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A View From the Field |
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December 2021 December 31 - New Year's Eve Well, we've finally made it through 2021! Boy, I thought 2020 was bad! All i can pray is that 2022 is a better year all around. Usually I look back at the year on New Year's Eve, but this year I don't even want to think about it. Big and small, there were just too many bad, frustrating things this year. Good riddance!
I got to bed around midnight again, but I didn't sleep very well. It was partly that I was so exercised by my problems with Schwan's, but also, it was very warm in the bedroom for some reason. So I was technically in bed for 11 hours, but I didn't sleep for some of them. I worked on the gusset of the dark sock, but I didn't try to finish it.
On the subject of Schwan's, it's apparent that my order just plain got lost. Maybe it dropped off the back of the truck on the way to the UPS depot. I didn't want to get into that today, so I will call them Monday and see what they will do for me. Even if it came on Monday, it would have been floating around too long to be safe to eat. In my opinion, they should put the order on a truck at the nearest depot - which may be Green Bay - and drive it up to me, but of course, they won't do that. Their customer service is lousy.
So I didn't do much of anything else.
The weather was blah again. The temperature went down all day. The high was 27º, but it was before 8 AM. it's 17º now. The wind was from the north in the 15-25 mph range. It was very dark and dreary and it snowed lightly all day.
Grayson slept on my lap for a good part of the afternoon, and he wanted some of my turkey (I ate the end of it today). He has eaten all his favorite kibble, but I managed to score a bag of it, which should be here next week. At least Chewy seems to be on the ball. I think I am going to have to make that an automatic shipment. It reliably takes him about 4 months to eat through a bag, so it will work out, provided they have it. Something I was reading today mentioned that I'm not the only person who has been having trouble getting pet food. Everybody is. I know there have been some really cute funnies lately about pets getting food they aren't used to having. At least Grayson has a couple of varieties of kibble (one if which I have a lot of) that he likes, but we were getting down to the end of the canned food before I was able to get it. With the order I put in yesterday, we have enough to last at least 6 months, probably longer. It's a relief. I don't have to eat - he does.
So that was my quiet day, and I'm having trouble remembering what day of the week it is again. This feels like it should be Saturday. I don't think I'm going to wait up until midnight. There may be a few fireworks, but they won't last long.
It's a cold, dark and probably snowy night in the field Happy New Year, everyone!
December 30 I actually made it into bed by a little after midnight last night! Will wonders never cease! That was even though I had another nasty accident. I was up several times and I had a wakeful time in the middle of the night, where various things hurt, but eventually I went back to sleep. I didn't get up until 10 AM.
When I got up, the internet was down, so I got out the dark sock and did the heel on it. On #2 needles, that takes about 1½ hours. It was worse this time because I screwed up the turn of the heel. I didn't rip it out - I just pressed on - but I did spend some time trying to find out what I'd done. I didn't.
My nasty task of the day was to try to find out where my Schwan's order is. It seems nobody knows. I let the poor CSR have it and I asked to speak to a supervisor. This is totally ridiculous, and if they were to try to send it to me again, it wouldn't arrive until the 15th! And they call this customer service? I am not a happy camper, and I am going to try to escalate it as far as possible. Grr. Double grr.
The weather was so-so. The high temperature was 27º and there was almost no wind. It started snowing around 2 PM, and it's been snowing lightly - but enough to register at the weather station - ever since. Of course, it was dark and dreary.
i don't know what Grayson's problem was today, except that it was cold around here. He spent a good part of the afternoon on my lap. He slept for a while, but then he just lay there and enjoyed my hand.
So there. I am going to bed. I don't feel good. It may be just the stress of shouting at Schwan's, but I have a nasty headache and I'm tired. I know I usually feel better when my schedule is more like a normal human, so we'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Now it's a cold, dark, snowy night in the field.
December 29 Ugh, late again. I started out late and then I had one of the worst accidents I've had in a long time. Since I was wearing sweatpants with cuffs, I don't think I got anything on the floor, but oh, my, my pants! When I finally got to the bathroom, I had to clean myself up and check to make sure RemotePC had come up right (it had), so I read for a little while and played Bookworm for a little while...So I was late.
I was late getting up, too, and then I did the whole heel on one of the other pairs of socks. This one is on #2 needles so there are a lot fewer stitches and rows, so it wasn't too bad, but it was late when I finished, and then I finally got my bath and pared my fingernails. Grayson was whining before I was ready to come down to the kitchen.
I was diddling around, eating and reading my mail when I discovered that Sue wants to print the bulletin tomorrow, so I jumped right on that, although I don't have the 2022 Duty Roster yet. She does that, so I told her to fill it in and make any other edits she found. I guess she did, but I don't know what they were. We may have another iteration, because apparently the choir is planning a concert on the 6th, and I think there should be a few words about that, besides what's in the calendar. We'll see what happens. They can announce it in church, but I think something written would be good, too.
The weather was so-so again. It snowed all night but they haven't posted the amount yet. The snow stopped by 6 AM, and the wind shifted from south to northwest. The sustained winds weren't very high, but the gusts were as high as 36 mph. It was coming from a slightly different angle than the last time we had northwest winds, so it wasn't as noisy around here. The temperature slid down from 32º when the snow stopped to 21º at 8 PM, The wind has shifted north now and it's marginally warmer. Sometime in mid-afternoon we even had a brief ray of sunshine, but most of the day was cloudy and dull.
Grayson was whining at me and he wasn't too pleased when I got in the shower, but he knows the drill and I didn't fool around too much after I got out. Right before I started writing this, he was lying on my lap getting a tummy rub. Actually, it's not much tummy. He likes his ribcage and under his front legs rubbed, as well as under his chin. He got off when I moved a bit so I could write an email to the church people and write this.
I didn't get enough sleep and I'm tired, so I'm going to try to go to bed tonight. I do have to check and make sure RemotePC is working. The camera hung up during the day sometime and after my troubles of last night, I decided to see if rebooting would help. I just hate to do that. It takes so long and it takes so long to get everything I want running to start, but fiddling with the camera is even more annoying. Sometimes when you reboot, a driver, especially such a buggy one, won't load from disk correctly and the only way to fix that is to reboot again. Not having the camera archive is a real annoyance, and i have a plan to try to fix that, but I haven't had time to do it. Hopefully, tomorrow the camera will at least be sending new pictures.
So now it's a cold, dark night in the field and I want to go to bed.
December 28 Well, there. I just finished writing 2400 words on the story, and I got that off my chest. I've been thinking about it for quite a while and it was time to get it down in the computer.
That was after I had to reboot because of Norton and fiddle around with the camera, which did not want to stay up for some reason. Sheesh.
I wasn't too late last night, about what I'm going to be tonight, because I read and worked on the gusset of the sock. I finished the gusset today, so now I think I'll do the heel on one of the other socks. I really don't like that white yarn very well. It's not very soft and it splits rather easily. The only good thing is that the way the colors are printed, the instep looks just like the leg, which is unusual in a multicolor yarn.
I was going to take a bath, but I diddled around a bit and I was just about to do it when Debbie called and after 148 minutes and a call-back because the phone froze up, it was too late to do it today. Both Grayson and I were getting hungry, Grayson particularly.
The weather was nondescript. When I went to bed, it was very windy - much windier than they were reporting at the weather station. It was from the northwest and it was banging and howling around the corner of the bedroom. Didn't keep me awake very long, though. It had shifted north and died down by morning and it was nearly calm all afternoon. The high temperature was 27º. However, we are under another Winter Weather Advisory and it's been snowing for a couple of hours. The advisory goes off at 7 AM, but I think I am going to scuttle my tentative plan to go to town tomorrow...er, later today. For one thing, I won't be up early enough, and for another, all that fresh snow isn't going to do the roads and parking lots any good at all. Well, I will just have to make do with what the Gaslite has.
Grayson was very good, but then, he doesn't usually talk a lot when I'm on the phone. He did keep walking in and out of the bathroom, almost like he was pacing. And once I hung up with Debbie, he started to complain. He wnated to sit on my lap when I was in the middle of doing some typing - I don't remember what, it was before I started writing - and he never tried again.
So that was my day and now it's a dark, cold, snowy night in the field and I must go to bed.
December 27 I'm still having trouble with days of the week, but it's probably because I haven't had enough sleep. I wasn't nearly as late last night but i was late and I don't think I got 8 hours. A while ago, I almost fell asleep and when I looked up, Grayson was about to get on my lap and curl up in my elbow. He stayed for quite a while but I don' t think that's a very comfortable place for him to sit.
The Winter Weather Advisory doesn't expire until 1 AM. It apparently started snowing around 8 AM and it snowed all day. I don't think there was a lot of accumulation, but it must be wet and heavy, because the high temperature was 33º and it hovered around 31º for most of the day. The wind was from the south and the gusts got up to 32 mph. Lately, it's gone calm and it's beginning to shift to the northwest, which means we could get some lake effect overnight, too. From now through the next three months, it could snow every day and I don't imagine we'll see the sun very much, if at all. Today ti was dark and dreary.
Before he came and sat on me, Grayson came and asked for my dinner - turkey - and he actually ate several pieces. He is almost always somewhere around me, which I like, and most days he spends tome on my lap, which I also like unless I'm trying to type.
I had some more of my turkey, and I have decided I probably won't get it again. It has some flavoring in it that covers the taste of the turkey and it has too much salt - enough that I can taste it. Pat's has frozen turkey breasts, and I will have to try them again. The last time I had one, it tasted fine, but it was as tough as old shoe leather. Maybe I was just unlucky; I've had Schwan's that were tough, too. It's just so handy to throw the bag in the oven and come back a while later and have several dinners ready. My Schwan's order should come Thursday, so i will have meat and fish to eat, anyway.
I had hoped to shop this week, because I'm running out of salad stuff, but the weather doesn't look hopeful. The Gaslite only has iceberg lettuce, which isn't my favorite, so maybe I will have to rely on frozen veggies for a while. Well, winters are always difficult, but somehow i manage.
Now it's a cold, snowy night in the field and I'm going to bed. Really. I'm not even going to wait for the Schumann to finish.
December 26 OK, today IS Sunday. At least I have that part straight. I inverted big time so I don't have anything to report.
The weather was cold. The high temperature was only 23º. The wind was very light, from the east, although it has been swinging southeast lately. It was very dark and dull, what I saw of it.
Grayson was getting annoyed before I finally got him his dinner. I'm still waiting for more of his favorite dry food, so he had eaten most of what had fallen on the floor. Since I can't bend down very far, I have to drop the dishes and when they hit the floor, they bounce and the kibble bounces out. I managed to inspect his raw spot tonight, and it is healing, but there is still a little raw dot. I hope he isn't licking it again.
I realized another reason why I need to keep my fingernails very short. While I've been putting on and taking off my compression hose - I'm wearing a pair of the really small ones, which feel got but are hard to put on and off - I gouged my legs with my fingernails, which need cutting again, but I only do it right after I take a bath and they are very soft. As I've gotten older, the skin on my legs has gotten very thin and it's easy to scrape it. Oh, the joys of old age. At least my nails are still growing.
Oh, and my sty is healing up. I don't know what they look like if they're on the inside of the eyelid, but mine is just a zit that happened to form on my lower eyelid, probably in an eyelash follicle. It doesn't hurt and it's going away.
Now it's a cold, dark night in the field and we have another Winter Weather Advisory coming tomorrow.
December 25 - Christmas Day Wow, I sure am having trouble with the dates! I'm also having trouble remembering what day of the week it is - I keep thinking it's Sunday.
I was late again, of course, and I still haven't gotten enough sleep. Maybe tonight. I really don't feel very good and most of it is fatigue.
I didn't do much of anything, although I started the heel on the latest sock. i would like to get all the heels done. I can do straight knitting while I'm reading, or even the gusset on a sock, but I have to pay attention to do heels and toes.
Oh, and I roasted my turkey breast. It came out pretty good and it's quite tender. I was planning to make gravy, but that didn't 'happen. I will try to do that tomorrow, because even when cooked in an oven bag, the meat is rather dry and some nice gravy would help a lot. I have a jar of turkey base, so I can make as much gravy as I want to.
The weather was so-so. It has turned cold, but it was sunny and windy this morning. The temperature dropped all night, and it only got to 28º today. The wind got to 30 mph from the north, and the gusts got to 36 mph, but not at the same time. It clouded up in the mid-afternoon and the wind has died down a lot.
Grayson sat on me for a long time after I ate breakfast. He was very interested in the smell of the turkey, but he only ate a couple of little pieces and then he didn't want any more. I don't know why. I think he likes chicken better.
So that was my day. I hope you had a lovely day, with people you love and lots of good food. It's a cold, cloudy night in the field. Ah, dearest Jesus, Holy Child, Make Tihee a bed, soft, undefiled, Within my heart that it may be A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
December 24 - Christmas Eve Wow, I completely lost track of time last night/this morning, so I inverted and I didn't get nearly enough sleep.
So I didn't do anything, except that I now have two socks ready to start the heels, when I figure out how I want to do them. The newer yarn has completely random color changes, as far as I can see, so I could do a flap heel. The other two (one's not ready for the heel yet) have sort of a spiral pattern, so probably a short-row heel would work better. It actually doesn't matter much except to me, because when I have them on, nobody can see anything except for a little bit over my instep. But I know when the pattern (such as it is) isn't right. Picky, picky, picky.
The weather was warm and windy. The high temperature was (is) 41º, probably because the wind was from the southwest, and earlier in the day, the gusts got up to 48 mph. It's died down almost completely now. It was very dark and dreary, and I think it sort of drizzled all day although it only registered at the weather station for one hour. I'm glad I didn't have to go out tonight. I can imagine it's slippery, because there is undoubtedly still some snow on the roads, with the rain on top of it, and besides, they are forecasting dense fog for tonight. Ugh.
Grayson mostly slept. I opened another case of food - in another box - so he got his fish on Friday.
On Monday, I checked Chewy and they had his dry food, but of course, I couldn't get it, because I didn't have any money. So I checked it again on Wednesday - and it's out of stock again! This is the same garbage I've been going through with Walmart and I'm tired of it. I asked that they email me when it comes in, but they aren't good about that, so i keep checking and I hope the other things I want are still there when it comes in. I'm afraid the pet food got short shrift when the pandemic caused problems with slaughterhouses. It seems to be getting some better, but there are still things like this. Grr.
So that was my Christmas Eve. Sue sent me a copy of tonight's bulletin, and it's a keeper; It's really beautiful. The picture on the front is very pretty and the King James version of Luke 2 is on the inside left page, with the order of service on the right. I hope everyone at both churches liked it as much as I do.
Now it's a quiet, dark night in the field.
Peace on earth, good will to men.
December 23 - Christmas Eve Eve Almost another ditto. I did wash my load of bottoms, which is ready for the dryer now. And I was sitting and listening to the nice music when Mary Ann called...and a couple hours later, called again, because Bill came back from Marquette. He is still doctoring. He has so many doctors, and I don't think they coordinate with each other at all. I wish they could solve that.
Anyway, they are still healthy, even though we have now had 17 cases of COVID in the Harbor, I was a bit concerned, since they aren't vaccinated (or I think they still aren't), but so far so good. I think I will hibernate. We had a nice conversation and it was good to hear from her. We both said we had been thinking of calling, but the times just never worked out.
The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was 33º and there wasn't any wind. It was dark and gray, as usual. I noticed that there is a little film of ice around the shore in front of my house. I'm not surprised. While the lake is fairly warm - or it was - we've had a lot of really cold weather. There was a little snow off and on that registered at the weather station but didn't accumulate much, if any.
Grayson was sassy today. I think it started because I woke him up when I got up. He sat up, and he had the sourest look on his face, but he did purr at me when I petted him. He slept on my lap for quite a while this evening, and he seemed happier. His sore seems to be healing over, thankfully. I was afraid I was going to have to ask Mary Ann to come out and help me get it bandaged, but I don't think it needs that now.
Speaking of things needing bandaging...I was reading in the bathroom when I felt something sore on my lower right eyelid, and when I looked at it, I discovered I had developed a sty. I knew what it is (although I Googled it just to be sure) but I think this is the first time I've ever had one. I think it's almost gone already. I guess I got it because my eyes itch and water a lot and I probably put my fingers on the lid when they were dirty. So now I've had that experience.
And that's all there is. It's a dark night in the field, but it's not so cold or windy, for a change.
December 22 Day was a ditto of all the rest of them. I was late, for various reasons, but I got up before i wanted to because I got two spam calls between 11 AM and noon and I gave up - and then I got another one while I was in the bathroom. Geez!
For the first time in a long time, I knitted on the shawl. I am just so close to finishing it! I had some problems, because it's been a long time since i worked on it, but I managed to do my three repeats. I still love to knit lace, even though I have a real love-hate relationship with this thing. Every time I work on it, I say to myself, "NO MORE DARK YARN!!!!" I like to be able to see what I'm doing and what I have done. Also, no more lace on #2 needles. It looks fine, but it would look much better on bigger needles. Obviously I started this thing without thinking it through, even though I think I started it three times. Well, I've paid.
The weather was meh. It was snowing when I got up, but not enough to register at the weather station. It was cold - the high temperature was only 18º. The wind started out rather brisk and from the north, but late in the afternoon, it switched around to the west. The gusts were only 24 mph, so it wasn't really windy. It was dark and dull, as usual. Gee, tomorrow will be 6 seconds longer than today.
Grayson is doing all right. I think his raw spot is slowly healing, so I guess he has stopped licking it. He wanted to sit on me after breakfast, but I was having an accident, so he couldn't. After i got back to the office, he came and sat for a very long time and seemed quite happy, even though I had my gloves on.
Those gloves are made of thin polar fleece with non-skid fingertips. A nice lady who used to read my journal sent them to me many years ago now, and they really help when it's cold in here. They don't keep my fingers really warm, but they do keep them from getting numb, and I can use the mouse and sort of type with them on. I really like them.
So that was my day and now it's a very cold, dark night in the field and there will probably be more snow.
December 21 - Winter Solstice Well, there. We made it. Tomorrow will be a whole one second longer than today, but it's all uphill from here, for the next six months.
I was late again, in part because I had an accident going down the hallway and I had to clean myself up, clean up the floor (sort of), add the bottoms to the load in the washer - which I must wash - and get some clothes to wear today, and then I had to rest a while, so I lost track of time.
Anyway, I got a phone call at a bit after 9 AM, which I ignored, and which turned out to be from the clinic saying my appointment with my new health care provider has to be rescheduled. Sigh. I will call them tomorrow. I got up late, but I got a reasonable amount of sleep, although not enough. The task of the day was to wash my hair and while I procrastinated again, I did finally get it done. When i think of all the years when I washed my hair every night... It doesn't need that anymore, what there is of it, but it needs to be washed more than I have been. Showering is such a chore these days that I try to avoid it as long as I can, and besides, it's not very warm in the bathroom, even with the heat lamp on.
IT started snowing around 9 AM and snowed all day, although it seems to have stopped around 8 PM. I need to update my snowfall spread sheet. Of course it was dark and dull. The high temperature was 22º. For most of the morning, the wind was very light from the southwest, but around 11 AM it began to pick up and swing around. It was from the west until 7 PM, but between 7 and 8 PM, it switched north and whoosh - 33 mph with 46 mph gusts. Between 8 and 9 PM, the gusts got up to 53 mph. To the NWS, 33 mph is "windy." I guess so. When I'm glad I'm sort of sheltered on that side, although the upstairs bathroom is a problem.
Grayson was his usual self. I think finally his raw spot is beginning to heal over, but I'll continue to watch it, although he doesn't want me to.
So that was a rather truncated day and now I need to try again to begin to get back on a more reasonable schedule. I had some plan to go to town tomorrow for food, but the weather forecasts aren't very good - more snow and wind and cold temps. So I guess I will stay home and eat whatever I can find around here. It's been a very long time since there has been so little in my freezer. Well - it has stuff in it, but not much meat. I'm glad I didn't have that turkey roll for Thanksgiving.
It's a very cold, windy, snowy night in the field.
December 20 Oh, late again and I diddled away the day. However, the information for all the bulletins came in overnight, so I did them and got them out. They aren't usually so much of a problem anymore because I have the old ones to use and just make changes. I got sort of confused with the one for Christmas Day, though, and I'm not sure it's right. If not, it doesn't have to be printed until probably Thursday, so there will be time to change it.
The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was 34º. but it was before 8 AM and it has been sliding downward ever since. It's 21º now. The reason is that the wind shifted north and picked up to "breezy," which is 21 - 25 mph (don't get on me if you Google this - I'm reporting what my local office says on their weather reports) and the gusts have been as high as 38 mph. It's cold around here again. Do love that flannel nightie.
Grayson is OK, although he is still licking the raw spot. I wish I could bandage it, but I doubt he'd sit still long enough and I doubt he'd leave it on. I'm watching him.
And that's about all there is. I knitted while I was reading last night and I have about 3" of the new sock done. On #1 needles, it takes a lot longer to get anywhere.
So it's a very cold, cloudy, windy night in the field.
December 19 I completely lost track of time. I was reading and knitting - I did the ribbing on the new sock - and it was ridiculously late when I got to bed. I didnt get enough sleep, so I'm going to try to do better tonight. Obviously, i didn't do anything.
The weather was nondescript again. It was cloudy and dull. The high temperature was 32º, and there was a rather brisk southwest wind with gusts up to 28 mph. It wasn't as humid as yesterday, so my knees weren't quite as sore.
Grayson has me worried. I discovered yesterday that he has licked a spot on one leg until it's raw. He is still eating and purring at me, but I wonder. So many things could cause that, including allergies or dry skin. Sigh. It's always something.
So that's all there is and since the music isn't to my taste tonight, I will try to totter up to the north end and get to bed a lot earlier. It's a cold, cloudy night in the field.
December 18 Last night, it came home to me just how much I've shrunk in the past 20 years or so. I know I have a hard time with the microwave, which is in a cupboard, but I hadn't really thought more about it. I put on one of my old flannel nightgowns, and wow! I have always made my flannels long enough to reach the top of my feet, and that used to be 56". Well. Now the hem drags on the floor and I have to be careful not to trip over it. I know they've been measuring me at 5'5½", which would mean I've lost 3" - I used to be at least 5' 8½" - but I never really believed it. I guess I have to. My arms are still as long as ever, which is helpful, and I think my legs are, too, so my spine must have settled into itself. I've asked people, and 3" is a bit unusual, but it seems to be true. Sigh. No wonder my back aches.
It was nice to know I can get into those nighties. It's been a while.
I was sort of late last night and I guess the combination of flannel and having pushed up the thermostat in the bedroom made it too warm, because I was up about every two hours with a hot flash. i will turn down the heat tonight. I didn't do anything today except make rice.
I had to make rice, because I had another accident before I went to bed last night (two in one day) and one today. One of my nice new pairs of sweats has been baptized. I will have to wash bottoms tomorrow. Sigh.
The weather was nondescript. It was dark and cloudy and there was some light snow off and on, The high temperature was 27º and the wind started out from the east and is now from the north, around 15 mph.
Grayson was more or less behaving himself. He spent a long time on my lap and for a while I think he was under the computer desk, because that's where the space heater blows.
So that's it. Now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field and I'm tired. Maybe I can go to bed tonight?
December 17 I wouldn't say I was early to bed last night, but I was considerably earlier than the night before. I slept in my sweats. With the wind and the temperature, it was cold around here. I hunted up my bed socks, too, so I was comfy. The only thing is, sweats with my fleece jacket over them are bulky and I'm used to having fewer clothes on when I sleep. I'd rather be warm.
I didn't do anything. Ron brought the mail and he moved all the cat food into the hallway, so I now have even more things to do. It's enough warmer around here now that I think I can probably fix that tomorrow.
When Mary Ann and I were upstairs, she brought down a big bag of clothes that has been sitting on the landing ever since. There were two flannel nightgowns in there that I think will fit me, so tonight, I hauled the bag down to the bottom of the landing - and discovered I can't move it, it's so heavy! So now I can't go down the hallway; I have to go through the kitchen. Tomorrow I will see if I can move it with my hand truck, just to get it out of the way. Sometimes I need a straight shot to the powder room. I did get the nighties out, and I will try one of them tonight.
The weather has calmed down considerably. The power came back on around 1 AM, but it was still windy, with gusts up to 45 mph. The wind lasted until around 9 AM, but it had shifted around to the north, and it has died down almost completely now. The high temperature was only 24º, but without the high winds, the house has been slowly warming up a bit. It was cloudy and dull and we had some very light snow showers that didn't register at the weather station.
Grayson behaved himself today, except he was on my lap long enough that I had an accident. I was curious, because Ron came, brought in the boxes and left and I never heard him, and evidently if Grayson heard him, he didn't think it was important enough to tell me. Probably means Ron has been around here too much, but I don't know what I'd do without him. Anyway, Grayson was interested in my dinner again. I've noticed that cats love the smell of onions and garlic, even though they can't eat them. And of course, there was the pork...
So that was my day. I got several little things that are my Christmas presents - another cross stitch kit and some sock yarn that isn't as pretty as the picture and needs to be knitted on #1 needles. That's all right; I like to have socks in various weights, depending on the temperature. I need to get out the sweat socks.
Now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field and I have to deide whether to stay up and listen to Dvorak or go to bed now...
December 16 - Beethoven's (probable) Birthday Ooh, really, really late. I got to reading again, and time just passed. So even though it was late when I got up, i didn't get enough sleep and i hope I can begin to recover tonight. We'll see.
As a result, I didn't do anything, although I did cook my pork chops. It was so cold around here that I had a piece of toast and a mug of tea to tide me over, and as a result, I had a nasty accident in the middle of my cooking. By the time I got myself cleaned up and dressed, my chops were a bit overcooked, but they tasted good anyway. I just had another mug of tea - this time, herb tea - because I was so cold. I also put on my fleece jacket over my sweatshirt. It's only 63º in the office, even though I've had the space heater on. It's warmer at the north end, thankfully.
As I predicted, we'll never know how strong the wind is, because the power went down at about 5:30 PM and it sounds like the wind has increased since then. Before that, the highest gusts were 51 mph. It's a lot windier at the airport, but they're higher than we are, so I guess it makes sense. They had 60 mph gusts between 3 and 4 PM. The temperature here maxed out at 53º between 2 and 3 AM and it has been sliding down ever since and it was 28º when the power went out. It's 21º at the airport right now. There has been some rain and then sleet and snow since about 10 PM last night, but not much accumulation. It's hairy out there and it's very noisy. Some of my windows are whistling, which drives me crazy, but I can't find out which ones.
Grayson has been complaining. He doesn't like all that noise. For a while he was sleeping behind the sewing machine, but he went up to the north end to get a drink and I think he just stayed - it's warmer up there and I clearly wasn't going to give him any of my dinner. It's not so much the pork, but this dish has onions in it, and onions are poisonous to cats.
So that's all I have to report. It sure is nice to be able to hibernate in this weather, and I would not like to have been either driving or trying to walk around outside today.
Now it's a very cold, very windy, snowy night in the field and maybe I can go to bed?
December 15 Sheesh, December is half over already and it's only 10 days until Christmas! Wow.
I lost track of time completely last night. I was reading and knitting and time just passed without me noticing. So I was very late. I didn't get enough sleep, but I had to get up to pee and I didn't want to sleep all day, because I had the bulletin to do, so I got up. I'm going to be late tonight, too, but maybe not quite as bad as last night, because I'm tired. My problem tonight was that I just could not decide upon something to eat. I have some pork chops defrosting, but that requires cooking, and...well... I finally had some avocado toast.
I did get the bulletin done, although there were several versions. All of us had at least one oops moment. i think it's all right now, but Sue won't be printing until Friday, so we have time for more changes.
The weather was nondescript but warm. The temperature has finally risen to 48º (on 12/15. for heaven's sale!) but the wind is beginning to rise. RIght now we are under a dense fog warning, and I think probably it is, because the humidity is 97%. That expires at 1 AM and then at 3 AM the high wind warning kicks in, and they are making extravagant claims about that, for sustained winds of up to 60 mph and gusts to 70 mph. I'll believe that when I see it, but I probably won't, because that will undoubtedly cause a power failure and we'll never know just how strong the winds were. I still think they could put a UPS on that weather station.
The gray bath rug was an instant success. I put it down and put my bare toes in it and Grayson immediately came and laid down on it and as far as I know, he spent the entire night and most of the day on it. It is nice. There is heat under the floor, but it's not strong enough to keep the tile warm, so putting a rug on it captures the heat. He's happy because he has a warm rug to sleep on and I'm happy because the dirt won't show. I should have thought about that a long time ago.
And two rugs cost me $18. Can't do any better than that. It looked like it might be slightly defective, but I don't really care about that. Both pairs of sweat pants look good, too, although they aren't as thick as the ones I got from the Laughing Loon. I think I'm going to have to shorten them, though. I need a 32" inseam, which is long for a woman but short for a man and these are men's. They don't put pockets in women's sweat [ants, which, frankly, is sexist, so I get men's open bottoms. Another thing to add to the pile of things I need to sew and can't because I haven't had time to figure out what's wrong with the machine. Sigh.
So that was my day and now it's a warm (!!), foggy, breezy night in the field and it's going to get worse.
December 14 Late again and late up. Sigh. I just can't seem to get it turned around. I was reading and knitting and time just passed. I really should start setting an alarm, now that I know how to do it.
I did get to the post office and the store today. Now I have my Christmas candy, a couple new pairs of sweatpants I haven't tried on yet and my dark gray rugs.
I did a big Schwan's order, and I am really angry about it. They can't deliver it until the 30th! However, they charged my account right away, so that means I can't go to Calumet to shop, because there won't be any more money until next week. I don't know what has happened to those people, but they have abandoned all the rules of good customer service. I complained about it, but it won't do any good. Trouble is, I like their products and I like the stuff they sell and there aren't any other food delivery services that work that way. Grr.
The weather started out all right, sort of cloudy and warmish, and in mid but afternoon there was some sunshine, but after about 5 PM the wind picked up from the southwest and when the power went out at 8:20, the gusts were 46 mph. The high temperature was 40º. We are in for another wind storm for the next couple of days, and the NWS claims the wind could gust as high as 65 mph and the waves on the lake could hit 20 feet. They tend to over-predict, but it's going to be a couple of hairy days, for sure. There might be some rain and/or snow, but nothing major. this one is going to be all wind. Well, not to worry. The generator is working - I just can't use the oven and the microwave at the same time or the dryer - but I have things to eat and plenty of JD, so I'm good.
The power went out around 8:20 PM after bouncing around for several minutes and it's still out, so the weather data isn't current. I guess it's time UPPCO got the tree killers back, because every time we've had a wind lately, the power has gone out. This one is affecting all of Copper Harbor, though, and it may be tomorrow before it's fixed. Thank goodness they just did maintenance on my generator! Who knows what the rest of the winter will bring, but so far, it's been the Windy Winter.
Grayson didn't do anything outstanding. He did sleep on my lap for a while. And while I was making my dinner, he came bombing through the kitchen at top speed. I don't know why, for sure, but most of my cats have done that after they had a BM. He has been sleeping behind the sewing machine. There's a dirty fleece throw beside the sewing machine now, and he rests his head on it. All I can guess is that it doesn't smell so bad anymore and it does smell of me.
So that was my day and now it's a cool, cloudy, very windy night in the field. December 13 So that didn't work. I was late and I don't remember why. I was only up once, and I was late getting up, then I fiddled around again and took a bath, so nothing else got done.
The weather was nice again. It was clear and sunny and the high temperature was 45º. There was a brisk wind mostly from the northwest, with gusts up to 26 mph. Nice.
Grayson was very patient with me again. When I put down the bath rugs, he let me know he likes having a rug over the tile. So do I, but all my rugs are white and they get so dirty so fast that I decided not to leave them down. However, there are two dark gray ones coming from Amazon and those we can leave down. He will be happy and my feet won't get so cold.
So that's all there is and it's clouded up in the field.
December 12 Well, I wasn't early, but I was a lot earlier than I have been lately. I didn't get up any earlier, though, so I got caught up on my sleep. I was up several times, though, and one time I actually put on my glasses and my slippers. I hadn't seen Grayson all night and I was wondering if he was OK. When I opened the bedroom door, he was at the other end of the hallway and he ran toward me, sweetie that he is. He's fine. So I went back to bed and I didn't have such a headache when I finally got up.
I was late enough that I didn't do much, but I did get all the pill dispensers filled, at least with all the pills I have. The order for my non-prescription meds had gotten screwed up, I discovered, and it might be a few days when I won't get my magnesium. That's of some concern, because I understand it helps with the absorption of the potassium, but it won't be for long and I'm not planning to get any more blood work for a month or so. So anyway, that's mostly done for another four weeks.
The weather was remarkable again. It was mostly clear until near sunset. The high temperature was 46º, which is not December weather in Keweenaw. For most of the day it was very windy, with gusts up to 37 mph, but it varied from west to north and back again. it's gone calm now, and who knows what will happen next. What weird weather we have these days!
Grayson behaved himself today. It was warm enough in the house that he didn't sit on me, but he did want my dinner. I don't know where he was overnight. Usually lately he's been sleeping either in the bathroom or in the door to the closet, but last night I guess he was at the south end somewhere. It was so sweet to have him run toward me when I opened the door, and he did come to be petted while I was in the bathroom before he went away again. Everybody should have one sweet kitty like that.
So now it's getting late again and I'm getting tired again. It's apparently cloudy tonight, but it's still a warm night in the field.
December 11 Ditto, third day in a row. The only problem is, I haven't been getting enough sleep and I feel lousy. So... Well, I actually did do something today.
I had to ask Ron to bring the mail and my packages. The fabric wasn't as nice as I'd thought it would be and they didn't send the second piece because it went out of stock. This is a remainder site and for most things, once it's gone, it's gone. They also have some of the ugliest fabrics I have ever seen. I have always wondered whoever at the fabric makers, thought those things were beautiful enough to make thousands of yards... Ugh.
At least I have an interesting piece of summer fabric that is embroidered. It looks like by hand, but I doubt it. I will be examining it with my loupe. It's pretty stuff, and I think I have a pattern that will work for it. As a side note, when I tried to go out to the websites for ALL the pattern companies, they were gone! Egad, people! It seems like I can get some patterns from Amazon and EBay, but for heaven's sake... Also, arrgh!! I saw a pattern for the Gloria Vanderbilt wrap dress that I made and loved in the '70s and I'd love to have the pattern in my size. People still do sew, and obviously the hedge funds that buy up all these companies have absolutely NO clue. It's so frustrating... In my universe, those people would not be able to exist.
Oh, yeah, I did something. I needed to bring in some TP and some incontinent pads and sort of rearrange things in the breezeway. I opened the other box of TP (the small packages) and the box with my tea and I moved those boxes and the big box from the big bags of TP out into the garage when I went to open the garage door so Ron could get in. I took all the cans of stuff out of the bags and put them on the shelves - oh, how I love having those shelves! There is still stuff on the platform - mostly produce - but it's so much nicer to have things arranged. The produce drawer has gotten gross again, and I need to clean it out before I move the rest of the stuff inside, but I'll be doing that soon.
The weather turned out pretty nice, actually. It was cloudy in the morning, but it cleared up and we had sunshine (!!) all afternoon, and I could actually see the Keweenaw on the MODIS images. It warmed up, too. The high temperature was 37º. Wow - 30º warmer than a few days ago. It was very windy in the morning, with gusts up to 44 mph from the northeast, but the wind has died down and shifted west now. It was so nice to see the sunshine! I wanted to take a picture of my cut glass in the sunshine, but I was doing two or three other things. Maybe tomorrow. We have so little sun at this time of year, that every time we do, it's a cause for celebration.
Grayson was sort of weird today, but I can't remember everything he did. He did sit on me for a while and he was very interested in what I was doing outside. We both appreciated it being warmer in the house.
So that was my day. I had a little treat for dinner - grilled cheese, but on sun dried tomato-basil sourdough bread with one of Penzey's spice blends on the cheese. I could have eaten at least one more, but I didn't. That was after pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Breakfasts are getting difficult again and I just couldn't think of anything I wanted to eat for dinner. My fallback is grilled cheese, but I decided to change it up a bit. It was a good decision.
So
that's it. I feel good about the breezeway. The kitchen is a mess - so
what else is new? - but I really, really want to keep the breezeway more or less
in order. i still have the produce and all of Grayson's food out there, but it
at least looks pretty neat. Whew! Now it's a clear, dark night in the field and I'm really, really tired.
December 10 Ditto yesterday, and I didn't do anything.
It was windy overnight, with gusts up to 35 mph from the north, but around 8 AM it switched around to the southwest and died down to almost nothing. It warmed up, too. The high temperature was 34º. Made it much nicer in here, too. Unfortunately, that southwest wind is bringing another Winter weather advisory with it and we may have another 4" - 6" of snow. I heard someone plowing the road, but they didn't do my driveway and I don't think I can get out. I have stuff at the post office that I need, so I'll have to prevail on Ron.
Grayson slept near me all day and on me for a while. He is happier when it isn't so cold, too.
And that's all there is. My internet connection is bouncing, so i don't know when I will get to post this. It's a cold, dark night in the field and the snow is coming...
December 9 Late again, and I don't remember why, except that I just didn't want to move. I was about to go up to the north end when all of a sudden, I lost my internet connection. It was hard down. So I trundled up to the north end, but of course, not only couldn't i access anything on the phone, I couldn't access the desktop, either, because that goes through the internet. I forget what I did then, but I think I knitted on the lighter sock.
I called PastyNet, and what I heard was dire. There had been a complete fiber failure for all of their coverage areas. I don't know who owns the fiber network they use - I hope it's not AT&T - but it was down all night. It was partially up at 8 AM, but while I could get to the weather, I couldn't get to my own website, even though I got on the laptop and stopped and started Kabcam. So I went back to bed.
I had three spam phone calls before I got up. For heaven's sake, already! A couple were from numbers I've gotten so often I recognized them, but it sure gets tiresome. It interests me that for the two that happened while I was still in bed, I woke up five or so minutes before they came through. I have never figured out what strange superpower it is that makes me do that, but I've always had it, and it didn't go away when I retired.
Anyway, eventually I got up and played a few games, so I was late getting to the office. I had a treat for breakfast - or whatever you call the first meal of the day. I had avocado toast with sun-dried tomato and basil sourdough toast, with everything bagel sprinkles on top. Oh, it was good! I will do it again. I think it would be even better with jalapeno cheddar sourdough toast, but I don't want that many loaves of bread open.
Anyway, that was late enough that I just finished dinner, which was channa masala on fresh brown rice. I needed to make rice anyway, and Thursday is usually a whatever day. That was good, too. My gut was under control today, and I will be interested to see if the heat in the channa masala causes me problems tomorrow.
It snowed. It started around 9 AM and stopped around 7 PM (or at least, it lightened up then). There is a nice drift in front of my garage door, and I'm wondering if anyone is doing plowing this year. The snow is wet and heavy. Up at Delaware, there was 8" yesterday and 2½" today, I'll be interested to see what the total is tomorrow. It has warmed up nicely. The high temperature today was 34º. It was windy. The wind has been from the southwest and between 1 and 2 PM it was 21 mph with 41 mph gusts. It's died down almost completely now. Of course, it was dark and dreary. and there are drops of water or clumps of snow all over teh windows.
Grayson is a lot happier. He only got on my lap once today, although he slept between my feet when I was in the bathroom. He is picky about his temperatures. He doesn't like it either too hot or too cold. He was sleeping in the bathroom up against the tub surround early this morning, which I guess means it wasn't too cold.
So that was my nothing day and now it's a cold, dark and possibly snowy night in the field.
December 8 Well, i didn't invert, but I was late and late getting up. I worked on the dark colored sock last night while I was reading - yes, my fingers still know how to knit! - and I wanted to get done with the ribbing on the light colored one. I did that and I also did my daily solitaires.
I actually forgot about the bulletin until the talking was over, but it came together easily, as far as I can tell. Would you believe, I had one item to put in for 12/24! Sheesh! WHERE has the time gone?
The weather was OK until about 2:00, and then it began to snow. I think it's been doing it ever since, although lightly enough that after the first couple of hours, it was light enough that the weather station couldn't see it. My archive function still isn't working and I'm not hearing from the author of the program. It has warmed up, mercifully. The high temperature was 24º and that, plus almost no wind, has made it possible for me to get the temperature in the office up to 68º or so. It's much more comfortable, but it means Grayson only wanted to sit on me a couple of times. The highest the wind got was 14 mph from the north, but for most of the day it was under 10 mph.
Like I said, Grayson slept on my lap twice this afternoon. He wanted some of my dinner and he went away mad because there wasn't any for him - it was a small dinner. While I was reading in the bathroom last night, he was curled up on some of my clothes that are on the floor. Wise kitty.
So that was all there was and I guess I didn't get enough sleep today, because I'm very tired now. I guess there won't be any reading tonight, but we'll see. It's a cold, dark and (I think) snowy night in the field.
December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day I always note this day. I was only about 5 months old when it happened, but it affected the whole course of my early life and probably my psychology, although I think I would have been a recluse anyway.
I dialed back my schedule by about 4 hours last night, and I hope to do even better tonight, but I didn't do anything with my time.
The weather was frigid, snowy and breezy. It snowed all day, sometimes even hard enough to register at the weather station. The wind has shifted to the southwest, but the high temperature was still only 16º. The wind was mostly in the 10-20 mph range. Of course, it was very dull and dreary. There was another 4.5" of snow at Delaware. It's a little early for it to be this cold, but it's happened before, and then the rest of the winter was warmer, so we'll see what happens this year. It was only 58º in the office when I got here, and the space heater isn't doing much good. I need a new one. But the only sort of warm room in the house is the bedroom, although I can get it more or less livable in the bathroom by keeping the heat lamp on.
Grayson was cold. He came and sat on me at least three times this afternoon. Eventually, he either gets too warm or the lumps in my lap begin to hurt him and he goes away for a while. Well, we'll both have to get used to being cold. It's only the beginning of December.
So that's all there is, and it's another dark, frigid night in the field.
December 6 Somehow, I managed to invert, got up really, really late, took a bath -that helped - and didn't do a thing. Sigh.
The wind did shift around to the north between 3 and 5 AM and picked up,. At its highest, it was 37 mph with 51 mph gusts. but the snow stopped around 2 AM. According to the road commission, there was 12" at Delaware. I don't think we got that much, but everything is covered now. It was wet and heavy; if you looked at the camera today, the branch of the pine was way down over the door. The temperature began to drop when the wind shifted and it's been 14º for a couple of hours. That puts the wind chill down to -4º. The wind has dropped a bit - 21 - 31 mph - but it's still windy. I'll stay in, thank you. And when I got to the office, I turned on the space heater. Should have done that a few days ago, but I want to get used to the cold.
Grayson just slept. He didn't even complain much when I was so late.
So now I'm going up to the north end and burrow down under the covers. I didn't get enough sleep today. It's a frigid, windy and probably snowy night in the field. Ah, winter!
December 5 Reading again. Very late. Very late getting up. DIdn't do anything but cast on another sock in a weird colorway.
The snow didn't start until sometime after 1 PM, but it's been snowing ever since and we've had 0.61" liquid equivalent since. It's warm. It was around 31º all day and it's now risen to 33º, which means not only is the snow wet and heavy, now it's sloppy and melting as well. The wind is still from the south with gusts up to 30 mph. Eventually the wind is supposed to switch around to the northwest and speed up and start dumping lake effect on us, and then it's going to get frigid. They're forecasting a low of 6º early Tuesday morning. Guess I'd better get the space heater set up.
Grayson was quite patient with me until late this afternoon, but he got something he likes to eat so he's pretty happy now, even though he didn't get any of my dinner.
And that's it. Welcome to winter in the Keweenaw. It's a sort of cold, dark, snowy night in the field.
December 4 Not much to report. I was late again, again because I was too tired to get up, and besides, I was reading.
I accidentally left the phone in the office, so I didn't have to play games - I find they're beginning to bore me again anyway - so I cast on another sock. This one is called "Wicked Witch" and it's black, green, blue and purple, very muted. I only did a couple of rows of the ribbing, but it looks like it may end up sort of blotchy, but they are all colors I like, except for the pea green, but the colors need that. Otherwise, I washed a load of underwear that needs to be dried, and that's all.
The weather was icky. It was very windy for most of the day, with north gusts as high as 45 mph, although that was early this morning. It was noisy. The high temperature was 35º, but again, that was early this morning, and it has been around 28º for most of the day. guess there were a few little snow flurries, but nothing serious. However...we are under a Winter Storm Warning from 7 AM through tomorrow and there may be lots of snow...or not. One never can tell.. At least we know it IS going to snow. It will be wet and heavy and sloppy, because it isn't supposed to be too cold. And after the system snow blows through, the lake effect will kick in. Ah, winter.
Grayson was around me all day. I think I remember that he sat on me for a while and he got some of my steak, mostly because I had a lot of it. He likes it as much as I do.
So that was about all that happened. I got a phone call - which I didn't answer - from the niece of my last remaining relative. I'm debating calling her back. I really don't want to, but she may have called because somebody died... It wasn't my second cousin, or if it was, it's not on the internet yet. I haven't had any contact with any of those people for thirty or forty years, so I'm debating.
Ah well. It's a cold, dark, windy night in the field, and the snow is coming for real.
December 3 So I wasn't as early as I wanted to be, and I think it was mostly because I was too tired to stand up. I slept, of course. There were two spam calls between 9 and 10 AM, but then I went back to sleep for a while more. When I got up, I had a horrible headache, and while it's not quite so bad now, I still feel lousy and I have a lot of muscle aches, especially in my back. They said that might happen.
As a result, I didn't do anything but wash a load of bottoms. I need to wash underwear, so I had to get the bottoms out of the washer. The food is still out in the breezeway, but it's quite cold enough out there. I just have to go out to get my lettuce and the two new kinds of dressing i bought.
Ron brought the mail, and it was in a gift bag there was so much of it. Most of it was catalogs or pleas for money of some sort (like Salvation Army and DirectTV). My knitting needles came and so did a prescription.
Oh, and there was a message from the nephrologist's office saying that my Zoom call has been postponed until January 25 Well, since I won't have to go anywhere, I guess that's all right. I should be getting some more blood work by then anyway. However, I am a bit disappointed that I won't have to set up Zoom until then.
The weather was cold, dark and snowy, although there was hardly any accumulation. The high temperature has risen to 35º in the past couple of hours. There wasn't any wind to speak of until around 7 PM, but now it's out of the northwest with gusts up to 28 mph. I was going to say it's nice to have the weather station communicating again, but then it missed the 7 PM update, so now I'm not sure what's the problem. The forecasts say it's going to be a snowy weekend, particularly Sunday and Monday. Well, I guess it's time. I finally got my snowfall spreadsheet updated. We only had 3" in October and 17" in November. Now, that's up at Delaware. We didn't have nearly as much down here at the shore, but that usually happens unless it comes in from the north or northwest.
Grayson was vocal and lovey-dovey today. He got to sit on me for a while, and he is now asleep beside my chair, on my bag. He did not have any of my lamb chop, and I have to wrap it up carefully so he won't drag it onto the floor. At least some of those grocery bags are useful.
I hope I'll feel better tomorrow, but it may take another day or two to get over this. For tonight, my head hurts and I'm tired - and I can hardly walk - so I'll be tottering up to the north end as soon as I post this.
It's a cold, dark and probably snowy night in the field.
December 2 I was a little later than i wanted to be, but I haven't gotten to bed so early in a long time. Maybe I can do it again; I'm exhausted.
I didn't wake up until 10 AM, which was a bit later than I wanted. I discovered that it isn't possible, as far as I know, to just set an alarm on my iPhone. Oh, no, you have to set up "Health" and say when you want to get up and how much sleep you want and... Garbage! I just want to set an alarm, for heaven's sake. I haven't had time to see if there's an app for that.
Anyway, I managed to get out not too much later than I wanted, and I didn't have an accident or anything. THe roads were wet, and it looked to me like there was a little snow or something over the harbor, but nothing in the air on the way down. I was quite surprised by the amount of snow from just south of the Mountain Lodge to Kearsarge. Some yards in Kearsarge even had piles of snow where they had plowed.
I got my blood work, and I got my first shingles shot. I was doubly surprised: there was a substantial copay and I need a second shot, which will also have a copay. Pisses me off. That should not happen, particularly on Medicare. Grr.
Then it was off to Pat's where I had a chat with the manager about the things I haven't been able to get lately, but I don't know that he can (or will) do anything about it. He has other problems; he doesn't have any checkers, so everyone either has to self-checkout or go through the 10 items or less aisle. I had hoped they might have solved that problem since the last time I was there, but nope. They do have a nice person who bags and does all sorts of other gopher type things. He is a smart person, but he has a hearing impairment. He is so happy to have a good job that he is happy to do whatever they ask of him. He helped me out and into the car. It was slippery in the parking lots.
I got home around 5 PM, but I just sat and listened to the radio for a long time before I unloaded the car. Most of the stuff is still out on the platform, but it's as cold out there as it is in the fridge, so it will hold untl tomorrow. By the time I finally got some dinner, I was exhausted, so as soon as I do this, I'm off to the north end to crash. What a chore food shopping - and bag schlepping and putting away - is!
It was cold and dreary, but I don't think we got any more snow. The weather station finally came back online - it was a phone problem, not a problem with the station - at 2 PM. The high temperature was 33º, and at 2 PM the wind was from the north with gusts up to 31 mph. It was higher earlier, for sure. The wind has now moved to the northeast and died down, but we're in for several days of snow, I'm afraid, especially on Sunday and Monday.
Grayson knew I was leaving and he went away. He slept at my feet when I got home, and he watched for a while when I brought the groceries to the platform, but then he went away again until I was through with all that nonsense. After I ate, he came and sat on me for a while, and now he is asleep beside me, on my bag. The wind was rather noisy overnight and I don't think he liked it very well, because he was complaining. All his canned food came today, too. I have a lot of work to do out in the breezeway.
So that was as active a day as I've had in a long time. Now it's a cold, dark night in the field and I'm off to bed.
December 1 I was earlier last night, but not really early. I slept well, mostly, and I was in bed for 10 hours, so I didn't feel too bad today,
I actually did a couple of things today. i knitted a few rows on the sock, I put a load of bottoms in the washer to soak, I got the bulletin out, and while there was a change to it, it was something I didn't know about, and I finally finished the last few stitches on the little cross stitch thingie I was doing and started another one. I would really like to work on one of the bigger ones, but putting the one I'm doing neatly away would be a chore, so I just carried on. I need to get my two CraftStor boxes out of the front closet, because I'm going to have to break down and use a round hoop and the one I want is in one of those boxes. The pieces of fabric with this little kit may be big enough for the designs, but they aren't big enough to use my beloved QSnaps, even the smallest size. Maybe I should just give up and go on to the bigger pictures...
I don't know much of anything about the weather, but I think the temperature was in the middle 30s and there wasn't much wind. There may have been a little snow this morning. It was dark and dreary all day.
Grayson spent the whole day around me again. He slept on the cart and he slept beside the screen. And beside my feet in the bathroom...and... He got something to eat that he doesn't like as well as some other things, but all his food should come tomorrow.
Whether I picked the right day to go to town depends upon whose forecast you believe. Weather Underground seems to think it's unlikely there will be any precip, although that depends upon whether you believe the graphic forecast or the written one. The NWS seems to think it might snow or sleet or rain or something. We'll see. I really need to go, because I need those blood tests for my Zoom visit with the nephrologist on Monday, but I won't go if it's nasty.
So that's all there is. Now it's December and days are down to 8h 45m and it's dark even when it isn't. And now it's a cold, dark night in the field.
Last updated 01/01/22 10:22 PM Copyright S. I. Smith, 2000-2021
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