Winter as usual

Cold weather (-1 right now, -5 this morning but with warm sunshine) and snow (6" predicted for tomorrow and Wednesday), just a regular Hawkeye winter.  No extremes in weather so far though they love predicting -20 wind chills later this week.  I don't pay much attention to wind chill, I just go by what the thermometer tells me.

I've had a good few days.  I canceled my chimney cleaning for Friday because the driveway was pretty treacherously icy and I know the guys only have a van, no 4WD or even AWD.  They're coming this Friday instead. 

Saturday I worked at the thrift store for a couple of hours, helped out with books--that seems to be where they like to have me these days.  It's pretty slow in receiving but the store was busy with shoppers.  Speculation was that people had cabin fever.  Saturday night I had dinner in Saranac Lake with friends from Albany.  They were only up for the afternoon.  We had a good visit, very nice time.

Sunday was Clean the House Day, I hosted book group last night so spent time vacuuming, dusting, de-cluttering and cleaning.  Why, oh why do I wait until company comes before cleaning like that?  It's so very nice to have a clean house!  Anyway we had a good book group time.  Someone brought homemade pizza that was delicious and someone else brought a lot of chocolate from the store where she works--left from Christmas, very tasty treats.

Today I went to Plattsburgh, in desperate need of a hair cut.  Ran a few errands then had lunch with a good friend.  It's reached the point where I've known my good friends for 30 years now, that amazes me but this is my 35th year in the North Country.  Hard to believe.

Warm, getting warmer

It's 40 this morning, wow what a difference.  We had some sleet and icy rain last night but nothing too serious so that was lucky.  Now it's warm and supposed to be raining but I don't think it's wet out there.  Of course it's dark so who can tell?

I've been having a good week.  Worked at the Archives, volunteered at the thrift store, visited with friends.  We went out for dinner last night and that was extremely nice.  The roads were bad but my friend drove and he's a good driver so it was all fine.  This morning I'll go to the Archives, hoping the roads are good (but they should be), then I'll meet my visiting friend at the garage where she's dropping off her truck, give her a ride home (down the hill from my house).  Having dinner with her tonight then she leaves for home in DC in the morning, I'll give her a ride to the Plattsburgh airport.  Tomorrow at noon the chimney cleaners are coming.  I realized during the night that I'll have to do some shoveling so they'll have a place to put their ladder to clean the stovepipe.  RATS!   I do not enjoy shoveling!  The snow is waist-deep and there is absolutely no place for them to put the ladder.

It's nice and warm in the house, thank goodness I didn't schedule a cleaning earlier this week because I can't use the stove today or tonight, it has to be cold for them to clean it.

I have to clean the house for book group.  Not really "the house," just the living room and bathroom really.  I have to dust, ugh, the stove throws dust totally and completely on everything in the living room.  Vacuum, sweep, clear off surfaces of clutter.  Won't take long.  I laugh at myself, I don't like to clean much before company comes because it gets so cluttered and full of dog hair quickly.

Life is good, very good.

Cold, getting colder

It's -11 right now (1:30 a.m.) and getting colder.  I'm awake, slept for a few hours but then something (with 4 legs) woke me up.  I was hoping to catch the lunar eclipse but it's too cloudy.  Treasure went out and barked at the moon--or else she was just barking because her toes were cold.  I'm glad I got up to feed the stove, the living room is getting chilly.  I brought in firewood before going to bed, but not much.  Rats.

We ended up with a lot of snow, at least 18 inches.  It's powder.  My plow man came twice so my driveway is in great shape.  The car is a lump of snow but it started at -5 when I moved it so he could plow.  It will start at -11 too, though when it's -20 you lose your radio stations and have to reset them all.  I don't know how cold it's supposed to get but they were yammering on and on about wind chills in the -20's on the weather report at 6 p.m.  Whatever it turns out to be is what it will be.  Summer people always say how lucky I am to live in god's country.  Well yes, this is god's country but sometimes it's pretty hostile.  I'm so lucky I don't have to go anywhere today and I don't have to worry about frozen pipes as long as I keep the water flowing.  I can't say enough about the success of the spray foam insulation I had installed last summer.  Man what a difference!

I'll shovel again when it gets light, right now there's a very narrow path down the deck stairs and through thigh-deep snow to the wood shed.  OK, maybe not THIGH deep, but knee deep at least.  The plow piles are taller than my car, man there's a lot of snow.

Run! Run and hide!

We're expecting a big storm tonight and tomorrow--original predictions were for 12-18 inches of snow, now we've been downgraded to 6-12 inches.  18-24" south of here.  Now THAT'S a lot of snow.  A foot is too much, a big inconvenience but it's cold so at least it will be powdery and easier to handle.  I love being retired and not worrying about getting out when we have storms.  By the time I need to be somewhere the roads (and my driveway) will be plowed.

Life has settled into my happy routine.  The Archives survived without me and we're back to scanning and more scanning.  There is a woman who took a picture of every single house in Keene Valley in the '90's and oh boy we're scanning each one.  B-O-R-I-N-G.  No, really, boring.  There are hundreds of them.  We're maybe halfway through the batch.

I'm up in the early early morning, just couldn't get back to sleep so I got up.  I should be reading the book group book, we're meeting here at my house next Sunday.  That means I have a week to clean and read so what's the hurry?  That should be on my gravestone--What's the hurry?

Dogs are just fine.  I let them out together a couple of times and they didn't go far.  I make a real effort to avoid that but once they got out of the car and took off, another time I deliberately let them out together because I had company and they were being obnoxious.

Today I'll spent a couple of hours at the thrift store then go to the dump and maybe to Jay for birdseed, depending on how much driving I feel like doing.  It's 6 degrees outside right now and due to be below zero after the storm.  We've had a lot of that lately!

Back to life

Things are getting back to normal for me.  Today I went back to the Archives--I haven't been there for something like a month, since before Christmas anyway.  It was nice to be there and the people were wonderful and welcoming.  I spent a lot of time explaining the relationship between my mother and Mark.  He's rented her upstairs for 27 years.  They're friends but more than that, he's her caregiver but not really officially but we're totally dependent on him for her ability to live at home.  They depend on each other so it's a good arrangement.  We are very very lucky.

The weather has changed drastically.  It was -13, -7, now it's 26.  That's PLUS, as they say.  I left the heat too high and boy oh boy is it ever hot in my house.  I lit a fire and it got hot.  Oh dear, I was getting used to negative numbers so now I have re-adjust everything.  But it's supposed to be cold again next week, below zero again.  And a big, oh-so-big and daunting snowstorm coming this weekend.  Oh how I love not having to think about getting around when we have a storm!   The luck of the retired.

Home sweet home

I came home today, left RI at 8 and got home before 2.  Made great time, not much traffic and very few tractor trailer trucks.  Sunny and clear, an easy trip.  My good friends had lit a fire in my stove, brought in firewood and shoveled my steps for my return.  How wonderful!  The house was 51 but now, 4 hours later is 64.  I've turned up all heaters.  The biggest shock was that no pipes froze!  and the pump is just fine.  I'm thrilled.  It was -8 last night with a high of 7 today.  The sun helped raise the temp in the house but mostly I'm thinking it's the spray foam from the summer.  What a coup!

It's cold tonight too, right now it's 4 and will go below zero I'm sure.  I feel so fortunate.

The dogs are extra happy to be home, they love their lives here.  They've run down the driveway 3 times, disappeared into the woods, scared me because it was so cold out but they're just fine.  They're exhausted and are sleeping soundly.  I hope to be doing that soon.

It was wonderful that I could go to RI so easily and be such a help and support to my mother and Mark.  Mark is doing very well.  He saw the cardiologist who told him he shouldn't go back to work for 3 months.  That did not go over well but he won't get clearance until he passes a stress test and undergoes cardio rehab--that will happen in February.  Well hell, Mark, February isn't far away.

I like knowing that I can make arrangements, thanks to friends to rush to my mother's to be helpful.  She is still coughing but feels better.  I'm still coughing a bit, mostly it's asthma now I think.  What a nasty cold/cough, and it lasted for more than 2 weeks for me.  Ugh.

It's winter in Hawkeye.  And I'm home.

Little Rhody

I'm here in Rhode Island, got here on Wednesday.  Mark is home and doing well.  He's perfectly mobile but not driving so I am the transportation expert for the week.  The weather here is good, warmer than at home for sure.  It rained hard the other day but otherwise has been sunny and pleasant.  We go to town, or I go alone, run errands then we mostly just doze and read.  Lucky thing we're avid readers!

My mother and I are ailing, she has a bad cough and cold, much the same virus as I have but I think it's just that, a virus so there's not much to be done but rest and relax and wait for improvement.

Still ailing but bigger fish to fry

I still have a cold--it's better, much better and the fever broke but I still feel like crap.  mostly.  I have to return to RI tomorrow, the man who lives with my mother (Mark) had a heart attack so I'm going down to be with my mother.  Mark is OK, he was transferred to the hospital in Providence and they did whatever they needed to do (details are sketchy) so will probably be home tomorrow but my mother is taking great comfort in knowing that I will be there.  So away I go.  I doubt I'll stay long, probably a long weekend or something like that (a girl can hope).  At least it's supposed to be warm here so I won't worry about frozen pipes.

I had a peaceful New Years Eve, just the kind I like.  I'm finally getting some good, sound sleep so I feel much better.  Or maybe I'm getting good sleep BECAUSE I feel better.  At any rate I'm doing well.  Coughing a lot but it's not bronchitis.  no.

It rained hard last night and all of that is freezing today.  Swell, just perfect.  It's down to 25 and supposedly going down to single digits tonight.  We'll see.  My house is warm.  My favorite radio station is doing its annual Beatles A to Z airplay today.  I listened for hours, finally stopped at Lady Madonna.  Some of the music, given my worrying about Mark and my mother was sad.  Mostly it's just really really nice to hear the songs though.  Oh the voices of those boys!