Thursday, February 15, 2007

Moving Up North to Start a Towing Business

First off I want to thank everyone for their comments regarding our current crisis with our truck. It really helped to be able to come on here and vent. Thanks to all who listened and helped cheer me up. Blogland can be a wonderful place!

I think I've decided on a career change. Hubby called this morning to say he made it to Whitehorse. He ended up having to get a tire replaced on the truck once he got there. One came unsealed after the truck was running and couldn't be fixed, likely a result of the accident, so he bought a second-hand tire. He isn't leaving Whitehorse until tomorrow when the other guy leaves. He doesn't want to travel alone, and at least the other guy has phone reception in the towns at least with his phone. (Our phone has zero reception.) Anyhoo, he said that they got the towing bill. Remember I said it would probably be like a minimum of $7,000? Upon rethinking we all thought maybe $10,000ish. Guess again. Take a wild guess. I think he was a little farther away from Watson Lake than he thought. It was about 600kms each way, so 1200km total for the two tow trucks, grader, and accessories people to drive. Are you sitting down? Make sure you are holding onto your seat. Don't want anyone to hurt themselves lest you fall on the floor... $23,000! Yes, that is not a typo. Twenty-three thousand dollars for towing! I think we should move up north and start a towing business. Obviously they can charge whatever they want. When you're in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of kilometres from civilization, truck and trailer can't stay there, no choice but to pay whatever they want to come tow you out. Unbelievable. (I know the towing of heavy trucks ain't cheap to begin with no matter where you are, and you're over a barrel up there because it ain't like you can shop around.) I'm still flabbergasted, dumbfounded, shocked, annoyed, irritated, aggravated, you name it, I'm it. Rough estimate so far on truck damage is $10,000, but I won't know for sure til the insurance people look at it once it's back in Nova Scotia. Thank goodness for insurance, even if it has a large deductible. (Looks like I should join up with one of the knit from your stash KALs. Guess I can kiss the shawl for banquet goodbye. Oh, well. There's always next year.)

The kids lucked out and had the day off school. Our storm turned out to be wind and rain, but through the night it got cold, so everything froze. The roads were really icy. There were lots of fender benders and cars in the ditch according to the radio. I'll be so glad when spring hits. We've been lucky so far, no real snow, but it's been cold, and I don't like it.

I finished my slippers. Here's before and after shots. They're still wet, I just felted them tonight. They still need to be defuzzed. I prefer to do that when they are dry. I used leftovers from Ma and Pa's slippers I made for Christmas, Briggs & Little Regal in Lilac and Quoddy Blue. I would not have picked those colors to use together, but I just wanted to use up leftovers and not buy new yarn.


This is the yarn I plan on using for the sample slippers for the store. I had the Briggs & Little in my stash, this is Fundy Fog and Grape. I had the brown Classic Wool and picked up the natural marl to go with it. I'd like to use better, brighter colors, but I'll just use what's kicking around. It's mostly just so people can see how the two yarns work for the slippers. We have a lot of people that come in looking for yarn to knit them, so it's nice to see what each would look like.

Here's a couple of shots of the seals from yesterday. It's not the same one from last time. This one is about the same color, but his face is a lot pointier. It was overcast, and they weren't as close, but Tim's camera still did a lot better than mine ever would. (Thanks for the pictures again, Tim!)



I forgot about this yarn in the stash. I bought it quite awhile back on eBay. I think I will make Falling in Love socks with it. But first I started some socks out of my Austermann Step I got last summer.
Last night the Littlest One saw a package of matches and wanted to know what they were. I said they were for adults to use. Out of the blue he says when he's an adult he's going to marry me. (Little boys always go through the phase that they're gonna marry their mommies, don't they?)

I asked, "What about Daddy?"

LO, "He can marry someone else."

I asked, "What about your brother?"

LO, "Daddy can marry him!"

Happy knitting!

13 Comments:

Blogger Dorothy said...

Man, that sucks!! I can't believe what the tow cost!

But, the slippers look great!

We had a storm day yesterday, and another one today. YIPPEE! (not!)

7:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So - does insurance cover towing costs???
I LOVE your felted slippers - I have so much Briggs and Little yarn in bags from long ago - I even have Fundy Fog and Grape, but enough of the grape to make a sweater, so I don't want to use it yet...

8:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oooops - Pat was anonymous....too early in the morning for me I guess.
PS - all my boys wanted to marry me at one point!

8:41 AM  
Blogger Donna M said...

I am totally flabbergasted! Cannot believe it!
I just finished a pair of slippers and mittens with the B&L and had a bi**h of a job felting them. That is the last time I will use that again. The Patons' Classic wool felts so much easier. It took almost an hour to get the slippers the right size and I haven't tried the mitts yet.

9:40 AM  
Blogger Miss Tonia said...

I'm speechless! That is..... Well. At those rates, I'm tempted to move to Northern Canada and start a towing company. Wow!

Love the slippers! That purple is great. My oldest would love it, it's her favorite color.

They are forecasting another 2" here tonight. But that will not imped my road trip for my wheel. Come sunshine or high snow drifts, I will drive the 70+ miles to get my wheel.

12:19 PM  
Blogger Charity said...

I love all the felted slippers you make - so impressive! :0)

I love how little boys fall in love with their mommies - so sweet. :0)

8:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

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Please feel free to contact me with any related questions/concerns. Once you have your code fixed up, if you want to send me a note I’d appreciate it, so I can check it out. Thanks!
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8:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

23.000? Man, this is absolutely and totally insane - are they nuts or what? I so hope that your insurance will cover these costs - who in all the world could afford such an amount?
But - your slippers look absolutely great, so soft and warm - very beautiful!

5:14 AM  
Blogger Knittymama said...

Great seal pics!!

Little Man has been insisting lately that he's going to marry me too; so cute!

2:06 PM  
Blogger Heddy said...

hfpbnwow! that towing bill is outrageous! Thank Heavens for insurance!

Yer slippers are really pretty ... purple is a fav. of mine! I dread felting with B&L, much prefer Classic Wool! B& L says it is 100% but I think they put a small percentage of something in it to help keep its shape, and that keeps it from fully felting. It is a pig to felt with. I saw a new wool (maybe bamboo?) at the shop - makes stripes i think, how does it felt up?

I think it is sweet that your little one wants to marry you, and that the bigger one can marry Daddy ... open minded little guy! LOL!

I was just looking through the Austerman colours on your link to their site ... wow ... I like Harlekin, azalee, moss, petrol, brombeer, gras, torf, and pretty much all the others as well -- I hope the one or 2 colours you got in sell well, so your boss will order more! I am working on a pair in Whiskey ... like it a lot! If I catch the sock-bug, I think I will be knitting a number of them out of this yarn (doesn't seem to suck the moisture out of my hands like regular wools do! and although it is small, it seems to knit fairly quickly - the colour changes are long, but still goes pretty quick).

I will try to get in for the Socka you mentioned - if it is still there!

11:58 AM  
Blogger jenfromRI said...

My son is terribly disappointed that he can't marry his baby sister!

6:48 PM  
Blogger Heddy said...

It would be great if you could get Mary to put them aside (I'll be in after work or on my lunch break! Thanks!)

8:43 PM  
Blogger Ragan said...

OMG! $23,000!!! ACK! I too love the felted slippers and the pictures. My six year old is in that phase right now. Mom, when I grow up I will marry you. Heh heh. I tell him that I hope he will have a wonderful wife, but it can't be me.

9:15 AM  

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