Sunday, November 23, 2008

Pond in the Maine Woods

As we approach the completion of our passive-solar bermed home (although a home is never complete), we have decided to concentrate on another goal - a pond.

Our hope is to have a medium sized pond (1/2 acre or less) close enough to the house to enjoy but far enough away for wildlife to feel comfortable. Our first choice of location was not possible when we had an inspection completed and discovered it was "wetland". Maine has many regulations about working in a wetland and we were not so set on the location that we wanted to start the 'process'.

So, we went to plan B -
The pond will be behind the detached garage and down the grade (to keep it lower than any house drainage). Of course, this ended up being one of the wettest Falls ever and it has been a muddy challenge to get it shaped in. But, it is presently in good shape for Spring. We hired the digging after David dropped the trees himself.
I will get a few more pictures as the surrounding area gets cleared (still this month if the weather cooperates) and then we will wait for the Spring thaw and keep our fingers and paws crossed for a full basin.
The full sized pictures are in the Gallery. Under Industry>Lot>Pond






Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Election day - any questions

Election 2008 Voting Information

Today, November 4th, is Election Day! Remember to vote

Where and when do I vote?

Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information by checking out these sites and the hotline below. These resources are good, but not perfect. To be doubly sure, you can also contact your local elections office
<https://vote411.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/eod.htm>.

* Obama's VoteForChange site: voteforchange.com
<http://www.voteforchange.com>
* League of Women Voters' site: vote411.org/pollfinder.php
<http://vote411.org/pollfinder.php>
* Obama's voter hotline: 877-US4-OBAMA (877-874-6226)


What should I do before I go?

* After you've entered your address on either Vote For Change
<http://www.voteforchange.com> or Vote411
<http://www.vote411.org/bystate.php>, read the voting instructions
and special rules for your state.
* Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring
it.
* Check out all the voting myths and misinformation to look out for:
http://truth.voteforchange.com/


What if something goes wrong?

* Not on the voter list? Make sure you're at the right polling
place, then demand a provisional ballot.
* If you're voting on an electronic machine with a paper record,
verify that the record is accurate.
* Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
* If you encounter a problem, try to videotape the situation and
submit it to VideoTheVote.org <http://www.videothevote.org/>

Now, everybody go vote!!!

Monday, November 03, 2008

Election nears end

It is incredible how everyone can become part of every inch of this election. I am ready!