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Post by Phalon on Feb 20, 2021 8:01:49 GMT -6
Hope they've already got there, or at least get there sooner rather than later.
Two days without having to shovel snow!!! It might be three; we'll see how the rest of the day goes. We got a littler over an inch last night, but other than sweeping off the cars, it's not enough to mess with shoveling...yet. It's still off and on snowing.
It's warmed up some too - temperatures in the 20s yesterday and again this morning. Got out for a walk yesterday, which wasn't a minute too soon! I've been pretty danged stir-crazy and feeling stuck inside with the colder temperatures; the only time I've been out of the house is to shovel and go to the grocery store in forever it seems. Not to mention, every morning when I wake up the first thing I see are these huge 3-4 foot long icicles hanging down the length of the bedroom window, looking like prison bars keeping us locked in. Not much fun being outside in the teens and single-digits though, so when the 20s hit, I was out the door in a flash!
I wasn't the only one feeling trapped inside by the cold - I met Xena Sis halfway, and we finished our walk together. Probably all in my head, but just a little walk outside left me with a burst of energy for the rest of the day.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 20, 2021 8:21:44 GMT -6
Still using kerosene heaters. I found a comment on Facebook that one person had called the week before, and still hasn’t had gas delivered. So it seems that if I had called last week, I probably would have run out of gas anyways. Of course, I’d be higher up on the list though.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 22, 2021 9:35:12 GMT -6
Sorry you're still without your furnace, Joxie. Maybe with the temperatures warming up down there, you won't need to run the kerosene heaters as much.
We got up to the low 30s yesterday, and again today, though the snow that fell overnight turned to ice. The bird feeders were empty, so for the first time since the bitter cold and daily snow started, I ventured out into the yard to fill them. Shoveling the driveway, sidewalks, and front walk each day, I hadn't realized exactly how much snow had accumulated over the past two weeks - it was well up over my knees!
The birds are happy now...and so is the dog. Quetta loves snow, but has only been going out for a few minutes at a time, before wanting to come back inside - it's just been too cold. Yesterday though, with the higher temperature, she was playing in the snow like a little pup!
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 26, 2021 12:06:25 GMT -6
The gas truck filled my tank on Wednesday. The driver called me to let me know that I would need to turn the tank on myself. If he did it, it would cost me an extra $50. I guess he turned it off in case I had anything turned on inside the house. When I turned it on, I smelled gas on my back porch, so I turned it back off. I’d been smelling gas on my back porch and inside my garage for months, maybe a year? Not exactly sure when I started smelling it. Anyways, my brother-in-law never smelled it the few times he came over to investigate. So, I figured I’d wait until he was home from work to turn it back on, thinking it was sure to be a really strong odor then, hopefully. He found the leak, and replaced the tubing going into my furnace. Yay! So happy to finally have that found and dealt with. I was scared to death that my house was going to blow up one day. It’s also nice to know it wasn’t all in my head.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 28, 2021 8:38:52 GMT -6
Good to hear you're space-heater-free non-kerosene warm and toasty again. And especially good that the gas leak was fixed!!!
HA! That reminds me of some of my past older cars, and taking them to the mechanic, trying to explain grinding, rrrrring, thunk-thunk-thunking, or whatever other weird things I'd hear (or sometimes just feel in my foot on the gas or brake pedals). Of course, they'd look at me like I was crazy, and couldn't duplicate the weird things when hooking the car up to their diagnostic machines. Always, always, always, a couple of weeks later whatever was wrong would get worse. I'd take the car back to the mechanic, and I'd end up saying, "HA! So good to know it wasn't all in my head!"
Big meltdown here this week, with temperatures in the 30s and even up into the low 40s. The first couple of days above freezing, all you could hear throughout the neighborhood was huge icicles crashing to the ground off roofs. OMG, since the icicles that formed on our house were on the second floor, when they fell, it was onto one of the lower roof-lines, then they'd slide down that roof, before finally crashing to the ground - it sounded like the house was being demolished!!! There's still snow out there, but it's shrunk, and we've even got patches of grassy ground showing.
Sunshine yesterday, and I took a nice long walk on the beach. And the moonshine last night - the full moon lit up the whole sky!
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Post by stepper on Feb 28, 2021 11:38:37 GMT -6
Ya know, I've noticed that clothing can shrink - I'm sure that's the correct explanation and not my lack of diet - but I can't say as I've noticed snow shrinking. Maybe your part of the country gets some kind of special Canadian version that veers south! The snow is all gone here but it was quite the adventure. Not the depth so much as the fact that it came with surprisingly low temperatures. Housing and our electrical grid were not designed to cope with that kind of strain. Demand was even higher than during overly hot summer days which can be especially demanding. It got so bad that "they" decided they had to bring two of the old coal fired plants back on line to keep our entire grid from collapsing - a decision that saved more than a few lives. And of course our PVC pipes were not buried deep enough to protect from that kind of cold. I know of people who are still coping with broken pipe issues and turn on the water for only short periods because the pipes leading to the house (or trailer) leak so badly. Hopefully the last of those is being fixed today and tomorrow by volunteers from a local church. Personally, our piping survived. The house didn't freeze due to insulation and a handy fireplace, but I was wearing sweatshirts and pants for a few days there. And I used the vehicle as a battery charger for my phone - that came in handy but killed my average gas mileage. And it had the advantage of being warm. The cold killed off our mother-in-law plants, and surprisingly enough for me - a few of my rose plants. I wasn't expecting the roses to have a problem but they did. I've got the survivors trimmed back in hopes they will recover and planted three replacements yesterday afternoon. It' looks like the Aloe Vera's were also decimated but one, and only one, is showing signs of life and recovering. The rest were all years old and large - and I'm waiting a bit longer on them before I give up. I guess you can pretty much say they aren't going to bloom for a few years. In the beginning of the fun, my glasses came apart so I couldn't see far, and my home computer developed a problem that I've not experienced before - it went into permanent automatic recovery mode. I didn't even know there was a recovery mode. I took the system to a friend after the roads cleared out and a store of "professionals" charged me $65 to tell me the drive had to be replaced for an additional $85 with an SSD. (500G) The friend gave me back the system the next day - working perfectly and with no loss of data or programs. I won't quote his opinion of the store I took the system to, but he compared them unfavorably to the hind quarters a member of the equine family. So I'm still alive and kicking, and hope you are also all okay. And no more gas leaks for any of us!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 1, 2021 7:26:58 GMT -6
Of course snow shrinks! Even when the temperature is below freezing, moisture in snow evaporates, and it compacts - there's a technical term for it that I've forgotten, but basically, it shrinks. Know what doesn't shrink in winter, no matter the temperature? A person's waistline!
I know, I know! Or at least I can guess based on what plants here can survive below freezing temps, and what turns to mush in the cold. Your mother-in-law plants (if they are the same thing as snake plants; I believe they're the same plant, just different names) and aloe vera, unfortunately are probably are dead meat. They're tropical houseplants here, and usually won't survive even a heavy frost.
The roses will come back, but depending on if they're grafted hybrid tea roses, you might have a red rose when they've always been pink or yellow. Even if the graft failed (most grafted roses aren't winter hardy here without the protection of rose cones or heavy mulch piled over the grafts before winter sets in), the roots probably survived, and will send up new shoots below the graft. If they're on their own rootstock (not grafted), they should be fine.
Glad you got it taken care of without the cost of going through the "professionals"! Is so nice to have friends who know stuff, isn't it - your story is the same as mine with Computer Guy Next Door!
Agreed!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 6, 2021 8:57:47 GMT -6
Heavy frost here most mornings this week, but the days have been sunny - and no new snow! There's still a lot of it in our yard, but it's mainly just the big piles that were shoveled and in the more shady spots. The sun has even warmed up the soil enough that the daffodils planted on the west side of the house are started to sprout out of the ground. Of course, the tips of the sprouts are yellowed from the frost, but it's still nice to see stuff waking up for spring!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 12, 2021 20:29:16 GMT -6
Thud!
Made it through the most physically grueling week of work ever, though the weather was a lot warmer than it has been so it wasn't as bad as what I was anticipating. It was unseasonably warm even for a couple days, reaching 60 degrees Wednesday, though it's dropped down into the 30s at night, and 40s during the day.
Snowdrops are blooming, and the daffodils that sprouted out of the ground have tightly closed buds on them now. Won't be long.
I think the time changes this weekend. Pfft. Just when I could use an extra hour of sleep, I lose an hour instead!
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Post by Phalon on Dec 20, 2021 7:16:17 GMT -6
It's not quite winter yet - the winter solstice is tomorrow, but LX was off work on Saturday, so the girls and I had our first ever Mom-Daughter Solstice celebration. Extra bonus was that Saturday was the full moon, and since Solstice is a celebration of light and nature, it was perfect.
We spent the afternoon making a natural dye out of black aronia (chokeberry) berries from the big shrub I've got planted on the side of the house. It makes a pretty purple dye, and depending on what you're dying the shades vary from lavender to mauve to deep purple. We dyed fabric, bits of lace, and paper to use in Christmas gift projects we each are making.
After dinner (Chinese take-out, since the kitchen was still a mess from all the craft-making), we made our Yule log. I twined up a log like a roast, and within the rows of twine, we tucked things from my gardens that have symbolism - birch twigs (for growth, renewal, and new beginnings), sprigs of holly (for letting go), thyme sprigs (strength and courage), evergreens (life), and Christmas fern fronds (magic - because everyone needs a little magic!). We each wrote down things we wanted to get over or let go from this past year, and hopes and aspirations for the new year, rolled up the sheets of paper, and tucked those in the twine, along with our Chinese fortune cookie fortunes from our take-out dinner.
It was lightly snowing outside, and I had doubts about getting the bonfire started, but we got it set ablaze in no time. While the fire grew, I retold the story of the Holly King (darkness, and the waning solar year) and Oak King (light, and the waxing solar year), which is how the ancients explained the changing of the seasons.
Then we added the Yule log to the fire. As it began to burn, we each threw in sprigs of holly, banishing old habits and saying farewell to painful things from the past year. When the Yule log was fully ablaze, we threw in acorns we had gathered during our fall family vacation at the creepy cottage (which is where we got the idea to have a Solstice celebration); the acorns represent the upcoming year, and all the positive possibilities to come. Oh, and we each smashed a glass bottle into the fire pit - as a release, and just because it was fun.
It was a lovely celebration, and the girls insist that it become a family tradition. And so it will be.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 22, 2021 13:45:54 GMT -6
It is predicted to be 72F on Saturday. Next week is to be in the 50s & 60s. So, I’m not even close to Winter yet. We usually get a good snow in the New Year that prevents the schools from opening back up for a few days, so we shall see if that happens next year.
We tend to have mild Winters here, and then the really bad weather cycles in and out from time to time. We usually have about one or two weeks where the temps stay below freezing, and then it returns back to the ups and downs. I need to remember to check my tank gauge. Mom used to remind me, and last year my tank ran out just as a week of freezing set in. My bil brought over Mom’s kerosene heaters to help me stay warm and protect my water pipes. I also had electric heaters I put in both bathrooms.
It probably wouldn’t have done any good to check the gauge anyways, as the gas company was understaffed and overworked and wouldn’t have gotten to me in time to fill up the tank anyways. Although, I would have been higher up on their list to get to. And maybe it would have saved me the extra charge for the tank being completely empty. Live and learn.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 23, 2021 7:06:46 GMT -6
Check your tank, Joxie. This is your public service reminder.
The first day of winter felt like winter. The temperatures have been so up and down lately, mostly in the 30s and 40s, though one day last week it reached 60 degrees! Tuesday and yesterday though, our high temperature was in the twenties; it's still in the 20s now, though it's supposed to get a bit warmer today. We've had some snow flurries the last couple of days, but not any accumulation.
It looks like it'll be a green Christmas, with rain instead of snow.
Later Taters. I have errands to run, and want to get them done before the last minute Christmas shoppers are out in masses.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 23, 2021 13:07:11 GMT -6
I have a reminder on my phone calendar that repeats monthly. The tank was at 65%, when I last checked it. On nice days, the sun heats my house, so the heat doesn’t usually kick on until the evenings. Of course, that wouldn’t have happened back before the hot flashes. The inside temps would have been too cold for me then. I kept my thermostat at 76 all year round. Now I have it set at 62 at night, and 67 during the day. Inside my house can get up to 67–74 depending on the outside temperature, and on if the sun is out. So, I save money in the cold months. And the hot months are now my most energy expensive months. It used to be the opposite. If the house feels nice when I get up, I don’t even bother raising the thermostat.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 25, 2021 13:29:48 GMT -6
Merry Christmas, Everyone!
It is 72F outside, and 74F inside. It is partly cloudy, so I’m guessing that’s why my house isn’t an oven. The wind has been gusty for a few days, hopefully it won’t blow up any thunderstorms. Some areas are still dealing with the aftermath of the last one.
My nephew’s fiancée has COVID, so we’ll be having Christmas once everyone is healthy. She has an autoimmune disease, and the hospital had no room for her, nor could they give her an infusion. They sent her home, and told her to come back if she got worse. Her grandfather is living with her and my nephew, and they have a baby, around 1-1/2 years old. (She is double vaccinated, but hadn’t yet gotten the booster shot.) Prayers and good vibes would be appreciated.
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Post by stepper on Dec 25, 2021 17:23:40 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 25, 2021 19:09:40 GMT -6
It’s 65F outside, and 76F inside. I managed not to turn on the a/c so far. Gonna use that heat to warm the house for most of the night. Supposed to get down to the mid-40s, so might not need the heat to kick on for quite awhile.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 27, 2021 8:03:31 GMT -6
Merry (belated) Christmas to you too, Stepper! I hope yours was as wonderful as ours - we had a lovely one here. Joxie, I hope that your Christmas will be wonderful too, and that you are able to celebrate soon, with everyone healthy.
Sorry to hear about your nephew's fiance. Sending good vibes that she make a quick and full recovery. Six families I know have been infected with Covid since Thanksgiving. Some were vaccinated (but not boostered yet), some weren't; some had mild cases, some more severe; only one was hospitalized and she received antibody infusions. Thankfully, everyone recovered, and no one thus far has any serious after-effects, except two people still can't taste or smell anything.
As predicted, it was a green Christmas here - the "white" part being as belated as my "Merry Christmas" wish here. It snowed last night.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 27, 2021 21:29:36 GMT -6
My future Niece-in-law had another problem come up, and had to go to the hospital for it. While there, she was given an infusion for COVID, and some antibiotics to take. My sister texted we were going to get together on January 8th, if everyone was healthy.
Phalon: Thanks for the good vibes. Keep 'em coming. I'm hoping none of the others in the household come down with it. But, that might be wishful thinking on my part.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 29, 2021 7:56:30 GMT -6
Will do, Joxie, for her and her family too. It's good she was able to get the infusion - my neighbor, whose wife received it, said it really helped in her recovery. She was the worst off, and was hospitalized for a brief time after Covid spread through the family when one of the grandkids who lives with them, brought it home from school; miraculously the husband was the only one in the household who wasn't infected. I don't know if they are vaccinated; based on past comments, I have my doubts.
It seemed to be raining earlier this morning; I could hear it hitting the porch roof, and coming down the gutters when I was sitting on the back porch, drinking my coffee. It was just the snow melting though. The temperature is nearly 40 already, though it's supposed to drop into the 20s again later today - I hope the roads dry before then or it's going to be an icy mess this evening.
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Post by moonglum on Dec 29, 2021 8:26:19 GMT -6
A belated Merry Christmas everyone. The 'northern-clan' have returned home and the house has returned to 'normal'. It has been a wet and muddy time down here. They had some snow up north and in Scotland, but darn south it been wet and miserable. The temps have been fluctuating between 'ooh it's chilly' and 'f**k me that's freezin'. Hope you all have a happy, safe and healthy new year.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 31, 2021 8:17:26 GMT -6
BOLL. Same here. It's quite nice here now - 31F (.55C), but completely calm, something we don't get often here in winter; it's the wind off the lake that usually makes it feel 'f**k me that's freezin'.
Glad you had a nice Christmas, and a safe and happy New Year to you and everyone too.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 31, 2021 22:34:23 GMT -6
Well, I guess it went well in my nephew's household. My sister will start babysitting again on Monday. We will have Christmas on the 8th, as my niece's kids are at their dad's this weekend. My house got up to 72F today. It seems this is the last Spring-like weather we'll be having. Next week has a couple of days in the 20s/teens. I'll have to keep a closer eye on my tank, and make sure to have it filled up before there's a week or more of really cold weather.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 31, 2021 22:42:32 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 1, 2022 15:10:16 GMT -6
It’s 58F, feels like 56F. It’s supposed to drop down to 29F tonight. We’re supposed to have freezing temps off and on over the next few days. A couple of days are supposed to stay below freezing before going back up into the 40s. I felt like I was in an oven last night, but I wouldn’t turn on the a/c. I figured I’d better enjoy it, since it seems like Winter might finally be heading in. February usually warms up, and feels like an early Spring, before turning back into Winter. I wouldn’t be surprised if February stayed cold this year, and that the Spring Frogs don’t make a peep.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 2, 2022 8:20:37 GMT -6
Good news! Hoping for the same here. <sigh> BP's ex-boyfriend tested positive yesterday; he is not vaccinated. In a bout of ironic bad-timing, they were together twice last week after a month of not seeing each other - a should we get back together/no we should not couple of days. BP is vaccinated, but not boostered; it hasn't been six months yet since her second shot. She's scheduled for a Covid test tomorrow. Even more bad-timing - LX was here for New Year's; they had a girl's night with their mutual friends. LX is vaccinated, but not boostered although she is eligible - she's been scheduled twice, but twice denied when her appointment came around because she had a cough and stuffy nose, which for her with her sinus problems and asthma, is a yearly winter issue. I wish her doctor's office gave boosters; her doctor would know it's asthma-related and not sickness.
We got our first measurable shovel-able snow yesterday evening - about 3-4 inches. Temperature is in the teens now. It's been a lazy morning - I'm still in my pajamas. Better get moving though - a few more inches of snow is predicted for today.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 2, 2022 12:14:59 GMT -6
It’s 29F outside, but feels like 19F. There’s a very, very light snowfall. I doubt it will stick, as the ground hasn’t had time to thoroughly freeze. And it’s a small cloud. I hate these drastic shifts in temperature. I prefer when they’re gradual, and they stick to a limited increase and decrease. But, it is what it is.
Phalon: I hope you and your family are spared from getting COVID. Or, if any of you do get it, that it’s a mild case you bounce back from quickly.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 4, 2022 10:00:55 GMT -6
Dang, it's cold outside, and still very icy. But the sun is shining!
So far, so good here. Both BP and LX took at home Covid tests; they were both negative, although the at home tests aren't always accurate. BP won't know the results of the drive-through test she had yesterday for another 3 to 5 days. If she does have Covid, it's a very mild case. She's got a scratchy throat and a little cough, which could be anything...to include being up in her room for the most part until her test results come back; our house is very dry with the heat on, and on top of that, she keeps a space heater going. It's like an oven in there. Hubs and I haven't had any symptoms. Keeping fingers crossed.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 4, 2022 14:50:45 GMT -6
It’s 37F, but feels like 30F. It’s supposed to get up to 40F today. Thursday & Friday are supposed to stay below freezing. I had my gas tank reminder set for once a month, but switched it to every other week now that the heat is running more often. I’ll change it back to once a month after it gets filled back up again. A full tank should last me the rest of the Winter, unless the next couple of months are below normal temperatures. And it’s been warmer than usual, so who’s to say it won’t switch to being colder than normal. We shall see how it goes.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 5, 2022 10:49:29 GMT -6
I'm surprised at how fast the girls' test results came back (in addition to the home test, LX got tested at a drive-through also) - but can't say I'm surprised at the results: both of them have Covid. Worried, especially about LX, with her asthma.
Windy and snowy day here - so windy, the snow is blowing horizontally, and the squirrels can't hang onto the tree branches whipping around in the wind. I watched one literally get blown out of a tree this morning. He ran off, seemingly uninjured.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 5, 2022 16:02:50 GMT -6
So sorry to hear that, Phalon. The latest variant is supposed to be weaker than the Delta, so hopefully that’s the one they have. There are less hospitalizations with that one. I’ll send them good vibes, as well as to your whole household.
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