j2202

A View From the Field

February, 2022

February 28

Sorry for the wrong date last night. I guess I really want February to end, and now it has. Good riddance!

I was in bed before midnight last night - in fact, I think it was before 11 PM, although I don't remember exactly. It was a bit later than I wanted to be, because when I got to the north end I realized I'd forgotten to take my evening pills, so I had to totter back down here and get them. But it was earlier than I've been for a long time. I hope to repeat tonight.

So I got up around 9:30, but I didn't do anything at all with my nice long day. I did knit, and I've gotten back to just about where I was when I made the final goof. I have about one more day of knitting to do. I had some thought of taking a bath, but it was cold in the bathroom, or I was cold in the bathroom, I don't know which, so I didn't. I just did nothing. Sigh. That was not the plan.

The weather was sort of the same old same old but a little warmer. The high temperature was - is - 26º and the wind has been from the southwest, from about 8 to 25 mph gusts depending. However, it snowed almost all day, heavily enough to register at the weather statioin, but I don't think there was much, if any, accumulation. It was dark and cloudy. Since it snowed all day, we won't know the final totals for the month for a day or so. Stay tuned.

Grayson got his cuddle and he stayed for a long time. Otherwise, he slept.

So that was all there was and now it's a cold, snowy night in the field. Thankfully, February is OVER!!!

February 27

I was a bit earlier last night and I hope to be much earlier tonight. I want to see if I can get control of things again. It won't be easy.

Anyway, I had a hard time getting to sleep, which is usual when I try to change my bedtime, but once I did, I slept well. The last time, I felt like I didn't really get back to sleep, but I must have, because it was over 3 hours later that I finally got up.

I was bound I was going to fix the mess I made of the shawl yesterday, and I managed to do that, but between having to rip out everything I've done since I picked it up this time, having to figure out where I was in the pattern and get the yarn untangled and wound up, it took me two hours. That included only about six rows of knitting. However, I think everything is good now, and I also ripped out several mistakes I'd made, so maybe this time I can do better. It's not that I'd forgotten the pattern or anything - I think it's burned permanently into my brain - it was that I was having problems with the stitches. The needles I'm using don't have very sharp points and that makes it hard to work some of the stitches. I think I'm going to have to try going back to a circular, even though I don't like to use them on the edgings. We'll see.

The weather calmed down finally. It was windy all night and breezy all morning. The highest wind overnight was 30 mph with 43 mph gusts. It's been solidly from the north. The temperature slid down slowly from its high yesterday to 14º now; it was 15º, plus or minus a degree or so, all day. There were a few rays of sunshine, but mostly lt was cloudy. I don't think there was any snow.

Grayson was getting upset with me when I finally got dressed, because he had eaten all the kibble he likes. He is happier now. He has a full bowl of kibble and he got his favorite canned food. He came and mewed at me and I picked him up and we cuddled for a long time, although he was a bit annoyed because I was taking my hand off him to use the mouse.

So that's all there was and now it's a very cold, cloudy night in the field.

February 26

Well, let's try this again. i lost track of time again last night, so I was very late, very late getting up, very late getting dressed...the usual. I tried to knit and made such a mess of it that I had to rip and that was such a mess that I just left it. Tomorrow, maybe.

The weather was sunny, warm and very windy. The high temperature was 33º and it stayed there for long enough that I think it probably put a good crust on the drifts. It wasn't completely sunny, but there weren't very may or very thick clouds. The wind, though, was very gusty, and just in the past hour it's gotten up to 24 mph with gusts of 41 mph and it's shifted from northwest to north. At least there hasn't been any new snow that I know of.

Speaking of snow, I looked at the NWS summary of our last event, and even though Keweenaw got hammered, it was even worse around Marquette. Somebody south of the city reported 48" for the two days, although I don't know if I'd believe that, because it was a lot more than they had at the NWS office. I also discovered that I've been wrong about where the Road Commission measures Keweenaw snow. I thought it was at Delaware, but it isn't, it's a bit southeast of Phoenix. I wish I could become a trained spotter and do that for us, although as I've mentioned before, there really isn't a good place to measure around here. Ah, well. We got a lot of snow.

Grayson got to sit on me for quite a long time this afternoon, although I have to lift him onto my lap when he asks. He can still jump into the bathtub - and out - but he isn't jumping anyplace else these days. That's good, because I had some yogurt fo dessert and he thought he wanted some, but I got to eat it in peace and he won't try to get onto the cart to get at the bowl. I hope it's just that he's getting old.

Oh, yes, and I have the horrible suspicion that I have the shingles back on my back. I can't see it, of course, but it feels like that. It takes two vaccinations to prevent that and I've only had one, and if it is an outbreak, I won't be able to get the next one when I wanted to. Ah, me.

So that's all there is and I'm going to try - try - try - to be earlier tonight. It's a warmish (for February), very windy night in the field.

February 25

Late again, and not enough sleep. Sigh. I knitted again and I'm really seeing the end of that shawl. Thank goodness! Some projects interest me from beginning to end, no matter how big they are, and some begin to bore me when I'm too far along to abandon them. This shawl is like that, and so was the big cross stitch sampler.

I still have several days' work on the shawl, because once I finish the knitting, I have lots of ends to work in. Since I have never really been able to see what I'm doing in the dark yarn, it turns out I dropped a lot of stitches and the only way to repair them when I discovered them was to run a length of yarn through them and tie it off. So I have a lot of things to do with a yarn needle, which I dislike.

The weather calmed down a lot. The temperature only got to 19º and for much of the day there was a brisk north wind in the 15-25 mph range, but it was mostly sunny, and those blue skies were very welcome.

Grayson only got to sit on me for a few minutes because I was doing something where I needed to type. He was not happy.

Oh, I got a weird bill from the electric company, so I had to call them about that, and the answer I got was another "wait and see what happens." I never liked DTE, but at least they had their billing act together. UPPCO is a small company by utility standards and it's obviously not very well run. Besides, our electricity is some of the most expensive in the country. It's things like this that you discover after you move someplace.

So that was my day and now I'm late again. It's another frigid, dark night in the field, but I think it's clear for a change.

February 24

I was late getting to bed and I got up too early, so I nearly fell asleep in the bathroom. Time to go back to bed, I guess.

I actually worked on the shawl today. I only have three or four days' worth of work to do on it, and I'd like to get it done and over with. That has been a lousy project and I won't do anything like it again. Ugh! I've been looking around and I haven't decided upon my next shawl. I like to knit lace (I guess you know that), but my trouble now is that I have a lot of yarn that is only about 1300 yards and most of the patterns i see that I like take at least 1800 yards. I really didn't want to buy any more yarn right now. Well, I have a while to think about it.

The forecasts were wrong about the weather. They were all saying it would be sunny today, but for most of it, there was enough snow down the harbor that it was registering. We did have a few rays late in the day, but not a lot. They were also wrong about the temperature. They had it down around 10º all day, but the high was 17º and there was a very light wind from the north or northeast. Well, they can't get it right all the time.

Grayson got his lap sit and he was really happy about it. I don't think he likes the way I have to pick him up, but he is so comfy on my lap that it makes up for it. He wanted to come back later, but I think I was eating then.

THat's about all there was. Now it's a dark, frigid night in the field.

February 23

Well, our near-blizzard is over. Hopefully, this will be the last gasp. At least the weather for the next two weeks will probably be better and warmer.

I wasn't too late - or too early - last night and mostly I slept well. I diddled around today, but I did get my appointments rescheduled, and the lady I spoke to understood my problem. The oncologist got pushed out quite a bit, but that's not very important anyway. They were able to get me into my new primary care person a week from Monday, which is good.

According to the Road Commission, we had 16" of snow yesterday and overnight. That gives us 26.5" in two days. I believe it. The drifts are up over the windowsills on the deck and nearly up to the top of the railings. We got spoiled last year. So far, we've had 82.5" in February and 261" for the season.

Today, we had a couple of squalls that I doubt added much to the total, and late in the day, the sun came out for a while. The temperature was nearly steady around 12º or so, but there wasn't much wind after noon. It's going to get really cold tonight, though, down around 0º, and it won't be warming up much until Saturday. So far, the 10-day forecast seems to indicate not much snow and temps in the low to mid 20s. Much better, but then, February will be over and the sun will be a little warmer and out a little longer. The only good thing I can think of about this winter is that in between the snow events, we've had a few hours of sunshine. I can remember many winters since I've lived here when we never saw the sun from the first of November until the end of March, and one gets to feeling like a cave dweller after a while. It's nice to know the sun is still there.

Grayson got to sit on mommy for quite a while this afternoon at least once, but the second time he wanted to come up, I was doing something and he couldn't. I'm still concerned about him, but I think he's put on a few ounces of weight in the past several months. At least his hips don't seem to be sticking out quite as much and he's harder to lift up. He tries to act like the big macho tommy, but I think he's actually a worry-wort and all the stuff that happened the first couple of months of last year affected him. He still doesn't like it when I go away, but at least it's been quiet and nobody has died this year.

So that was all there was. I took the sweater I've been working on forever up to the north end with me and I worked on it today. I'm doing a sleeve - it's a top-down design of my own - and of course I miscounted the rows between the decreases, but it doesn't matter much. I like the yarn a lot, which is the reason I've started it four times and this is the second time I've knitted the whole thing - or I hope I knit the whole thing. It's basically black, but the black yarn is wound with a very thin, fuzzy thread in rainbow colors, so it sort of shades on top of the black. I"d really like to finish it sometime.

Now it's a dark, frigid night in the field but it isn't snowing or blowing for a change.

February 22

Oh, if you haven't heard it already, today is 2/22/22. And it's "Twosday," too, so maybe it's a one-off. Neat, huh?

I wasn't quite as late last night, but with all the humidity, I hurt enough that I had some trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. Cold humidity does it for my joints. Anyway, I think I got enough sleep and I'll be trying to be even earlier tonight.

I did make a couple of phone calls, but one of them will have to be canceled. When I saw the snow and heard what Ron had been going through, I decided to cancel tomorrow, which means canceling Monday as well. Not only will it be hard for him to get me plowed out tomorrow, I just do not want to be out in that. The snow should be abating, but it's going to be frigid. I will stay home. I didn't decide that until after they were all closed, so I will have to call them in the morning. I'm sorry to have to postpone those appointments, but that's what it's like around here in the wintertime.

The weather was snowy and blowy. Sometime overnight, they changed the "Winter Weather Advisory" to "Winter Storm Warning" until 7 AM tomorrow. It fit. The temperature was about steady at 16º, although it's dropping now. The wind was mostly out of the east, but it's shifting northeast now. It topped out at 35 mph with 52 mph gusts between 5 and 6 PM. It snowed all day, sometimes very hard. I have a drift on the deck in front of the great room doors that is nearly up to the top of the railing and more drifts in front of the office doors. Several windows have snow between the window and the screen that covers the whole lower pane.

According to the Road Commission, we've had 66.5" so far in February, and that was as of yesterday. It wouldn't surprise me to know it's more like 75" now. That gives us 245" for the season to date...and it ain't over yet. That's about our average, over the past 63 years, so it's going to be an above-average year. It always sort of creeps up on us - we go along and don't notice the buildup very much and all of a sudden, we realize we've had 21 feet of snow and counting. The really bad month seems to change every year. This year, it's clearly February, unless March is worse.

Grayson asked to sit on my lap twice, so he was a happy camper. He didn't have to wait all day for his food, either.

And that's all there was. Now it's another frigid, snowy, windy night in the field.

February 21

Of course, I did it again. Not quite as bad as the night before, but I wasn't early, so I was late getting up, lost track again, and...

Well, I am clean again, and it feels good. My head doesn't itch anymore. It wasn't as warm inside as it was yesterday, but it was tolerable, and actually, when I step out of the shower all wet, it has to be really hot before I don't feel cold until I get dried off. Anyway, I got my nails cut, so now I can type again.

Without having the camera archive, I'm not sure about the timing, but the Winter Weather Advisory went into effect a while before it started to snow. Then - wowee! It ramped up all afternoon, and after about 3 PM, it's been registering at the weather station. The interesting thing about this one is that the wind is from the east, which will no doubt cause all sorts of weird drifting. The wind hasn't been quite as strong as in the last several snow events, but the gusts have gotten up to 30 mph just lately. Of course, I couldn't see anything out the windows all day. The high temperature was 14º, so it's still frigid.

Grayson got to sit on my lap for a while, I guess until he got hot, but I had to pick him up. There is a way onto the desk that doesn't require such high jumps, but I guess he's forgotten about it. He wanted my dinner, too, but there wasn't enough for both of us. I'm a bit concerned about him, but I'm watching him.

So that's all there is. I'm hoping I can get out on Wednesday, because we are supposed to have another wave of this thing overnight, but I don't need to leave until around 2 PM, so maybe it will be all right. i need to see the new health care provider and I need to get some tests and maybe my shingles shot, so we'll see.

It's a frigid, windy, snowy night in the field.

February 20

Was late to bed, late getting up, lost track of time, didn't do anything.

THe weather calmed down a lot. It was nearly calm in the morning, but then the wind shifted to the northeast and it got up to 25 mph with 40 mph gusts at 5 PM. It's calming down again. The temperature got up to 31º between noon and 1 PM, but then it fell off quickly, especially when that wind picked up. Down to 14º at midnight, and I guess the rest of the week is going to be frigid, too. It was cloudy and it snowed lightly to moderately all day.

Grayson slept again, although he was so anxious when he finally got his canned food that he was practically jumping up and down. It's his favorite, and I think he knows he's going to get it on Sunday. Probably not the day by name, but every 7 days. I mix up the other kinds, but this one is always on Sunday.

Oh, and I had to change a password today and discovered its 20220220 (year first). And Tuesday is going to be 20220222. TOO much! Date numerology is so much fun.

And that's it. It's a very cold, breezy and probably snowy night in the field.

February 19

I completely lost track of time last night, so I pretty much inverted. So I was late getting up and then i did it again. Today it was more computer stuff. When i checked, the camera had never awakened - I don't know why - so it was a good excuse to haul out the laptop. I fixed the camera, at least temporarily, but then I got into rebooting, for various reasons and I had to do it twice, because Norton didn't come up the first time. Then I was online, so I did some of my surfing...

When I got to the office, my internet link had gone away, but whatever they did, I texted Jon and they fixed it, so it's been fine. I like it better when the computers are just there. I had to fiddle around with them for so many years that I'm tired of that. It's a tool. It should just work. Too bad nobody seems to have told Silicon Valley.

The wind blew all night and all morning, but by noon the sustained winds were down to 18 mph with 31 mph gusts and pretty soon it started swinging around and is now out of the west and quite reasonable. The highest was the midnight reading - 40 mph with 53 mph gusts - although we had some 55 mph gusts in the middle of the night. It was noisy around here! Whatever actual direction it was coming from, though, it didn't sound like it was tearing the siding off the house this time. We had snow, the sun came out for a while, and then there was more snow. The MODIS imagery showed cloud streets, but in all sort of mixed up directions. The ice, which was out in the lake the last time we could see it, is now along the shoreline, so it's not as noisy when the wind blows. The temperature has finally gotten up to 18º. Tomorrow is supposed to be quite warm - up to freezing - so the task of the day is the bath. It's getting to be too long, even though I don't seem to smell. My head itches.

Grayson mostly slept. Apparently the wind only bothers him when he can feel it, and he seems to like it cool.

So that was all there was. I was going to go to bed early, but first they played Beethoven's Second, which is the one symphony they didn't play during the Beethoven Birthday Bash, and now they're doing one of the Mozart Divertimenti, so I have to stay up until that's over. They're doing some Grieg, too, but I won't stay for that.

I got some corded earbuds for the laptop, but I haven't tried them yet. It really wasn't for the music. When I had my Zoom call, I could hardly hear the doctor, because the speakers in the laptop are so terrible. I'm hoping these will work, and they're supposed to have a microphone, too, but I can't see where it is. And the cord is more like a piece of string, which is interesting. I'll have to try them soon.

Now it's a very cold, breezy night in the field and I'm tired.

February 18

I don't remember why I was late last night, but I didn't invert. I had some trouble getting to sleep, but mostly because my left knee was sore. I didn't do anything today except reinstall Kabcam - didn't do any good.

It was all about the weather. It didn't start until at least four hours after they said it would, but then we got hammered. Between 9 and 11 AM (no reading at 10) the wind rose from nothing to 14 mph with 31 mph gusts from the southwest and it started snowing. It's been doing that all afternoon. The temperature got up to 17º briefly before it fell back. The latest reading (at midnight) has the wind at 40 mph with 53 mph gusts from the north. That, friends, is a gale - a real, honest-to-God gale. It wasn't possible to see down the harbor all day and it wasn't clear how much was new snow and how much was blowing snow. The Winter Weather Advisory turned into a Winter Storm Warning - no kidding! - at 10 PM. The warning from the NWS says "there is a potential for near blizzard conditions." If what we have isn't a blizzard, I don't know what is. It's a good night to hunker down in bed and pull the covers over my head.

Grayson was his usual self. When he came in and shouted at me, I picked him up and put him on my lap and rubbed his head and his tummy and he stayed there until Ron came around with the mail. I guess he has had enough trouble jumping on the cart that he isn't going to try that again, and even though I made an easier path for him to get up on the counter, he's only tried it once. Well, we're all getting old and since I will usually lift him onto my lap, he doesn't need to exert himself. Cats, like me, won't do something the hard way when there's an easier way to do it. No wonder we get along.

So that's all there is. Ron did the driveway before he broke another shear pin, so we're going into this as good as we can be. It ain't over yet. It's a wild and hairy night in the field.

February 17

Oh, yeah. Journal. Not that I did anything.

I was late, of course. I was too tired to move when I got to the north end. I didn't sleep well, although I didn't have the problems I had the night before. I may have been hot, or maybe I was just uncomfortable. Usually lying flat for a while relaxes me, but sometimes I still hurt. I don't remember.

it was too cold to take a bath, so I'm still greasy.

The weather - oh, the weather. Even though it didn't register at the weather station, it snowed all day. and it was frigid and windy. The temperature was 18º at midnight, but it slid down to 7º around 3 PM and it has now recovered to 9º. The wind was from the north or northeast with gusts up to 30 mph, so the wind chill got as low as -14º. I'm not sure how much snow came down and how much was just blowing around. The fisherfolk were out on the ice when I came into the kitchen, and one of them left his hut out there. It must have been very uncomfortable. And tomorrow, we are under a Winter Weather Advisory for snow and blowing snow, with 3 to 5 new inches of snow and winds that could gust up to 50 mph. Oh, it ain't over yet.

Grayson was talkative but mostly he slept. He knows where the hot spots are on the floor.

Anyway, now I must go to bed. I didn't get enough sleep last night and this morning.

Now it's a frigid, windy, snowy night in the field. Time to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over me.

February 16

Oh, what a horrible night! I had had an accident before i left the office, but the music was so nice, including Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, which is a favorite of mine. So I was late to start out with and about an hour and a half after I finally got to bed - having not been able to get to sleep because my tummy was feeling weird - I had another one. I don't think I got much on the bed, though, since it was so watery. I had to go down to the door and open a box that turned into two boxes to get some more incontinence pads. There was no possible reason why the box with the packages in it had to be put inside another box and I was really annoyed.

Anyway, I changed my undies and cleaned up and went back to bed - and about two hours later, having just dozed, I had another one. Sheesh! After that, I managed to sleep, thankfully, but by that time I had nearly inverted, so it was quite late when I finally woke up.

Today has been better. I have no clue what brought on such a violent reaction, but something like it has happened before. By the time it settled down, I could almost have had a colonoscopy.

I was late enough getting up that I didn't do a lot. In anticipation of my Schwan's order, I chipped the ice out of the freezer and managed to get a chunk half the size of my head out of the bottom basket. i don't know where that came from and it sort of says the repair guy's idea that the ice comes from a clogged water drain is wrong. That basket annoys me. I could never get it into the runners at the bottom of the shelf above it, but somebody did. Now, if it hadn't been in the runners, I could have gotten the shelf out and possibly chipped all the ice out of the bottom, but as it is, I can't. My big screwdriver isn't long enough to work through the grill in the shelf. I need something at least 15" long with a fairly sharp end on it. However, maybe sometime I can try the hairdryer, now that there isn't so much ice there anymore and if I take everything out of the basket and the shelf, I can at least see what's going on.

Ron had to clear my driveway before he brought the box and he waited and we had a nice conversation while I put everything away. It's not filed the way I'd like it, but everything got in and I didn't have to struggle. I gave him some of my chicken fillets as an attempt to thank him a little bit. They are really nice and I know he likes chicken.

The weather was weird again. It seems to have snowed most of the night. The high temperature, 32º, happened between 11 AM and noon and it has been going down slowly ever since, although it dropped off a lot in the past hour, to 20º. The wind was from the north in the 15-25 mph range for most of the day, although now it has risen to 36 mph gusts. It was mostly cloudy and dull, although one time I looked behind me and there was a ray of sunshine. Didn't last long.

Grayson was happy to see Ron, although he didn't get petted, because Ron was dressed to move snow. Ever since the guys were here, Grayson has been so vocal it surprises me. I don't know what brought that on.

So now I am totally exhausted and I must go to bed. The task for tomorrow is bath.

Now it's a very cold, windy night in the field. It's not over yet.

February 15

I don't remember quite how it happened, but I know I read too long and then I did something when I got up to the north end, so I inverted. Then I got 9 hours sleep, with only one wakeup, so everything is upside down. And add to that, my rice had gone bad and I didn't realize how bad until after I warmed it up. Yuck. Back to only two cups per batch, I guess.

However, I did get the bulletin out. Thankfully, it was an easy one, unless my proofreaders find something I missed. Now I will read a while longer and go back to bed. This has to stop. I think I've said that before, haven't I?

I don't know a lot about the weather because I was asleep. The high temperature got to 22º and for a good part of the day, there was a brisk southwest wind with gusts that have risen to 37 mph. Around 5 or 6 PM it started snowing hard enough to register at the weather station. If the Weather Underground is to be believed, we should be over that now, but there is a chance of a "wintry mix," which always makes me shudder, since it can mean sleet and freezing rain, which are my least favorite kinds of precip. We'll see what happens. I should get my Schwan's order tomorrow and I want Ron to be able to get in.

Grayson didn't seem to mind that I slept - so did he - although he wanted me to hurry up once I got dressed. We make a good pair, both sleeping a lot.

So that was my day and now it's a very cold, maybe snowy night in the field

February 14

If you celebrate Valentine's Day, I hope you had a good one. In my opinion, it's a hyped up day to sell candy and greeting cards.

I'm sorry I forgot to upload the journal last night. There wasn't much of it anyway. Sometimes after I save it, I get distracted and forget to copy it to the server, and I guess that's what happened.

Also, I was in the middle of a terrible accident - one of the messiest I've had in a long time - and I was quite distracted. It took me time to get cleaned up, so I almost inverted again. I didn't get enough sleep and I hope I'll be a little earlier tonight, although it's already late because I've been reading again.

I should have taken a bath, but it was too cold. The high temperature was 15º and there was a north wind in the 15 mph range, but it was a lot colder when I was up at the north end. It was cloudy almost all day and there was some snow, but I doubt there was any accumulation. However, this is the third night in a row that sometime during the night, I've seen the moon, so the nights have been partly cloudy. Well - I saw it tonight. The past two nights, I've only seen it peeking through the verticals in the bedroom. I wish I could open them, but it's still too cold. I really miss seeing out, especially when the moon is shining brightly - or it's clear and starry.

Grayson has been very talkative today, and I don't know why. He came and sat beside me and meowed until I finally picked him up and cuddled him, which I guess is what he wanted, because he stayed for quite a while and almost went to sleep before it got too hot for him. But he's been talking at other times, too. I wish he could speak English - or I could speak cat.

So that's all there was and now it's a very cold, possibly partly cloudy, night in the field.

February 13

Well, I was late, but not all that late and I slept for a long time, so I'm just now getting tired. I was late enough that Grayson was complaining before I finally got dressed. Then I had a couple of pieces of my artisanal bread toasted, so it was late when I finally ate a real meal. I don't know what you call one meal a day - brinner, maybe, or dinfast? Probably breakfast, in its original meaning of breaking a fast, even though I didn't eat breakfast food.

It's still frigid out. The high temperature was 11º, but the wind has died down to under 15 mph. It was from the north for most of the day and has now swung around to the southwest. There was a lot of sunshine, which was nice to see. I'm glad to see the sunshine. There have been several winters since I've been here when we never saw the sun from the first of October until the end of March and we all felt like we were living under a rock. Even people who don't usually have SAD get it under those conditions.

I guess Grayson knows he gets the good stuff on Sundays and he was getting impatient with me by the time I finally gave him his canned food. He gets so excited when I open any cans, though, like he hasn't eaten in days, even though he almost always has kibble. Then he wanted some of my dinner and he sat down beside me and shouted at me. He didn't get any, though. There isn't enough fish for both of us, and besides, it has some kind of sauce on it that isn't good for him. Now he has gone off to sleep in his favorite spot in the great room. I know where the working heat circuits are by where he sleeps.

So that was my day and now I have to go and clean myself up. It's a frigid, dark night in the field.

February 12

When I was a kid, I think today was a holiday - Lincoln's Birthday.

I inverted big time and it was getting light when I went to bed. I lost track of time. I guess I should be wearing that watch all the time. Anyway, I didn't get enough sleep and maybe i can do a bit better tonight.

The weather has turned frigid again. The "high" temperature was 8º and it's now -1º, with associated wind chills, although mercifully the wind has died down to almost nothing. At 11 PM, it was -12º. I'll stay inside. It snowed all day, mostly too lightly to measure at the weather station, although there were some reports early in the afternoon. It was OK when the camera went off.

Grayson just slept, close to me, of course, although when I finally got dressed, he was complaining because breakfast was at dinnertime and his kibble bowl was empty. He is very patient with me. Now if I could just teach him to speak a little more English...

So that's all there is. It's a frigid night in the field and I hope to do better tonight.

February 11

I got up to the north end and just sat again, so I was very late and late getting up. However, I was awakened by another spam call around 11:30 and since I had to pee, I just got up. I'm going to be late tonight, too - it's dinner, reading and Tchaikovsky tonight. He isn't my favorite, but it's his First Symphony, which I don't get to hear very often and I rather like.

Mike and Gary will be leaving tomorrow, and I'll miss them. They have been so helpful, I could easily get used to having them around. Today, in spite of the snow, they came and got my tax bill, took it to the post office, got my mail (not much) and a bunch of packages and stopped at the store for some stuff I needed. They got stuck a couple of times, too, but with a little help, they managed to get unstuck. I could get really used to having them around, and I'm grateful for all their help.

I didn't do anything except pay the tax bill. Let me tell you, goods aren't the only thing that have been hit by inflation. Shudder!

The real story is the weather. We are having another snow event. It was just starting to snow and blow when I got home last night, and it has continued all day. The temperature has dropped all day, from a high ot 30º at 10 AM to 8º at midnight and it's continuing down. The wind is still blowing. The high was 32 mph with 49 mph gusts from the north at 11 AM, but it has continued almost as strong all day. The guys got to hear the lake roaring, which I think you know is one of my favorite sounds. We have had quite a lot of snow, although it's drifting so much with the wind that it's not possible to tell how much new new we've had. I think the driveway has almost drifted closed, and apparently there is an issue up by US-41, We're getting on, but it's not over yet.

I think Grayson likes the guys even better than I do. When they came in, he greeted them vocally and he hung around us all the time they were here and got petted and petted and he even went over to Gary and sat down in front of him and looked up, as if to say "Well? Here I am. Pet me!" Of course Gary did. It did interferer with his sleep, though. When they left and I went back to the office, he went under the computer desk, back by the UPSes and slept there - it's warm back there. When he went back there, he made it a point to rub up against my leg so I'd know he was there.

So that was my day and it's late again - so late that my hands are out of sync. I don't think I'll stay to listen to the Bach. It's a frigid, snowy night in the field.

February 10

I was so tired I didn't go to bed again, so I was very late - I didn't invert, though - and I think I only got about 7 hours' sleep, so I'm tired again. Sigh.

I got up around noon, but I diddled around and ate a light breakfast - my last avocado - because the guys invited me to dinner at the Mountain Lodge tonight.

I spent most of the afternoon, it seems, putting a battery in my wristwatch. I more or less stopped wearing a watch when i got the phone, but it's usually in my pocket or my purse and there are times when I'm out and i just want to glance at the time. My old Eddie Bauer watch battery had gone dead a long time ago, along with all the other watches, so I decided to put a new one in today. I have the tool for water-resistant watches, but it's been a long time since I've used it and it isn't easy anyway. Add to that, the clasp on the watch was closed (why, I don't know) and I kept twisting the tool in the wrong direction. The only good thing I can say is that I didn't scrape myself while I was fooling around. And then I had trouble getting the new battery in. I really should do that more often.

Anyway, eventually I tottered off to the Lodge. I think someone must have done something to my driveway, because while it's very narrow, it's apparently more passable than it was when Mike was here to turn off the light. The road is good.

Dinner turned out to be a delight. It's been a long time since I've been there - several managements ago - and there have been some changes, but it's still such a neat building! They have a very limited menu - four dinner selections and sandwiches - and now they are only open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The dinner selections are really interesting - and delicious - with a decidedly middle eastern cast that we all enjoyed. We got to meet and talk to the wife of the owner, who is the chef She is Lebanese, and she is a very good cook as well as a very nice lady. Mike took some pictures of their cabin and it is a very nice place. I think they are going about building their business very wisely, starting modestly, although part of the reason for that is that they are having the same problem getting staff that everybody else is. They want to emphasize the variety of things there are to do around here, and not just be a golf course and wedding venue. Now they have cross country skiing and snowshoeing trails open.

I am very encouraged by meeting and talking to the lady. I always thought it was a shame what happened to the Lodge in the years between when they built the meeting center and when the county sold it. It's such a nice spot and the buildings are so interesting and unique that it would be a shame to let it deteriorate or be torn down. it's too bad that the new owners took over right before the pandemic, but maybe we'll be getting over that someday. When we do, the area needs another high-quality resort and it sounds like these people will be able to build it. And if you're in the area and thinking about a place to stay (and you don't have to be on the water, like i do) or a nice place to have dinner, I hope you'll consider the Mountain Lodge. The only thing is, it would probably be wise to check their website. I believe the lady said the dining room is reservation only, at least now. Oh, and they don't have their full liquor license yet, so it's wine and beer only.

Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves and we talked a lot and laughed a lot. I do like those guys.

The weather was the usual. I think it snowed some this morning. The high temperature was 26º, but it didn't happen until after 7 PM. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory until Saturday morning, but it hasn't started snowing yet. The wind is rising, though, gusting up to 35 mph from the southwest at last report. It was dull and gray, of course.

Grayson was not pleased that I left, but he was glad to see me come home. I think he slept.

And I have to sleep. I didn't get enough last night and I'm really tired. It's a cold, windy night in the field.

February 9

I'm really sorry about no journal last night, but I was exhausted and I just plain forgot. Sorry.

My friends Mike and Gary came and I now have lights, the cat poop is all cleaned up, my microwave is clean and the bags and boxes are in the garage. There were some other things. They are such nice guys. We spent a long time talking, of course, and I think they hoped they might eat here, but I'm at the end of my last Schwan's order. i have enough for me, but not for guests.

I was so tired because I had a terrible night. I was apparently hot, and I didn't realize it for quite a while. The outdoor temperature was higher than it has been for a while and my thermostats are set for frigid wind. Besides, not only was my gouty toe hurting, there was a pain in the ball of that same foot that I don't remember ever happening before.

So when they left, I was to tired to go to bed, so I was late again. It never changes. I did sleep well and long, though. Today I got the bulletin out and raided the piggy bank for enough to pay my winter taxes, but that's all I did.

Yesterday while they were doing something else, I finally - finally!! - got the last of the silverware out of the dishwasher and ran it through empty. I think I know why it gets full of water, but it will take some doing to get it fixed. When they installed my last garbage disposer, they ran the exhaust hose from the dishwasher under the drain pipe from the sink, rather than over it, so when the disposer fills up with water - which it does regularly - it drains back into the dishwasher. It was really gross. I haven't checked it today, but after it cycled through, there was no water in the bottom of it at ail. Oh, the joys of the happy householder.

They brought me a bunch of equipment that Mike's sister had gotten before she passed - a transfer chair and two walkers, including one of those neat ones with the seat. Now I am set. The transfer chair especially will be useful. When I have things to pack away in the fridge or the cupboards, I have been walking my desk chair into the kitchen so that I can sit down while I work. With this new chair, I won't have to do that. It rolls almost too well, and it is a bit awkward because the back wheels don't swivel, but that isn't a deal breaker. I can leave it outside the kitchen and bring it in when I need it. And it's much more comfortable than I would have thought. I am so grateful. Apparently this stuff has been in Mike's mom's basement, and not only was nobody using it, I'm sure it reminded her of her daughter. I might not need all of it right now, but I can certainly see that I probably will, if I live.

The weather yesterday was partly sunny and warm. The high temperature was 35º and there wasn't much, if any, wind. I was glad the guys were able to see the view with the sun out. And in the morning, there were fisherfolk out in on the ice for a while. Today was a bit different. It was still warm - the high was 31º - but the wind was from the north as high as 30 mph with 41 mph gusts, and it snowed off and on for most of the day. Mike said the driveway is a mess. It's supposed to continue to snow over the next few days, and by Saturday it will be frigid again. Ah, winter!

Grayson loved having the guys around, because they love cats. He particularly likes Gary, for some reason. And they were hardly gone before he had decorated the trays. There are now two trays in the bathtub. Mike found a smaller one for me in the basement. It should help, both in giving Grayson more turf and in keeping the bathtub a bit cleaner. Today he slept. i guess all the activity wore him out.

The tub drain is almost clogged, though, so I guess I'm going to have to try to fix that. It has to be clogged with kitty litter, though, and I'm not sure anything but a plumber will be able to unclog it.

So that's what happened the past two days, and now it's ridiculously late, so I have to go to bed. It's a very cold, windy night in the field.

February 7

I didn't quite invert and I got my nine hours. And I actually accomplished a few things today. I finally got all the pill dispensers filled and I washed my hair. It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

Mike called and they are here and they'll be coming out tomorrow to visit and help me a little. I have a list of things it takes tall people with legs to do. Mike is tall and he still has his legs. IT isn't much, but it's some things that need to be done that I can't, or can't do very easily.

The weather has mitigated some more. The high temperature was 21º and there was very little wind, which meant it was much warmer around here - nice, but I'm still dressed for the cold. It snowed for most of the day, though. They claim it's going to be clear tonight, so I will have to decide whether to use the dim night light and hope I can see something.

Grayson didn't do anything remarkable. He has been very clingy lately and I don't know why. He did find an alternate route onto the desk, finally. I had my baskets of pills on the cart, so he couldn't jump up on it, and when he wanted my dinner, I thought he'd have to sit beside me on the floor and pick at me, but the next thing I knew, he was sitting beside the monitor. Oh, he's a smart one, he is. And no, he didn't get any chicken. So he walked in front of me, kicked a dental floss dispenser into my lap, and jumped down. You;ll never get me to believe he kicked the box onto my lap by accident. I've often said cats are like two-year-old kids, but unlike the kids, they never get any older. He is a funny little cat, but then, so are they all.

And that's all there is. It's a very cold, dark night in the field.

February 6

Oof! Another inverted day of doing nothing. It gets habitual after a while. My friends Mike and Gary will be here tomorrow, though, so I'll have to try to get it under control for a while.

The weather was about the same, too, but marginally warmer. The high temperature was 22º and the wind was out of the north around 15 mph, although it's backing east and speeding up now. It snowed all day, as far as I know.

Grayson woke me up this afternoon by urping a bit, and after he did it he gave a sad little "mew." I don't like that. However, he got his favorite food and he scarfed it all down, so I guess he's all right now. He didn't sit on my lap, but he wanted my dinner.

And that's all. It's a very cold, snowy night in the field and maybe I can go to bed now?

February 5

Same sch6dule as yesterday, almost exactly, except I got a bit more sleep. Nearly had a disaster, too, but fortunately, it all went on the floor in the bathroom and I got it cleaned up. And I did get the underwear folded and put away, so that's good for a month or so.

The weather was about the same, too. The temperature was nearly steady at 17º - better than 7º, for sure - and there was a 20 or so mph wind from the southwest, with gusts that got up to 39 mph and is now nearly calm. IT snowed all afternoon, but mostly too lightly to register. It was dull and gray.

Grayson didn't do anything remarkable. He sat on my lap after I ate and nicely warmed me up.

So that's all. It's a very cold, snowy night in the field.

February 4

Late-late again. i just can't seem to get on a human schedule anymore.

However, I did do a few things, and there are now a few bags full of stuff and less stuff on the counters in the kitchen. So I did something. I also finally got the underwear into a washbasket and into the bathroom (I keep my underwear in the bathroom).

The weather was OK, I guess. There was even a little sunshine for a while. The high temperature was 18º and for much of the day there wasn't much wind. It did apparently snow a bit after dark, though. The wind is rising from the north now, though, so it didn't last long. It did make it easier to warm up the house.

Grayson decided he didn't want to be petted this morning, and he tried to bat me, so i was not pleased with him. He didn't make contact, which was good, because those those little prickers are awfully sharp. He came and sat on me after breakfast, and I didn't know why until he went way and I discovered a wet spot on my lap. He had peed and sat on me to dry off his bottom! Geez.

I think somebody with a plow truck came by and cleared out the east-west part of my driveway. I didn't see them, but I heard them. the north-south part didn't need any work. Wind patterns around here shift so much that it's impossible to predict where the drifts will be.

So now it's a very cold night in the field and the wind is rising again. Sigh.

February 3

Ditto yesterday, only more so.

The high temperature was 11º, but it must have been momentarily, and it was about 9º all day. The only good thing was that the wind finally has died down to almost nothing, so the temperature in the office has actually gotten up to 65º. We had a bit of sunshine today, because the cloud streets were overhead all day long. It wasn't long enough to warm things up much, but it was nice to see. There was also some measurable snow, so it was an in and out day.

Grayson was a bit happier, too, because it's not as cold around here as it was yesterday. For a while, he even sat on the cart with is feet tucked in. All cats do that, and I've always thought it's so cute. He has gone off again now.

There were some more minor updates to the bulletin, and I made a big pot of rice. That's all.

Now it's a frigid, cloudy night in the field, but at least the wind has died down.

February 2

Another lost day, although I did manage to get the bulletin put together.

It was another one of those days where the high temperature was at midnight and went down all day. It was around 12º for most of the day, and now it's gone down to 6º, on its way below 0º. The wind is from the north in the 15-25 mph range with gusts up to 36 mph. The wind chill was below 0º all day and it is now down to -15º. It was dull and gray and snowy. There were cloud streets over the lake again, this time closer together than the last time.

Grayson mostly slept, although he has been complaining to me again. He doesn't like this weather even more than I don't.

And that's it. It's a frigid, windy, snowy night in the field.

February 1

Well, our January thaw that wasn't a thaw and didn't happen in January is over. It was nice for about four days.

I wasn't exceptionally late last night and i slept well, although I was up about every two hours again. I got enough sleep, though, or I thought I did. It was warm enough that I was able to take my bath in relative comfort and I now have clean hair again, which is nice. It was good that I did it when I did.

It took me about the rest of the afternoon to do my daily surfing Debbie called late, but we only talked for an hour or so because she was hungry - so was I by that time. It's so good to have a friend like her. She understands me about as well as anyone I've ever known and she understands most of the reasons why I'm agitated these days. She had even checked it out and found that as long as I'm certifiably in my right mind, nobody can force me to do anything I don't want to do. And I have that letter from the DHHS...

Getting old is not for sissies, and the reasons it isn't aren't always obvious to those who aren't going through it.

Our nice warm (relatively speaking) weather ended this afternoon. The high temperature was 37º at noon and it's been downhill ever since, to 17º now. It has been windy all day. The wind has been from the west or northwest with gusts up to 40 mph. It's now cold in here again. It was cloudy and gray all day and I think there must have been some snow, although how much was new snow and how much was just blowing around isn't clear.

Grayson has been up at the north end since it cooled off, except to come down and complain to me every so often. He doesn't like it hot, but he does not like this cold, either. Me, too. No wonder we get along pretty well.

So at least January is over now and slowly, over the course of this month, the weather should be mitigating a bit. I can stand the wind and I can stand the snow, but as soon as the house cooled off, my knees got all frozen up again. and walking is difficult again.

Now it's a very cold, windy night in the field and maybe I can go to bed.

Last updated 03/01/22 10:14 PM