Vandalism

[Revi]

I spent yesterday cleaning out the evaporator and getting things straightened out after the sugaring season. I checked the sugarhouse around 8pm, went home and went to bed, dog tired.

This morning I found that somebody had come along and shot the windows and door out of the front of the shack. It was three shotgun blasts at around midnight, according to a neighbor.

If someone had been inside they would have been dead.

We mind our own business and work hard, but the lazy deadbeats roam around all night looking for things to wreck.

It is really discouraging.

[markcasper]

That is not good Revi! Time to lock and load, it is only going to get worse!

[WF MASON]

There was a couple here last week , they had been up to Addison, Maine to buy a set of pans, when they went to look at them , they had been stolen from the sugarhouse. Things arn't good for many and stealing seems solve it for them, I hate to leave to go anywhere anymore.

[Revi]

I am installing a motion sensor light and cameras. It's too bad to have to go to such extremes, but there is no other way to protect the place. We had game cameras up for the sugaring season, but we need something more.

I am usually armed when I'm up there during hunting season, but I don't really want to do that the rest of the year.

I put up some more fencing today and cut some wood.

A friend who is a carpenter showed up and made up an estimate for the insurance folks.

Illegitemati non carborundum is the motto for this sugaring season.

We did manage to have a good season, despite the creeps.

I was furious and it helped to do some work.

I talked to some of the other sugarmakers in the area and we discussed ways of protecting the place. Some of the neighbors are watching out for it more now. It's good to have people who know what a drag it is to be vandalized.

[gmcooper]

Sorry to hear about the vandals Revi. Skowhegan has had it's share the past couple years. I guess we are all at risk. Last fall a fairly organized ring worked our neighborhood for a couple weeks. They went basically house to house. Very methodically stree by street. We were very lucky as we lost nothing but acrross the street and each side of us got hit. That one night they hit nearly 20 places. The farm around the corner they used his hand truck to wheel his welder out to the street.
Mark

[mapleman3]

I don't know how some of you guys with sugar house's deep in the woods can sleep at night! I would be so worried about that kind of stuff... All to often you hear of the places getting trashed or shot up! Mostly I would blame Teens out having fun drinking and shooting anything available. Sure sometimes adults but unless they hate you I don't see that happening. Heck i was a kid once, But I never got that reckless and ruined other peoples stuff.
Hopefully they get caught... but how do you teach them a lesson... Working there and fixing everything they shot up would be a start "If ya find them"

[Revi]

We are going to offer a reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who vandalized our sugarhouse on the night of April 25th.

I have some ideas as to who it might be, and I am going to have the cops talk to him.

The game wardens found a couple of shotgun wads and we know what the kind of ammo was.

We have the cops, the game wardens, area sugarmakers, neighbors and the insurance company after them now.

We know when it happened and where, so there is more to go on this time.

I hope we catch them.

[Clan Delaney]

I say that whoever it was should have to run on a treadmill next season to power your forced air blower!

[Revi]

I like that idea Clan Delaney, but I have a feeling that the person who did it is not used to working that hard.

[Clan Delaney]

I like that idea Clan Delaney, but I have a feeling that the person who did it is not used to working that hard.

And that's why it'd be perfect! As Larry Winget (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Its-Called-Work-for-a-Reason/Larry-Winget/e/9781592402816/?itm=3) might say, "It's called punishment for a reason".

[gmcooper]

Hey guys Revi is into alternative power how about a hand crank vacuum pump!
The exhaust from the vacuum could then feed the firebox. Probably a tax credit in there some where to boot. LOL

[TapME]

I agree make them fix it and then work to see just how had it is to do this maple syrup thing.
PS Revi hook up a 24 volt panel to a line around the door handle and see if they get a charge out of that.

[Revi]

We got the place all fixed up.

We are also getting a camera and a security light system, so maybe that will work.

We'll see.

[tessiersfarm]

I'll stop by and wave to the cam. Any closer to finding the dead beats?

[3rdgen.maple]

Hey Revi if you setup the camera that takes film instead of digital take a picture of yourself holding a sign with your phone number on it and a note that says IF THIS IS NOT THE GUY WHO WANTS THESE PICTURES DEVELOPED PLEASE CALL THIS NUMBER CAUSE IT WAS STOLEN. Had a buddy who's trail cameras for deer hunting kept getting stolen. He finally took that picture with the sign and when it was stolen he got the phone call and they caught the guy. Pretty funny I thought.

[Revi]

Thanks. We are putting up some security lights, and other things.

Tessier's farm's brother got the place all buttoned up again, so we are back to where we were anyway.

There is a deductible on the insurance, so we aren't going to make any money this year on syruping.

C'est la vie.