Back to winter

Yesterday it was 60 in Hawkeye, this morning it's 24.  We had sunshine yesterday, then pouring rain with thunder, then finally at least 3 inches of heavy snow.  VERY heavy snow.  Trees are drooping, branches and boughs breaking off.  The snow on my car this morning was like concrete because it all started as ice then was covered with heavy snow, which all froze.  It took a while to uncover the car but I managed fine and got to the gym this morning, spent 40 minutes on the treadmill and had a good visit with my friend.

It's been a bush weekend.  This was the weekend of The Burn.  Joe arrived on Thursday, as did the Holts and their company.  Friday was lunch in Plattsburgh with P&J, Joe and Bill--always a treat.  Friday night was dinner with the Holts--again always a treat.  Yesterday I went to AuSable in the morning for book group groceries for tonight, then I went to the burn.  It was pretty, as it always is, something hypnotic about a big fire, right?  This year the ground was pretty much bare and it was warm, very warm.  It wasn't until late afternoon that the rain started.  What a downpour!  Just amazing for the end of February.  I went to the Holts for dinner, walked down in my mud boots as it started to snow then came home with wet feet because the snow was so much deeper, and had to duck under many drooping boughs along the road.  Dramatic and beautiful effect.

This morning I met my friend at the gym--we'd skipped yesterday so had much to catch up on.  I think tomorrow we'll meet at my house in the afternoon and do some walking around here before having dinner with Annie and her company.  Tonight is book group and I've been trying to come up with a book that's available cheaply or widely at libraries.  I think I may have found one, The flood girls, by Richard Fifield (who was born in 1975, yikes, oh my big yikes).  We'll see how that goes over.  Book group is at Marylou's new house, which is very exciting and wonderful.

Boy my woods look like and Ideals magazine.  Does anyone else remember Ideals?  No, probably not.

It's great to have March arrive but this weather has us all confused.  It was so much like April last week, just wonderful spring-like conditions but the cruelty of weather reality wasn't far away.  Here we are, back in winter but with knowing that spring will indeed arrive.  Wow.

 The Burn

Working the burn

Spring? No, it can't be

It sure feels like spring out there but we have weeks and weeks to go before it could really be spring.  Temps have been in the high 30's and well into the 40's and the sun is warm, much warmer.  I leave for the gym in the morning around 6 and it's getting LIGHT out these days.  I get to see the earliest sign of a sunrise as I pass by Taylor Pond.  It's great.

Yes I'm still hitting the gym in the mornings.  It's going well, not so much in terms of how much weight I'm losing but I have a good time visiting with my friend while we treadmill together.  I'm increasing my speed (marginally) and the incline (again marginally) and I can feel a difference in the "workout" I'm getting.  If it weren't an overused term I'd label it a "so-called workout."  I did figure out how to adjust the tension on the rowing machine so maybe I'll branch out and include that.  Tomorrow we're hitting the pavement with plans to walk outside around AuSable for a change.

I had lunch in Elizabethtown yesterday.  That was a long drive but it was nice to see a different friend.  Tomorrow I'm having lunch in Plattsburgh--I have some errands that can't be done in E'town and was all set to attend to them yesterday, since we were originally scheduled to eat in Plattsburgh but oops, my friend had a meeting in Willsboro so we ate nearer there in E'town.  So I still have some big city errands to take care of. 

I had a good weekend but didn't do much.  I gymmed both days.  Saturday morning was dump time.  Sunday I cleaned some of the house because friends were coming from Albany.  They did come, did some hiking then went to their camp down the road.  Then they stopped by my house (without coming in--what??? you mean I cleaned the house and only I will appreciate that?) and we went to the pizza place in AuSable for dinner and a nice visit.  I managed to stay within my WW points that day even with my personal pizza.

Monday I ended up in Lake Placid at the laundromat (too much driving!).  I had bedding to wash and needed a few groceries so off I went.  It was more crowded than I like but still no lines, no waiting at the 'mat.  I'm getting to be a real pro at commercial laundry-ing.  Needless to say Donny hasn't come back to fix the electrical panel and that's OK.  No big deal.

This will be a busy weekend, it's the weekend of The Burn.  Joe arrives tomorrow.  The Holts arrive tomorrow.  Friday is lunch in Plattsburgh.  Saturday is the burning of the brush pile.  It's supposed to rain and be very warm for that.  Rain, not snow.  Warm, warm days but then it's supposed to cool off but only into the 30's.  I'm waiting for the return of winter, I know it's coming.

What? More snow?

It just snowed and snowed.  We have at least 2 feet on the ground now and the snow is white.  So very white.  We had sunshine today for the first time in well, I don't know how long but it sure felt like a week or so.  Anyway it snowed 2 more inches of fluff last night after Donny plowed.  His plowing is getting more and more cursory, I think maybe he's tired of it.  I no longer move my car so he can do the whole parking area by the house, I think maybe I'm tired of it.  There is still a large space, parking for 3 or 4 so it's fine.

Yesterday I met Carol at the gym (I actually got there first, a first) and we had a good time.  No one else there, not Dave who is often there before we are.  We talk around him mostly, sometimes we include him in the conversation but he's not really that interested in what we're talking about.  Besides, he thinks the media is being so very unfair to Mr. Trump. 

Carol is using the elliptical and she makes it look almost appealing so I may move on to that soon.  I'm only using the treadmill, with a few minutes on the rowing machine these days but I'm actually starting to want more.  Wow, cannot believe I'm feeling that.

Yesterday I took my laundry to Lake Placid, there's a nice laundromat there.  After that I went to see the ice palace in Saranac Lake but I'm so spoiled that I only like going there if no one else is around. Yesterday there was a busload of schoolchildren from Westport running around screaming and having totally too much fun so I didn't even get out of the car.  I'll either go next week or not again who knows.  It's supposed to be very warm with temps in the 40's and that will bring a rapid end to the ice palace.  It's not as big this year, they only had 6 days to build it.  It's impressive as always, just not THAT impressive.

Today was a slower day, I did go to AuSable but that was in the morning and I skipped the gym (no Carol today, she's on the road).  I actually deposited money in my savings account there (this is a new trend) and picked up some things for Jim (including a birthday bottle from Joe) and got yet a few more groceries.  Stopped at P&J's on the way home but didn't stay long.  Came home, did a little shoveling and brought in firewood.  Then what?  Not much.  I did fill out the form I need to submit for a discount on my school taxes, now I just have to take that and some other paperwork to Town Hall.  Can't do that until Monday.

It was a truly beautiful day though a bit chilly.  That surprised me because it was in the 20's with such bright sun and that's usually my favorite kind of winter day.  I always brag about the "crystal clear winter days in the 20's with warm sunshine."  That's what it was but maybe I'm getting older because it didn't feel as wonderful as I expected.  rats.

Snowy time

We had our big storm this week, it snowed Sunday night and Monday.  We ended up with at least a foot of snow, probably more but I didn't measure it.  Donny plowed twice.  Nothing much went on on Monday, places were closed.  I did go to the convenience store for deli turkey (boy is that low in points).  Mostly I stoked the stove and hung out inside but I did visit with P&J.

Tuesday was a busy day.  Met Carol at the gym at 6:30, had a good time there.  Went to Plattsburgh in the morning for a hair cut.  Ran some errands including groceries and bank, then had lunch with Julie.  Since we'd just seen each other on Saturday we didn't have a huge volume of talking but we did have some important things to share.  She's off to Florida for a few days (if she actually did go, of course she was having doubts) so I won't be having coffee in Keene this weekend.

Today I met Carol at the gym early (6:00 instead of 6:30).  That went well, as it always does.  I came home, called my mother who is blue very blue because it's WINTER.  She gets that way every winter but snaps out of it in March.  March isn't far away.  Wow, only 2 weeks!

I came home from the gym and watched the rest of the Westminster show.  I wasn't as interested in it this year, there just weren't the stunning dogs that I'm used to watching.  I wasn't impressed by the German shepherd but then no one asked me about Best in Show.  None of the dogs I picked even won their groups.

I went back to AuSable to take care of some things (bank, grocery store and paid my gym membership).  Stopped at the town hall but couldn't be helped by the secretary there.  Got a phone number of the person who can help me, though so I'll follow up with that.

Now I'm spending the afternoon being quiet and stoking the stove.  Not much going on.  It's snowing again/still.  We'll get 3 inches.  or maybe 5 inches.  but could be 8 inches.  I used to be more fixated on weather forecasts but retirement sure does bring a shift in what concerns me.

Tomorrow I think I'll go to Saranac Lake to see the ice palace then maybe hit a laundromat in Lake Placid.  I don't have a dryer but will at some point, Donny told me he's got my panel and will be by one night this week.  as if.

Valentine's Day view from my living room.

Ccccccold morning

It's not really THAT cold, but the house is not warm because it's so windy.  Temp this morning was -2, now it's up to 1.  I wasn't conscientious about the fire so the living room got down to 57 and is slow to respond to the hot fire I now have.  I'd forgotten what it's like to wear warm clothes, I've been relaxing in t-shirts and bare feet for too long.  Not today.

It was a good week.  I had a successful time at the doctor's, my cholesterol and glucose levels have improved since my last visit--thank you, treadmill and Weight Watchers.  The doctor was thrilled--we all love positive reinforcement, don't we? so I liked seeing him.

I went to the gym on Weds. morning and again on Thursday, met Carol there and had a good time.  yes, a good time.  I don't overdo it for sure but I get enough exercise at my pace.  I've increased the incline instead of speed.  I don't want to risk having an asthma attack so I just plod along like a workhorse.  It works.

Last night I had dinner with the Ruders and Carol and it was a lot of fun.  A cold night but their house is warm.  They're good friends and I didn't eat too much (but maybe drank a glass too many of the great wine)(and the Manhattan didn't help but boy was it delicious).

Today I'm going to the movies with Lin & Ralph, we're going to Lion after lunch in Plattsburgh.  Should be fun.

I need to get to the dump one of these days but it doesn't seem to work out.  "My" dump is only open until noon tomorrow and I'm meeting Julie at 10 in Keene so that won't work.  Hmmm   Maybe I'll g on Monday instead, that's the next time my dump is open.  Must be I don't have a lot to report if doing to the dump is what I write about.

Oops

So much for my efforts at posting often.  I keep thinking I have nothing to report but then time goes by and I see from my calendar that there are things I could write about.

Last week was pretty busy, too many (3) trips to Plattsburgh.  Gym at 6:30 Monday morning then a trip to Platts. to have blood drawn.  Gym at 6:30 Tuesday then a trip to Platts. for lunch with Barb.  Quiet day Weds., did some sorting of Conversationists' papers.  50 years worth of correspondence, news items and newsletters.  Eye appointment in Plattsburgh Thursday, just a follow-up to my lasering last month.  Dinner at the Holts following cocktails with Duncan, David and John.  That was a treat, all of it.  Gym Friday morning and coffee with Annie.  Coffee in Keene with Julie for 2 hours Sat. morning.  Dinner with D, D and JK at the Blue Heron always a treat.  Visits with the 3 of them various times.  They are SO CUTE!  Right now I'm waiting for D&D (JK went back to Calif. yesterday) to come to wash their dishes and visit.

Rush chopped a hole in the ice so we know it's about a foot thick so far.  David and John went out onto the lake and took some beautiful pictures.  The men climbed Silver Lake Mtn with resulting gorgeous images.  I don't have any interest in climbing anything in the winter (or, apparently in the summer).  The report that it's beautiful in the woods and at the tops of these mountains but the climb is tricky and icy in spots.  No, thank you, not for me.

I watched the first half of the Super Bowl but stupidly went to bed after halftime because how could New England win at that point?  Guess I missed the best of the game but it doesn't really matter much to me. 

Went to the gym this morning around 7, one other person there so we chatted and I stayed 40 minutes, egged on by his presence.  I'll take inspiration in any form.  Then I went to Redford to buy Jim B's birthday present (chewing tobaccy).  I do enjoy driving, listening to music.  My current music crush is Eric Clapton (making a repeat appearance).  Lots of his music.  He is great.

This week has some busy times and some quiet times.  Tomorrow is Jim's birthday (82) and I'll visit with them.  Wednesday is gym, doctor, lunch (Julie).  Thursday is quiet.  Friday may be movies with Lin (Lion).  I have a wall calendar and love to see things written on it.  That's a throwback to my working days, when I kept 3 calendars.

We've been having snow every night, got about 2" of powder last night.  Very pretty.  There's more than a foot on the ground now, temps are OK.  7 this morning, now up to 17.  I guess we'll have a storm later this week--snow tomorrow and warmer temps on Weds. with maybe some rain.  ugh.  rain.

Sunday afternoon

So let's see...I don't think I did a lot yesterday, but I know I went to the dump and I saw P&J.  Oh, I did some laundry and sorted through some clothes.  Nothing fits me that didn't before I started Weight Watchers, but that will come I'm sure.  I seem to have a lot of pairs of sweatpants and pants with elastic waists.  Oh, yes, clothes for what Ken called "Biggies."

I spent time today sorting through 50 years' worth of papers of our shore owners' association.  I ended up with 3 boxes of correspondence, newsletters, minutes and newspaper clippings.  For some reason it never occurred to me to put these papers in the empty file cabinet I have upstairs.  The file cabinet was full of papers from our sawmill (which we sold in 1987) and records of various of my ex-husband's exploits.  I gleefully emptied it a few years ago and sent everything to the dump.  Oh that was liberating.  Now I have 4 drawers to fill with papers that are more relevant to MY life.  Good for me, but now all I have to carry the stuff upstairs.  There's another box of papers in the master bedroom for me to go through and file but today I'm quite pleased with what I accomplished.

Tomorrow morning I'll meet Carol at the gym at 6:30, then maybe I'll go to Plattsburgh to have blood drawn.  It's the week before my appointment with my "regular" doctor and he reports on all sorts of things, including mostly my cholesterol levels.  Thank you, Rogers genes, I have issues with cholesterol.  Anyway it's a fasting blood test so I like to go in the early morning but that never works well with my lunch dates so I make a special trip usually.  Since I'll be up (UP!) and about tomorrow morning I may as well do it then.  This is a lot of writing about a stupid routine blood test.  Must be I don't have much else to report on.

It's a little colder now but still in the 20's.  And gray, still gray.  The sun was out for a little while early this afternoon but it's been spitting snow for most of the day.  We're into that time when it snows a little every day and all of a sudden we have 6 inches of new snow.  It's supposed to get colder this week but nothing below zero.  What would we expect?  It's almost February.  It's been too warm for too long.

Breaker Breaker come in please

Hot water, she has hot water.  The problem was not the water heater at all, instead it was the breaker, which shorted out.  Yikes, that is very scary.  That makes 2 breakers like that.  Don came today and switched the dryer breaker so now I have 50 gallons of hot water but no dryer.  This it temporary and was just to get me hot water right away.  What's up with rotten breakers?  He said the wiring is good (thank you Eddie Zelinski) but the breakers are old and not the good kind.  I'm so excited, he's going to replace the panel and the breakers.  YAY!   I'll have heat at the back of the house again, that's just a bonus in all of this.  I'm happy it wasn't the heater but am very nervous about the breakers.  There aren't many in that box, maybe 4 or 5 (well, 2 fewer now).  Mostly I'm really excited to have someone working on my house.

I met Carol at the gym Weds. morning at 6:30 and we treadmilled for 40 minutes easily.  It sure is nice to have a gym buddy, we talk our way through the walking.  It's great.  I went this morning by myself and watched TV for the half hour I treadmilled.  Oh I'm good, I'm good.  I'm doing WW conscientiously.  Tomorrow I'll weigh in, hoping for another 2 pounds lost this week but I'll take what I get.  My clothes sure don't fit me any better so I still have a long way to go.  No, the answer is not to buy bigger clothes, I've done that in the past.

Lin called this morning, wanted to go to the movies but I couldn't leave the house this afternoon, waiting for Don.  Instead she came over and we had a nice visit.  I got antsy in the afternoon, Don didn't come until 4.  Of course it didn't take him long to figure out and solve the problem so that was grand. 

We're having snow these days.  Predictions are for 6-12 inches in the infamous higher elevations (sometimes that's us) and the western slopes of the mountains (that's us).  So far we've only had a couple of inches today.  It's supposed to snow all weekend so we may get 4-6 inches, that would be my guess.  That's fine with me, I know the friends who are coming next week want a lot of snow so this will please them.

Tomorrow I'll hit the dump and do some laundry, hopefully I'll see Pat & Jim.  I wanted to go there this afternoon but couldn't leave the house.  Lin and I may go to the movies, or not.  Oh I do love this life.

Time to do the dishes.  Using water from the tap.  Hot water.

Storm: CHECK

The storm came.  It started with ice, just enough ice to keep me at home this morning instead of meeting Carol at the gym.  I was up at 5, then dozed on the couch until my mother called to check on me.  She was having a storm too but hers was a wind storm with a little rain.  She's very nervous about wind--her house is in the woods, surrounded by trees and she worries endlessly about having a tree (or two) fall on her house.  I guess I could worry about this too but I elect not to.

Anyway I didn't go to the gym in the morning but I did go in the afternoon by myself.  I had a couple of things to mail and I wanted some gym time so I drove to AuSable.  The roads were nasty, only barely plowed but I got there without incident.  I treadmilled for half an hour or so, read a book while I walked.  Large print is definitely easier to read but this was a regular print book so I struggled a little bit but managed to read OK.  It was wonderful to have the place to myself.

I got behind a snow plow on the way home, picked it up just outside of town.  That meant 25 mph for 13 miles but that was OK, it was nice to have a freshly plowed lane to drive in and I was listening to early Neil Young and was going slowly enough to let the dogs hang their heads out the windows.  It was fine.  When I got home Donny came to plow my driveway (YAY) and I talked to him about hot water (the lack of it, anyway).  He's coming on Thursday to see what's up with my water heater.  I had called him but he was snowmobiling in Yellowstone, I didn't know when he came back.  duh.  A phone call, a simple phone call, Elizabeth, that's all it takes.  Anyway I'm pretty pleased with myself for asking for his help.  I know it's not so much "help" when you're paying someone to fix something but I have this major problem with asking for anything.  I'm afraid I see it as a sign of weakness and failure, the need for other people.  Well I know I need other people in my life, and I know all too well that I can't take good care of my house, but I just hate asking people for things.  Perhaps I could move past this?

Tomorrow I'm meeting Carol at the gym again at 6:30.  Will call my mother when I get home from that, then will go to Plattsburgh for lunch with Julie.  We ended up with maybe 6" of snow, it's very pretty out there.  I actually shoveled a path to the steps on my deck.  Easy shoveling.

Storm's a-comin' so WATCH OUT

It's been warm, very warm in the 30's for at least a week (though it feels longer)(maybe it is)(I've lost track) and tonight and tomorrow we're supposed to have a big storm.  They're predicting 6-8 inches of heavy wet snow.  As we know, all snow is wet so this is not a shocker.  Heavy, though, is a drag to shovel and plod through.  Temps are supposed to continue to be in the 30's and maybe there will be sleet instead of snow.  or not.  we don't know.  Anyway I postponed my doctor's appointment (post-laser follow up) because I knew in my heart of hearts that I wouldn't want to be driving to Plattsburgh tomorrow morning at 7.  I did that for 30 years.  I don't mind driving to Plattsburgh once in a while but I sure don't need to do that on bad roads at 7 a.m. any more. 

I went to the fitness center again this morning, good for me!  I met my friend Carol there at 6:30 and we treadmilled and talked for about an hour.  She walks at a perfectly respectable speed, I do not.  I walk slowly, very slowly, but it beats sitting on my couch watching TV all morning.  We're supposed to meet again tomorrow morning but my attendance will depend on the roads and the weather.  There was some black ice this morning, mostly in P&J's driveway, where I slipped and landed SMACK! on my butt.  No harm, no foul.  Just will be sore tomorrow I bet.

I went to Plattsburgh this morning, had to get meds, do the bank and get some groceries.  I'm doing Weight Watchers (successfully) so bought tons of fruit and vegetables for zero points.  I do like WW, it's an excellent way for me to monitor what I eat and do some serious portion control.  It's easy to do at home, I'm so lucky to be here every day. 

The dogs are fine.  The birds are very active--they get that way before a storm.  They empty the feeder at least once a day and I need a bigger feeder.  I have chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, blue jays and an occasional finch.  I had a redpoll the other day.  I hear a pileated woodpecker often.  One year I had a barred owl sitting by the bird feeder for days on end.  Earlier this year I had those turkeys at the feeder.  Mostly it's a pretty bland bunch of birds I have this year.

I've stocked up on firewood in the house.  I have lots of food and supplies.  I'm not worried about a snow storm.

January 20th, NOTHING on TV

I just want to watch the local news but there's some parade going on and some big fuss about something else.  AUGH!!!  I didn't watch the inauguration.  I watched an Eric Clapton concert that I recorded last year (I could watch that a zillion times), then watched the Blues Brothers movie.  That, OK, I don't need to see again.  I went to the post office in AuSable to send out the last of Christmas, so it's over, all over.

What I did that was really great today was meet a friend at the fitness center in AuSable at 6:45 this morning and walk on a treadmill for more than half an hour.  The 2 other people there were using treadmills at a much faster speed, but I felt good doing what I did.  I liked it and only my knees were sore.  I can't go very fast because of my asthma but that may change as time goes by.  It was nice this morning though I didn't want to get up.  My friend is there at 6:30, she works in Lake Placid and goes before work so that's the time to be there with her.  That's fine, I like getting up early, but boy is it dark on the roads at 6:15.

It's too warm here, temp now is 30, with a high today of 36.  As much as I suffer when it's -10 I'd rather have something akin to normal January weather.  There's barely any snow, which again makes me nervous.  Snow cover is important--it insulates septic systems and melts into great ground water in my well.  No big snow on the horizon, either, maybe a few inches next week.

I have no great or deep philosophical observations about today.  I'm afraid of what will happen in the next 4 years, but like my friends the Holts I have just the smallest amount of hope and optimism that something good might happen.  Something small, maybe, but something.  Let's hope.

Way, way pretty sight

I went to camp yesterday and this is what the lake looks like.  The ice was bare and gorgeous, so smooth and shiny.  Really, really pretty.  Doesn't look like that today, though, we had snow overnight so now I'm sure it's just a white field with a mountain in the background.  We didn't get much snow, only about an inch.

It's warm today, 32, which feels too good.  Let's get on with this winter, please, so I can get used to it and move on.  It's supposed to be warm all week and that's just strange.

Yesterday I went to AuSable and signed up for the fitness center there.  Yikes, this is serious.  I met a wonderful woman New Years Eve and she goes to the fitness center so we thought maybe we could be gym buddies.  So asked her how long she spends there when she goes.  "Oh, I do about half an hour of cardio, then 15 minutes of something else."  Oh.  My.  I was thinking of an easy 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Well maybe she'll actually help me do something that might make a difference.  At any rate, I'm hoping to take advantage of this and make my $40 a month investment actually be worth it.  AuSable is 13 miles from my house so it's not too far--not far enough for me to say "it's such a long drive."  Most people would suggest that I could just walk IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD (yes, Joe, you're right), but since I'm not doing that I thought I'd try this.  Why do something that's free if you can pay for it?

Tomorrow I go to Plattsburgh for a car appointment.  Today I go to Plattsburgh for lunch with Julie.  I'll stop at the dump on the way.  I'll buy lemons in town, I like lemons in my water at night (we all have our oddities).  It's pretty certain that I'll get more than lemons at the grocery store.

Life is good.  Very good.

Still not hot, yet

I don't fully understand why I allow myself to live like this, over and over.  I still don't have hot water, the breaker for the water heater made a terrible noise so I shut it off and walked away.  So it's been days.  I shower and do laundry at the Holts, I cook water to wash the dishes, I wash my face in cold water (that's what Paul Newman did anyway, even when he had access to hot water, so let's pretend that's a beauty secret).  I'm waiting for...for what?  well, for my money to come, first of all.  I could call someone and set it up but who would I call?  I'm going to talk to Marylou about electricians in the area, maybe she'll have a magic answer for me, someone wonderful and available.  Oh wait, if they're wonderful they're not available.  I have to solve this problem within the next 2 weeks because the Holts are coming at the first of next month and I refuse to shower at their house while they're in residence.  I do have my limits.

It was a pretty quiet week for the most part.  Two trips to Plattsburgh, two dump runs and one day spent in Hawkeye and only Hawkeye.  I had lunch with Julie and lunch with Barb this week, went to a meeting of the cemetery association (where I declined an offer to be trustee).  I've been gently and gradually cleaning the house--book group meets here tomorrow night.  Today was a day off, though, and after going to the dump I went to Keene to meet Julie.  We spent most of the day visiting, first over coffee, then we decided we were hungry so went out for lunch.  We do know how to entertain each other and always laugh a lot.  Even in the face of our trials and tribulations (of which she has plenty and I have a mere few).

The cat is in residence but limits his prowling to the upstairs.  We've made progress--he looked me in the eye yesterday, then walked (not ran) away.  He's made the connection between the Old Woman and food so he's much more tolerant of me.  He wants nothing to do with the dogs but they are fascinated by his presence, and especially his food, which passes by them every day as I take it upstairs.  Oh they want that canned food!  I can't find him in the master bedroom but make him come out into the open to eat, moving the dish closer to the stairs every now & then.

It was -5 this morning and my house just would not warm up.  Well duh I forgot to turn the heat in the kitchen back on.  I'd shut off the heat during our 40-degree days this week.  It rained and rained then froze and froze.  Lots of thick ice in driveways and on lawns now but my plow man has sanded at least twice here so my driveway is good for walking and carrying firewood across.  Whew.

Tomorrow I'll vacuum and clean the bathroom and make some treats for dessert (probably) and finish the book group book.  I think I'm still in denial about what happens to this country on January 20th.  I prefer to ignore the whole thing.

The Curse of 58OHR

Boy there's always something going on with this house--now it's the hot water.  There isn't any.  I thought it was the hot water heater (that's redundant, unless there's a cold water heater) but then I shut off the breaker for the heater and when I turned it back on it made the most awful crackling noise, so maybe it's the breaker.  There's another breaker that doesn't work in that panel (the 220 panel) so this may be a bigger problem.  But I think that would be a cheaper problem to fix than buying and installing a new heater.  But what do I know?  Anyway I have to ask around to find an electrician.  I've got a plumber now but don't know an electrician to call.  Soon I suppose I'll need a roofer.  And a contractor.  And what?  Someone for everything.  Oh I love being a homeowner, especially in an owner-built home.

Anyway, not having hot water isn't the worst thing--not having WATER is worse and that's not my problem right now.  Whew!

I haven't been doing a lot lately, though I did go to Plattsburgh twice this week.  I went on Tuesday for a haircut, grocery shopping and mostly to have lunch with Barb.  Yesterday I went to have lunch with Julie.  Today I'm not going anywhere, I hope.  It's shower and laundry day at the Holts.  I have a few loads of wash to do and will take a nice hot shower down there.

The big news at 58OHR is the arrival of a cat.  Here kitty kitty.  I went to Julie's on Saturday and picked up Loppy, a huge male black cat.  Poor Loppy, he is not very happy here.  He went from the cat carrier to the kitchen cupboard and sat in a muffin tin for a few hours.  I finally dragged him out of there and carried his rigor-like body upstairs.  Now he lives there.  I feed him there and his liter box is there and he has shown himself twice, briefly, very briefly.  He does not like the dogs, who are fascinated by him (which is why he doesn't like them I'm sure) and he's not very fond of me.  I made a huge mistake by not blocking off the master bedroom, so he has hiding places galore.  I can't find him in that room.  It's no longer a bedroom, has been a storage unit for years now.  Boxes, plastic tubs, suitcases, tools, Christmas stuff, 3 bureaus, books, clothes--lots and lots of stuff.  And many places, apparently, for a huge black cat to hide.  Will he ever come downstairs voluntarily?  Who knows, but he's a very nice and gentle cat.  We'll work something out.

Barely morning

Yesterday I got up at 2:30 or so, was awake and worrying about my mother and the future.  Today I was awake and worrying about Trump and the future.  Which is a bigger waste of my time? 

It's -3 right now but there's no wind so it's not bad at all.  I haven't reached the point where I'm totally tired of stoking the stove and starting fires (or starting fires and stoking the stove)--that will come by March I expect.  I still love my "new" stove, I think this is my 3rd year with it.  It's easy to clean, there's an ash pan.  It's efficient, burns less wood for hotter fires.  And it's beautiful, navy blue enamel with windows in the front.  Ahhhhh.   And they say money can't buy love.

No big plans for today, just a dump run this afternoon.  My dump is only open in the afternoon on Saturdays, which will be a big and unpleasant shock for the summer people.  New dump lady, Bob, our former dumper was transferred.  Not an improvement.  The dump is actually a "convenience station," but people are asking what's convenient about the new hours?  Dump is open on Sat. afternoons and Mondays.  MONDAY??  How much garbage do we generate between Saturday and Monday?  Oh well, I can't really complain if my life is so simple that the hours the dump is open occupies my mind.  Well, that and Donald Trump.  And my mother.

One of these days I'm supposed to be getting a cat from Julie.  We keep scheduling a time when I'll pick him up, but something comes up and it doesn't work out.  MAYBE, just maybe some time today I'll meet the cat.  She has too many cats and I've agreed to help out by taking one.  I liked my other cat, we had a good relationship.  Julie says this cat is affectionate and very nice.  Let's see how affectionate the dogs are...

Colder but not bad

Temps finally returned to normal, it's 17 right now.  Yesterday wasn't bad but last night we had a cold, cold wind just whipping around.  Man it was nasty.  Today the wind kept up but now it's calm so 17 feels almost balmy.  Very comfortable.

I DID use the spray foam on the 3 holes in the floors of the laundry room and the bathroom.  Wow what a difference that made.  big duh, very very big duh.  The holes where the drain pipes exit the house were bigger than the pipes so air was always seeping in.  Geez, probably more than just air...  Anyway, it's all moot now because boy did I plug those holes.  I didn't know you could use that foam around plumbing pipes so hadn't done it before.  I feel pretty lame, but as Julie & I discussed this week, we don't live in the past, we just live with the consequences of the past.  And now it's the present and things are better.

My only resolution was to do the dishes every night instead of leaving them in the sink.  So far so good but can it really count when it's only the 5th?  Well I'll do my best.

I had a nice lunch with Julie yesterday and got a few groceries for P&J then stopped at their house on the way home to deliver and visit.  We laughed a lot, which is pretty much normal for us.  Today I went BACK to Plattsburgh to the dentist.  I have a lingual bar (like a permanent retainer), which is what you get after you have braces that close gaps between your teeth.  Sometimes the bonding agent that's used comes loose, and that's happened to me twice.  Easy fix and a painless visit to the dentist.  Emphasis on painless.  And not even very expensive.

I started reading a Nancy Thayer book on my Kindle last night when I couldn't sleep.  I used to think she was a good writer.  Not so much any more, but it's not bad at all.  Not fine literature at all.  I got my copy of Hillbillly elegy today and will start reading that after I finish the book group book by Fredrik Backman (or something close to that).  He wrote A man called Ove and this one is something about "My grandmother."  It's got some of the same good qualities that Ove had but isn't as engaging.  I have until the 15th to read it, but by then I have to clean the house, too.  Burning wood makes such a mess.  Having dogs makes such a mess.  Being sloppy makes such a mess.  Being lazy makes such a mess.

I've been to Plattsburgh 4 times this week.  Tomorrow I hope to spend the day at home.  I have more laundry to do at the Holts, sheets to change, a shower waiting for me, and a thank you letter to write.  I wrote to my mother and Mark, mailed those today.  Just one more letter to write.

Saturday I may (at last) get my cat.  Julie and I are trying to work out a time that works for both of us.  This cat thing has dragged on for months and I've been assigned 3 different cats.  I think we've settled on one now, a large male (neutered, of course) that Julie says is a very, very nice kitty.  He'll have to be to fit into my life.  I'm sure he'll fit in just fine.  The dogs and I had a cat before so this should work out OK.  Should.  OK.  Work out.

Still HAPPY!

Sometimes I wonder if I'm all right, really all right, because so many times I say "I LOVE THIS LIFE."  When you're bipolar you want to make sure your highs aren't too high and your lows aren't too low, so I wonder a lot.  But no, I'm fine (no, really)(really, I am), I'm just happy.  I feel so fortunate to have this life.  People always tell me I worked hard for it so I "deserve" it.  I don't feel that way, but I seldom feel deserving of anything.  That's not a concept I embrace, deserving something.

Anyway, today was a good day.  The weather was goofy, very warm (currently 34) but that was OK because it melted most of the ice and snow off of my deck stairs.  My deck gets covered with heavy snow--I shovel a path from the door to the top stair, and it often will develop into a deep rut in a big snow cover.  So right now it's not really raining but it's predicted to be a nasty weather night with freezing rain and icing.  Icing makes me nervous (it makes anyone nervous who went through the ice storm in 1998) but I'm sure this will be fine.

I went to the movies this afternoon, stopping at the dump and hardware store on my way.  I saw Manchester By The Sea and loved it, just loved it.  The geography is very familiar to me (southern New England), the death of a brother is just a little too familiar to me, but the acting was sooooo good and the story is fine.  Some people didn't like the ending but I thought it was appropriate.

Tomorrow I'll return to Plattsburgh for lunch with Julie.  I haven't seen her since before Christmas so we'll do some catching up.  She's supposedly giving me a cat but I have no update on that.  Will find out tomorrow.

Yesterday I went to Plattsburgh (too many trips this week) and had my eyeball lasered.  That was easy and painless and has helped with my vision.  There was some clouding, which happens, according to the doctor to 1 in 5 cataract patients.  So I'm special but not extraordinary.

It's supposed to be warm tomorrow, then maybe it will snow and it will definitely get colder.  Probably below zero for the weekend.  I bought more spray insulation foam and will use it to fill the holes in the floor in the laundry room and bathroom.  Yes, oh yes I will.  Any day now.

New Year that is HAPPY

I'm sitting in my living room with my great dogs, watching the birds at the feeder, looking at the oil painting that Mark gave me for Christmas (an ocean scene that looks like the scene we love to see on our beach walks) and listening to THE BEATLES.  This all makes me outrageously happy.  On New Year's Day one of the local radio stations plays The Beatles from A to Z and I absolutely adore it.  Right now we're in the I's.  I Hate to Spoil the Party.  Because it's alphabetical rather than chronological it is a wonderful way to hear the variety in their music, old and older.  They were amazing, truly amazing. 

I had a very satisfactory New Year's Eve.  I spent the day doing nothing in particular--drove to AuSable to the bank (to DEPOSIT money) then tried unsuccessfully to get to the dump (closed because of the holiday--could a girl know this BEFORE driving to Redford?).  I stopped at P&J's and had a drink and lots of laughter with them.  That was fun.  I went to an actual party last night, the neighborhood holiday party.  Mostly people from the south shore of the lake, and not as big a crowd as we sometimes have but I had a very nice time.  I met a new friends, a woman and her husband who live not far from here.  They're delightful and the woman and I really hit it off.  How great to find a new friend at this point in my life.  She works in Lake Placid, of course knows the Jameses.  That's all right, she apparently doesn't hold my ex-husband in high regard (totally unsolicited, no, really).  He works in Albany so is gone during the week.  I'll have her come over soon for an evening visit.  That will be nice.

I should be doing something domestically constructive today but no, I'm listening to the radio and playing with the Internet.  I should move the radio into the bedroom and be constructive in there.  I still haven't unpacked my clothes from my RI trip and I uncovered a bunch of summer clothes when I cleaned the laundry room the other day.  Rats.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to have my eye lasered.  Do I need a driver?  I don't know but I don't have one.  I'll call in the morning to find out if I can drive myself home.  Poor planning on my part but I tried to reschedule the appointment--when I called on Friday the office was closed.  What is up with these people who don't know that Monday is the holiday?  Oh how confusing.

Boyohboy I do love The Beatles.  That is some grade-A music.

happy holidays

 This is what they spend a lot of time doing at my mother's house.  It's very dull compared to life here at 58OHR, where they can run free.  Their "running" is limited to a small pen.  Sometimes Mark and I take them for walks on the beach or at the park, but that didn't happen this time.  Awww, too bad Ladies.

Mark decorating the tree.  As always, he put at least a thousand white lights on the tree.  It's pretty and bright.  I didn't help decorate it, I do my tree and that's it.

I had a good Christmas, my trip there was easy and uneventful.  My days there were quiet and very nice.  I spent time with my mother, who is 90 and seems old, older than at Thanksgiving.  We ran errands before Christmas, did some Christmas shopping and got groceries.  All very nice.

The weather was grand, warm with some slight rain.  Christmas Day was lovely, we opened presents then had our traditional bagels and lox breakfast (courtesy of Mark).  Yum that was tasty, as always.  Oh, and did I mention that Christmas Eve we had lobsters, clams and mussels?  Yes, Liza and I went to Champlin's for delicious fare.  I cooked the dinner, that's easy, and we had a nice dinner.  Christmas dinner was a delicious roast of beef that Mark cooked, so very tender and flavorful.

Was there more to Christmas than the food?  Yes of course.  Big excitement was at the bird feeder in the back yard: there was a falcon there who snatched first a blue jay, which it pounded into the ground before I scared it away (then it flew into the woods with the blue jay in its talons), then it snatched a cardinal the next day.  Yikes, very dramatic.  Liza wasn't pleased and doesn't want that bird at her feeder, eating the songbirds she likes to watch.  She has a ton of titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, with a smattering of cardinals and towhees and an occasional woodpecker.  Very nice collection.

I came home yesterday, leaving RI in the morning and making a stop in Hanover, NH to see a favorite cousin.  I only visited with them for a couple of hours, but it was enough to make my ride home a long and dark one.  Dark when I got home as well, because there was no power in my house.  HORRORS!   The house was cold, 33, my house plants had frozen and there was ice in the dogs' water bowl.  Holy crap.  I called the power company and that worked out well but it took the poor man hours to find my house (you can't very well say "look for the light in the woods").  We discovered the problem, a meter that was separated from it's housing because it had been hit by falling ice and snow from the roof.  Rats!  He fixed it quickly and easily, but that was only step 1.

The floor behind the washing machine was wet, which means the pipes there burst.   I always (ALWAYS) turn off the pump and water heater when I go away, so at least there was no massive water leakage.  I have yet to uncover the splits in the pipes, I'm saving that for the plumber who will hopefully arrive tomorrow morning to mend the several-times-mended pipes.  I wrapped the pipes in insulation but there was no heat for 4 days, as near as I can figure, so the whole house got cold, very cold.

I got water from the Holts today (Annie called from Costa Rica in response to my email to her--they wanted me to move into their house.  No, that might make too much sense for me), and the house is now too warm.  It's not cold out, temp is 29, and we're not having the tons of snowfall that was predicted.  We only got a couple of inches here though I suppose we may get more overnight.  This huge storm has left us pretty much unaffected.  That's a relief.  I always used to say I preferred cold to snow, snow was so complicated to deal with.  Now however, I say PLEASE, no cold, no sub-zero, just give us snow to insulate the well and the septic system.  We have neither right now, just a few inches of snow on the ground.  There was about a foot of snow when I left last week but it rained here, then got cold so there's very slippery ice under the snow.  Slicker than snot, as they say (they?  who says that?).

Tomorrow I'll go to Plattsburgh in the afternoon, time to get some supplies.  I think I have to throw out most of what is in my fridge and some of what is in my freezer.  Oh life is never simple here, is it.

Visitors

There were 5 of these at the feeder last week, before I left for Rhode Island.  They drove the dogs nuts, while the dogs watched from the living room.  I wouldn't let the dogs out to chase the turkeys, making Treasure sing songs I never realized she knew.  Wow did she make some amazing noises.