Chores @ The Nest ~ Eradicating Voles, Protecting Against Leaks, Cleansing Nespresso 26Oct23

I've had to use Vole Scram in the Spring and Fall to keep voles out of the back yard at the Nest. It kindof works for short periods but they return. I've also poured bait down what I think are their entrances but maybe not; the little buggers are still here. For my next try I built some poison bait delivery systems from furniture PVC parts. The upright tube is used to pour in new bait when low ~ this can even be done in winter through the snow. The cross pieces on the ground are dispensers for the bait. I secured each "trap" to the ground near vole sign with $.08 nails through holes I drilled in the 5 way piece. Vole moms can have 10-15 kids every 5-6 weeks so they can proliferate. Hope this works.

Nespresso machine began flowing very slow. I got some goodies to descale and clean the innards. Better now but the real issue is that the grid of "hole pokers" that are supposed to pierce the foil cover of the capsules tends to no longer do a great job. I cleaned them too but I think they are dull, or the "pusher arm" which pokes the back of the capsule and forces it forward into the "hole pokers" has declined in pressure.

While I have flood detection near the washing machine at the Nest, I still would like a scheme to prevent a burst washer pipe from flooding. We had a version of such a flood safe hose but cold stopped working; 3 problems: 1) my replacement regular hose made cold/hot adjustments out of balance, 2) online reviews for the original brand were bad as it really limits water flow even in the good case and extends washing times considerably, and 3) it wasn't flood safe any more. I purchased a new style of flood safe hoses and installed them at the Nest. I wasn't sure they'd fit as a control valve in the hose is pretty big. They fit and they run faster.

My chores are done for now. I'm hoping I need to wax my skis when I next return ~ Keystone is making snow despite the temps being 45° at the Nest this AM. Maybe with the addition of snow from a pending storm this weekend we'll get an opening next week.