Google Maps Updated Part 2

Google Maps recently updated its satellite imagery of our property and, interestingly, the new images seem to be chronologically earlier than the previous shots. I'm wondering if Google will make time and date stamps publicly available at some point. Anyway, the nice thing is that they added another level of magnification and the ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms) are visible piled up in what is now the back of our main house. You can also see the concrete block foundation of our garage apartment. Again, this indicates a time period prior to the last set of Google satellite images which showed the garage framing already underway and the ICFs in place as the basement walls of the main house.

It's Time to Take Out the Garbage

Living in suburbia, weekly trash pickup is a part of life. Your refuse goes from the table to the kitchen or bathroom waste receptacle. Then it gets transferred to a larger container in your garage or just outside. Then it's dragged or rolled to the curb once a week either the night before or, somewhat more grumpily, the morning of city trash pickup. Well-paid guys in coveralls drive a noisy truck down the street, empty your trash can into the vehicle with careless abandon, and your unwanted by-products are never heard from again. While you might think I'm about to lecture you about the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), this is actually a post about trash disposal in the country. As city folk know, trash service is usually bundled with your water or utility bill. Of course, when your water comes from a well, you don't have a water bill so residential pickup service is $16.50/month (billed quarterly). The good news is that there doesn't appear to be any additional cost to come all the way down our 1200-foot driveway for "curbside" pickup. More good news, recycling is also available. The only caveat is that recyclables need to be placed in clear plastic or blue bags to distinguish them from non-recyclables. These services, incidentally, are provided by All Bright Sanitation---the same company that is providing our gigantic dumpsters during construction.