It was a trip to Morrisville that inspired this weeks picture. There was plenty of dramatic ice storm damage along the Lamoille River that could have made the cut. But a more peaceful Lamoille Valley Church of the Nazarene quietly requested my attention.

Some things I saw along the way. I see these guys everywhere I go it seems. I was returning a Troy Bilt snowblower that we had serviced to Fairfield and they watched me the whole way. They practically begged to have their picture taken...

Some things I saw along the way.On an otherwise perfectly clear day, below 0 temperatures mid afternoon made for this surreal scene looking south west from the end of Lakeside Ave. on the Burlington waterfront.

Some things I saw along the way. This weeks ice storm has left our area a storybook winter wonderland. This northbound train caught my attention at the Conger Road crossing in Georgia.

Gotta say, the last thing I expected to see the morning after our Christmas ice storm was blowing snow and 3" on top of the truck.  Seriously?  I totally did NOT get that memo.

Hopefully the rest of the folks who have been without power for up to 5-6 days will have their power restored shortly.  A reminder to the lucky ones who invested in Honda generators before we ran out, it's time to change your oil.  Only ran it for 5 hours then the power came back on?  Still make sure to drain the gas from the carburetor and make sure you've got stabilizer in the gas.  Honda engines can run on up to 10% ethanol gas but it doesn't keep the gas from acting like glue and then turning to cement when it sits for an extended period of time.

Good luck out there folks and have a Happy New Year!

OK, let's be honest. When'd you last run your generator?  I know, you intended to exercise it every month per the owners manual but got busy and it hasn't been run since Y2K.  Or maybe you DID run it every month, stabilized the gas, and now realize the gas is from 2010 because you never lost power.    Here's a few reminders to help assure you'll have power if we lose it during this weekend's ice storm.

-Deal with your gas.  Stabilized in 2010 so it should be good?  It may not be gumming up your carburetor but it may also no longer be acting like gas.  I'd drain mine and start FRESH...not the leftover lawnmower gas but FRESH GAS from THE GAS PUMP and add stabilizer.    If you don't know how to drain your gas check out the manufacturer's website.  Our HONDA GENERATOR owners manuals are available free for download at powerequipment.honda.com under "product support"


-Remember your generator safety tips.  DON'T run it in an enclosed garage attached to the house and just because you can hear the TV over your HONDA Eu2000 doesn't mean you can run it in the living room.  Carbon Monoxide is no joke.


-Protect your generator from the elements.  It's supposed to rain hard on Sunday so your generator needs to dress for the weather just like you do.  It needs lots of air to breathe but doesn't really need to stand in the shower.  Mine fits great under my picnic table so I throw a tarp over the table and slide the generator under the table.  No picnic table?  How about a couple of sawhorses and a sheet of plywood.  Or a ladder across a couple lawn chairs and a tarp over that.  Remember the blanket tents you used to make in the living room as a kid - same theory.  You don't want to constrict air flow, just keep the bulk of the pouring rain off if you can.  


-Got a wood stove and a boy scout cookin' pot?  I do.  Cooked a whole turkey in the pot last weekend in the basement while I was at work.  Roughing it can be fun but sometimes you have to make yourself enjoy it.  Collect your candles, plan your meals and if you're fortunate enough to have wood heat and a Honda generator on hand you should be set.  Just do us a favor and check on others who may not be so fortunate.


Merry Christmas all and good luck this weekend!    And we've still got HONDA generators if you need one!

Tom's pulling a huge mouse condo from a Honda EU3000 generator this morning.  Got enough seeds in there to fill a bird feeder...twice!  And from the pile of insulation & fluff he produced I think someone may be missing a sweater.  Nice to note even the small critters prefer Honda.

On the way back from picking up a tractor in South Hero I stopped on the Sandbar Causeway to take in some nature. Among all the birds drawn to some open water I was treated to a family of Bald Eagles enjoying their spot at the top of the food chain.

This years winter project was to restore the equipment trailer. 13 years had taken a toll on the fenders and the beaver tail so those were ripped off and replaced. Thank you Queen City Steele for your fabricating services. Rust Rust Rust everywhere else that the boys sandblasted and refinished. New wires, new lights, new deck and it looks better than when 

We held an after hours corporate meeting last night to go over all the information and notes from our trip to the Toro RLC Dealer Conference in San Antonio, Texas. We were able to consolidate and drill down on a stack of "to do's" and yes this blog is among them. I was compelled to share a bit of the hour we spent listening to Nolan Ryan and Chuck Morgan.