Chainsaws, Plumbing Leaks, and Frustration at Memory Lane

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Last night honestly was not great.

I went to bed with a stomach ache and barely slept at all. Between not feeling well and constantly waking up throughout the night, this morning started very slowly.

By the time I finally got out of bed it was already around 10:30 AM.

Morning Visitors 🌺

Before really starting the day, Wyatt and I took a slow walk down Memory Lane.

But even before stepping outside this morning, I noticed one of the ruby throated hummingbirds feeding from the window feeder attached directly to the camper window.

Watching them hover just inches away while sitting inside is honestly pretty incredible.

The more time passes, the more comfortable they seem to be getting around us.

At this point they regularly hover around the trees and feeders near the camper throughout the day, especially during the quieter morning hours.

When I finally stepped outside with Wyatt, I immediately noticed a beautiful Luna Moth sitting on the window.

It is amazing how many things you miss in life when you are moving too fast.

Between the hummingbirds feeding outside the camper and the Luna Moth resting quietly on the window, the property almost feels different every morning lately.

The more time we spend here, the more wildlife seems to appear around us.

Honestly, sitting there watching hummingbirds zip around while slowly waking up was probably one of the more peaceful parts of the entire day.

The Chainsaw Redemption 🌲

The first thing I wanted to do this morning was test the Vevor chainsaw after yesterday’s restart issue.

Surprisingly, it fired right up with absolutely no problem.

So at this point I really do believe the issue was likely caused by an airlock after completely running the saw out of fuel, although it is still possible I may have partially flooded it while trying to restart it repeatedly.

That officially bumps my review up from an 8 to a 9.

After testing it, I went back inside, changed into an old pair of jeans and work boots, sprayed myself down with Permethrin, and headed back out into the orchard.

Today I cut down another dead tree and started cleaning up some of the deadfall branches and hanging limbs that have been bothering me around the property.

That is when things got interesting again.

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When Trees Fight Back ⚠️

At one point while cutting a heavy hanging limb, the branch pivoted in the exact opposite direction I expected.

The weight shifted instantly and pinched my chainsaw bar so tightly there was absolutely no chance I was pulling it back out manually.

The branch was simply too heavy.

So I walked over to the workshop and grabbed the chainsaw attachment for my Vevor 6 in 1 weed wacker, brush cutter, pole saw combo tool.

Ironically, the pole saw attachment was one feature I had never actually used before.

Thankfully setup only took a few minutes.

Once assembled, I used the pole saw attachment to carefully cut the pressure point and free my trapped chainsaw.

Honestly, it worked surprisingly well.

Vevor 6 in 1 Tool Review Update 🛠️

Since I wound up using the pole saw attachment today to free my trapped chainsaw, I think it is only fair to give some honest thoughts on the Vevor 6 in 1 tool itself.

At the moment, I would probably rate it somewhere around a 6.5 to 7 overall.

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The reason the score is not higher is not because it does not work. It actually does work fairly well overall and my partner especially seems to really like using it.

The problem is more about the little issues and frustrations that keep adding up over time.

For example:

When I first got the unit, one of the brackets was not aligned properly from the factory. I spent days fighting with it before eventually giving up. Thankfully my partner and son later figured out what was wrong and managed to get it realigned.

Then there is the spring loaded locking pin that connects the powerhead to the attachment arm.

One of those pins seized up on literally the first day and became extremely difficult to move. Even today while switching attachments, I noticed the pin still feels stiff and problematic.

That concerns me long term.

I also noticed while using the chainsaw attachment that the saw itself did not seem to have a tremendous amount of torque. It bogged down fairly easily under load.

Now to be fair, it is possible I simply did not have everything tightened enough, so I need to continue monitoring that before fully blaming the equipment itself.

Another issue is the plastic support handle that clamps onto the shaft.

No matter how much I tighten it, the handle still wants to rotate and move around. Because it would not stay tight, the foam grip on the handle has already worn through after only a few weeks of use.

At some point I will probably have to modify it or shim it somehow so it locks firmly into place.

So overall:
, It works
, It is versatile
, The attachment system is convenient
, The pole saw attachment definitely saved me today

But there are enough quality and fitment issues that I cannot honestly rate it nearly as highly as I currently rate the standalone Vevor chainsaw.

Still, for the price point, it has managed to stay useful around the property so far.

At that point though I decided I was probably done cutting trees for the day.

Rainy but Sunny ☀️🌧️

After putting the equipment away, I headed back inside for lunch and finished off the shepherd’s salad my partner made before heading downstate.

Her shepherd’s salad is excellent.

Right as I started getting ready to clean the house, it started raining again.

That has basically been the pattern all day:
, Rain a little
, Get sunny
, Rain again
, Cool off
, Then clear back up

It honestly has been a pretty nice day overall despite the scattered rain.

I quickly ran back outside, gathered up all the tools, and slid everything underneath the camper to keep it dry.

Cleaning Day at Camp 🧹

Eventually I made it back inside and decided to finally clean up around camp a bit.

I probably cleaned about 50% of the house today:
, Put things away
, Folded and stored laundry
, Rotated the mattress so it wears more evenly
, Removed enough Wyatt hair from the couch to build another dog 😂

While cleaning dishes, I realized I should probably hard boil the eggs before they went bad.

Before boiling them, I did what is called a water check.

For anyone unfamiliar with that:
Fresh eggs sink in water.
Older eggs begin standing upright or floating because air slowly builds inside the shell over time.

If an egg floats completely, it is usually considered spoiled and should not be eaten.

Thankfully all but 2 of the eggs passed the test.

So I boiled them all and set them aside to cool.

All of those eggs will eventually become part of Wyatt’s food prep over the next few weeks.

I will freeze them along with some of his other food batches.

Wyatt seems to really enjoy:
, Hard boiled eggs
, Blueberries
, Frozen vegetables like carrots and corn
, Small portions of steak or chicken mixed into his regular food

Today was egg prep day apparently 🥚🐾

The Dumpster Problem 😒

Before working on the plumbing today, I spent part of the afternoon making phone calls trying to arrange dumpster service for the property.

Honestly this became one of the most frustrating parts of the entire day.

It appears there may only be one garbage company that regularly services this area.

The problem is:
They refused to deliver a dumpster because they claim their truck cannot get down my road.

What frustrated me was not even necessarily the answer itself.

It was the complete unwillingness to even discuss possible solutions.

I specifically asked if the person who supposedly inspected the property could simply call me so we could:
, Walk the property together
, Discuss alternate access points
, Figure out what accommodations might be needed

Especially considering:
My garage sits directly on the alternate road where their trucks already drive twice per week to service my neighbor’s garbage pickup.

But instead of working through solutions, the woman I spoke to was rude, angry, dismissive, and honestly acted like she did not want my business at all.

I really do not understand that mindset.

At this point I am hoping another company returns one of the several messages I left elsewhere because honestly I do not particularly want to do business with a company that speaks to customers that way.

But unfortunately when you live in a rural area, sometimes choices become very limited.

Back Under the Bunkhouse 🚰

Later in the afternoon I went back out to continue troubleshooting the plumbing leak in the bunkhouse.

The other day I crawled underneath the house and opened one section of insulation where I thought the leak was coming from.

The problem was:
The only thing in that section was a drain pipe.

That made absolutely no sense because no water was actively running in the house at the time. I was only pressurizing the supply lines, not the drain system.

Today I hooked the well back up and repressurized the plumbing system again.

It took about 10 to 15 minutes before water finally started leaking underneath the house.

That is when I realized:
I had opened the wrong section entirely.

The leak appears to actually be closer to the master bathroom area, although still underneath the master bedroom floor.

Probably about 8 feet away from where I originally opened the insulation.

Thankfully I am not too worried about the section I already opened because once the plumbing issue is repaired, I will likely have to:
, Reinstall insulation
, Recover the opening
, Reseal and tape everything properly anyway

At this point though everything underneath the house is wet, muddy, and miserable to crawl through.

So tomorrow I will hopefully let things dry out a bit before cutting open the correct section and figuring out exactly where the water is coming from.

Campfire Time with Wyatt 🔥🐾

Before settling in completely for the night, Wyatt and I spent a little time by the campfire playing with his Jolly Ball.

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At this point it is easily one of his favorite toys.

What makes it great is that it works as:
, A tug of war toy
, A throw toy
, Something he can just whip around wildly by himself while entertaining himself 😂

Watching him run around the property flinging that thing all over the place is half the entertainment around here some nights.

As far as dog toys go, the Jolly Ball gets a solid 10 out of 10 from both Wyatt and me.

It has held up well, keeps him entertained, and burns off some of that endless cattle dog energy.

Ending the Night 🔥

After getting frustrated with the dumpster situation and stuck again on the plumbing issue, I eventually decided to just sit down and relax for the evening.

Tonight’s fire is small.
Just three logs.

Once it burns down, I will probably head inside for the night.

At 7 PM Wyatt and I did our normal patrol walk up Memory Lane, checking everything over and making sure the property was secure.

While we were up at the main road, we also picked up an Amazon package that had been delivered earlier today 📦

Apparently my partner ordered equipment for tapping maple trees so eventually we can try making our own maple syrup here at Memory Lane.

At this point I honestly know almost nothing about the process other than drilling into maple trees somehow without killing them 😂

So that will definitely become a future learning experience and probably a future blog post once we start figuring it out.

Eventually, after the fire started dying down, I made a simple chicken salad using some of the leftover fried chicken I picked up yesterday and turned it into a sandwich for dinner.

Nothing fancy, but honestly after a long day it hit the spot.

Not every day out here is productive.

Not every day goes smoothly.

But somehow even the frustrating days still feel worthwhile at Memory Lane.