sure that we may not be as well off with a couple of venomous stinging insect species to give us perspective.
Anyway, I cleaned off the two tables (these are affixed to opposite walls at diagonal corners and will hereafter be referred to as work benches). Boxed up and labeled some things and put them away in the bay closest to the road. Swept the tables (errr, work benches) off again, and swept and swept the seemingly eternal dust and cobwebs. Hung some old-timey iron stuff on the walls.
Seemed like a good time to quit. More hay trucks were going by. Went home via Coldstream, popping a cold beer in an effort to wash away the unsavory dust. Clothes went straight into the washer when I got home.
Well, these entries are taking up a little more space than I thought they would. I thought that they could be condensed into one Far Muse installment, but we're still in August and entries have been made into December. There are many more interesting things in these entries--yes! More interesting than rat droppings!
Should I continue with these journal entries, or with some unrelated stories? Please let me know. My email address is tedkalvitis@yahoo.com.
Arrived: 12:40 p.m.
Time Out: 3:54 p.m.
Cell phone test: OK
NPR reception: Excellent
Time in: 1:23 p.m.
Time out: 4:51 p.m.