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A View From the Field |
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February, 2021 February 28 Sorry i forgot to upload last night. I guess I was in in a hurry to get it done. I'll try to do better tonight.
I wasn't quite as late last night and I slept fairly well, although I was up several times. The problem came when I got up. I just didn't want to move. The task of the day was bath, and I finally got that done, late, of course.
I also decided to do a little experimentation with the washer. I always use the settings on the left side of the dial, that say "Cottons." I noticed, the last time I washed something, that the rinse only cycle spun out. The right side of the dial says "Easy Care" or something. I don't know what the difference in the two cycles is. So I decided to try that. I have a very big load of bottoms that has been in the washer for a week or more and I need to get it washed. Well, even though I ran it through with no soap of anything, it worked. The soak cycle goes right into the wash cycle, which I don't like, but in this case, I needed to rinse as much crud out of the garments as possible. I don't think I have enough soap in the house to wash such a big load - I wasted a lot last week when I washed my flashlight - so I will have to bring in what's out in the breezeway. It seems clear, though, that only half of the control is broken. It doesn't matter. The left side doesn't work, so it will have to be replaced, but in the meantime, maybe i can get some clean bottoms as well as socks and compression hose. We'll see.
The weather was about what they predicted, for once. It started snowing around 10:30 AM and stopped around 6:30 PM. The snow was wet and heavy, so the branch of the pine is obscuring the camera picture. The high temperature was 33º, but it's cooling down fast now, and it's supposed to be in the low teens tomorrow. There was a north wind that peaked at 31 mph with gusts to 44 mph. I'm afraid it will be getting cold at the north end tonight and tomorrow, although it's supposed to warm up on Tuesday.
I am supposed to get a blood test tomorrow, but all things considered, I've decided to wait until Tuesday. It will be warmer. Not only do I have to go to the hospital, I have to food shop and I have to get gas, and I'd prefer not to be out in that low-teens weather.
Grayson mostly slept, a lot of it near me. He got some of his favorite canned food, but he wanted some of my dinner, too and he went away mad when I didn't give him any. I am concerned about him. He is very thin. He is also peeing all over the place. One of his favorite spots, if I will let him, is in the drain in the shower. One of my tasks for this week is to get his littelr tray set up.
So that was a useless day and now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field. At least the snow has stopped.
February 27 To bed late, up late again and I didn't do anything again.
The weather was cloudy and nondescript. The high temperature was 38º. this morning. and it slid slowly down to 23º now. There was a light southwest wind, which has gone calm now. The story is tomorrow. We are under another WInter Weather Advisory, from 7:00 AM, for up to 6" of heavy, slushy snow and wind. Yuck.
I didn't see Grayson all day, until right before i left the north end. I don't know where he was. He wanted my dinner - didn't get it - and a while later, he came back and got petted for quite a while. I suppose it was just so I would know he wasn't too mad at me.
That was all there was, and now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field. At least the moon above the clouds is making it light outside.
February 26 Got to bed late, got up late and didn't even get dressed.
I did make my phone calls. The repair person said he will be here Thursday, although I expect it will take two trips, since the first one is apparently just to make sure I know what I'm talking about.
I called UPPCO and I have some numbers to fiddle with to see how much I have to pay for the next three months (two regular months and the yearly settlement), but I left the paper up at the north end. Tomorrow.
Otherwise, I did nothing.
The weather was warm but nondescript. It was mostly cloudy. The high temperature was 44º and there was a strong southwest wind, with gusts up to 31 mph. The temperature will be falling off tomorrow, unfortunately, and it looks like snow on Sunday. Well, it's still winter.
Grayson mostly slept. He thought he wanted some of my dinner, but when I gave him some (salmon), he tasted it and spit it out. I know, if he doesn't, that he doesn't like salmon. The cat food that was out of stock came back in, so I jumped on it. I had bought a box containing three different flavors, but that was (and still is, I think) out of stock, but it occurred to me that he likes all three flavors, so I bought a case of each. That will last us a long time, although these are 3 oz. cans and he eats two for one meal. At least he'll get some of what he likes. It's so funny to watch him. He will eat for a couple of minutes and go away, then five minutes later, he's back eating more. I guess he has to wait for it to settle. He gave up a big hairball this morning, and that should make him feel better. I think he peed on the floor in the bathroom again, though.
So now it's a warmish, cloudy, windy night in the field and I'll be off to bed soon, I hope.
February 25 I was much too late getting to bed, with no excuse except that one of my favorite solitaire games had bonus points. I got up around noon, and there was still that game... So I was too late to do anything, even have more than one meal.
I did put in a Schwan's order, but when I tried to do a Chewy order - Grayson is running low on some of his favorite canned food - it was all out of stock. Some weird thing has apparently happened to all the chicken-flavored cat food. So we'll have to make do with what we have. I hope he doesn't get bored, because that's all there is.
I left the laptop trying to download the system updates last night, but when I got to the office this afternoon, four of them had not worked. I just tried to download them again, and it failed again, so now I'm trying one at a time... The laptop has been continuously on, which I don't like to do, but I do want those updates, so I will try them one at a time and see if that works. I've had this problem before, and I've wondered if it has something to do with the connection being wi-fi. I do have an ethernet cable, but I would rather not use it. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
Oh, and I am still trying to wash my load of bottoms. I found the flashlight and I'm drying it out. We'll see if it still works.
Can i just drop into a hole and pull the lid on top of me?
The weather was a bit cooler than lately. The high temperature was 28º and for most of the day there was a north wind in the 15 mph range. It started out cloudy, but it began to clear up around noon and there was a lot of sunshine during the afternoon. It was clear at sunset. Maybe I can stay awake long enough to look out the windows tonight.
Grayson was his usual self. Having it quiet in the house lets me hear when he starts to purr. He thought he wanted my dinner - I don't think so - and he has been rather put out because he didn't get any. He is getting antsy because two of his kibble bowls are empty. I will fill them tomorrow.
So that was my quiet, truncated day and now it's a clear (I think) cold night in the field.
February 24 I was a bit later than I wanted to be last night - as usual - and I slept all right, not great. I was up several times.
I got up around noon, but I went into zombie mode, so I had to ask Ron to bring my mail and my package - 2 lb of See's chocolate - but he's good about that. Only I have to ask him.
After several weeks of having the bulletins right the first time, there were a whole bunch of errors and changes in the ones for next week, to the extent that Sue and I got out of sync. I think it's right now, but there is still one change that may need to be made. She can do that. That was about all I did.
I opened the blinds in the bedroom, which is nice. I tried to wash a load of bottoms, because i have run out of sweats, but for sure the control on the washer is broken. And I think I washed one of my lovely new flashlights, even though I couldn't find it. Now that the load has spun out, I will look for it again. It's supposed to be weather resistant, but I don't know about washing it in a washer. Dumb things I keep doing... Anyway, the wash water was so ugly that I'm not sorry I had to abort the load. Once I find the flashlight and get some more detergent into the house, I will wash the load again, manually. I will be calling the repair people tomorrow and I hope I can get them out here. Maybe since there are three broken appliances, they will come?
The weather started out cloudy, and if the roof of the garage was any indicator, we had a bit of snow overnight even though the weather station didn't say so. Anyway, by the time I got dressed, the clouds had flown away and it was beautifully sunny. At this time of year, the sun is getting very warm and it warms up the house wonderfully, especially the great room. And while it was cloudy and I was otherwise engaged, the sun has crept into the view of the camera again, on its way north. That is so nice to see! Spring will come. The high temperature, 34º, was around 7:00 AM and it went down from there, until it's 13º now. It was very windy until about 7:00 PM, with a north wind gusting up to 36 mph, but it's dying down lately.
I don't know what Grayson's problem today was, but I didn't see much of him. He got some of his favorite canned food today, so that made him happy, and I suppose he was staying where it's warm, but he didn't come down to try to sit on me until just a little while ago. Sometimes I can tell what he's thinking and sometimes I can't. Maybe he just came and sat on me to let me know he's not mad at me or something.
So that was a quiet day and now it's a clear, cold night in the field and I may just see a star or two.
February 23 I was a little earlier to bed last night and I got up later, but I almost got caught in the game trap. However, I managed to actually eat two meals, which is novel.
I was listening to the talking when Debbie called, and we talked until 9:30 when either her phone died or something happened to my connection. Then I had an accident, made and ate my dinner and started on my day's work. I wanted to get the bulletins out today, so everybody has a chance to look them over, and I got that done. Now there's this and then I can go to bed.
The weather was rather nice. The high temperature was 41º, but that was around 7:00 this morning and it went down slightly as the day wore on. There was a north wind this morning, with gusts up to 30 mph, but it died down to nothing by 5:00 PM and then switched to southwest and very light. It was partly cloudy overnight. At one point, the moon was shining in the front windows so brightly that I wondered if there was a light on, and when I looked out - the blinds are still closed - there was a very bright star that I think is Capella shining between the slats. It all went away later, but it was mostly clear for a good part of today and the sunlight was so welcome, as well as warming up the great room and the office.
Grayson is settling down. He tries to act like he's cool, but he really isn't and the noise obviously drove him crazy. It's better now.
So it was another very quiet day -thank goodness! - and it is so nice to have quiet around here! It's a warnish (for February), partly cloudy night in the field.
February 22 Well, this was a weird day. I almost inverted last night. I think it was because I hate to try to sleep with all that noise. Anyway, I slept for about five hours before I had to get up and when I got back to bed, I couldn't get back to sleep, which I thought was weird.
I was lying there when i sort of heard a voice say something like "hello?" Ah, then I understood why I couldn't go back to sleep. Anyway, I threw on my robe and got into my Crocs, which I hate to wear with bare feet, and went to meet them. it was the cleanup guys and they were here to take away all their equipment. Yay!! There was a lot more than I realized, so they were here for over an hour, but it's quiet around here at last!
I fed the cat while they were here and after they left, I went back up to the north end and sat trying to decide whether to go back to bed or take my bath. I sat long enough that bath was the only choice, so I am now clean again. which is nice. I will be going to bed soon and enjoying the quiet.
The weather was amazing. The high temperature was 42º. And to think a week or so ago, it was 2º! There was a southwest wind with gusts up to 29 mph, but that still put the wind chill above freezing. It was cloudy, but in spite of the forecast, there wasn't any measurable precip. Unfortunately, this won't last, but the temperatures should be more reasonable. That's good; I just realized that I have to go to town next Monday and I need to food shop and get gas.
Grayson is much happier, I think, He is not crying nearly as much and he has stopped shouting at me. I figured that was his problem. He is used to it being quiet around here and he isn't used to having people around. He should get used to that, though. I have a feeling I'm going to have workmen around for a while.
I almost got the laptop set up last night, even though I had some problems with a download from Norton and hed to reboot - which seems to have deleted the remote software. I will work on that later. Pastor sent the bulletin information yesterday (!) and that has priority. I was going to work on it today, but, well...
So now it's a warm, cloudy, windy night in the field and I'm going to bed.
February 21 It was another totally wasted day. I stayed up last night - this morning - until I was so tired they probably could have put a dehumidifier right beside my bed and it wouldn't have kept me awake, I got up around noon anyway just so I won't get totally off-schedule. Or i hope not.
Nobody came. I hope they do tomorrow. I am getting very tired of this thing.
The weather was actually warm for this time of year. The high was 33º and what wind there was came mostly from the southwest. What's nice is that both the bedroom and the bathroom are finally warm, almost hot. I haven't gotten the thermostat set properly yet in the bedroom, so it's very warm in there. The thing is, if I turn it down, it isn't as warm in the bathroom and I want it warm, even hot, in there. It was sort of cloudy all day, but it was bright. Evidently, we had a little snow just after sunset.
Grayson is still wandering around hollering. He does not like that noise! His latest is to go away and then come into the bathroom and yell so loud it makes me jump. I guess that's to let me know he's there. He slept for most of the night on the end of the bed toward the windows. That's a safe place - my feet don't get over there and I don't drop the body pillow or the covers on him. Then he slept on the floor right by my feet for quite a while.
So that's all there was, and I'll be going back to the north end soon. It's a cold - but not very - cloudy night in the field.
February 20 Sorry for no journal last night. I forgot about it until I was up at the north end and I was too tired to come back down here. I have to get my remote desktop software and get it set up, so I can keep the laptop at the north end and do it from there. I just haven't gotten around too it, with everything that's going on around here.
I didn't do anything. Nobody came, which annoyed me, because there is a light on in the upstairs back bedroom that needs to be turned off. They said they would probably be back tomorrow, and I sure hope so.
Those dehumidifiers are as noisy as the computer rooms I used to work in, and one of them is in my closet, so I can't shut it out. They can't close the doors completely because the dehumidifiers will overheat. So I have not been sleeping well at all. I have stuffed some cotton in my ears, which helps a little bit, but if I have any earplugs, they are upstairs. I don't like to use them anyway, because I want to be able to hear something. So i did even less today than yesterday and I really need to try to go to bed. I am exhausted.
The weather has warmed up quite a bit, at least during the day. Yesterday, the high was 24º and there wasn't much wind. It was mostly sunny in the morning, but in the afternoon it clouded up. Today, it was nearly clear all day. The high was 25º and there was a north wind in the 15 mph range.
The warmer temps and sunshine has warmed it up remarkably in here, so much that I had to turn down the heat in the bedroom. Today I got to the office late and with the sun shining on the roof, it was 73º in here - it hasn't been that warm in months. It cooled off fast when the sun went down, but it was so nice not to have to use the heater for a little while. And it's warm enough in the bathroom to take a shower, which I should have and didn't today.
Grayson has had enough of all this noise. He is sounding off like I've never heard him before and he doesn't sound happy. I agree with him, but there isn't anything I can do about it.
So that was two useless days. I did discover that I was wrong about the incontinent pads. They are in the powder room, as is the package of beans and rice that was mixed in with the trash on the counter. So now my only complaint is the light upstairs. I do have a couple of questions, but mostly I can wait on those.
Now it's a clear, cold night in the field, although I guess the clouds are going to move in before morning.
February 18 I didn't sleep well last night. I started out just in my nightie and I thought I was cold, but then I put on my fleece jacket and pulled up the heavy comforter - was that a trip! - and I was too hot. Add to that, I couldn't sleep on my right side at all, because my hip is so sore it made my entire leg sore. So it wasn't a good night.
Then I got a call around 8:30 saying the cleanup people would be here in about three hours. Ugh. I suggested they might wait a bit, and I went back to sleep for a while, but I was up long before they came.
They took away all the dehumidifiers and blowers from the upstairs and put down some things that are supposed to suck up the water from under the floor. And then they put dehumidifiers in the laundry and my closet. They also got rid of all the stuff in the powder room - all my magazines - and, wonder of wonders, they cleaned off the counters in the kitchen. I guess they felt sorry for me. The only thing is, they threw away a full, new package of incontinent pads. I will talk to them tomorrow or whenever they come back. They removed everything on the floor in the laundry and the closet, and I'm not sure what they did with that. The only thing is, those dehumidifiers are noisy and i'm not sure how well I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'm so tired, maybe it will work.
The house is getting warmer, because it's getting warmer outside. The high temperature was 24º and there's very little wind. There was some sunshine this morning, but it clouded up in the afternoon.
Grayson is not a a happy cat. Not only were there a whole bunch of men in big boots around for several hours. they were rustling around and there is all that noise. After they left, he slept on my lap for a while, but mostly he's been wandering around complaining. I don't blame him.
My hip is extremely sore and I'm having much more trouble walking than usual. All I can hope is to bear with it until it goes away, which I'm sure it will eventually. For the time being, it's difficult.
Now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field and I must go to bed soon.
February 17 Things have settled down a lot around here. I still have dehumidifiers and the floor in the closet is still wet, but it was a lot better.
I think it was around noon when I got up and I moved slowly. I particularly moved slowly because my hip is really bothering me and it's hard to put very much weight on it. So I sat and didn't want to get up at all, except that I had to. Oh, sigh. I had one accident during the night and another this evening. It gets old really fast.
I did have a conversation with the adjuster, which left me wondering why he was asking those questions. I will have to attack him the next time he called.
The weather was a lot better. It was sunny for most of the day and the high temperature got up to 20º with fairly light north winds. Of course, it cooled down abruptly when the sun set, but it was warm enough that it's comfortable in the bedroom and the bathroom (70º in the bedroom and 68º in the bathroom). I think I can actually go to bed in my nightgown tonight - first time in two weeks or more. There are some clouds moving in, but the last picture of the evening was a really interesting.
Grayson was in bed with me when I got up, so I guess he's decided it was warm enough to vacate his spot by the doorway. He got some of his favorite food for breakfast and he wanted my dinner. He didn't get any, so he went away mad. He'll get over it, and I'm not sure people food is really good for him.
I didn't get to bed until around 3:00 AM, but I hope I can be a little earlier tonight. It won't be much, but maybe...
So now it's a partly cloudy, frigid night in the field.
February 16 So I got up to the north end and just sat for far too long, so I was late getting to bed. I slept fairly well, although I had some trouble the first time I tried to lie on my left side. I was just waking up when I got a call from the adjuster saying he was in Calumet and would be here in an hour or so.
So I got up and got ready for the day. These days, that means putting on my compression hose and my socks. I like that.
I was a bit worried about the adjuster. He didn't seem very interested in the damage the water had caused to the floor. It sounded like he looked more at the equipment the cleanup people left, but we'll see what happened.
I just got off a 4 hour call with Mary Ann. She is so nice!
The weather has mitigated. And we had sunshine all afternoon! It was so lovely. The high temperature was 17º and while it was breezy in the morning, the wind died down in the afternoon. The sky wasn't completely clear, but it didn't keep the sun from shining in. It was much warmer inside, too. I was surprised when I looked at the NWS station history - they say we had snow between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM - but I sure didn't see any and the camera didn't see any. I'm not sure what that was, unless somebody was spraying water at the pumping station. Weird.
Grayson slept on me or near me except when the adjuster was here. I guess he realizes that those guys with the big boots can't see a little gray cat very well and he stays out of their way.
So that was my day, and now i must go to bed. It's a cold, partly cloudy night in the field, but it's warmer.
February 15 Well, I got to bed before midnight and i slept well. I think I got up around 9:30, but then I went into zombie mode and I just barely had time to eat something fast and I was still almost late for my vaccination. It didn't matter, because they were running late anyway. So I am now vaccinated, although I understand it may take a while before the coverage is complete. At least it's done.
It was a slow ride in both directions. All the roads are snow covered, but it's been so cold that they aren't very slippery. And there was little enough traffic that I could safely drive down the middle of the road. So that wasn't as bad as it could have been.
When i got home, the ovens were beeping. I don't think there was a power failure, so all I can figure is that because it's so humid, the control is more weird than usual. That has happened before in the summer when it was very humid.
The high temperature here has been rising, and the high for the past six hours is 9º. The wind has died down almost completely, which is part of the reason. When I got down to Laurium, the sun came out and it was lovely and sunny at least to Central, but there was a fuzzy gray cloud over Copper Harbor and even a few flakes of snow when I got home.
Grayson was not pleased that I left, and he spent a whole lot of time on my lap after I got to the office. He is happier now, because I filled his kibble bowls, but he didn't get any of my dinner and that made him mad.
I discovered one more glitch because of all the water. The door jamb on the door to the breezeway has swelled. I managed to get out, wth some difficulty, but I almost didn't get back in. I'm sure that eventually it will dry out, but in the meantime, I am not closing the door completely just so I can get in and out of it. The adjuster will be here tomorrow and the cleanup guy will be back, and they have to be able to get in.
So now it's late. I went into zombie mode again and didn't eat until after midnight. Now I'm exhausted, but one of my favorite Schubert pieces is coming up, and of course I have to llisten to that.
It's a frigid, cloudy night in the field, but the temperature trend is up.
February 14 I think this will be a short one, because I didn't do anything.
I was late getting to bed because I got up to the north end and I was to tired to get up and go to bed, so I got up late. I have to take a bath - I still have to take a bath. It's only 63ºk in the bathroom and that's just a bit cool to get all wet, but I have to do it. I can't go to the clinic the way I am now. It looks like someone poured a bottle of oil on my head.
I was going to bite the bullet and do it when Debbie called. We only talked for a couple of hours, but by then it was too late to get myself up to take my clothes off.
The temperature reached a balmy 2º today; most of the time it was 1º. The wind has picked up to around 15 mph from the north with gusts as high as 28 mph, which is why it's so cold in here. It snowed all day until about half an hour before it got dark, when it looked like it might be clearing up a bit, but they've extended the Winter Weather Advisory until 10:00 AM tomorrow.
Grayson was funny. It was too cold in the bathroom for him most of the time, so every half hour or so he would come in and meow at me. He did finally get his dinner, and tomorrow I have to fill the kibble bowls. I guess he's mad at me now, because he hasn't come in to sit on my lap.
So that's all and it's a very frigid, windy, snowy night in the field.
February 13 Oops. Almost forgot.
I slept pretty well last night and I was still in bed when the guy from the cleanup crew called me and said he would be here by 10:00. Hah. I'm sure the road was bad, and then he got stuck in the culverts. Evidently somebody got him out, and then they took out the tractor and blew out the road. With as much snow as we've had this month - 55" as of Friday - just the plow truck isn't going to do it.
Anyway, he got here and surveyed the situation. Now I have three dehumidifiers running upstairs and on the stairway. He wanted to put one in the laundry room, but I was in the middle of a load of wash, so he couldn't. He left around 1:00. Those dehumidifiers are noisy. I hope I can sleep, because they're going to be here until at least Tuesday or Wednesday.
I finally got my load of bottoms washed and they are in the dryer. And it was weird. For one thing, the cold water line is getting clogged up again - I must take the hose off and clean out the screen. There was some sort of weird timing problem when I was rinsing the load and I had to do the spin cycle manually. It stopped during the rinse cycle and when I pushed to start button, it began to fill even more, until I finally reset the load size to very small. And then...the agitator started and that was fine so I went away and when I came back, some hours later, not only had it rinse, it had spun out. Huh? Well, I guess that means I have to try some more loads and find out just what is going on. Maybe it reset itself? I doubt that - things like that don't happen - but we'll see. I would love it if I don't have to call the repair people.
the high temperature was 11º and there was a north wind, mostly 15 mph or less. It was dark and dreary and it snowed all day. It's been a while since I've seen the other end of the harbor.
Grayson was excited to have somebody else in our house, but the guy who came is a dog person, so he didn't know how to make up with a cat. After he left, Grayson spent most of the rest of the afternoon on my lap. Every so often he would get up and go away, but then he would come back. He wanted my dinner - I had fish - but he was snotty about it and he didn't get any. Poo on him. If he's not going to be nice, he isn't going to get any.
So that was my day. When I was up at the north end, it was still cold in the bathroom, even though I had the heat lamp on all day. Regardless, I have to take a bath tomorrow. I really don't want to go down to Laurium on Monday - it's supposed to be extremely cold - but I do need that second COVID shot, so I guess I'll go.
Now it's another dark, frigid, snowy night in the field and I'm tired.
February 12 Things settled down a bit today. I got to bed about midnight and I didn't get up until 11:00, but I'm tired again now, even though it isn't very late.
The water claim is moving ahead, and the more I think about it, the angrier I am at myself that I never claimed either the fridge or the burst pipe in the basement. There ARE people who can help with those things. Today it was the adjuster, who will be here Tuesday, and some cleanup people, who will be here tomorrow, all to see what the situation is. That will help, since I can't get upstairs.
The house is a tad warmer, too, and both the north and south ends are around 65º, although it took all day for the office to warm up.
My new weather station arrived today and I'm still learning how to use it. It is a neat gizmo, though and much nicer than the one that died. However, I'm not sure how accurate it is. I don't get the same readings as I do on the antique with the glass thermometer, and the barometric pressure seems to be off, too. Oh, well, it will help.
The weather was more of the same. They've extended the Winter Weather Advisory till midnight and it wouldn't surprise me if they extend it further. It snowed all day, although it was light enough that it didn't register at the NWS station. Of course, it was cloudy and dull. The high temperature was 13º, and there was a brisk north wind, up to 20 mph, although it wasn't gusty, for a change.
Grayson spent most of the day on my lap and he was rather put out when I had to move and move him. Now he's on the cart, of course. He hasn't been complaining as much, I suppose because it's marginally warmer in here.
I actually got to take off my jacket to sleep last night, and the temperature was just perfect. I am going to have to bite the bullet and take a bath, either tomorrow or Sunday, no matter what the temperature is in the bathroom. I can't put it off any longer. I have to go to get my COVID booster on Monday, and I can't possibly go the way I am now. It's time to put on some clean clothes, too. Yuck.
Now it's another frigid, dark night in the field and I think I will go to bed.
February 11 Well, I didn't get to bed until 11:30 and I didn't sleep at all well. I started out fine, but after the first time I got up, my hips were so sore I could hardly sleep on them and my knees hurt, too. So of course I woke up around 6:00 and never did go back to sleep. I got up, however.
As I suspected, the guy didn't get here until around 9:00. He roamed around and checked things out and found the pipes that go to the upstairs. He installed valves in them. I was amazed by how fast he worked. Then he turned on the pump and left.
When I went out to the kitchen and ran water, I was horrified. It was dark, rusty red and cloudy! Oh, no! That has never happened before. I had to use the water, because I needed to drink. It doesn't taste bad, at least with my taste buds, so I've been drinking it. I've also been running water and it looks to me like it's clearing up some. I hope so. I have a load of bottoms that needs to be washed, and I'm afraid that the white underpants will end up red. Actually, now that I think about it, that's not all bad. The color won't be too much different from the tan ones I got. Anyway, it does look like it will eventually clear up.
I was so tired that I was asleep in my chair when Deb called. She had talked to the cemetery and she wanted to report. That was funny, too, because they told her they would have to send me some sort of paper, but then I got an email from the woman she talked to and she said that was all wrong. Since I am the owner of those plots, there should be no problem with burying me there. I do want to talk to her, but there was enough other stuff today.
I called my insurance agent and immediately I had a claim number and right after that, I was talking to the insurance company. I think I may have gotten a call from the local adjuster, but I was talking to Ron then. So sometime in the next week or so, I should have an adjuster out here to survey the damage I was thinking mostly about the floors, which are ruined, but I'm afraid there will be a lot of drywall that needs to be replaced, too. Then I will have to see how much the HVAC people will do and how much I have to hire a construction firm to do. What a mess!
Oh, yes and then I got a call from the hospital, and I will get my COVID booster on Monday. Good. I want to get that out of the way.
It's warming up in the house, and I think it's because there isn't much wind. When I was up to the north end, it was 65º in the bathroom and probably warmer than that in the bedroom. Ah! Maybe I won't have to go to bed fully dressed tonight.
The high temperature was 13º and there wasn't much wind. The camera caught a really neat effect this afternoon. There was a thick cloud over Porter Island and on up the side of the mountain, but there was blue sky and we actually had some sunshine! Of course, eventually that thick cloud did get here and it snowed off and on until sunset. It was nice to see the sun and some blue skies. There was another 6" of snow up at Delaware, which puts us at 51" for the month - and it's only the 10th.
Grayson hung around for most of the day. He was interested in the plumber, but he wasn't interested in Grayson. Mostly he was in here with me and he spent some time on my lap. He was pressing on some nerve, though, so my left leg was twitchy. Now he's asleep on the cart, but my lap robe is there, too, and he's curled up on that.
So that was my day, and I'm exhausted, so I will go to bed as soon as the Vivaldi is over and i hope not to have to wear my jacket to bed tonight. It's another frigid, snowy night in the field.
February 10 I got to bed about midnight, but I couldn't get to sleep for about an hour. Then I did good. I had just gotten up and was in the bathroom when both Grayson and I heard tapping. I got myself together and down the hall as fast as I could, but the guy was almost back at his truck by the time I got to the door. Grr. So I called the company and complained, and then I had time to get myself together. I opened the garage door and brought a couple of things into the house, so when the guy came back, I was through with my breakfast.
The news is so-so. He blew out the bathroom, and determined that the bedroom is working properly. However, he could not get any water at all go flow through the circuit under the office or in a couple of the circuits in the great room. The great room I can do without, but I need heat in here, and that is going to mean pulling down the ceiling in the machine room and replacing all the hoses. Ugh. Thank heavens for my generous friends! I asked them to give me an estimate, but I'm going to have to do it. So he left.
Several hours later, I finally had to go to the bathroom and when i got to the back door, there was water dripping down from upstairs, all over everything from the doorway back to my closet and it was pouring down in the closet. Oh no!!! Well, I can't go upstairs (stairs, you know) so I called Ron and got him at the post office. He came and turned off the water under the sink and to the toilet, but there was still water running. The best our friend Tom could suggest was to turn off the water pump. I didn't want to do that. So I called the heating repair people and he said I had to turn off the pump. So I got Ron back here for the third time (!) and he tripped the circuit breaker. The water stopped running and it looks to me like most of it has dried up down here, but I have no water and I won't until tomorrow. The guy said they will be here around 8:30. He said, "When will you be up?" and I said, "When can you get here?" So i must go to bed now and set the alarm for 7:00. Ugh. But I don't want to wait any longer. I think I can get a little water out of the holding tank to wash my teeth, but I can't do much more. It's like before the generator, when we had power failures. I think I have a jug of water under the sink in the bathroom, but it's been there forever. However, it is water. What a pain!
And
Ron has the opposite problem - his drains aren't running. I know all about that,
too. Oh, the joys of the happy householder! Oh, and I forgot. For a couple of weeks, my phone has not been sounding off when I plug it in or get phone calls, which means I've missed a bunch of phone calls I should have taken. So I called the help people tonight (for a while, I was chatting with the person, playing a game and listening to the talking on the radio - who says I can't do more than one thing at a time?). It turns out there is a teeny-weenie switch on the side of the phone which is very easy to flip that turns off those sounds. What poor design - the first really poor thing I've found about the iPhone. I'm assuming that if the plug-in made noise, so will the phone and texts. But still, it added to my frustrations.
The weather was more of the same. The high temperature was 8º and the wind was from the north with gusts up to 22 mph. It snowed all day again, although we did have one sun shower. Since yesterday, 10" fell at Delaware, which gives us 45" for the month to date - 10' more than we had in all of January, which is usually our worst month. What weird weather we have!
Grayson was sort of frustrated. He didn't eat everything i gave him yesterday, so he didn't get anymore today. I was busy with repair people and Ron so I didn't have time for him to sit on my lap very much. And he didn't get any of my dinner. And there was all that water...
So now I must go and crash. I hope I can sleep. The cold has given me a headache and I'm tired, so maybe I can. It's another frigid, snowy night in the field.
February 9 I went up to the north end at a reasonable hour but then I just sat, so I was late getting to bed and late getting up, and I just sat some more.
Then I got a call from Debbie. There is something wrong with my iPhone. Since I upgraded to the latest version of iOS, nothing chimes except the timer. Everything else just buzzes. That doesn't bother me when I plug in the charger, but it does bother me when I miss phone calls or text messages.
Anyway, she was on her way to an appointment, so we only talked for 40 minutes, but then she called me back when she got out and we talked for 4 hours. She suggested I should use the fireplace, but in order to do that, i'd have to move all the boxes I have stacked in front of it in the office, and I don't know where I'd put them. Besides, there's the hassle with wood and keeping the fire burning and all that. Since it was 38º in here when I got here at 4:15, I'm thinking about it.
So that took up the day.
The weather was almost a repeat of yesterday. It was marginally warmer - it got up to 9º. The wind is from the west and there were gusts up to 24 mph. The camera hung shortly after it got light, so I don't know what it looked like, but apparently we had another day of lake effect snow. There was 8" up at Delaware yesterday.
I don't know where Grayson was for most of the time I was talking to Debbie, but shortly before we hung up, he came and sat on me. He came back for some of my dinner and he is now sitting and waiting for me to get over this silly typing so he can cuddle up again and get warm.
And that was my day. Now it's a frigid, snowy night in the field and maybe I can get to bed earlier?
February 8 Well, it looks like I will be frozen for another couple of days. The repair people can't get here before then. I hope they can come Wednesday. However, I don't have to go out Thursday. The hospital didn't get their shipment of COVID vaccine for the week, so my appointment was canceled. I'm just as glad.
I got to bed after 1:00 AM but I slept very well, with only one wakeup. I never got undressed, so once I warmed the bed. I was very cozy and I didn't want to get up at all.
I did have three phone calls to make today, and I got them all done. By Wednesday, I should be able to pay my taxes. And i have to thank two wonderful friends who have gifted me with enough to cover my heating system repairs - or I certainly hope it does! I am so blessed to have friends like all of you!
The weather is still the story. The high temperature was 6º and it has been 1º for several hours now. I assume it will go lower. The wind has shifted around to the west and picked up again. They've extended the Winter Weather Advisory to Wednesday evening. It's still snowing enough that I can't see anything down the harbor. The camera hung up around 2 PM, so I don't know what it looked like at sunset.
Grayson spent most of the day on my lap again. Every so often he will get up and go away, but he comes back shortly. He got couple pieces of my dinner but he didn't like the breading on the chicken - picky, picky. He complains a lot. Well, so would i if I had anybody to complain to.
So that was my day and now it's a frigid, snowy night in the field again.
February 7 I am still frozen.
I finally got to bed sometime after 1:00, I think, but I slept rather well and for a long time, so I didn't feel so bad today, except that I've been cold ever since I got up and at times my hands were so cold they hurt
I used up my odd egg in some French toast for breakfast, and that put a nice warm pad in my tummy, but it doesn't do anything for my hands.
I didn't do anything - I was too cold - even though there were some things i should have done. And the computer decided it should do a complete backup tonight - 4 full disks and about a third of the fifth one. I know it was time and I was glad my schedule was such that I didn't have to wait around for it to complete I guess it was so big because I now have five browsers on my system, which I didn't the last time. Not that I use most of them. I've settled on Brave, and Schwan's finally recognizes it, although it doesn't work quite right. So if I wanted to, I could delete Chrome, but I'm using that for search. IE doesn't work for too many sites anymore and Firefox and Edge haven't impressed me very much. I chose Brave because according to what I've read, it transmits the least amount of personal data, so it preserves my privacy best.
Oh, and my little weather station finally died. I will miss it, even though I haven't had batteries in the outside sensor in a couple of years. It always had the correct time and the temperature in here, but this morning, it was all blank and it wasn't the batteries. I've wondered, I must admit - the display has been getting lighter and lighter for several months. It's 20 years old, so I guess it's time. I will have to research whether I can get a new one.
The weather hasn't moderated. The "high" temperature was 7º, although it was mostly colder than that, and the wind is still from the north, with gusts as high as 33 mph. That puts the wind chill down around -15º, and that's cold. After letting the Winter Weather Advisory expire this morning, they ut it back on until 7:00 PM tomorrow and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they extend it further. We had waves of snow followed by sunshine all day long - the lake effect machine was in high gear. I don't know that there was much accumulation, at least here, but i was glad I wasn't out in it.
Grayson got some of his absolute fave food today and it's all gone already. He has spent most of the day on my lap and right now, he is seated beside the monitor with his back to me, because I won't let him sit while I'm typing. He is frozen, too.
Well, as soon as I get up tomorrow, I will be calling the repair people. They have got to do something about this. By running the heat lamp for about 5 hours this morning, I managed to get the temperature in the bathroom up to 62º, but that's still too cold to take a bath.
Now it's a dark, frigid, snowy night in the field and I'm frozen.
February 6 I am frozen. I got to bed a bit after midnight again, with my fleece jacket on and my bed socks. I had been taking my bed socks off when I got up, because I was afraid I might slip, but they have a sort of ridged sole (in poison green - '60s stuff) and they don't slip. They might when I get up from the pot, but I have my feet on the rug there, so they don't. Anyway, I was warm while I was in bed, but not when I got up. I found out why this morning - the temperature was 61º in the bedroom.
I was sort of planning to take a bath, and I got up around 9:30, but after I sat with the heat lamp on for over na hour, it was only 65º in there, so I didn't And then I got to the kitchen. I don't know exactly what the temperature in the great room is, but it's probably below 50º. it was 52º when I go tto the office, and after running the space heater all day, it's finally - finally!! - gotten to 55º in here. So I huddled down in my coat and gloves and I didn't do anything at all. I can use the mouse with my gloves on, but I can't type.
Of course, the reason it was so cold in here is that the high temperature for the day was 13º and for the most part, it was around 9º. The wind was from the north to northwest with gusts up to 38 mph. That has put the wind chill down to -15º now. It's been a couple of years since we've had temperatures this low and I've known for a long time that my heating system isn't up to them. Only it's very uncomfortable in here. Oh, yes, and we had lake effect snow showers all day. Sometimes they were heavy and sometimes the sun almost came out. Ah, winter.
I don't know where Grayson was for most of the day, but about the time it began to get dark, he came down here and now he doesn't want to get off my lap. I'm warm - a whole lot warmer than anyplace else in the house. He got something he likes for breakfast and he inhaled it, so I'm sure he's getting enough to eat to keep him warm.
The computer glitch of the day was the camera. It hung up in rhw middle afternoon and I had to reboot and unplug it at least five times before the driver would load properly. MS software is such garbage.
So now it's a frigid, dark night in the field and I will be tottering up to the north end and hunkering down iin my bed very soon. I closed the blinds on the front windows and I hope that will help somewhat.
February 5 I got to bed just after midnight last night, but I didn't have a very restful night. I kept waking up all hot. Sometimes it was because I had to pee, but sometimes there was no reason. I got up around 10:00.
The day did not start out well. I was trying to take my poached egg out of the shell thingie I cook it in when it slipped out and onto the floor - and my cane. So I had runny yolk and pieces of white all over the bottom of the cane and on the floor. And I had to make another egg. That leaves me with an odd number, which isn't all bad: I can have French toast one of these days. But it was messy.
I actually did quite a lot, for me. After my usual trip to the powder room, I went out to the breezeway and fetched in a bunch of stuff, including a new package of incontinent pads and some food that should be in the fridge. And I opened the garage door so Ron would be able to get in with my Schwan's order There is a 18" drift in front of the door. And then...
I had gotten almost back to the top of the platform when I dropped an empty box and it didn't go where I wanted it to, so I had to go back down and move it. I was at the bottom of the steps when I had an urge, and before I could get up the steps and into the house, I had a yucky accident. Oh, sigh.
Ron came late, so while I waited i chipped the ice out of the freezer and looked through a box of bathroom stuff I brought from Champine. I was looking for my blood pressure device, and it wasn't there. It could be either upstairs or downstairs. I'm leaning toward upstairs, because one of the movers just had no conception of a first-floor bathroom and he took a box upstairs that should have been on the flirst floor. I don't know where it is and I can't get up there anyway. I may have to ask Mary Ann for some help. The NP wants me to monitor my BPk and either I have to find the old one or buy a new one. I'd much prefer to find the old one.
I made rice and had my nice combination of rice and cooked cabbage (with butter, or course) but the fish was overcooked.
I even got some of the trash into an orange bag. Not a lot, but some. There isn't any on the floor now and there are a couple of places where there's more room.
The weather is very wintry. The high temperature for the day was 22º, but that was early tis morning. It's been around 12º all afternoon, and the wind is from the north at around 26 mph (enough for the NWS to call it "windy") with gusts up to 40 mph. It has been dark and dreary and it has been snowing lightly - too lightly to register at the weather station - all day. At Delaware, they've had 14" over the past two days and I think we've had just as much. With the wind, it's hard to say. I have some ferocious drifts on the deck and in front of the garage. Oh, and the wind chill has been well below 0º all day. It's cold and nasty out there!
Grayson slept. Just about the time I had to get up and do something, he wanted to sit on me, so he was frustrated until I finally got to sit down at the computer again. Then he got his sit, and he got some of my salmon and now he's gone away again.
Oh, I forgot. I was playing my favorite game on the PC (Bookworm) when a game ended and the app hung and it hung so badly, I had to shut down the computer and restart it. This has happened occasionally, but not usually this bad. I don't mind having to reboot every so often, but this was ridiculous.
So now it's a dark, frigid, snowy night in the field and i keep reminding myself that this is the first really bad weather event we've had this season. Doesn't make me feel any better about it.
February 4 So I was ridiculously late last night and I didn't get enough sleep. I hope to be much earlier tonight. I've felt lousy all day.
I did eventually get up, but I didn't do anything. Mostly it was because I was so late, but I didn't feel like doing anything.
The story is the weather. Ah, the weather! It started snowing around 5:00 AM and it's been going on ever since. The temperature has been warn - the high was 35º - so the snow is wet and heavy and it looked more like rain when it was coming down. It's been weighing down the branches of the tree beside the deck, and I expect thta branch will be even lower tomorrow. The wind has been from the southwest, but it has been very light. However, the temperature is beginnign to drop now, and I think we're probably in for a hairy 24 hours as the temperature drops, the wind rises and the snow turns to lake effect. I keep reminding myself that this is the first one this season. Maybe we'll be lucky and it will be the last.
Grayson mostly behaved himself today, so we got back to normal, mostly. He got to sleep on my lap for a while and he got a crumb of my burger. I did have to poke him to keep him from scratching the pink chair, but that was all.
So it was a very quiet day and now it's a dark cold and very snowy night in the field.
February 3 I wasn't too late last night - I will be tonight - and I slept fairly well but I was moving slowly. I'm not quite sure why I was so slow, but...
I went to the post office and got a bunch of stuff that included all the documents I need for my taxes and some of the things I ordered from Amazon. Now I have a lovely cordless mouse for the laptop and a 32gb thumb drive, which is a truly neat little thingie. Oh, and some pills. Always some pills. I also stopped at the store and got a few things so I can hibernate for the next week. The weather forecast is dire.
The weather today wasn't too bad. It wasn't as clear as yesterday and around 2:30 it clouded up completely. The high temperature was 34º and that was late. The wind has been from the southwest, and while it wasn't strong during the day, this evening it's picked up, with gusts up to 35 mph. However, we are sliding into a Winter Storm Warning that will start tomorrow and it sounds like we could get a lot of very wet, heavy snow before the temperature starts to plummet, and next week mostly the "high" temperatures will be under 10º. Well, that all happens here in the north country and we're lucky that it hasn't before this year. We still have a couple of months to go.
Grayson is in the doghouse and he knows it. He was lying on the rug this morning and I was petting him and he decided he'd had enough so he swiped me with is claws and when I screeched, he jumped up and a claw got caught in the skin on my hand. That hurt. He's been trying to make it up to me ever since, but he knows I am still not happy with him. And I have another hole in my hand. We'll make up tomorrow, but for today, he's persona non grata.
So that was my day, I'm so late because I couldn't decide what to eat for dinner. I guess my Schwan's order will come on Friday, but in the meantime, I don't have much choice of what to eat. What I had was OK, but not the best.
Now it's a cold, dark night in the field, and the snow is coming...the snow is coming....
February 2 I was later than I wanted to be last night - reading again - and I got up late. Of course, I had to answer the phone around 10:00 with a call from the NP's office. They want me to take my blood pressure twice a day. I think I still have the BP machine, and I think I know where it is, but I didn't get to look for it today. Maybe tomorrow. Today I sort of sat.
Sue emailed me to say she wants to print on Thursday because of the weather, so I got the bulletin all ready to go except for the service information, and that didn't come through until about 10;00 PM, so I just sent out the final version (I hope). This is a time of year when they're easy to put together, and I may start doing them the way I did today - getting everything in them (there are two different calendars) so all I have to do is put in the service information. It seemed to work well.
The weather was lovely. It wasn't very warm - the temperature dropped off slowly from 32º at midnight to 19º now, and i think it will probably get a lot colder, because it's beautifully clear. It's such a pleasure to look out my windows when everything is blue and white like it was today. Of course, the harbor is frozen over, but I doubt it's more than a couple of inches thick. i wouldn't want to walk on it. In looking at the MODIS imagery, only the harbor , Bete Gris and the inland lakes are frozen. There isn't even any ice at the bottom of Keweenaw Bay, where it usually freezes first. All the websites are talking about how little ice there is on the Great Lakes this year. It makes me sad. I wonder if I'll ever see Lake Superior frozen over again, although they admit the ice is very variable. Anyway, it sure was nice to see the sunshine and blue skies.
Grayson did his usual thing. He got to sit on me as much as he wanted and he got some of my fish. He has decided that the bathtub is the place to do his business, so I have to try to get it cleaned up and the tray put down there. He is still trying to run things around here, but he slipped up today and let me know he understands everything I say, even though he tries not to obey me sometimes. So now I know when I screech at him and he doesn't do what I want, he's just ignoring me. He knows what I'm saying.
So that was my day. I will have to plug in the red night light tonight, because I'm sure there will be stars. I know the first time I was up overnight, when I looked out the front windows, there were Castor and Pollux. Now it's a clear, cold night in the field and it's time to go to bed.
February 1 Well, I hope 2021 isn't as bad as January was.
I didn't get to bed until around 1:00 AM. I was just moving very slowly, and I had to take a shower and wash my hair, which was practically dripping oil. Fortunately, I wasn't having too much trouble moving around, but I move so slowly these days.
I set the alarm for 10:00 AM, but I was up about 45 minute earlier, but as usual, i left later than I wanted to. I must reset the clock in the car. It's now reading about 10 minutes fast, and that's too much. Up to five minutes si good, because then I'm always on time for appointments, but 10 minutes is too much.
Anyway, while the road wasn't the best - there were places where it was almost snow covered - I made fairly good time. I got behind a guy who was driving rather strangely, but he was apparently going to Mt. Bohemia, so I lost him at Lac Labelle Road and the rest of the drive was about as fast as it could be under the circumstances.
I got my blood test and saw the oncologist. That was inconclusive, except that she did write me a prescription for another hormone treatment. It never ceases to amaze me how little doctors know about things outside their specialties. The results of the blood work weren't available then, but still. I have lots of things wrong with me.
She did confirm my suspicion that very probably all the DDT I was exposed to as a kid had a lot to do with my lymphoma. When I was under 8 years old, we lived on streets that were lined with old elm trees - so beautiful - and every spring and summer they would come around with big tanker trucks and spray all the trees with DDT for Dutch Elm Disease. For a while, they didn't even tell us when they were going to do it, or suggest we stay inside. I've always suspected that was related to the lymphoma, and it turns out I was probably right.
Anyway, by the time I got home, the results of the blood work were available. My potassium is pretty good - just slightly low - but my kidneys are not doing well at all. The NP's office called me, and they are going to try to get me to see a nephrologist in Marquette. I'm not happy about the idea of having to go over there when there may be weather problems, but I need to see someone, and I can't see the guy at Portage until June 21, and toat's too late. So we'll see what happens. I'm hoping to get Mary Ann to go with me, but we'll see about that.
The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was 32º and there wasn't a lot of wind, although it shifted around to the north and picked up late. It was very cloudy except on my way home, when there were a few peeks of sunshine. Blah.
Grayson is happy to have me back, but he is trying to take over the house again and I've had to shout at him. He finally did eat all his canned food, but I put down two other kinds of kibble yesterday and he is enjoying them. I think the kibble must oxidize or something, because he clearly likes it better when it's out of a freshly opened bag.. That's why I'm buying small bags, and I was before Louie died. RIght now Grayson is asleep with his head pillowed on my purse.
So that was my day. I am very concerned about my kidneys, but we'll just have to see how that goes. Now it's a cold, dark night in the field. And maybe February will be better than January?
Last updated 03/02/21 01:17 AM Copyright S. I. Smith, 2000-2021
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