New Year 2009

Well 2008 was quite a year and it sure ended with a bang!  We had a terrific ice storm on 12/11 that knocked out power for over a million people in the Northeast and apparently most severely here in southern NH and northern Mass.  We went 10 days without power and gained a new appreciation for the conveniences of modern life.  While it was a lot of work to keep houses from freezing, food from thawing and teenagers from complaining... well that proved an impossibility... it was heart warming to see communities pulling together, neighbors helping eachother, and the kindness and appreciation directed to the linemen and other workers putting in long days in the dark and cold, and several more storms during the recovery. 

Unfortunately two of our hardest working customers, Barbara and Les, suffered quite a shock that night.  The land behind their house rises quite steeply and a tree above the house fell onto their roof.  This was as solid a strike as one can take from a tree as it fell from above so the full solid 16" trunk of the tree landed squarely in the middle of one of the triangles of their octagon shaped house.  They are owner builders and have worked so hard over the last year that it just broke your heart to think of their loss.  But the light of day brought hope when it became clear that their solid timber frame structure and geometry took the blow in stride and only one roof purlin was damaged.  The fire department had covered the roof in tarps during the night and we quickly had new roof panels made.  A week later we had replaced the roof purlin, panels and installed new shingles and replaced a skylight that was completely smashed.  The guys pulled back into the yard as the first snowflakes fell in what turned out to be the beginning of another 'Nor 'Easter, another 18" of snow, and a well earned holiday break for Joe, Andrew and Mark.  But the best satisfaction came from knowing that we had been able to help Barb and Les get their house back in order and able to spend their first Christmas living in the house they had worked so hard to build.

Check out Barb's blog, there is a link on our homepage, to get a feel for all the hard work they have accomplished and also to see pictures of a truly unique home. 

Happy New Year to everyone and I hope all of us remember the importance of community, neighborhood, and the joy of caring for others.