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A View From the Field |
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April 2014 April 30 Wow, April is over already! Where does the time go?
i didn't get to bed until around 1;00 last night again. There was some good music, and some different things than I've heard lately, and I was writing, and then I had to take a bath. So I was late. I slept well, of course, because I was tired, and I didn't get up until after 11:00. I knitted, so it was 2:00 before I ate my first meal. Talk about being off-schedule...
I didn't do anything else. I should - I need to - go down to the basement and check out the water pressure, and there are some things down there I want to see if I can find, as well as do something about the cat potty area, but I was just too tired and it was too late to do it today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe. The water is still running, after a fashion.
The weather was better off ignored. I think it was foggy all night, and there was fog for most of the morning, too. When i got to the kitchen, there was a cloud at lake level over the harbor - a sight I always enjoy watching. It was cloudy, but the fog went away for a while before it returned with a vengeance around 4:00. There was a little rain, too. The high temperature was 45º, but that didn't last long, and it's now down below 40º again. There wasn't much wind. It was a dark, yucky day.
The guys took advantage. When I got up, Grayson was asleep back beside the toilet, but he purred at me when I touched him. He didn't want to sit on me much, but Louie got a lot of lap time, until I finally had to move him because he was making my whole upper body hurt by using my right arm as a pillow.
So it's been the kind of weather we should have been having a month ago. The only thing is, it's been warm enough that the snow is going. The big pile in front of the stairs to the garden is almost gone, and there is a lot of snow showing where the drifts weren't, even down by the lake. So it will go away, eventually. A big Fedex truck got here today, so Schwan's and UPS (if he will) should be able to get to my house now, and that will be a relief.
Now it's a dark, foggy night in the field, and I will be going to bed early. April is over.
April 29 One good thing about going to bed late is that at least I sleep well. I was writing, for a change, and I was just about to stop and go to bed when the radio station announced that they would be playing Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy", which is one of my favorites. I know, I know, it's a potboiler, but I like it, and it ends with a look forward to the last movement of the ninth. Besides, it has a cool piano part. So I stayed up to hear that, and then there were some other things, and it was 1:00 before I got to bed. I slept well, like I said. When I woke up, around 10:30, Louie was sleeping beside the pillow again. The trouble with that is, he wants his piece out of the middle and sometimes there's not much room for me.
I didn't do much of anything but begin to load the dishwasher, and that only because I thought I was going to need a frying pan, but then I didn't. So anyway, now there is much less in the sink.
I am going to have to go downstairs. For the past couple of days, I have had very low water pressure, and I am hoping it's because the filter on my water line is clogged, so I have to go down and check it. I was just too tired today.
The weather was good for being tired, and it was probably partly why I was. It was dark and cloudy and around noon it started to rain. I don't want any more snow, but I really dislike rain, especially when the temperature is steady around 36º and there is a 20 mile wind out of the east. Yuck. I might add that 36º is right around the average low for this time of year and the average high is 50º. So it's about like it was last year. The latest show total for the season is 338.5" and while there could be some more in May, the forecasts for this week have backed off their earlier predictions and now it's just supposed to rain more. At least the rain should melt some of the snowbanks even more.
The guys did what any self-respecting cat would do on such a yucky day: they slept. Both of them got some lap time, although I had to dislodge Louie to take a walk. RIght outside the door to the studio is a pile of tote bags with a pile of old flannel nighties on top of it. Louie discovered it when it was so cold, and apparently ever since they have taken turns cuddling up on it. Not only is it warm, it smells like mom - a lot like mom, since it's hard to get sweat, grease and odors out of flannel. Grayson started out there, and then Louie booted him out and he was there for a while. They both like to be close to me. I take that to mean that they really like me.
So it was a sleepy day and I do have to wash my hair tonight. I tried some of the really greasy shampoo the other night, and it didn't work very well, so tonight I have to use the harsher stuff and get all that glop out. It makes the part of my hair near the scalp feel all greasy and doesn't do anything for the frizzies at the end. I may write a little before I go, though, or at least I want to re-read what I wrote last night.
Now it's a dark, dank, rainy, cold night in the field. Yuck.
April 28 Oof, I'm tired.
I was in bed a little after 10:00 last night, and I went right to sleep, but after my second wakeup, around 1:30, I couldn't get back to sleep for a couple of hours. I don't know why. Eventually, I did fall back to sleep. i was awake around 8:00 and that seemed to early, so I turned over and got up around 9:30. I'm still tired.
I knitted, but that was about all I did. My appointment with Johanna was at 5:00, and now I'm really sleepy! I guess I'd better get used to it, though, because it fits in with her schedule better. It's actually all right. About the time my eyes get too heavy to keep open, I can just give up and go to bed.
Sawyer is growing like a weed, and he is a cute, cuddly, pudgy little fellow. His mom makes good milk, for sure. He was too sleepy to smile or laugh, but he seems to be a pretty good baby and a healthy one, too.
The weather was nondescript. There was some sunshine in the early afternoon, but it soon clouded over. The high temperature was about 45º, and there was a rather strong south wind, with gusts up to 28 mph around noon. The wind has died down almost altogether now. The forecast for tomorrow isn't very pleasant. It will be cold and it will rain, although there may be some snow in that rain. Oh, the joys of "spring" in Keweenaw!
The guys were sleepy, as usual. Grayson got a little lap time, although I had to boot him off and I nearly had an accident again. Louie wanted to sit, but I was doing something. They came around when I put on my jacket to leave, and when I came home, Grayson was sitting on the kitty condo, apparently looking at me come home, and he jumped down with a thud when I came in, I guess to tell me what he thought about me going away, even for just a while. Thud! He wanted some of my fish, too, but just a little. Oh, one of these days, I'll have to start bringing a dish for him, I'm sure. For now, the smell is better than the taste, I guess. I thought it was fine.
So that was another quiet day. I feel much better for my massage. She really got into my back, and I'm sure it will help.
Now it's a cool, cloudy night in the field, and I'm tired.
April 27 Well, apparently I forgot to upload the journal last night. Oops. i did it this morning, after Phil pointed it out to me. Sorry about that, and thanks, Phil.
I spent some time staring at the floor last night, but even so, I was in bed by 10:00. I slept fairly well, with several wakeups, and I guess my main problem was that I was hot. So before I go to bed tonight, I will switch comforters. I'm actually surprised that I've been comfortable under the heavy one for so long, but now, with the warmer outdoor temperatures and the sun warming the bedroom, it's time to go to something lighter. I want to do some wash and change some bedding, too, and I have a nice cotton blanket I've never used, but I don't need to do that tonight.
i got up around 9:00 and I knitted a bit. I can actually see the end of this project. I can see the tube the yarn is wound on, which means there isn't that much more to do. I'll be glad to be over it. Eventually, I'll knit another one or maybe more, but not for a while. I can go back to my nice lace, or finish the heel on the sock I've been knitting on for three years. This is the most miserable yarn i have ever knitted with. It's too bad it's so pretty.
Otherwise, I did nothing. I was tired all day.
The weather was so-so. It was clear and pretty when i got up, but the clouds soon moved in, and it was mostly cloudy all day, although there was a little sunshine filtering through. The high temperature was 39º and mostly there was not much wind. So-so.
When I got up, Louie was asleep in the window seat. I think he's actually been sleeping there for a couple of days. That means to me that it isn't nearly as cold anymore. Grayson may have been there, too, but he came in and slept while I knitted. After Louie got up, they had some sparring matches. For some reason, Louie wants to lick the inside of Grayson's left ear. I don't know why, and Grayson really doesn't like that very well. So I had to do some refereeing. Both guys got some lap time, and Grayson made me have an accident, although there was something wrong with my innards all morning anyway. Late this afternoon, I was looking at the computer when somebody came rushing into the studio and jumped up on the desk, dislodging the aluminum yardstick, which crashed to the floor. That caused me to screech, which caused whoever it was (I think it was Grayson) to go rushing off in the other direction. When I went out to the great room, they were both there, both looking rather guilty, so I don't know the whole story. There's nothing like mommy screeching to make everybody stop doing whatever they were doing. I have a loud voice.
So that was another very quiet day, and I'm tired again. So I will totter up to the north end, change comforters, and try to get to bed early again. I see Johanna tomorrow, but not until 5:00, so I can do my usual thing. Now it's a sort of cloudy, cool evening in the field. And this time, I'll be sure to upload this file.
April 26 The music was nice, including Brahms' first piano concerto, which i have not heard in a long time, so it was midnight before I got to bed. I slept sort of well, with several wakeups, and as a result, it was 11:00 before I got up. I knitted, but not too much.
Grayson came and sat on my lap after breakfast, and as a result, I had an accident, so I had to take care of that. Then I went to the post office, had a nice long talk with Ron, and got my package at the store. Pretty soon UPS should be able to deliver to my door, and in fact, I think they could now, except that they might have a little trouble turning around. I left Ron as two nice, very slender, very tall young women came in saying they wanted to go out to the Estivant Pines. Well, I doubt it. They might be able to get out to Lake Manganese, but I seriously doubt they could get down the dirt road to the Pines. I wonder if they did. Usually at this time of year, it might be sloppy, but the roads would be clear, but this year is a little iffy. I mentally wished them luck as I left.
At least our road is clear, but full of potholes of water, and my driveway gets wider and wider every day. Today I was able to do my "Y" out of the garage, although I had to go back and forth several times before I got turned around. That's still better than having to back up beyond the house to turn around (with several backs and forths). Carolyn came by as I was talking to Ron, and we all agree that it's time for spring to come, in fact, way past time. She felt just like i did with the snow - grr. What a winter this has been!
The ice is melting off the lake, and there are ships out there, although they go in convoys, and I think they probably usually have an ice breaker with them. It's been fun watching the MODIS imagery. Not surprisingly, the north and northwest winds pushed the ice south and the north side of the lake opened first. Now it's spotty, but there is still a lot between Keweenaw and Whitefish. It was nice, the other day, when I looked at the pictures and the open part of the lake was dark, sapphire blue. Ahh!! Spring will come!
The weather was cool but it turned out nice. The official temperature varied from 32º to 34º, although it was apparently warmer here. The wind was from the east and not very strong. It was cloudy this morning, but after about 2:00 it began to clear up, and for the past couple of hours, its been clear. Pretty.
The guys are happy now that they have their favorite food. Louie was asleep on the rug in the bathroom and Grayson was beside the toilet when I got up. I thought I heard an altercation about the time I went back to sleep after the last time I was up, but evidently everybody got too tired to pursue it - or each other. Grayson got some lap time twice, and Louie went to sleep on my lap before I went to the post office. So we are at peace again. As long as I keep that bowl full, I guess we'll be all right.
I'm writing this early because I'm tired. I'm not going to church tomorrow. It's a lay service, and I am just too uncomfortable in those. So i could stay up late tonight, but I don't think I will. I will take my bath and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour. I'm going through the shampoo struggle again. I still haven't found the right answer to keep my scalp free of oil and my hair moisturized enough. It's probably not possible. So I will use several different kinds of shampoo and conditioner and wash my hair more often, maybe. If I dont go out, it doesn't matter how my hair looks, but the worse my scalp is, the harder it is to get it back in shape. Sometimes I think fondly about the time when I didn't have any hair and could wash it with a wash cloth, but I didn't look very good then, and I hate what I look like with short hair, so I cope as well as I can. Sigh.
Now it's a cool, clear evening in the field.
April 25 I spent a lot of time sitting in the bathroom staring at the floor last night, and since i took a bath, it was a bit after midnight when I got to bed. I slept fairly well, with a few wakeups, but when I woke up around 9:00, Louie decided it was time I got up and fed him the kind of dry food he's decided he likes, and it wasn't until I shooed him out of the room and shut the door that I got back to sleep. I was awakened at about 10:30 by one of those "unknown name/unknown number" phone calls that I don't answer when I can see the caller ID, so I got up. Oh, yes, and when I was awake either at 7:00 or 9:00 (I forget which, but I think it was 7:00) the clocks were blinking; we had had a power glitch. Sigh. So I reset the clocks at the north end before I went back to bed. Sigh.
I ended up not doing anything but bring in a bunch of cat food, including 16 pounds of the kind Louie thinks he likes. I haven't opened it yet, but I may have to tonight, just so I can have some peace in the morning. You understand that there was plenty of other kinds of food and Louie certainly doesn't need to eat, but his tummy was empty and he wanted that kind. I think Grayson does, too. This time I'm going to mark the bag, so I can see how long it takes for them to eat 16 pounds of that kind of food. Of course, it's not the weight control kind. Sigh.
It was snowing when I went to bed last night and it was still snowing this morning, although it let up for a while before it started again. According to the Road Commission, which has finally gotten its website up to date, we had 18" last Wednesday and Thursday and 4" as of this morning. So we have now had 41" in April (after only 22" in March) and 337" for the season. Sheesh. Enough already!
The temperature was almost steady at 35º for the day, which means the snow was wet and sloppy and melting. It was breezy overnight and this morning, but around 2:00, the wind began to shift to the north, and there hasn't been much wind since. It was a nasty, wet, sloppy day and I was glad not to go out. Yuck.
The guys were sleepy, too, although they both got some lap time and Louie was trying to bug me by bugging Grayson. Louie is turning into a real pest. He knows what he wants, and if he doesn't get it, he's going to bug everybody until he gets it. Grayson isn't like that, and not even Buster was quite like that. Louie can be sweet, but he can also be a real pain. I guess it means he's finally getting comfortable living here, but I don't like it.
So that was a quiet day, and I think I'm going to try to get to bed early tonight. I don't feel much like writing and what I'm reading doesn't interest me that much, I did order some toilet paper, with difficulty. I found another way that seems to work to get my Walmart orders to complete, but I will have to try it again before I'm sure, And after I determined which incontinent pads I wanted to order, when I went to do it, they were out of stock online (whatever that means), so I couldn't get them. I guess that's better than schlepping down to Houghton and finding out they're out of stock. And to think that for a while, ordering online was the easy way!
Now it's a cold,dark, snowy night in the field, and I wish it would stop.
April 24 Well, I made it by midnight, because I knitted a few rows when I got up to the north end. I slept pretty well, although I was up a number of times and I had some weird dreams. i knitted some more when I got up, and I think I have nearly 36" done so far. I have a way to go to finish the ball of thread, though.
I didn't do much of anything except almost get the dishwasher ready to run. There was a lot of reading to do today, as there usually is on Thursdays. I had thoughts, but there wasn't any time.
I am trying to decide what kind of toilet paper to order, so I spent a lot of time on Walmart's website using my calculator. I'm pretty sure Walmart's brand, which I used to use before Walmart bought it and before they remodeled the store in Houghton, is a lot cheaper, but I'm still playing with numbers. I used to like that brand, so I think it's worth a try. It was so convenient when I could subscribe and Amazon would send me a case every month! Well, things change, and I'll just have to make sure I order regularly. At least Walmart will deliver to my door.
The weather was blah until it got bad. It was dark and cloudy all day with not a lot of wind. The temperature got up to 45º. Then, after 6:00, it started to rain and the wind started to rise, and now it's nasty out there. I was just looking at the radar image, and it's really cool. It's raining, except for a line right up the central spine of the Keweenaw, where it's snowing. This is the first time I've seen so graphically what the big lake can do for us. Eventually, it's supposed to turn to snow overnight, and there could be a lot of it. Yuck. Enough, already!
The guys were their usual sleepy selves, but they both got some lap time, Grayson twice.
Now I hope to finish getting the dishwasher ready to run, then go up to the north end and take a bath and get to bed at a reasonable hour. This weather makes me sleepy, and I didn't get my full quota of sleep last night, because I was up so much. It's a nasty, cold, rainy night in the field, and pretty soon it will probably be a nasty, cold snowy night in the field. Yuck. Enough, already.
April 23 Oh, it was the music again. I finally had to go up to the north end and listen to the Beethoven piano sonata on the cube radio in the bathroom, which has terrible sound. As it was, it was nearly 1:30 when I got to bed, after taking a shower. I slept well, with not as many wakeups as the previous night, and I think I got up around 10:00. Tonight, earlier.
I knitted, but not very much, because I discovered I had done a weird thing. I apparently caught a thread from several inches down in a stitch I knitted this morning, and I had to try to unravel that stitch (not easy with all the sequins) to free it. There is now another hole in the fabric, where the thread pulled, that I don't seem to be able to get rid of. Well, Debbie won't be getting this one. If she wants a sequin scarf, I will have to make another one. I'll wear it, but I wouldn't give it away. So I only knitted about an inch.
I went to the post office, but otherwise I didn't do much of anything except pay a few bills. I spent the afternoon looking at an online bead catalog, which is frustrating, because there are so many things in it.
The weather was nice. It was clear all night and all day until about 5:00, when it clouded over. The high temperature was 45º, briefly, and there was almost no wind. However, we are under a winter (!) storm watch for tomorrow night and Friday. Sigh. Somehow, it never ends.
The guys were sleepy, but they both got some lap time. Grayson got into bed with me early this morning and was asleep behind my knees when i got up.
So that was another quiet day. Now it's a warmish, cloudy night in the field, and the snow is coming...the snow is coming...aarrrgggghhhh!
April 22 I was even later last night, because I knitted a couple of rows when I got to the north end, but I was in bed by 10:30. It was a night of trips to the bathroom and strange dreams, and I don't know why, I got up around10:30, and I felt much better, although I didn't get nearly 12 hours' sleep. I could also see much better, at least when I got up. So I knitted. I was so late that I didn't do much else, and my original feeling sort of evaporated as the day went on. Ron brought a package. That was everything that went on.
The weather was cold. It has been around 35º for the last 24 hours. There was a bit of wind from the north, but it has died down now. It was cloudy this morning, and it didn't clear up until almost 5:00 this afternoon. Now it is beautifully clear, and it should be clear all night. The forecast for Thursday is dire, though. Another storm is coming through and it may be either rain or snow or both. Yuck. Also, no choir practice again. Please, can't we get over this?
The guys were sleepy. Grayson got some lap time after breakfast, but I had to get up and run to the bathroom, so I had to move him. Louie tried once, but I was doing something and he didn't try again. He is so meek and timid with people it always surprises me when he goes after Grayson. Grayson had to see what I was having for dinner, but when I ignored him he went away. He thinks a lot of things smell good, but when I offer him some, he isn't interested. I imagine that will change someday.
So I think I will go up to the north end and not write or read and try to get to bed early again. I have to wash my hair tonight. It's a clear, calm, cold night in the field.
April 21 I was a little later last night, because I was writing (on Bolin 2!) but I turned out the light at 10:00. I slept well, so well, in fact, that I dribbled on my way to the bathroom twice. I was even more tired than I thought. I got up around 9:00, I think, and I didn't knit.
I didn't get much of my surfing done, either, but I got off to see Johanna in time. When I got there, Eos met me and got her cookies, but there was no Johanna, and just about the time I was wondering what was going on, one of our neighbors arrived to take the dog for a walk. It seems Johanna spent the weekend in Marquette and was now at the doctor. Oops. She had clearly gotten confused about our date.
So I came home and did my surfing and spent the afternoon knitting. It was very bright outside, and I had a lot of trouble with my eyes. I ended up using my MagEyes for most of the knitting, and I still made a few mistakes. I guess I'm going to have to break down and see a doctor.
I was sitting facing the computer, before I started knitting, when I heard some strange noises from outside, but i ignored them. A few minutes later, I heard them again, so I turned around - and there on my deck railing, very close to the house, was a pileated woodpecker! It flew off immediately, but not before I realized that a big bird was sitting there, and it wasn't a raven. My guess is that pickings are slim right now and he remembered that at least one year there were suet blocks out there. i need to get my act together adn get the pails filled and the feeders out.
Today would have been a good day to do that. It was clear this morning and partly cloudy late this afternoon. The temperature got up to 57º at 3:00, and then by 4:00 it had fallen to 42º. I couldn't see any reason when it happened, but it seems like the wind had gone almost calm and then switched around to the north. Oh. Now, the gusts are up to 29 mph, and it's not as nice out as it was earlier.
The guys were sleepy, but they were glad that I came home so fast. They both got some lap time. In the middle of the night last night, I woke up sweating - it was very warm in the bedroom when I went to bed, from all the sunshine - and I realized that Louie had settled down with is back to mine and he was helping heat me up. After I thrashed around for a while, I got up, and so did he, and I was more comfortable after that. I think, if I recall correctly, that cats' temperature is around 105º, and it sure felt like it to me. He is so big that he was heating up my whole back. If only he'd done that when it was so cold!
Sometime after I heard the bird, I was looking at the harbor when all of a sudden the printer cycled, and when I looked at the computer, it was trying to reboot: we had another power glitch. I wish I could afford a UPS. This is very annoying. Not to mention that the fridge and most of the clocks get zapped. I don't know why it happened, either, since it was before the wind picked up.
So that was a quiet day, and I plan to get to bed early again tonight. The earlier I get up, the earlier I get tired. I did feel a lot better today than I did yesterday, but I've been having trouble seeing and my eyes ache. That's usually a good sign that I need sleep. Now it's a partly cloudy, breezy evening in the field.
April 20 - Easter - The Resurrection of Our Lord
Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I managed to get into bed around 9:30 last night, and I slept well, but not nearly long enough, so I guess I'll have to do it again tonight. I didn't want to get up when the alarm went off, but I did. When I got to the studio and looked out the south windows, there was the last quarter moon shining in a clear, blue sky. Yes, it cleared up overnight.
I was able to get out by 9:00, and I got to church early enough to have a little of the Easter Breakfast, which was a very nice potluck. I guess i missed most of it, but there were some very nice sweet things left, as well as a spinach quiche that was yummy. I was late for church. Oops.
It was a very nice service, and Pastor's sermon was a good one, about why we believe in the resurrection of the body, like the creed says, and why we believe Jesus rose from the dead in his body. How you could be a Christian and not believe that Jesus rose, I don't know. Neither could St. Paul. Anyway, it was a good service.
It was really nice to drive on clear, dry roads. Actually, the covered road was a bit damp when I went south, but that was all over by the time I got home. I could go at my usual fast pace, too, and that was nice. A lot of the snow that fell the other day has melted already, and the banks are smaller, but they're still pretty big. Unfortunately, at this time of year, most of the snow is covered with horrible black guck, and it's really ugly until the covered road. There is some black, at least in Copper Harbor, but it's a lot cleaner here. I was home before 1:00.
i'm not quite sure what was happening with the NWS station today. The temperatures they were reporting were at least 5º cooler than my weather station reported. According to them, the temperature got up to 53º at 10:00, and then the wind shifted around to the north and it dropped to 39º the next hour. I don't believe it got that cool. It certainly didn't here. Anyway, there wasn't much wind and it has now gone calm. It's a pretty evening, too.
The guys were interested in what I was doing when I got up early and rustled around, and they were glad to see me when I got home. Both of them got some lap time, and Louie slept on my lap for quite a while and went away of his own accord while I was reading.
I had a fatigue headache when I got home, and while it's mostly gone now, I'm still very tired. So the best thing I can do is put my little head down on my little pillow and hope I feel better tomorrow. It's a clear, cool evening in the field.
Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
April 19 - Holy Saturday Oops! Almost forgot!
I listened to the nice music, including Mozart's Symphony 29, which is one of my favorites, and it was around 1:00 before I got to bed. I slept well, with the usual wakeups, and I got up around 10:00. I knitted, but not very much, and it was my own fault. I was curious about how much yarn I need to do one row, so I put a slip knot in the yarn. Bad idea. With that kind of yarn it was almost impossible to get the knot out, and since I managed to include some sequins in the loop, I couldn't just pull it out. Grr. Eventually, I got it out and went on, but I didn't knit my usual amount.
That was about all I did. I went to the post office and stopped at the store to get my Easter basket, and that was it.
The weather was not very good. It was dark and cloudy, but it was after 3:00 when it started to rain. The high temperature was 39º. There was a gusty wind from the south, and right about the time I got back from the store - 3:15 or so, I guess - there was a gust of 45 mph. I was in the garage at the time, and whatever it was hitting the tin door was a rather alarming noise. It also apparently caused a power outage, although I think it was just a momentary one, just enough to zap all the clocks and the computer. I wasn't aware of it until the printer started up. If it wasn't a momentary glitch, the generator didn't come on, so we'll have to hope it was. My excuse was that I was reading my mail at the time.
The guys slept. Grayson did come and sit on me for a few minutes to get petted and purr, but I didn't see much of Louie. He was happy because his food dishes are full.
So that was a quiet day, and I'm off to the north end to get to bed early. i have to go to church tomorrow, unless the roads are sheets of glare ice. Now it's a dark, rainy, nasty night in the field.
April 18 - Good Friday For some reason, I didn't get to bed until around 11:30, but once I did, I slept well, after I got rid of some serious gas. I don't know why sometimes I have that and sometimes I don't. I got up around 10:00, and I knitted. I seem to be doing about an inch and a quarter a day. Eventually, I'll get this thing done, but it will take a while.
Since I was eating my breakfast (blueberry pancakes - yum!) at the time church started, obviously, I didn't get there. It would have been a slow, difficult drive anyway, since it was snowing.
I ended up not doing anything much today. I don't quite know why, except that I was still tired - and I still am.
When I got up, I looked down the harbor, and it was white. We were having a snow squall. Geez, enough already! It snowed lightly until around 1:30, and then it cleared up, and it was pristine at sunset. The temperature got up to 36º for a while, and there wasn't a lot of wind, from the north. I guess it's supposed to be nasty tomorrow, but more likely rain than snow. I hope so.
I didn't see much of the fur faces today. Louie was agitated this morning, and it seems like it was because he had eaten all the food he likes and he was hungry. I need to point out that the full bowl he isn't eating is something he would only eat a couple of months ago. I think there must be great variability in dry cat food. I was going to leave things like they were, but I think I'd better not. the bag of dry that he really likes right now is on the counter, and he already tore a hole in it a week or so ago. Anyway, he was a real pest while I was knitting. I haven't seen a lot of Grayson, either, but I don't know why. Well, they're funny little critters.
So now I'm listening to Rachmaninov, and then there is a choral piece it would be nice to see, but I'm really tired, so we'll see whether I stay up to hear it or totter up to the north end. It's quite humid, which is making me very creaky, so maybe I will just bag it. it's a clear, cool night in the field.
April 17 - Maundy Thursday I read and listened for too long last night, and then, as i was wrapping things up to go to bed, i hit the wrong button and shut down the computer. Well, I've always had fast fingers. I once did that to the CIRRUS ATM network. Anyway, then I had to reboot and get everything running again, and that always takes much too long. I guess the idea is that you don't reboot very often, so you don't have to worry about the length of time it takes to get everything running again. That's true, but when you have to, it's a pain. So I was very late getting to bed, since I had a slight accident and I really needed to take a bath and wash my hair. I didn't wake up the first time until it was already light.
I got up around 10:00, no thanks to Louie, and I knitted. I must say I actually did something today. I got most of the rest of the trash into a bag, although there is still some on the floor, which needs sweeping, and the counters are a mess. There are also three trash bags in the middle of the kitchen. They're heavy and my back was bothering me. But at least I did something, and it's nice to be able to see the counters again.
It snowed until around 4:00 this afternoon, and I was surprised by how much came down. According to Ron, it was that wet, heavy stuff that clogs up the blower, which isn't surprising, since the temperature was at or above freezing. The wind picked up, too, with gusts to 26 mph from the east, although it has died down almost completely now. It was a good day to ignore all that. Needless to say, I didn't even try to go to church.
The guys ignored it - they slept. Grayson came around a couple of times, but he didn't want to sit, and I was doing something else when Louie came, so there was no lap time today, or at least none so far. Louie was going to sit beside the pillow this morning, but he was so twitchy I got up, and then he couldn't get as much loving as he wanted. Louie is turning out to be the high-maintenance cat. He wants his love, and he asks when he wants it - or insists. He isn't as high-maintenance as Buster was, but he's more insistent than Grayson is. Louie puts one paw on my leg and reaches out the other one, with all the claws out, as if to say, "Hey, I'm here! Pet me!"
So I ignored the snow, as much as I could, and now I think I am going to bed. I haven't gotten enough sleep for the last couple of nights, and I'm very tired. It's a dark, cloudy night in the field, but I don't think it's snowing or raining or anything.
April 16 Last night it was Haydn. Just about the time I was going to go up to the north end, the Symphony 94 - "Surprise" came on. That was one of the first Haydn symphonies I learned, and i still love it, so of course, I had to listen, and things just went on from there. It was late when I turned out the light, and then I started having cramps, which meant I had to get up again. So it was very late before i finally got to sleep. I got up around 10:30, I think, and i knitted.
That meant I was so late getting to the studio that I didn't do much except put in an online order. I'm running out of some of my OTC drugs. I took the opportunity to order some Carr's Water Crackers and some Kleenex, too. I just checked, and I last bought Kleenex right around this time a year ago, which I guess isn't too bad, considering the number of colds I had over the winter. It's just so much cheaper to buy it by the case.
When I got up this morning, there was a little sunshine for a while, and it was bright for a while after that before it began to get dark and dull. However, the snow didn't get here until about 4:30. It has been snowing steadily since then, and there is a solid inch on the deck. The temperature has been about steady at 30º or so, and the wind has been under 5 mph. However, the forecast is dire. They are saying we may have as much as 8" overnight and more tomorrow. Oh, how tired of this we all are! Snow, snow go away!
The guys were sleepy, but they both got some lap time. Grayson has been a bit agitated, and I don't know why, but then, he was last night, too. Every so often he'll jump up on the counter and sit on top of the laptop. I wish I knew what his problem is. Louie got some lap time, but not a lot, because I found the comb and combed a couple of knots out of his flanks, and he hates that. I guess I understand, because I'm sure it pulls, but he won't do it himself, and I wish I could tell him that if I don't do it for him, they will get really big and sore, and then I might have to take him to the vet to be shaved. I wish we could talk to each other.
Now I am really tired, because I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, and I have to wash my hair tonight, as well as get the dishwasher ready to run. So hopefully, the music won't be compelling and I can go and do what I want to. I had one of my Stouffer's TV dinners tonight and I enjoyed it, even though it's a bit small. I'm going to have to rethink my meal planning, and I might even have to start doing some real cooking again. What I've been eating has become rather boring - no, make that very boring.
Now it's a dark, snowy night in the field, but thankfully, there isn't much wind so far.
April 15 i got to bed around 11:30, and I woke up a little after 2:30 and realized that the moon was shining in my bedroom! So I got up, peed, took the pair of binoculars I keep up at the north end, and sat down in the chair. I had a terrible time getting the binoculars adjusted, but it may be that part of the problem was that sometime (either before or after) I put a greasy finger print in the middle of the left lens of my glasses. My left eye is the good one, and I had a very hard time seeing anything. It also could be that all the ointment I put in my eyes at night hadn't gone away. Anyway, I saw enough. The eclipse was around 80% total when I started looking, and I watched until about 3:20, which was well after totality began. It was a very pretty eclipse. the northwest quadrant of the moon was dark and ashy-gray, the middle was red, and it was very light on the southeast side, even after totality. I forgot to check the path of the moon through the earth's shadow, but it looked like it was very close to the southern edge. Lunar eclipses are so neat. When the moon is totally in the earth's shadow, for some reason, I can see it as really three-dimensional. Besides, it was a clear night, and Mars was shining brightly to the upper right of the moon, and when the eclipse was total, Spica (the alpha star in Virginus) was shining below the moon. It was a lovely sight, and I was so happy that I didn't have to go wandering around the house in the dark to see it.
The fur faces thought I was nutty, but I do a lot of things that they don't understand. I finally went back to bed, and the next time I got up, around 6:00, the eclipse was all over and it was clouding up. So for once, it was a clear night when something was scheduled to happen.
I got up for good around 9:00, and I knitted. I didn't do much else. I took my envelope to the post office, where a whole bunch of packages were waiting, and I stopped at the store for JD and trash bags. It always amuses me that the only place I can get the varieties of Stouffer's frozen dinners that I like is at the general store. For some reason, none of the supermarkets around here carry them. Now that I can eat beef again (with caution) I decided to lay in a couple, just for a change of pace from frozen Chinese. Tonight it was fish, though.
The weather was cold again, but not as cold as it was some other places. The low overnight was 18º and the high was 25º. There wasn't a lot of wind. It started out cloudy in the morning, but it cleared up by 3:00 and the late afternoon was lovely, at least to look at. By the way, the average high temperature for this time of year is 42º. 'Nuf said.
The guys were their usual sleepy selves. Both got some lap time, and Louie slept on my lap for a long time. As usual, they didn't like it when I went away and they were glad when I came back, even though I was only gone for half an hour or so.
So that was a quiet day, and it's a cold night in the field. I can't tell if it's still clear or not.
April 14 I was in bed by 10:30 last night, and I slept hard in between walks. I was up around 8:30, and I could have gotten up, but I didn't see any reason to do that, and it was 10:30 before I finally did get up. I knitted, and I have about 20" done now. Oh, this is a long, dull project. It is pretty, though.
I didn't do much, as usual, but I did get one trash bag full of the stuff on the counter by the sink. I have more to do, and I'm not sure what I'll be doing with the bags, but I did make some progress. I had to. I was running out of room. Oh, yes, and I began loading the dishwasher. It should run tomorrow. So instead of trash all over that side of the counter, there is now a bag in the middle of the floor.
Well, winter has returned to the Copper Country. It was above freezing at midnight last night, but the temperature went down and the winds went up, and it was 21º by noon. The wind was from the northeast, and around 7:00 this morning, we had gusts up to 39 mph. We are making a little progress, though. I could hear the lake overnight. It wasn't loud, like i would expect it to be with winds that high, but it was definitely there. Made up for the frigid temps and the snowflakes that came down for a while around noon. Oh, yes, and we are under a winter storm watch for Wednesday, and we could get 6" or more of snow. Sigh. The only hopeful thing is that the temperature will go up again by the end of the week, so it should melt. Still. This is the middle of April, for heaven's sake!
the guys were sleepy today. Grayson got two chances at my lap, and between them, Louie got up and went to sleep. They were active this morning, but that didn't last long. There is a different rug in the bathroom, and Grayson had to attack it and slide across the floor on it - twice.
Well, tonight is the eclipse. Totality won't start until around 3:00 AM, so I don't think I will stay up to see it, but if I'm up around that time, I may toddle down to the studio. It should be in the south, so I should be able to see it from the south windows. With the temperature supposed to go down into the low teens, I don't think I'm going to go outside. According to the Clear Sky Chart, it should be clear - but I'll believe that when i see it.
About things astronomical - the day is 13½ hours long now, which is nice. It was beginning to get light when I got up yesterday morning, and the sun doesn't set until about 8:40. At noon, the sun is 52º up in the south, which means it isn't shining in my eyes anymore, and it's far enough north that it isn't interfering with the computer screen in the afternoon. So the signs are all there, but somehow Heikki Lunta doesn't want to give up his grip. This is getting really, really old, and I don't know one Yooper who doesn't think so.
So now it's a cloudy (still) cold night in the field, and we may or may not be able to see the eclipse.
April 13 - Palm Sunday So it turns out, I wrote an entry last night and never uploaded it. Thanks, Phil, for pointing that out to me. Sometimes my mind is just out in the stars.
I managed to diddle around enough that it was almost 10:30 before I got to bed. I slept well, and I was more asleep than awake when the alarm went off, but I got up and got going. I've been getting up at 6:30 on Sundays, because it seemed to be taking me an awfully long time to get ready to leave, and of course, I've been leaving earlier than I used to. If the roads continue the way they were today, I won't have to do that anymore, so I was very early getting to church.
The roads were damp but good this morning, but mostly because we had dense fog almost all over. That made driving interesting. There are some places where there is, or has been, some water on the road because of the thawing, but there was only one puddle big enough that I shouldn't have gone through it, at least at the speed I was going. Once I got to Delaware, it was clear and nearly dry the whole rest of the way. It's been so long since I've used the cruise control that it was off, but it will be a while before I'll remember how to drive on dry roads.
Church was nice. Besides the Palm Sunday stuff, we had a young couple confirmed today, and there was communion as well. So even though Pastor truncated the service, it was nearly noon when we got out. I had to make a fast trip to the restroom; about the time he was giving the benediction, my tummy started to gurgle. Fortunately, I made it in time.
Then I was off to get gas, which has gone down a few pennies a gallon. I was toying with the idea of stopping at Pat's for a few things - I'm getting low on JD - but for some reason my feet, or at least my right foot, was so sore, I decided to just come home. I can get JD at the store here, and even though it's a bit more expensive, I like to patronize my neighbors when I can. I got home around 1:15 and did nothing for the rest of the afternoon.
The weather was not inspiring. It was dark and cloudy all day and as I mentioned, it was very foggy this morning. The high temperature was 39º, briefly, but it was around 37º all day. There was a moderate wind from the north this afternoon. Mostly it was dismal.
The guys thought so, too, and they slept. Louie was particularly happy to see me when I came home, and he got some lap time this afternoon. Grayson came around, but he didn't sit on my lap. He got petted, though.
In the middle of the afternoon, I was reading and Grayson was sleeping under the south windows when I started hearing thumping outside. It started out around the driveway, and then it seemed to move to the front side of the room, and finally, up on the roof. I didn't see anything, but I can only guess that perhaps a coon was trying to get onto the roof or into the house or something. Living in the wilderness is interesting.
Now I'm tired. I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, and I'm having trouble seeing. I guess I will read a bit longer and try to get to bed early. It's a dark, dank evening in the field.
April 12 I honestly don't know when I went to bed last night. I never looked at the clock. It was probably after midnght, though. I slept quite well, and I got up around 9:30. I knitted before I got dressed.
Today was wash day and pill dispenser day. There were only two loads to wash, although I did forget one item. The second load is in the dryer now. The pill dispensers in the studio are full, and I will fill the others when I go up to the north end. So I did something, at least. I sighed every time I went through the kitchen, but I didn't do anything about it. Sigh.
It was a bad computer day. The camera hung up overnight, so it was 1:00 this afternoon before we got any pictures. PastyNet was doing an upgrade in Copper Harbor, and I had no access for around an hour this afternoon. It's back now, and it's pretty good, although it's nothing like the 21Mbps I had for a while last night. Yup, that's right. I wish they wouldn't do that to me. It makes me sad that I can't get that kind of speed all the time. If I never saw how it can be, I'd never know what I was missing.
It was a dark, cloudy day, and the temperature only got up to 36º. There wasn't much wind and I don't think it rained or snowed or anything, but it was dismal. Once we have sunshine, we want it all the time. I do remember the summer when we did have continuous sunshine for about three months, and that wasn't good either, because there was no rain. We're never satisfied. The snow is still melting, although with the cooler temps and no sun, it didn't go as fast today as it did last week.
The guys were sleepy, in keeping with the weather. Grayson got a long time on my lap this morning and Louie got a long time this afternoon. Louie finds it almost impossible to clean his behind (like a lot of obese people) and the odd result of that is that the fur on his little button comes off in clumps when I pull. He hates it when I fiddle around with his behind, too. I think he could reach back there if he wanted to, with difficulty, but it's nasty, so the closest he gets is the backs of his hind legs. There is usually some brown stuff back there. While Grayson isn't a very clean cat, he does seem to keep his behind in order.
Now I will be going up to the north end soon and try to get to bed early. I am going to church tomorrow. I find it nearly impossible to believe it's Palm Sunday already, but time flies, and besides there's communion.
It's a dark, dismal and cool evening in the field.
April 11 I fiddled around and read and wrote on Trine-4 for a while, then I went up to the north end and stared at the floor, after which I took a bath, so it was 1:30 before I got to bed. I didn't intend to be that late. I got up around 9:30, so I didn't get all that much sleep. I knitted, of course, and I'm making progress, but I still have a very long way to go on the scarf.
I had some ideas of doing something today, but I was so late getting to the studio that I didn't do anything. I did have to go up to US-41 to get my Schwan's order, and when I got back, I had to put it away, but that was all I did. The kitchen is really getting to me, but it will take a while, and with my back and knees not doing very well, I just can't get myself to do what needs - desperately - to be done. Sigh.
It turned out to be a nice day. It was cloudy this morning, but it had nearly cleared up by 10:00 and the afternoon was mostly clear and warm. The high temperature was 52º, but it kind of went up and down depending on the wind. The wind was from the west until around 11:00, when it went calm for about four hours before it picked up from the north, but it's still very light. The amazing thing is, after all the extreme cold of the winter, now we're having temperatures that are warmer than average. It's enough to discombobulate one. When I went out, I was amazed by how much snow has melted, especially on the east side of the driveway. Pretty soon, I'll be able to back out to the turn and turn around in one sweep. Amazing.
The guys were sleepy, except that Grayson thought he wanted my yogurt this morning and my fish for dinner. Louie gave up when I got up and went into the powder room when he wanted to sit on me. I haven't seen much of him, but both guys have been sleeping in the sun a lot. Grayson keeps looking out the windows onto the porch, but he doesn't understand that the temperature in here (which is warm) and the temperature out there (which isn't) are different. If it wasn't so cold, I'd open the window, just to let him see. He'll just have to wait until it gets warmer and I can open the shutters.
Speaking of warm, the "s" word is in the forecast for the weekend again. Winter will just not give up!
So that was a truncated day, and since I don't like the concert tonight (John Williams movie music) i think I will be going up to the north end at a reasonable hour. We'll see.
April 10 I made it into bed by about 12:30 last night. I wrote on Bolin-2 for a while, until I decided it doesn't seem to be going anywhere very fast. I had a little trouble sleeping, for reasons I don't remember, and I had some bad dreams. i got up around 9:30, and I knitted, but I had some trouble with that. Sometimes the yarn and my fingers cooperate and sometimes they don't.
Other than that, I didn't do anything. Tonight I put aside Bolin-2 and I'm reading Trine-4 with a critical eye. i decided after I read it the last time that it's a lot too short, as were most of the stories I wrote around that time, and I want to see if I can bulk it up a bit without it sounding like I've padded it. I think I can, since there seemed to be a lot of stuff I left out. The episode after that is a pivotal one in the whole series, and it has a great big red notation at the beginning saying "this has to be rewritten." Maybe I can get on to that one, too.
The weather was warm and sunny but extremely windy. Hey, I can stand wind as long as the temperature is above freezing! The high for the day was around 50º (the official high, 52º. was at 2:00 AM). The highest wind gusts were 43 mph, at 3:00, from the northwest. It's still windy, but it has died down now to more reasonable numbers. There were a few clouds this morning but they soon went away and the afternoon was glorious. Oh, yes, I was talking on the phone and looking out the south windows, and there was a patch of OPEN WATER in the harbor, right down where Lake Lily empties in. Yay!! So spring will come, and it will thaw out. Sometime.
The guys were even more sleepy than usual, because about the time I went up to the north end, there was a mouse in the studio. That must have kept them awake for most of the night. Unfortunately, it was a cute little field mouse, and it succumbed in the kitchen, where I stepped on it this morning. Yuck. I saw it, when Louie started rustling around, but there is no way I could have caught it, even if I could have dug it out from behind the desk. I don't like what they do to those mice, but I don't want mice in my house, either, even cute little field mice.
So that was a slow day, and i'm tired again. It's a clear, warm, breezy night in the field.
April 9 It's been an icky couple of days. I was thinking about going up to the north end last night when I had an accident - the second one for the day - and I had another one this morning that was really bad. I don't quite understand what the problem is, but it seems to be sort of cyclic. Or maybe what i want to eat is cyclic. Anyway, I had two pairs of jeans and a pair of sweatpants, as well as three pairs of underpants, in the wash. Maybe I can avoid having another oops. Louie helped the one this morning, because he was on my lap and very comfy, but I can't blame it all on him. I've had the same feelings before and nothing happened. Every time I have a bunch of problems like this, I'm so glad I'm not working!
Anyway, I was so messed up, and my bottom was so sore, that I took a bath last night. I got to bed around 11:30, although I was up a number of times, dribbling off each time. I got up around 9:30, I think. I knitted, but it was hard for some reason and I didn't make as much progress as I wish I could.
My only other task was to go to the post office to send off the release for my taxes. I know they want to make sure the taxpayer agrees with what the preparer has done, but it's a hokey system. It would be nicer if I could fax her the form or if I could agree to it online, but we're a ways away from that. So at least it's sent.
The weather was nice. It was partly to mostly sunny all day, and the temperature got up to 51º, I think the first time it's been over 50º. There was a little wind for a while, with gusts up to 24 mph from the west, but that has died down. It may rain overnight, and my knees have been saying it's likely. The barometer has taken a dive, and I suppose that's the reason I am having trouble walking.
The guys were sleepy, although this was a Louie day, mostly. Grayson got some lap time after breakfast, and after he left, Louie came and went to sleep on my lap - one of the reasons for my accident. After I took care of that and came back from the post office, he came back and got a nice tummy rub.
Our road is a mess. Parts of it are down to the gravel, but there are ruts and the ruts are full of water. The uphill side going toward US-41 is still snow covered, but since it's in the woods and faces north, it's the last part to melt. The snow is melting, but slowly. The drifts in the culverts are only about 18" over the top of the car now. The weather is saying that we may have some snow over the weekend and again next week. I hope not. We've had enough snow for this season. Let it rain instead.
So now it's a warmish, partly cloudy night in the field, and I think I will be in bed early again tonight.
April 8 I read for a while, and I think it was around 11:30 when I went into the kitchen and started the dishwasher. I fooled around a bit before I went to bed, but not long, and I think it was not long after midnight when I turned out the light. I slept quite well. The telephone rang once just before 9:00, waking me up, but I thought about it and decided not to get up. That's one of the things I hate about telephones. Anyway, I got up around 10:30. I knitted, but I had a spot of rough cuticle on the middle finger of my right hand that kept catching on one of the strands in the thread so it was rather frustrating. I tried until it bled to get rid of the rough spot, and it's still there, so I guess I'll just have to wait until it grows out. It didn't help that I couldn't see a thing. i even tried a magnifying glass and I still couldn't see anything.
I didn't do very much except clean myself up after an accident that was my own fault. I called Ron at the post office and my taxes came back, so I went and got them and looked them over, and I'll have to go back tomorrow to send back the release. My taxes might be easy for a CPA these days, but when I looked at the forms, I was never so glad that I don't have to do them myself. Especially the state taxes have four or five pages that have to do with pensions. Nancy has done my taxes ever since my mother died (over 20 years!) and when I think how I used to stress out when I did them myself (and they were easy then) I'm so grateful to have her. All I have to do is get the numbers together, which isn't hard anymore.
The
weather was nice. It was mostly sunny all day long, and the temperature was
nearly steady at 37º. There was a little wind from the north this morning, but
it died down this afternoon. There are puddles all over, but I don't notice the
snowbanks going down very much. By the way, we have now officially had
314.5", which is half an inch more than we had for the season last year. If
we're lucky, it will be all, although one of the extended forecasts is saying
there may be some snow over Easter. I hope not, but who knows? The guys were up and about this morning and Louie seemed rather grumpy. He kept going after Grayson for some reason I don't know. They slept this afternoon. Grayson has been sleeping on the desk, under the south windows lately. The sun does shine there for some time during the day, and they both were asleep on the rug by the patio door this afternoon, when the sun was shining in there. I guess after how cold it was in here over the past few months, they're enjoying being warm. It got warm in here, too, up to 75°, even though I turned the thermostat down the other day. They like that.
Now it's a clear (I think) cool night in the field, and maybe I can go to bed tonight?
April 7 I went up to the north end about 11:00 last night, but I fiddled around and took a shower, so it was around 1:30 when I got to bed. I didn't sleep all that well. In part it was because I knew I had to get up this morning and in part it was because I really did have to walk several times. As usual, I was sleeping well when I woke and looked at the clock and it was a bit after 9:00. So I got up and got dressed and had some breakfast. I started to get ready to go out at a reasonable time, but I had just opened the car door when I had a cramp and had to come back into the house.
It was all right, though, because Johanna was in the middle of feeding the baby when I got there. Her significant-other-mother-in-law and several of her kids are there, so there was somebody to watch little Sawyer while I got my massage. That baby is growing like a weed. I could tell he's bigger than he was the last time I saw him. He's a real cutie. He's about 3 months old, and he can smile and watch people as they walk around, and I think he's getting his head under control.
While I was doing part of my surfing, before I left the house, but after I took my bag out of the cupboard, I heard some rustling around behind me, and when I looked, Louie had managed to retrieve a doggie biscuit from the bag (I give Eos a treat or two) and he was trying to get his mouth around it. He ended up crunching it and eating about half of it, and just now, he was after the other half. Geez, Louie, you're a cat! I didn't know cats like doggie treats. While he was working on it, Grayson was sitting off to one side, crouched down and watching with interest, but the doggie biscuit didn't interest him at all. Cats can be so weird.
When I got home, I did nothing much, although i loaded the dishwasher, and after I put my dinner dishes in it, I will run it tonight. I'm out of cat dishes.
When I got up this morning and looked out, I couldn't see anything, but it didn't look like snow, and it was very bright out. It was fog, and very thick fog. That lasted for most of the day, more or less, and it cleared up around 7:00. By the way, there was a problem with my connection (one I've had a couple of times lately) and no pictures got uploaded until I got to the studio this morning. I will have to talk to Charlie about that - I'm not supposed to have to log in to the router. The high temperature during the day was about 34º here. It was warmer in town, but not nearly as warm as predicted. I guess the weathermen want spring to come, too. The wind was calm for most of the day. The relative humidity was around 90% all day, which explains the fog. There is still a very thick layer of ice on the harbor.
The totals from last week's snowfall are in, and according to the Road Commission, we got 17" of snow over two days - 10" on Friday. It doesn't surprise me. It does make me wonder if it had been 20º colder, how much we would have gotten. It's always surprising when one of those things is going on. To look out, it doesn't seem that the snow is falling that fast, but oh, does it pile up! According to John Dee, most of it fell overnight, and it would have been hard to see anyway. Maybe, just maybe, this is the end of it? Even John, who is a snow lover, is ready for this winter to end. Oh, yes, and by the time the snow ended, we had 58" on the ground. Hey, that's almost five feet! No wonder it feels iike we're driving around in tunnels around here. It has settled some and there has been some melting, but this morning there was still an official 53" on the ground. What a winter...
The guys did not want me to go away this morning, but by the time I got home, they were asleep, and I didn't see them for most of the day. Except for Louie's adventures with the doggie treat, there isn't much to report.
So that was my day. I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, and massages always make me tired anyway, so I hope to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. Now it's a moist, cloudy night in the field, and maybe I can get to bed at a reasonable hour?
April 6 Well, sometimes I guess right and sometimes I don't. I was sitting and reading after dinner last night when I heard a tractor, and when I checked, it was Ron, using Marty's tractor. I was glad he came around when I saw the depth of the snow in the driveway. Even after packing down, it was nearly a foot deep, except where it drifted, when it was deeper. He did a good job of moving it. He hadn't been able to get our tractor unstuck (I haven't heard from him today). When he went out to the road to get Marty's tractor, somebody had plowed it all the way from US-41 to his driveway! It took a little nosing around to find out who did it, but they sure did us a huge favor. I guess everything is in pretty good shape now, although with the rain we had today, I imagine it's slippery.
Since I had decided not to go to church today, I didn't go to bed, either, until very late. i slept all right, but not great. Louie slept with me for a while, but evidently he has decided that my thrashing around when I turn over is disturbing, so he went away when I got up the first time.
I got up around 11:00, I think, and I knitted. I found the metal needle I thought I'd lost and I put the scarf on it last night. I'm pleased to say that it has made a real difference. Usually I like to use wood needles for lace, but this yarn is so strange that it was sticking to the wood and making it hard to knit. It doesn't stick to the metal (I think it's nickel coated brass and it's very slippery), which makes it a whole lot easier to knit. It doesn't make it much faster, though, since I have to separate the sequins ever three or four inches. I'm making progress, and I knitted quite a bit today.
Otherwise, I did nothing except pay some bills. I should have gotten the dishwasher ready to run tonight, but I didn't, so there. The dishes will still be there tomorrow.
It was a gray, moist day, but the temperature was between 36º and 41º all day, so the rain we had (and it did rain some) didn't freeze. There wasn't any wind. It was very blah. Well, I could have gone to church, but oh, well.
The guys were like the weather. Somebody barfed on the kitchen floor this morning. I don't know who, but Grayson pointed it out to me. He slept on my lap until I had to go to the powder room (I had a small accident anyway) and then Louie slept on my lap until I booted him off. Then they slept someplace else. Sounds like a good plan to me.
So that was a nothing day, and tonight I must take a bath. I see Johanna tomorrow, and I need to be clean. I need to be clean anyway.
Now it's a cool, dark, moist night in the field.
April 5 I went up to the north end at 11:00 last night, but I fooled around for a while - knitted a couple of rows - and it was midnight when I turned out the light. When I looked outside, there was a bright crescent moon shining in the windows. So it cleared up, at least for a while. In fact, I think it was clear for most of the night, but it clouded up around dawn, and there was a brief snow shower before it cleared up again. What weather!
I knitted some more, and that was nearly all I did. I did collect a bunch of empty boxes in the studio. Some of them went in an orange bag and some of them I kept, but it's a little nicer in here now. That was it. I have sort of a sinus headache and sore eyes, so I read some.
Ron came by to get the envelopes I forgot to give him the other day, and I won't be going to church tomorrow, and I may not be going to see Johanna on Monday. There is 18" of wet, heavy snow right in front of the garage, and Ron got the tractor stuck in his driveway. The snow, and the ice under it, is so slippery, it's hard to go anywhere. Besides, the weather forecast for tomorrow says possible freezing rain and snow, and I'd rather not get involved in that. We both wish this would get over with.
The weather today was beautiful, and warm. It was clear and sunny all day, and the temperature got up to 42º briefly, but it was in the upper 30s for most of the afternoon. There wasn't any wind. The temperature in the studio got up to 78º, which left me sweaty and I nearly opened the window for a while. I should probably turn down the thermostat, but then it would be cold in the morning.
The guys like the warmth. Louie spent most of the night with me, although he is having a hard time getting the hang of how I sleep. And he slept on my lap for quite a while this afternoon, until some noise woke him up. Grayson was around, too, but he didn't sit on me.
So that was a quiet day, and I think I will probably be going to bed early tonight, just because my eyes are so sore. It's a clear, warmish evening in the field, but unfortunately, that isn't going to last very long.
April 4 Well, I was too late again last night, and now I'm very tired. The snow got started slowly, but it was coming down good by the time I got to bed. I slept well. Louie slept with me for most of the night, and when I woke up around 11:00, he was beside the pillow and Grayson was cuddled up behind my knees. So they will sleep with me. I knitted. It was nice to throw on my sweats for a change, but then I had an accident - the first one in several days - so I had to change my bottoms and I took the occasion to wash my sweatshirt, too. Those things always depress me, so I didn't do anything else.
It snowed all night and it snowed all day and it's still snowing, although it seems to have stopped at Houghton. It has let up here, but I will say that between 2:00 AM and 2:00 PM today, we had 1.27" of liquid precip, which means we had one heck of a lot of snow. Looking out my windows as well as I can, I'd say we had at least 12" here. The road commission reported 7" overnight, which I think was about right, but it kept right on coming...and coming...and coming. It did let up a bit this afternoon, in that the camera could sort of see the shoreline to the point at the east end of the bay in front of the fort (ugh, what a mouthful. If you look at the camera frequently, I think you know what I mean). Even though it may have stopped snowing down around Houghton and the airport, it hasn't stopped here. The temperature was nearly constant at about 28º and the wind got up to 30 mph with 37 mph gusts, from the east. That was only at 6:00 this evening, so there may be more to come as the wind shifts around toward the north. So it's been a nice winter storm. In April. Ugh. The only thing that makes it tolerable around here is that the outside temperature has been warm enough and the wind has been from a good direction so it's been very comfortable in here. Now, at 8:20, the snow is letting up, and the sky has turned very vaguely apricot-gray as we go toward sunset. I will need to be dug out tomorrow, I'm sure, because it looks to me like we had at least 12" and it may not be over yet.
The guys know what to do in weather like this. They slept with me until I got up. then Louie stayed where he was and Grayson went to sleep in the bathroom. After I shifted to the studio, they did, too, and at one point I looked down to find Grayson asleep behind the chair again. They didn't like their breakfast, and I found the small bag of dry food I bought last week on the floor. I thought it was because Louie wanted to chew up the plastic bag, and I think he did, except that he also chewed through the paper bag the cat food was in, which I didn't find out until it dropped all over everything. Well, just one more thing to clean up, if I ever clean up the kitchen. Fortunately, the big bags of that variety come in heavy plastic bags and while they tried to chew through it, they didn't manage. I still don't know what it is with Louie and plastic bags, but so far, it doesn't seem to have caused him any problems. As he gets older, though, I'll have to watch him more carefully.
I have to share a picture that just came up on the camera. I've never seen anything quite like this. Pretty colors, huh? And you can just barely see the sun over the end of Porter's Island. It also shows just how much snow we've gotten, since the deck was bare yesterday. Oh, will it ever end?
Now It's a dark, cloudy night in the field, but unless there's something coming that radar doesn't show, it's over with for this time. At least it's not very cold.
April 3 Oh, the music was nice and I was reading and time just passed - and then i had to wash my hair. Sigh. I slept well, with just a couple of wakeups, and i got up around 11:30. I knitted, and I'm making fair progress, I must admit. I think I have about 15" done. It's so slow, but the results are pretty good. I want one of these things for myself, too, so I guess I'm going to be knitting with that yarn for quite a while.
I was so late that I didn't do anything. Ron came around 4:30 and left off all my cat food. I opened a bag of the stuff I can only get from Walmart, and next thing I knew, both guys were trying to eat out of the same dish! Little snots. When I went out to see Ron, I realized that I am too tired and I'm not seeing very well, so I decided not to go to choir. I'm sorry, but I like to be able to see and to be alert enough for all contingencies when I drive.
The storm warning is in effect, but the snow hasn't started, in spite of what the radar images show. It's not even in Houghton yet, although it's coming. The weather today was very pre-storm. The high temperature was 30º and there was some wind from the east or southeast this afternoon. It was cloudy, but mostly bright-cloudy. Sort of blah. The latest predictions say there may be as much as 8" of snow overnight and another 8" to 10" tomorrow, so we're going to get our firsts actual blizzard of the season, if the predictions are right. Well, we'll see. I used to never believe those forecasts, but I've learned to reserve judgment. Sometimes they're right and sometimes they're not.
The guys were certainly in pre-storm mode. When I got up to make my dinner, both of them were on the floor behind the chair, sound asleep. Grayson was right behind me, and if I'd rolled back in the direction I usually go, I would have hit him. That's the first time he's ever lain there, and i don't know why he did. Dummy.
So it was a quiet, truncated day and I'm tired and my eyes hurt. Maybe I can ignore the music tonight, but I'm learning not to make promises about that. Now it's a dark calm night in the field, and the snow is coming...the snow is coming...
April 2 I had a terrible time getting the website right last night. I use a table to show the thumbnails of pictures i've posted, and I simply could not get rid of the lines around the boxes. At least three times, I thought I changed them, and nothing happened -- FrontPage didn't even realize I had made a change! What a program! However, it works, and trying to learn a new one and transporting everything over is more work than I care to do, so I persist. I think everything is out there and looks the way I want it, but you never know. What I discovered is that the way I thought worked, doesn't, and the way that works makes no sense at all. Well, it works, so I guess that's all that matters.
Between that and the nice music and reading, it was ridiculously late before I got to bed. By the time I did get to bed, the snow was over, but it was windy all night. I was afraid of what would happen, and I was right: we were snowed in this morning. Ron got part of the culverts blown out and then something froze up in the tractor and it took him a while to figure out what and fix it, but he ended up getting Clyde (yes, the Clyde who used to have the post office) to come out with his front-end loader and dig. He says it's really good right now, but we're going to have another storm tomorrow night and Friday, so we'll see what happens then. They've started the warning at 8:00 tomorrow night, so I don't guess I'll be going to choir after all. I might be able to get there, but I might not be able to get home, and that would be nasty.
Anyway, I didn't get up until 11:30 and I knitted, so I was late getting to the studio. I had just finished my breakfast when my accountant called to say everything was fine and all I owe is the Michigan use tax, which I have to pay. I had Louie on my lap when she called, and I brushed a handful of fur out of him while we were talking, and then I had to take a walk, but having a cordless phone is very useful. I could wander around and still talk to her. I'm relieve about the taxes, although I didn't expect any surprises. I don't get enough income, and I have enough deductions that I'm fine. Of course, I won't get a property tax refund again, which I could really use, but I expected that, since they haven't changed the law.
Otherwise, I did nothing. I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I was tired.
The weather today was beautiful. The skies were clear and blue and the temperature got up to 32º briefly, although it was 30º for most of the afternoon. The wind died down to nothing, but it was brisk from the north for most of the day. According to the Road Commission, we only got an inch of snow, although it sure looked like more than that was coming down here.
The guys were sleepy for most of the day. Louie spent the whole night with me again. He really likes to sleep beside my pillow. For one thing, he gets a pat or two when I wake up. That's fine. I like having a cat to sleep with. Grayson was full of energy for a while this morning, and he got some lap time, too. He came to see what I had tor dinner, but I think it was too garlicky for him. I don't think garlic is good for cats anyway.
So I need to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, but we'll see what happens. I was going to go on to the next part of Voyages, but I identified some things I don't like about the part I finished last night, so I am going to reread it and possibly make some changes. Or not. Now it's a clear, nearly calm night in the field, although there are some clouds in the west. And the snow is coming...the snow is coming...
April 1 April Fool! So this is spring, eh?
I was a little later than I wanted to be last night. Right now I don't remember exactly why, but I guess I was reading and listening to the music. It was a bit after midnight when I turned out the light. Right after I did, Louie jumped up on the bed and settled down between the pillow and the nightstand with his back to me. That was all right for the time, because I had my back to him, too, but after I was up for the first time, I had to turn over, so my arms were lying on his legs. I guess after I went back to sleep, he turned over, too, so then we were more or less face to face. He slept there almost all night. I was up several times and I didn't sleep all that well. I ate pasta salads and veggie tray for dinner, and that meant I was gurgling almost all night. I got up around 9:30, because I had to walk again. Today I ate a more normal diet, so I shouldn't have that problem tonight.
I was going to go out, but again, I didn't. Part of it was the weather and part of it was that I still don't feel like doing much.
The weather, oh the weather. When I was up around 6:00, I could hear the rain on the roof or the deck, so it did rain hard for a while. I think it probably drizzled all night. When I got up, it was still drizzly, but it was warm - 42º at 10:00. That didn't last long. Around 1:00 the wind shifted to the north and picked up and the wind started to plummet. At the last reading, the temperature was 19º and the wind was from the north at 34 mph with gusts to 47 mph. As you can see, it snowed. in fact, it snowed hard for most of the afternoon. Winter just will not quit. It sure is getting old.
The guys were really sleepy today. They know when the barometer is down. After sleeping with me all night, Louie would have slept on my lap all day, if I'd let him, but I had to type, so I booted him off, and then he laid down on the floor between the desk and the hearth and went to sleep again. I didn't see much of Grayson. He thought he wanted some of my dinner, but when I offered him some, he didn't. He sits on the laptop while I eat my breakfast, and as soon as I put the tray aside, he sits on my lap and purrs. He's noticed that I'm sitting and not doing much right about then, and he usually runs away before I start gurgling. I'm sure they will be disappointed tonight, because it's not going to be as warm at the north end.
I'm disappointed, too. It's been very comfortable around here lately, and sometimes hot, which has been nice. With a temperature of 19º and a wind of 34 mph, the wind chill is -1º. I'd hoped we were over that. Well, I have to wash my hair tonight regardless.
This evening, I had to do some work on the website, because I wanted to publish that picture, and the deficiencies of the old FrontPage came up to bite me again. I also discovered that I hadn't done last year's camera page right, so I fixed that. I think I got everything together right, but if you find any broken links or other strange things, please let me know.
Now it's a cold, windy, snowy night in the field, and maybe we're entering the next ice age.
Last updated 05/01/14 09:28 PM
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