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We got a light dusting of snow last night. I suspect that the white fluffy hides a bunch of ice so I\u2019ll be walking very carefully on manmade surfaces until it warms up a bit.<\/p>\nWe got a light dusting of snow last night. I suspect that the white fluffy hides a bunch of ice so I\u2019ll be walking very carefully on manmade surfaces until it warms up a bit.<\/p>\n
The temp is a balmy 29\u00b0F at the moment.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t wanting to spend another winter here, but here I am. I\u2019ll make the best of it as I always do. I probably wouldn\u2019t mind so much if the county plowed our street, but they don\u2019t, and I\u2019m not looking forward to the winter workouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve replaced a bunch of threadbare socks with nice wool ones. I\u2019ve replaced my worn out \u201cgoto\u201d boots with a new pair. My various seasonal jackets will hold together for another year so I guess I\u2019m mostly set.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll be stocking up on soups and lay in some other food supplies over the next few shopping trips to make sure there\u2019s food in case I get snowed in.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time to fill the overly complicated annoying \u201csafer” gas can. I\u2019m going to need it full of gas to fill the snow thrower soon.<\/p>\n
Honestly the stupid thing seems to be a fill it once then toss it, because the vapor pressure caused by temperature changes has deformed the plastic permanently. It\u2019s 1 year old. I had metal cans that were 20 years old before the house fire.<\/p>\n
This new fangled complicated abomination has a ratcheted locking ring to keep the fill cap on. Due to the deformation of the plastic, it can’t be pressed down against the can, far enough to release. So I can\u2019t get the top off to refill the POS.<\/p>\n
God! I miss the old fashioned standard metal gas cans we grew up with. The flexible \u201csnake” pour spout was the most complicated thing about \u2018em. And all those metal cans, had a little plug in the top that you popped open when you filled them, or poured the gas. It equalized the pressure and prevented the glug glug that caused spills.<\/p>\n
Hmmm. I\u2019m thinking tin snips and a little brute force engineering will solve the problem on the current gas can. I don\u2019t want to pay another $15 for a single use gas can. Besides, I thought these \u201cimprovements\u201d were supposed to make things better & safer.<\/p>\n
Because of the \u201cSafety\u201d features, I\u2019m going to have a go at, a partially filled, pressurized,<\/em> (pressure release? We don\u2019t need no stinking pressure release,<\/em>) gas can with a metal implement in an attempt to get the damn cap off. Yeah, that\u2019s a lot<\/strong><\/em> safer!<\/p>\n I swear, the older I get the more I appreciate the KISS<\/em><\/strong> principal!<\/p>\n Speaking of which, I might treat myself and buy a new snow shovel. My favorite one, (we have several,) is a little tattered. It might make it through another Winter, but then again, It might not. I don\u2019t really want to spend money on winter gear if I\u2019m not going to be living someplace where it\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n I did treat myself to an un-necessary but convenient little device. While shopping for my nice wool socks, I bought one of those little headlamp deals. I used it a lot while I was cleaning the garage the other day. It was nice being able to peer into dark corners to see if something was peering back at me.<\/p>\n At one time we had two of these headlamp things. We\u2019d received them as gifts, but Jerry used them more than I did. Now, I can only find one of the two, and it seems a little flakey. I\u2019m thinking Jerry wore out one, switched to the other, and was well on his way to wearing out the second one. They were large, heavy, and clunky. I found them uncomfortable and they tended to have a lot of light shining back in my eyes, in addition to illuminating the area I was facing.<\/p>\n This new one is smaller, brighter, more directional, and I can change the brightness.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t necessary, but I\u2019m using it in the basement going through boxes of stuff and it was cheaper than some of the work lights I was looking to purchase.<\/p>\n I can also see using this one if I move someplace where Jesse & I take walks in the evening. That was a lesson learned while we were evacuated due to the fire. Jesse has a \u201cDisco Light\u201d that I use in the evenings to make him more visible, but if I\u2019m not carrying a flashlight I\u2019m invisible. Having a light is also helpful when I\u2019m bagging his poo.<\/p>\n Winter preparation chores are upon me. It\u2019s time for me to shut down the external hose bibs, and trim the chocolate flower next to the walkway. I let it grow wild throughout the Spring & Summer because the honey bees like it. In Fall, I trim it back to almost the ground because it interferes with clearing snow.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s strange, last year I was still reeling in reaction to Jerry\u2019s passing. I wasn\u2019t really feeling it.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year, I feel it very sharply.<\/p>\n This time of year, Jerry would be doing things for the church or the temple, he\u2019d be laying in canned goods and doing the inside stuff to prepare for Winter. I\u2019d be outside, trimming plants, and securing various items for the freezing temperatures, I\u2019d be adding mulch to protect their roots, cleaning the dryer vent, moving things around to make snow clearing easier, and I\u2019d be whistling the whole time. If it was cold while I was working, Jerry would call me in every couple of hours to drink something warm. It was the inverse of our Spring \/ Summer routine.<\/p>\n Doing the chores now, and being present, (to use an overused \u201cwoo woo\u201d term,) makes the loss a bit sharper and yet not overwhelming as it seemed last year. I guess I\u2019ll count that in the \u201cWin\u201d column. I suspect it means I\u2019m healing and coming to some sense of peace.\u00a0<\/p>\n I miss him. I always will.\u00a0Yes, I\u2019m doing the stuff that needs to be done. Only now I realize I was doing that stuff for him, for Us, and it was about making us comfortable. Somehow, when I come in from the various chores, the house seems oppressively silent. This is the second winter without him, and it\u2019s feeling a lot harder than the first. Harder isn\u2019t the right word, poignant? That seems to be a better fit, but doesn\u2019t really capture the breadth of it.<\/p>\n All that being said, it is a beautiful day outside. Yeah it\u2019s cold, but the sun is bright and it\u2019ll warm up while Jesse and I are on our walk. I think it\u2019s time to get up from this desk and go enjoy nature. It will make Jesse happy, and most of the time I end up smiling or laughing at his antics.<\/p>\n We encountered a portable generator yesterday. He didn\u2019t know what to make of it and didn\u2019t like it. So, he decided it was appropriate to bark at the little red block.<\/p>\n The workmen and I were all laughing but Jesse was undeterred in telling the machine that it was on our walking path. I took a knee and told Jesse it was okay, then one of the workmen kindly turned the machine off until Jesse & I were well away from their work area.<\/p>\n I\u2019m curious to see what today brings.<\/p>\n Carpe Diem!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We got a light dusting of snow last night. I suspect that the white fluffy hides a bunch of ice so I\u2019ll be walking very carefully on manmade surfaces until it warms up a bit. The temp is a balmy 29\u00b0F at the moment. I wasn\u2019t wanting to spend another winter here, but here I … <\/p>\n