While you are staying here, we would like you to please help out. A good estimate would be for each adult to dedicate two hours each day to making things better in one way or another. See the list below.
Please keep the place clean! Always leave it cleaner than when you arrived.
Don't pee or poop on the front (lake-side), back and Shirly's side lawn! If you have pets please take them to the empty lot on Wendys side or the back by the road to do their business. Yellow spots on the lawn are no fun to repair. Also, please do not leave your floaty toys lieing on the front lawn. Move them to the sand or around the side so they don't kill the grass.
If you use something up (milk, TP, flour, ...), please replace it or tell others about it before they leave town so that they can bring it up with them.
Please put things back to where you found them. This is very important for tools that you get from somewhere in the shed or in the basement. Please try to put it back exactly where you found it.
Please clean the barbeque after you use it. Make sure the grates are scraped clean and the shield under the grates are cleaned off into a garbage bag.
Ask what work needs to be done. There are always the following to do:
Please do not use the boat and motor without asking Bob first. The boat motor needs special care and attention. Buy Bob a two-four or a bottle of rum and ask him nicely to show you how to set it up and put it away again. If you bring Marcel a bottle of rum and ask him nicely he may take you out on a fishing trip.
Feel free to use the kayak. Store it OFF THE BEACH against the bush between our cabin and Wendy's while not in use. Put it back in the basement before you leave. If you bring Wendy a bottle of wine and ask her nicely she will likely let you use her kayaks as well. Make sure to wash the sand off and return Wendy's kayaks clean and take care not to damage her kayaks and paddles while in use.
When the fridge appears to be not working, it is likely working as expected. Fill it with new items SLOWLY. Do not put hot items from your very hot car into the fridge and expect it to keep up. Fridges work best when they are filled to the brim with other COLD food, and little AIR; so that when the door opens, very little hot air can get in, and the cold food helps to cool the new warm item. Fridges do not work well when the room they are in is very hot or when the fridge door is opened often. If the fridge is warm (>40F) and the freezer is still freezing, contact Gordon for instructions on how to remedy this.
When the drinking water appears to be not working, it is likely working as expected. Please do not replace the $50 drinking water filter (right most stage-3) when the tap is running slow. The first two stages are there to protect the more expensive final stage filter. Replace the less expensive stage-1 filter to see if that helps. The most common cause is that the small storage tank is empty. Note that it takes the reverse osmosis filter system 8 hours to recharge after the tank empties. If there are a lot of people at the cabin, you may need to periodically fill jugs every day (at night before going to bed) to build up a supply. Contact Gordon for detailed debug instructions if all else fails.
The large 200 gallon water supply tanks in the basement periodically need refilling and re-bleaching. Instructions are posted. The fill tank filters may need replacing. Please use only the cheap ($3) 20 micron white fabric filters here please, not the expensive filters. Used webbed/mesh-covered carbon filters from prior year drinking water filter use can be used in stages 2 and 3 if available. Always use a white 20 micron fabric filter in stage-1 (furthest right when looking at the tanks). You will likely need to replace the stage-1 filter after every 1 or 2 fills.
If the water from the tap or from a glass is smelling like the lake, this is caused by not enough bleach in the holding tanks. Add another 1/3 cup of bleach to each tank and the smell should go away. Note the smell in your glass is because the glass was washed in smelly water, the water from the reverse osmosis system will not smell.
The septic tank needs periodic emptying. You will need to call them to clean it out and have cash/check ready to pay them. PoopToGo: 1-877-845-3261. For your family, please chip in $50 for every week (or $10 per day if you stay less than a week) to offset the cost of pump outs and other supplies that Grandma pays for (leave cash with Grandma or etransfer to her). [2024]
There are two lights by the kitchen sink. The higher YELLOW (not so urgent) light indicates that the water supply tanks in the basement are low. This water eventually flows down into the lower septic tank so the lower RED (very urgent) light tells you when the septic tank is getting quite full (call for cleanout). If the red light is stuck ON after a clean-out it is usually because some TP is stuck on the sensor wires so lift the lid and gently wack the TP off the wires with a stick.
Please keep your showers SHORT! (And squeegee after you are done.) And minimize laundry usage. Remember that every gallon that goes down the drain needs to be pumped out and hauled away. Help out by bringing your own sheets and towels with you when you come and launder them when you return to the city.
Please feel free to call and ask questions, especially when working with the systems in the basement.
Please keep the place clean! Always leave it cleaner than when you arrived. Yes, I know I repeated that.
Please take your stuff home with you when you leave. Please don't leave your food, toys or other stuff behind since it all piles up in our small little cabin. We pay for garbage disposal by the bag so please take your bulky trash and your pop/beer cans/bottles with you too (leave the small stinky stuff in the bin so you don't smell up your car).
Thank you!