Autumn Color

This year the First Frost and the Killing Freeze coincided on the same night.  It was bitterly cold just that one day and now a bit warmer winds are blowing through.  

Watched Svengoolie w/ Friend Kathy.  Well 'with' is stretching it a bit.  She now lives in Colorado and the show comes on an hour later there then it does here.  We argued (via text) about the ending of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).  I liked the movie's ending: people realize there are aliens taking over bodies and mobilize to eliminate the threat.  Kathy preferred the more abbreviated ending the director and screenwriter wanted where the main character is left on a busy street trying to get someone to believe his tale of 'pod people'. Finally we decided to end the 'fight' by considering WWPHD.  (What would Pete Hegseth do?)  Always good to end such discussions with a laugh.

Virginia Creeper stems

I put on my windbreaker and Whip and I walked around the buildings today.  Excellent chance of a frost tonight and maybe even a freeze.  I wanted to see what things still needed to be brought in for protection.  It was very windy and raw even after the sun came out this afternoon.  Glad I did all the work of moving the plants and rain barrel while the weather was still nice.  

Realized I hadn't cleaned out the two birdhouses on the stockade so opened those up and cleaned them out.  One had already been taken over by a mouse so glad I'd remembered them before he took up full time residence.  The Virginia creeper berries had been all eaten leaving only the red stems.  Virginia Creeper vines use the stockade wire mesh for climbing just like the grapes.  Big difference is creeper berries are not edible by mammals.  They are a favorite  though of migrating birds.  These berries are more finch or warbler sized.  The grapes are being eaten by the larger birds - robins and the pileated woodpeckers.

 After this the forecast is for warming again and while the wind has blown away many of the colorful leaves, the tamarack are just beginning to show their beautiful golden color.

A Bend in the Trail

Excerpts from the Sheriff's Report:

4:37 a.m. - Male claiming he has drones that are flying over his house and following him wherever he goes.  They followed him all the way from his house into the city.  He saw them hovering at market and also at park.  Officer stated he didn't see any drones all night.  Male stated he will take care of the drones himself if law enforcement doesn't.  Officer states male said the stars in the sky were drones following him.

7:12 a.m. - Patient at hospital states her parents drugged her and she woke up a year later.  Hospital staff called to say patient is fine.  This is an ongoing issue with her.  

8:15 a.m. - Report of a loose emu heading south on town road.  Animal owners attempting to catch the bird.

8:22 a.m. - Caller reporting a male in the residence that was told to leave and has been breaking items and being verbal.  Female spoke with deputy.  Altercation began early morning.  Arguments about bathroom etiquette led the male to start packing his belongings and a shelf was broken with pieces thrown outside.  No law enforcement action as all parties were involved in the argument.  Reporting party to work on eviction.

8:46 a..m. - Caller reporting his neighbor throwing dog feces into his yard and swinging a rake at his dog.  Neighbor has dementia and has come into their yard before.  Officer spoke with complainant, neighbor has also gone into his shed without permission.  The Neighbor said that dogs poop on his property.  The poop doesn't get picked up so he was throwing it into their driveway so when it rains it will wash away.  The Neighbor doesn't want the poop on his lawnmower tires or people's shoes.  Complainant was told to keep his dogs on a leash when taking them outside.  The Neighbor was told not to go on complainant's property.  Parties were counselled to mend their relationship.  They agreed to try.

9:16 a.m. - Walk in to Law Enforcement Center reporting his stepson took and sold his engine hoist and a loaded trailer with scrap metal.  Deputy in contact with person who received the hoist.  He gave stepson $40 as a loan/pawn for the item.  Hoist recovered as evidence.

9:44 a.m. - Caller reporting there is an emu running down the state highway.  Officer in contact with owner.

10:22 a.m. - Reporting party states her sister is calling the hospital and cancelling her doctor appointments.

10:27 a.m. - A 550-lb heifer Hereford missing from farm.  Unsure if animal got loose.  No sign of animal going over or under any fencing.  Caller believes it could have been a wolf or coyote incident.

11:57 a.m. - Caller reports he was involved in a possible fraud scam.  He got a private message on TikTok that he could receive $300/week to promote jewelry.  Caller was sent checks totaling $1,000 that the caller deposited.  The scammers then requested that the reporting party make other transactions.  Caller has all info saved.  Deputy reports it was a scam using scare tactics.  Caller was sent images of torture and death and told to send $1,000 to a bitcoin account.  Caller is not out any money and has deleted TikTok.  Dispatch received TTY from the FBI threat operation center in reference to this incident.

12:42 p.m. - Caller from Church of Christ reporting she received a call from a frantic female saying she needed a priest.  Caller thinks the female may be in trouble.  Deputy contacted the female who was angry and didn't want to speak with law enforcement.

2:00 p.m. - Reporting party states he had many guns, swords, and knives stolen from his residence while he was in the hospital.  His son and grandson won't give the items back because they believe he has dementia.  Complainant states they don't have power of attorney so he wants his items returned.  Deputy to follow up.

2:54 p.m. - Caller found garage door damaged when he returned home.  Looks like someone hit it.  Deputy reports lower panel of garage door pushed in with an apparent paw smudge on the panel - possibly a bear.

4:11 p.m. - Reporting party states someone put up tree stands on his property.  He was told to put up no trespassing signs and attach contact information to the tree stands.  He will give them three weeks to see the signs and make contact with him.

American Robin (juvenile)

My sister texted that I should have a package waiting for me at the post office.  I combed my hair and bopped down to the post office to pick it up.  The post office closes for an hour from 11:30 to 12:30.  I got there right after they had opened up again for the afternoon.  There actually was a line of people to be waited on.  The Post Master handed out a package at arms length to the man at the counter.   "Sorry", said the man, "It's Kimchi."  Hadn't realized until then that the whole post office smelled rather powerfully of garlic.   When it was my turn the box was the same size and shape as the one the man had picked up.  I smiled and quipped, "I'm pretty sure it's not kimchi."  "Thank goodness."  replied the Post Master. 

I haven't seen a robin in over a month but today a whole flock of them were in the yard.  I don't hear insects anymore - must be too cold for them.  When insects are scarce, robins eat berries and there are still a lot of various berries available.  I don't know where these robins came from but glad I can be a feeding station for them on their migration route.

Morning Colors

I dreamt about the upcoming election last night.  Maybe a reminder from my subconscious to call people to see if they could be poll workers.  I'd talked w/ Chief Inspector Andy about having five people on each shift this time - in case the midterms incentivize more people to vote.  Interestingly, the newspaper's poll-of-the-week asked if people voted in-person, by mail, or didn't know.  There is no in-person early voting here - too few people and part-time clerks.   So far, 85% of the voters in this county vote in-person and only 6% by mail (there was a substantial number of respondents who 'didn't know'.).    Nationwide the numbers are quite different.  29% vote by mail and 40% vote in person on election day.    If you include early in-person voters w/ those by mail, the percentage of people voting before election day jumps to 60%.   Friend Kathy said Colorado mails ballots to each voter.  I remember going to the polling place w/ my parents as a kid and I rather like the community feeling of all of one's neighbors doing the same thing on the same day.  However, having ballots delivered to your house does sound really convenient.  

There are some new twists in the political ads I haven't seen before. (1)  An incumbent house rep is posting AI generated videos of his opponent - making it seem like she is doing/saying atrocious stuff.  He's bypassing state laws on deep fake political ads by posting them only on his social sites.   (2) I was on my computer when there was a flash of red along the bottom of the screen w/ white letters.  It looked like "Crowley Sucks" but it was gone so fast I wasn't sure I'd even seen it.    'Crowley' is the name of a gubernatorial candidate. I'd convinced myself I saw something else when it happened again.  Looked it up on-line and, yes, a group is putting out flash banners.   They last for 3-seconds and are gone.  It's so fast it's less an ad and more subliminal messaging.   (3) I was watching a show on TV when a political ad came on for someone in a county I've never heard of.   Looked her up.  Her district is 500 miles from me.  The state she's in doesn't even border my state.  Guess streaming services can get confused about what ads to show dependent on IP address, pulling from local feeds in other states, or advertising targeting. Great!  As if the local political ads weren't bad enough.

Autumn Color

Another warm day so still working on outside stuff.     Dipped out some of the water from the rain barrel to douse last year's Yggdrasil.  Someone had told me to think of evergreens as water tanks.  When the ground is frozen the roots can't pull in more water for the needles.  It's important that young trees are hydrated before winter sets in.  Dumped remaining water in the barrel, hosed out the barrel, moved it to Sleipnir, and refilled it.  It's the water I'll used for the plants overwintering in there.  Grabbed the rain gauge, unhooked the garden hose, and removed the rain barrel 'feeding tube'.  They were all put away for the season.  There are still things to bring in before the first frost but at least the rain barrel stuff is completed.

Tomorrow we will be back to more seasonal temps.  Could feel the cooler weather blowing in on the constitutional tonight.  Last year I turned the heat on in the house on October 11th.  While I did turn the heat on one night and a couple of times for an hour in the morning, I haven't had it on full time yet.  That may change sometime this week.  I checked in to see how the caterpillars are doing.  They were all gone.  I dumped the completely denuded parsley plant in the compost heap.  Made a note on my monthly-to-do list for May to pick up plants in the carrot family next year just for them.

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

Yesterday was an even more beautiful day than the previous. Have slept the last couple of nights w/ the windows wide open.  I started picking up more things outside that have to be tucked away before winter but got sidetracked by Whip.  She also thought it was a beautiful day and we should have fun.  So I brought out my latest audio book, sat on the deck, and when she wasn't rolling on her back or checking on rustling sounds in the tall grass or taking a quick nap in the sun/shade, I chucked treats for her to sniff out.  I'd finished the book about the lady in the Scottish castle.  Turned out to be more of a bodice-ripper than a murder mystery but the author came up w/ some bodies in the end chapters.   The current book takes place in present day Maine and starts out w/ maybe dead bodies that can't be found.  Why is Maine always so spooky in books?

The University is going to be tearing down the science building where I spent an inordinate amount of time when I attended college.  They have announced that they will be closing the planetarium sometime in December so they are now putting on their last shows in that place and with that equipment.  There is a new planetarium with new equipment being readied in the new science building.   Might be nostalgic to go back to see another show but they are only on Thursday nights - when I volunteer at the library.    Might be better to keep the memories I have of sitting back in comfy chairs w/ the song "You're so Vain" playing in the background and watching the planetarium go dark as a solar eclipse occurs just as Carly Simon belts out that verse.

Bluebird

A weekend where the temps will reach the 80's.  Decided to prioritize outdoor chores and get them done before temps drop again.    A bluebird stopped by to say goodbye before migrating south.  Reminded me it was time to pick up birdhouses.  Whip and I gathered them, cleaned them out, and brought them back to Sleipnir.   It wasn't a good year for the houses.  Only about half were used.  One was filled w/ seeds - probably the hoard of a field mouse and the reason I take the houses in for the winter.  Lost one.  They are set up in pairs and there is only one in the meadow now.  I've lost houses before but this time I can't find the house or the pole it should be mounted to either.  Maybe I'll find it when the snow batters down the tall grasses.  

I mowed a bit of the back trails but most didn't need it.  Then I took out the solar lights along the edge of the deck, any markers for the plants, and the shepherds hooks I used for hummingbird feeders.  The peony bushes have turned brown so I ran the the mower down along the edge of the deck and mowed them to the ground.  That done I put away Svaldilfari for the winter.  That just means parking it close to the wall and taking off the seat cover.  Easy enough to reverse if I need to use the mower again before the snow flies.

Texted the plow guy to ask if he would be plowing for me again this upcoming season.  He texted back immediately that he would but hoped we only got snow in less than 5" increments.  He must be watching the reporting on El Nino's effects on winter weather this year.  Some say it will be warmer so that means more snow than normal.  Others say it will be warmer so that means basically no snow this winter.  

The Maple Gate

 Today is the string of clinic appointments in Churchville.  I prefer early appointments so the first check-in is 7:30 a.m.  That meant I had to get up an hour early this morning.  Still dark when Whip and I went for our constitutional.   That also meant the first part of the drive was in the dark but I went slow along back roads.  Cresting one hill, I saw a yearling deer standing in the road.  He turned his head to look at me. He seemed ... confused.  My guess: he's spent all of his young life following mom.  He's temporarily lost sight of her and is unsure of what to do next.  He made his first independent decision and walked off to the side of the road.  It's October so, even if he doesn't find mom again, he should be well equipped enough to make it through the winter.  Pretty sure though she isn't far away.

The clinic has senior citizen spots to park close to the entrance but I eschewed them.  I may be senior but not that senior yet.  Got checked in and sent to a waiting area for a minute or so before I saw a tech.  That didn't take long and they pointed me down a long hallway to where my second appointment would be.  I was there a whole five minutes before another tech got me for another test.  After that I checked my phone for the last appointment.  That was back the way I'd come but on the second floor. The person scheduling had planned a half hour between each appointment so when I checked in for the last test, I was more than an hour ahead of my appointment time.  The receptionist found my name on her list and said it probably wouldn't be long.  It wasn't.  Morning appointments are the way to go!

Afterward I drove around Churchville to do a couple of errands and was on my way home. Stopped off to check for my mail when I heard my name.  It was Friend Colleen who asked if I might know the dollar amount the library brought in for book sales?  Maybe the amount for last year too?   The Village Hall is again open (they had a sprinkler leak/deluge early in the year).  The Village had been letting the library use one of their rooms for book sales but were rethinking that now they could use some extra storage space.   Colleen wanted to know if the book room was worth it to the library and have some tangible numbers to show the Village.   Duh! I not only had a graph showing the numbers by month but also for the last three years.  (Actually, I'd made the graph for a different reason but it would serve Colleen's purpose perfectly).  At the library I printed it out for her - she was impressed.  I aim to please.

Autumn Gold

My hair was beginning to curl up at the back of my neck - time to get another haircut.  Made the appointment w/ Ivy.  I don't usually ask for a specific beautician.   Mine is a fairly basic cut.  I was impressed though w/ how every hair seemed to be cut to the right length and fall in the right direction when Ivy cuts it.

As I've said, small talk is not my forte.  Fortunately, there were two other ladies at the hairdresser's as I sat down in the chair.  One was quite upset that she kept getting texts all day from people about her friend Lexi.  Lexi's name and picture had been posted today on the county jail website and these people wanted to know how Lexi had gotten in trouble yet again.   The lady fumed that they didn't know the whole story.

I sat in the chair and listened to the on-going conversation.  At the ripe old age of 74 there are so many things of which I'm unaware.  First I had no idea the County had a website listing people currently serving a sentence.  After I got home I checked it out.  Mug shots are even worse than DMV pics.   Then I thought about the things I check on-line every morning - how is the stock market doing, is it my turn at Words W/ Friends, local obits, weather forecast, stuff like that.  Checking to see who is incarcerated today isn't something I'd do even if I had known about the County Jail website.  The people I know who are or have been in jail I could count on one hand (and still have fingers to spare).  

I do admire the lady who was sticking up for her friend - rightly or wrongly.  She said Lexi was serving a sentence from the DUI she had last year and so still has only the two DUI's.   Lexi, to her knowledge, has stopped drinking.   Finally, that while Lexi had started serving her sentence she was not in jail.  Because she is nine months pregnant, she is allowed to serve her sentence at home w/ an ankle monitor.

Autumn Color and three Sandhill Cranes

Checked in my black swallowtail caterpillars this morning.  Still lots of them but where they all seemed to be at the same level of development when I first saw them, they have been changed into different instars (molting stages).   There are now some tiny worms w/ the white blotch on their back - newly hatched.  A few look like they did - 2nd Instar- when I first saw them two days ago.  There are larger ones now that are black w/ yellow dots and white bands - 3rd Instar.

Ski Hill at Sunrise

The docs want more tests so a little after 8 a.m. a way, way too cheerful voice called me to set them up.  She told me to hold and called the Radiology Dept. so they could set up the first one.  This voice was an octave lower and, while nice, more matter-of-fact.  Setting up that appointment went quickly and she ran down a list of things not to do before coming in.  Yes, can do.  The cheerful voice must have been listening in because she immediately came on to set up the other procedures.  Unfortunately, cheerful voice said her computer was slow so she started making small talk.  I'm not that good at small talk at the best of times but cheerful voice could carry on a conversation all on her own.  Must admit cheerful voice was good at her job.  She set up all of the rest of the procedures one after another so I only need to come to the clinic once.

A nice afternoon so I took the time to mow the lawn.  The grass has slowed down it's growth but the lawn was beginning take on a shaggy look.  I also mowed the near-in trails.  Every plant has gone to seed so, while it's pretty, it's also a problem.  Despite wearing long socks, long pants, and a long t-shirt, all sorts of seeds seem to have found their way under my clothing.  Will need to take a shower tonight before going to bed.

Black Swallowtail caterpillars

Frost advisory for my area tonight.  The forecast is that the temps will make it down to 36 degrees.  The effects of topography, though, could eat up that four degree difference easily.  I brought some of the plants from the deck inside already but I drove Jormungandr in close so I could wrangle the remaining plant containers onto it's bed and transfer them inside en masse.  The first container I went to pick up was a parsley that I had sitting atop an outside table. My hand froze as I reached for it.  Something was wrong.  Looking closer I saw the plant was positively infested w/ caterpillars.  They each sat at the top of a stalk of parsley and, judging from there only being a stem and no leaf, were eating it.   I brought out my camera, took a picture of them, and left the container where it sat on the table.  I moved all of the other plants inside.  The only ones left out are Yggdrasil, the two cacti, and the parsley plant.  Once that was done I checked on what kind of caterpillars I'd found.   I know what Monarch, Tent (yech), Woolly Bear, and Tussock caterpillars look like but these weren't close to any of them.  Found them on the Internet - Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars!  Another common name for them is Parsley Worms which I can understand based on where I found them.   When they first emerge from the eggs they are black, with rows of white and yellow spots.  Plus, they have a blotch of white on their back to camouflage them as bird droppings.  In subsequent molting acts they lose the white blotch and become increasingly more green.  My problem was what to do w/ them.  I'd like them to make it through the winter but if I bring the plant (and them) inside I'll have black swallowtail butterflies flitting around at Christmas time w/ no where to go.  As usual w/ nature, the best thing turns out to leave them alone.  Late fall broods like this one will move away from the host plant, find a protected place to make a chrysalis, and sleep away the winter.  I can handle that.  I'm very good at doing nothing.  Maybe I'll occasionally check to see if the caterpillars have changed appearance again but I'll leave the parsley plant on the table until the little guys have moved on.

Boxelder Seeds

 

Excerpts from the Sheriff's Report:

3:31 a.m. - Large white mattress cover filled with clothing found on road.  Moved to ditch.

12:53 p.m. - Caller caught two younger males in his cornfield taking corn off the stalks and loading it into a truck.  Caller didn't know they had filled the entire truck bed until his wife told him.  Two male offenders charged with trespassing and theft.

1:41 p.m. - Caller reports a drone flying over her house.  Drone hit the house causing no damage but a male came and retrieved the drone.  He didn't say who he was or what he was doing.  Male got into a car with two other males and left.  Caller was told there is not a local ordinance regulating drone usage.  They should call police if it happens again.  

3:58 p.m. - Walmart stated customer came in and stated he needed a scope so he could shoot his neighbor lady.  Deputy in contact with person.  He said he had no intention of shooting anyone.  He wanted the scope for his air rifle and at most would use it as protection if someone broke into his house.

6:15 p.m. - Three females came to Law Enforcement Center.  They said there was a hit list out and one believes she is on it.  Female worried about being at home while her parents are away.  She said she could stay at her grandmother's house.  Incident documented.  Reporting party to call if person of interest makes contact w/ her.

7:11 p.m. - Officer at high school for a volleyball game smelled a strong odor of an illegal substance in the area of the men's bathroom.  Officer reviewed camera footage with the principal and they believed it to be a male parent that was at the school for the game.  The principal  approached the father and had a talk with him about the suspicion and finally explained that this cannot happen at the school or on school grounds again.

7:23 p.m. - Call from clinic nurse line.  Would like a welfare check on a patient that says he's passing in and out.  The call got disconnected.  No answer to call back.  Officer spoke with reporting party.  He said he is just trying to report the hospital for not taking care of him.  He is OK.  Does not need medical help.

8:09 p.m. - Male teacher reported they found what appeared to be a bag of weed out by a bonfire.  Several students were caught with pre-rolled blunts behind the school.  The juvenile who brought the marijuana left before deputy could speak with her.  Deputy lectured all the other students involved.  Vice principal would like a day shift officer to come in tomorrow and "put the fear of God" into the responsible student.

In the same paper - Letter to the Editor:

When was the last time law enforcement solved an actual "crime"?  At a time like this when the cost of living is higher than ever and people are just scraping by do we really need road pirates forcing people to the side of the road to steal their money?  For a lot of families that one traffic ticket is their grocery money for the week.  Who hasn't sped a little to make it to work on time?  Or had a headlight burn out?  Or tinted their windows because they can see better without being blinded by the sun?  Law enforcement are exempt from that because remember, rules for thee not for me!  ... County Seat resident

Clouds at Sunrise

Friend Kathy and her husband Stan are attending the Orion Festival at the McDonald Observatory.  Instead of being jealous, I figured I'd sit out on the deck and watch the night sky myself (well, I and Whip).  The moon wasn't up and there are no lights over the swamp so I'd hoped for some good viewing.    The southwest horizon was unfortunately already covered by forecasted clouds coming in.  I could almost make out Sagittarius.  I knew that would be where the Milky Way started at the horizon and trace it up through Aquila the Eagle, Cygnus the Swan, sweeping overhead past Cepheus and on to Cassiopeia.  One difference between my friend's experience and mine was 20 degrees.  The low temps here are in the 30's. It wouldn't get down to frosting here though because of that cloud cover coming in.   Time to move all of the plants back into Sleipnir for the upcoming winter.  Once they are safely tucked inside I can cut them back and repot them.  (I say that every year and it isn't until spring when I finish all of that work.)

Foggy Vista

I wouldn't believe this stuff if I hadn't read it in multiple places.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville gave a speech last week where he said many pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers were part of the furry community.  "It's terrifying when you think about this." He said, "It's possible the pilot flying your plane could have a deranged fetish of dressing up like an animal."   I'd watched a TV drama where the main actors encountered a group of people who liked dressing up as animals so at least I knew what he meant by 'furries'.   I also know, however, commercial pilots and flight attendants are required to wear a uniform (which does not include a tail) so, should any of them choose to dress up as a stuffed animal, it's on their own time.  I'm wondering if Sen. Tuberville has the same issues w/ people who dress up to participate in Civil War reenactments or Trekkies (pretty sure wearing pointy Spock ears in the cockpit isn't allowed either).  Sen. Tuberville's rant  about 'furries' comes two weeks after FBI Director Kash Patel defended, in front of a Senate Judiciary Committee, changes to FBI hiring policies.   Applicants to join the FBI will no longer be automatically disqualified for, among other things, engaging in bestiality.  

I think the government is saying ...

People who choose to dress as anthropomorphic animals aren't trustworthy enough to hand out peanuts on a plane but we can have faith that people who've abused animals will enforce federal laws.

Dunder asleep in the sun

I drove over to the clinic early for another blood draw.  The doc has me doing it every two weeks to ensure my hemoglobin continues to improve.   I asked the nurse to take it from my left arm this time.  My right arm has a vein that looksl like a pipeline so they usually take it from that side but last week the Mothership Clinic had also taken a sample and the tech caused a bruise that hadn't yet completely healed.  Unfortunately, the nurse this morning couldn't find the vein on the left side so the poor right hand vein got poked again.  P.S.  Two weeks ago I was at 8.9 and today I went up to 10.2.  Yeah!

On the way back from the clinic I picked up my mail.  Lots of bills.  First was a document from my health insurance.  Not precisely a bill but a list of changes in their coverage for next year.  Copays raised and some things aren't covered anymore - will need to check if I need to change insurance.  Second was something from my home insurance.  Next month it is up for renewal and the insurance company was letting me know changes in their policy and what the bill for the next year will be.  Noticed the amount is double what it was when I started w/ them - of course that was 20 years and two out buildings ago so can't get too excited.  Third was a Notice of Changed Assessment from the Town.  OK - again not exactly a bill.  The whole town was reassessed this year.  The usual cause is the state government thinks it should be getting more money from an area so it lets the assessors know how much tax revenue it expects and it's up to the assessors to find it (or the government will send their own assessors and do it).   All of my property was assessed to be worth three times as much as it was worth last year.  I double checked that the accessor hadn't taken some land out of AG or had revalued my buildings but the code for the change in all cases was '05-Increase due to revaluation'.  A note included said this doesn't mean my taxes will go up accordingly.  Pretty sure, though, it won't mean my taxes will be going down!   Fourth was a bill from the electric company.  I had contacted them multiple times late in the winter because they stopped sending me bills.  Each time the help desk said it was an issue with their billing department and I had been credited back all of the money I'd paid in since the solar panels went live.  Last week I'd gotten two letters in a row from the electric company stating they had now fixed the billing problem.  I'd be getting bill for the last 17 months all at once and just call them to set up a payment plan since it had been their fault.  I wasn't too worried.  This summer the electric company had sent out an electrician to change out the meter.  He hadn't done that since there was nothing wrong w/ the meter - it was their billing department.  He'd also looked at the amount of electricity the panels had produced and how much electricity I had used and said the diff wasn't much.  He was right.  My bill worked out to about $60/month for both electricity/heating.  No need to set up a payment plan.