journal

A View From the Field

January 19

Oh, too late again. I have to stop this, because sometime in the next two days, I have to go down to town. And I didn't get enough sleep again. Maybe tonight.

Debbie called, with the dread words "I've been thinking..." Thanks, Debbie. I don't need you to be running my life yet. it was a short conversation, because she had a meeting, and I was just as happy. It makes me feel good that she's concerned about me, but still,,,I don't need a mother or a caretaker yet,

The weather is calming down a bit, but it was pretty hairy overnight. The wind was from the north in the 30-45 mph range all night, although it's calmed down some since - 20-40 mph now. The temperature started down after midnight and it's 11º now. Of course, that has put the wind chill well below 0º. It was cloudy and dull and snowy all day, although mostly it was snowing too lightly to register at the weather station. There was 8" at Delaware yesterday.

The wind chill is why I may not go to town tomorrow. Ron has to clear the driveway, too, so I guess I will more or less plan on Friday, when it's supposed to be sunny (!) and get up to 20º. I hate to push it so close to when I absolutely have to go, but there's the weather. I have to get gas, and I'd just as soon not stand out in 10º weather to do that.

Grayson mostly slept, of course. He sat on me for quite a while this afternoon, until I had to type. I've had cats that would stay on my lap until I practically stood up, but he leaves as soon as I start moving. I don't know why. He wanted my dinner tonight, but there wasn't enough of it for both of us.

So that was my day and now it's a frigid, windy, snowy night in the field.

January 18

i wanted to read for a while when I got to the north end, so of course I lost track of time and was much later than I wanted to be. I slept well, although I was up several times, and the first time, I nearly had an accident in bed. I wanted to go back to bed after the third time i was up, but I got a spam call and it was clear I wasn't going to go back to sleep. Maybe tonight.

I did a few things, not a lot. I washed a load of polar fleece jackets, which need to go in the dryer. I made a couple of phone calls and got my medical problems straightened around, I think.

The weather was interesting. When I was up around 5 or 5:30 AM, it was clear out and the moon was so bright it was shining through the blinds on the front windows. When I got up, it was snowing. It started around 10 AM and it still Is, I think. This time, the wind was from the south or southwest, at least until around 9 PM, and the gusts were as high as 41 mph in the early afternoon. The temperature has risen to 33º, but it was 31º for a good portion of the evening. It was snowing hard for most of the day. The Winter Weather Advisory doesn't expire until tomorrow morning, so I suppose we'll get some more.

I finally got the garage door closed, but there is a lot of snow inside. I got a package of TP and some baby wipes. My knees are bad - the humidity is really hard on them - but I needed all those things.

Grayson slept on my lap for a while this afternoon, and he thought he wanted my dinner, but it's warm enough in the great room that he is mostly sleeping there.

So that was my quiet day and now it's a not-very-cold, dark, snowy night in the field.

January 17

Late again, but not as late as the night before. I got my 10 hours, and I feel better, although I'm tired again. It has to do with being old, I guess. I have clean hair, which is nice, although I had a small accident, so I'm not as clean as I was. Like I said several days ago, it was time. It seems to be cyclic - a week or so off, then a week or so on. I suppose I should write it down, but I've always hated doing stuff like that.

The weather was sort of blah, but it was fairly warm. The high temperature was 26º, and for once it was during the day. The wind was from the north until around 5 PM, when it picked up a bit from the northeast. It has been in the 15 mph range, with some gusts up to 28 mph. It was dark and dreary, of course, and there were a few little snow showers, nothing major.

I didn't see much of Grayson. He liked his canned food. He did come around when I was eating my dinner, and there was enough of it that I could give him a little bit - chicken. That's his favorite flavor.

So that's all there is, and now it's a cold, dark night in the field and tomorrow it is going to snow.

January 16

Inverted, didn't get enough sleep, diddled around, didn't do anything.

the weather was about the same - cloudy and cold. The high temperature was around 20º until sometime between 6 and 9 PM (we lost some data) when it jumped to 27º. The wind was gusty and from the west to southwest until around 5 PM when it shifted around and is now from the northeast. Well...it was a 9 PM. We've lost some more data. it snowed hard enough between 9 AM and 4 PM to register at the weather station.

Grayson slept on my lap until i had to move to blow my nose, when he decided he didn't like all that moving around. He got his very favorite food today, so he was happy and ate it right up.

And that's all there is. It's another cold, dark and possibly snowy night in the field.

January 15

Yikes, it's the middle of January already! How can that be?

I have nothing to report. I was late, as usual, and i didn't get enough sleep, so I didn't do anything except to finish up the load of bottoms I was washing. I will put them in the dryer on my way north.

The weather wasn't too bad. it was nearly clear all day long, though, and it was nice to see the sunshine. The high temperature was 19º amd there was almost no wind.

Grayson was happier with his canned food today, but he didn't sit on me. I don't know why.

Ron came and did the driveway this morning before i was ambulatory, and it doesn't appear that he found the lost package, so I guess I'll be on the phone about that, maybe on Monday, although Tuesday might be safer.

So now it's a very cold, dark night in the field.

January 14

Another late night. i just plain lost track of time. I did get my 10 hours, though, which meant it was really late when I got up. Ron brought the mail. It looked to me like some of the tax stuff is starting to come in, although I expect it will be a couple of weeks before it really starts. I know the IRS says you can start filing your taxes on the 24th, but how do you do that when all the documents don't come in until the 31st? I must get at that.

So I didn't do anything except search for the bag from Amazon that seems to have disappeared. When I got my globe lights, apparently there were supposed to be a couple of little things in with them. I was mainly concerned with the lights, but I don't recall feeling anything left in the bag after I took the box out. I thought I put the bag down beside the desk, but I can't find it now and it's not in any of the other places where I sometimes open packages. So Monday I will have to try to get someone from Amazon on the phone and get a replacement. Grr,

The weather was very cold again. The temperature has finally gotten up to 13º. It was around 11º for most of the day with an east wind in the 10-20 mph range. The head of lettuce I left out in the breezeway was partly frozen. It was dull and dreary, of course.

Grayson did not like his breakfast. He gets fish on Fridays and he has decided he doesn't like that. All right, I'll stop giving it to him, at least for a while. Picky, picky, picky. He didn't come to sit on me until it was getting dark, but he stayed for quite a while and went to sleep. He thought he wanted my fish, but no way was he going to get any.

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

January 13

Late again for the same reason as Tuesday. I must stop this. And I did the same thing when I got up today, do it was a one-meal day. Good one, though. It sure is nice to have food in the freezer again.

I have to say, the freezer wasn't empty, but it had a sort of weird assortment of old stuff in it, most of which didn't interest me. One reason I like the Schwan's stuff so much is that i can haul it out and cook it frozen. Oh, and there are a lot of old veggies, some of which i should start eating. Every so often, I go through the stuff and throw some away, but there's still old stuff in there. Sigh. Same as the whole house.

I don't hold with this minimalist stuff at all. They say what you keep should bring you joy. Well, everything I have brings me joy, from all the stuffed animals and books to all the fabric and cross stitch charts i will never use. I wouldn't have it around if it didn't. There's just a lot of it. I don't know what those people do with themselves - probably stare at the boob tube with their hands folded in their laps. I just can't do that. After all, I don't have a working TV in the house, and I don't want one, and if I'm just sitting, my hands have to be busy doing something, even if it's only knitting on a sock. I even knit when I'm reading sometimes.

The weather started out OK, but then it got cold. It was 31º between 10 and 11 AM, but then the wind picked up from the north and 10 PM it was 13º with a northeast wind in the 20-30 mph range. Breezy, they say. It was cloudy and dull, of course.

Grayson only sat on me for a few minutes today, and I don't know why. He clearly likes it cool. When it was so cold at the north end, he was sleeping on the rug in the bedroom, where the heat comes through. Now that it's a bit warmer, he's back in the bathroom. There is heat in the bathroom, but not enough to warm the tile except where the rug is.

I was thinking about a bath, because when i got up, the temperature in the bathroom wasn't bad, but I diddled around too long so it didn't happen. I'm not really dirty, except that my hair is all greasy. This has been a good elimination week - may not continue tonight - so that part of me is clean, too. If I had to go out and be with people, of course I'd have to be clean, but I don't, so it doesn't bother me.

So it's a very cold, dark, windy night in the field and I'll try for bed again.

January 12

I ended up diddling around far too long last night, but I finally decided to wear my nightie and I slept well. I got a spam call around 10;30 and while I went back to bed, I didn't really sleep very much more, so I've been tired all day and I didn't do much of anything.

There were a couple more changes to the bulletin, but after the last one, Pastor send me an "attaboy," which was nice of him. I had to use my shoe horn and when I was through, there was not one more line available in the whole document. Whew! There were a couple of things I might have taken out, but I really didn't want to do that. Solving little puzzles like that is something I've always liked to do.

The weather has calmed down considerably. The temperature maxed out at midnight, at 28º and it's been sliding down slowly ever since, to 15º now. It was rather breezy this morning, with north winds in the 20-30 mph range, but they've died down now. It was uniformly dull and gray - the usual winter skies around here. There were light snow showers all day, most of which didn't register at the weather station.

Grayson slept on my lap for over an hour this afternoon, and he was so comfy! I had my free hand on his chest and I scratched him a little, which didn't bother him at all. He wanted some of my dinner and I managed to give him a few pieces that didn't have any coating on them, which made him happy.

Ron came with a bunch of packages, and when I looked at my emails, it seems like I may have goofed big-time. Apparently, in with the globe lights, that came Friday, were two more sewing machine feet that I never saw. I hope I still have the bag. Amazon is sending a lot of stuff in bags rather than boxes these days - I guess they think a plastic bag is better than a cardboard box, but I'm doubtful, especially when they put two small things in with one big one. The globe lights came in a nice, big cardboard box, and I guess the feet are rattling around in the bottom of the bag. Grr.

I was thinking I might be able to take a bath tonight, since it's tolerably warm in the bathroom, but I'm too tired. So I'll just be dirty and greasy. it's another very cold, dark night in the field.

January 11

I actually wasn't too late last night - 1;30, maybe. it always takes me some time go get from one end of the house to the other, particularly when I'm going to bed. I have to get the cart into the kitchen and fill my water jug and frequently stop in the powder room. Then there's taking off or putting on clothes. Sleeping in my sweats makes it faster, but I have to take off my compression hose and put on my bed socks if I'm wearing them. Then I have to do my teeth. Almost everything I do takes at least three times longer than it did thirty years ago anyway.

I slept well, and I didn't get up until 11:30 or so, but I'm tired again now. I didn't do much. The information for the bulletin came in around 8 PM and I decided to do it right away, so that's done. There were only a couple of small changes. So that's over for another week.

The weather has calmed down considerably. It was weird to hear how quiet it was, The high temperature was only 18º. The wind switched around to the southwest and it was quite strong this morning - 15-30 mph - but it died down to under 10 mph this afternoon. It was bright-cloudy and I don't think there was any snow. It's given the heating system time to recover a bit, although it's still just 60º in the office. I don't know how it is at the north end now, but when I left the bedroom, it was around 65º in there. Still a bit cool to take a bath, but much, much better than it was. If it's still that warm tonight, I think I can wear my nightie. I think I sleep better in it. There are too many bunches of fabric, especially around my neck, when I wear my fleece jackets.

Grayson still thinks it's too cold. He has been sleeping on the rug beside my bed, except when i go into the bathroom, when he sleeps on the bath rug. He complains about it. He did like his breakfast, though. I think the Chewy box that got lost finally showed up. They said I could just keep it or give it away, but I think I should pay for it, so I'll be calling them tomorrow.

I returned the call I got from the doctor's office, but they didn't call me back. It sounded like it was a madhouse around there today, but that's frequently the way it is in the wintertime. I think it probably had something to do with the med I have to have renewed, when I haven't seen the new health care provider yet. We'll see if they call tomorrow. If they don't I'll call them again. That is one pill I need, regardless of who prescribes it.

So that was another very quiet, useless day and now it's a very cold, cloudy, very quiet night in the field.

January 10

Oh, is it cold around here! With that high north wind and low temperature, it was even colder in the north end than it was in the office. I didn't look at the thermometers - I didn't want to know. I slept in my sweats and fleece and I'll be doing that tonight, too. The only trouble is when I have to get up to pee, which I have to do more often when I'm cold and I've been drinking tea. Something happened on my way north last night that I don't remember, but it meant that I was late getting to bed. I didn't invert and it was only the middle of the night, but the third time I woke up this morning, I decided to get up, so I didn't get as much sleep as I would like.

I didn't dawdle, so I got two meals today for a change, but there wasn't any time to do anything but my surfing. I'll try for a reasonable bedtime again tonight and see how that goes.

The temperature in the north end has to be in the low to middle 50s, just from the way my face feels when I'm there. Finally, after running the space heater for 10 hours, the temperature in here is up to 60º Odd how warm that feels.

The temperature outside only got to 7º. The wind is from the north and this morning it was as strong as 35 mph with 52 mph gusts. That put the wind chill down around -20 for most of the day. It's finally calming down so it's "warming" up, but it's still frigid. It snowed all day, too, but lightly enough that the weather station didn't see it. I did - or didn't, because i couldn't see down the harbor at all. The good news is that it's supposed to warm up into the upper 20s for the next couple of days. Maybe I can take off a layer and sleep in my nightie. Right now, I have a sweatshirt, a polar fleece jacket zipped up and my heavy fleece jacket on. I have a hard time bending over enough to clean my bottom.

Grayson isn't happy either, although he was happy with his canned food. He does not like the cold. I keep telling him, he's lucky he isn't outside. He got to sleep on my lap for quite a while this afternoon and that warmed both of us up. After he got off me, I guess he sent to sleep on the pile of old flannel nighties that is outside the door to the office. Having a fur coat is a real asset in this weather. Fur is a good insulator, so he only has to curl up to keep his bottom side and feet warm. Oh, and his nose. He often sleeps with his paw over his nose.

So it was a mostly useless day and now it's a dark, frigid, snowy night, but the wind is beginning to drop.

January 9

Well, I inverted again. I just lost track of time. I will NOT do that tonight, because I didn't get enough sleep and I need more.

So I was late and all I did was fill the pill dispensers. I discovered that my thyroid med had gotten screwed up. I have some very old pills in the same size, so I dispensed those, but I think I've heard that Synthroid is one med that doesn't hold up for long periods of time. I should get it by next week, but I only have enough of the new pills for five days, so I'll be using the old stuff for a few days. We'll see what it does - if I can feel it - but I figured using the old ones was better than not taking it at all. I guess that's the third thing, so maybe everything is more or less under control again. I hope so.

The weather is wild. It's frigid and extremely windy, and I think there has been a little snow, but not a lot. The high temperature was 15º. The wind is from the north and it got as high as 36 mph and 51 mph gusts, although not at the same time. Needless to say, it's extremely noisy up at the north end, and it's extremely cold in the whole house. Even my bedroom is only about 60º. I'm going to wear my sweats to bed tonight.

Grayson doesn't like it, either, and because I was doing things, he didn't get a chance to sleep on my lap today. He slept on the desk beside the monitor for a while. I don't know where he goes, but if I was a wise cat like he is, I'd hang out in the laundry room, maybe on some of my clothes. It's the warmest room in the house.

The space heater here and the heat lamps in the bathroom have only done a little good. I've been drinking a lot of tea. Since I was so late, I just had a little toast and cheese, and when I finally got my good dinner - with all that nice warm food and tea - I finally got warmed up a bit. At least my fingers aren't frozen. I've been having trouble with my lower back since it got so cold. If I stand up too long, it goes into spasms. It's the muscles between my hips, so it's very low, and I think it has something to do with the arthritis in my hips. My hands and knees are really bad, too. It's a shame - I hate hot weather, but these days my body can't stand the cold, either. What I need is a steady temperature of about 65º and low humidity, and I don't believe there is a place like that on earth. So I endure.

At least I can still walk around, albeit slowly, and do some things when I have to. After getting all the bags outside, I'm back to the mode I was in last summer, where I'm trying to keep the trash in the trash baskets. I had a system that worked until the baskets got full and it all went to pot. I'm trying to go back to that. The kitchen counters need cleaning, too, but until it warms up enough that my back gets better, I won't be able to do that.

So now it's a dark, frigid, windy night in the field and I'm going to bed. Really. It's much warmer in bed.

January 8

Well, it was one of those days, but after two when I actually did something, I don't feel so bad about it. I was quite late getting to bed - another time when I was just too tired to move - but once I got to bed, I slept...and slept...and slept. Like, almost 12 hours, although I was up twice. Then I played a few games before I got dressed, so it was late when I got to the kitchen.

I was bound I was going to have a good dinner, but that meant I had to make rice, so I had a couple of pieces of toast with cheese and some tea, but then I wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat my nice dinner until around midnight. It was good. I think not having any Schwan's to eat for a couple of weeks was actually a good thing. Everything tastes better.

Tomorrow I get to have some more fish, this one of my favorites. Well - that depends upon when I get up and what I eat. I got some breakfast sausage at the market, but it's not links. I could make pork sausage creole, which I haven't had in ages and ages, but I'll have to think about that. I haven't eaten much of those things for a few years because they have pasta in them, and that doesn't help my gut, but I have some whole wheat pasta now that has more fiber. Hmm... Maybe I'll just have bacon with my pancakes. Hmm...

The weather was sort of nondescript, but warmer. The high temperature was 29º (at midnight), and there was a strong southwest wind for most of the day, with gusts as high as 36 mph early this morning. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory, for lake effect snow, but so far it seems like that is all happening east of Marquette. I don't doubt we'll get ours, too, but not yet.

Grayson didn't do anything remarkable. He did sit on me twice, and the first time, I started scratching his throat, which is another one of his happy spots, and you should have seen the look on his face - pure bliss. One can learn a lot about enjoying life from a cat. Not that i like my throat scratched, but I sure could use somebody to scratch my back sometimes.

So it was a very truncated day, but filled with good food, and now I have to wait until the Dvorak Cello Concerto is over...

It's a cold, dark night in the field and the snow is coming, I guess.

January 7

Oh, so I inverted again. I was just too tired to move, I guess. Then I had some trouble sleeping and had some odd dreams, so after the first time I got up, I couldn't go back to sleep, which means I only got about 6 hours' sleep. Not nearly enough, and now I have a fatigue headache. Sigh.

One reason I'm so tired is that I did a few things today, too. In fact, I went out, got the mail and stopped at the store before I ate breakfast. Really weird, but my body acts different than it used to. I was glad I got out. There was some sunshine for a while, and with the road in such good condition, it looks like a real winter wonderland around here - so pretty!

I got Ron in here anyway, to get the bags and boxes out of the kitchen and hallway. Now there is nothing on the floor in the kitchen and I have a straight shot to the powder room again. There is a box in the hallway because the rest of my Chewy order came, but that's not a bad problem.

The light bulbs for the fixtures in the bathroom came today, too, and I got him to change them out. He had a terrible time getting the socket out of the fixture of the one bulb that was left - it quit a week or so ago, which is why I got the new ones. Well, those bulbs had been there for at least 20 years, and I suspect they were cheap ones, so the two different metals had almost bonded together. That happens with different metals, you know. Anyway, he managed to get the thing out of the socket and I now have two LED lights in my powder room - my first LEDs! They are nice and bright, but a little bluer than I would like. I guess I could have gotten some warm white ones, but they would have been more expensive. I also could have used bigger ones. These are those globe lights like they use in some vanity fixtures, and I guess they come in two sizes. These are OK, and the price was right. I didn't know anything about globe lights, because we always had fluorescents in our bathrooms. So now I have working lights again. I got four of them, so since LEDs last a long time, I expect these will outlive me. I have mostly canister indoor floods in here, and the underlying plan is that as they burn out, I will replace them with LEDs. I do have a few CFLs and a few incandescents to use, though, so it's a long-term plan. I would love to replace all of them right now, but I must have at least five dozen in the whole house, and I can't afford to throw away lights that work fine. I hate CFLs so much it's tempting to pitch them all, but still...

The other thing that came was Grayson's favorite kibble, so I immediately filled his bowl and he ate some, even though he still had some canned food in the dish. That's a relief. I won't do it right away, but the next time I need kibble, I think I will put it on subscription. He'll eat the other varieties, but he really likes this one kind. He doesn't need it - it's weight control - but I don't know about the other flavors.

The weather has calmed down completely, at least for a few hours. The high temperature was 20º and the wind was under 10 mph and from all over the map. It cleared up around noon, I think, and while there were clouds, the sun is so low in the south that there was a whole lot of sunshine, which was really nice. The harbor has ice on it again.

Grayson was happy to see Ron and talked to him. He loves people. He also slept on my lap for a while, and I've discovered his happy spot. He has a habit of rubbing his left ear when he wants to be petted, so I started rubbing a spot at the base of his ear, and he was in kitty heaven. The only thing is, he will do that when he's lying on the rug in the bathroom, facing me, and I don't put my hand down to him when he's facing me, because I always get scratched. We'll work it out somehow. He is so happy about having good stuff to eat1 He was walking around shouting for a while this evening, and I don't know what that was all about, but if it's important, I'll find out.

So now it's late on a very cold, nearly calm night in the field and I really need to go to bed - now!

January 6 - The Epiphany of Our Lord

Well. I can do it, if I put my mind to it. I got my hair washed and was in bed around 12:30. I had a little trouble falling asleep, which seems to be normal unless I'm so overtired I can't keep my eyes open, but once I did, I did good. I was awake around 8:30, I think, but I didn't feel good, so I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until around 11. I didn't knit or play (much) so I think I ate around 1 PM.

The package came, and somehow Ron managed to get it to the house. There is at least a foot of snow in the driveway and the usual drift in front of the garage door. He will have to plow; the guys who are doing it now don't do driveways, I guess, and the one who did is downstate with a sick truck. So I'm snowed in. Maybe he can get it on Saturday or Sunday. The only thing is, i don't have any JD left and I am out of lettuce, too. I have to call the store and ask them if they will take my credit card number over the phone so Ron can pick it up on his way home.

He didn't get here until around 4 PM, and in the meantime, I had put a real dent in the trash, and after I put away the frozen stuff, I continued and now instead of trash, I have lots of bags. As usual, there are more recyclables than there is real trash. It all has to be taken out to the garage, as well as the last boxes, but maybe if I put everything out in the breezeway, I can get Ron to move that, too. I hate to put upon him like that, but there are things I can't do anymore and he's one of my only sources of help.

I had a terrible time deciding what to eat first, but I had a much nicer dinner than I usually do on Thursday, and tomorrow, I can have my salmon again. I've missed it, but it's probably a good thing that I took a few weeks off. Eating the same thing all the time bores me these days. When I was working, I cooked on weekends and ate the same thing all week and I don't want to do that again. I sort of did with the turkey and it got old.

The weather was just about like yesterday, just not as windy and the snow wasn't as heavy. The high temperature was 19º, but we didn't get there until after 5 PM. The wind has wavered between east and northeast, in the 15-30 mph range. It was dark and dreary, except for one little ray of sunshine for about five minutes early in the afternoon. My guess is that most of the snow now is lake effect.

I think Grayson was a bit frustrated. He did get to sit on me while I was dong my surfing, but then I started rustling around. Believe me, he watched while I put all the canned cat food away, but his favorite kibble wasn't there. When I came back in here, he got up on the cart and shouted at me, I don't know why. He'll get his kibble as soon as I do. Oh, and I put all those cans away and didn't give him any more.

I was sorry I couldn't go to church tonight for the concert. I'm not sure the choir sang, but both of our organists played and there was congregational singing, too. However, even if I felt comfortable driving at night - which I don't - I can't get out of my driveway.

So that was a surprisingly productive day for a change. Maybe tomorrow I can get all the bags out into the breezeway, at least, and maybe some of them into the garage. Now it's a very cold, windy, snowy night in the field and I need to go to bed.

January 5

So I inverted. When I got up to the north end, it was fairly comfortable, so I just sat. i guess I was too tired to get up. I slept, of course, but after the second wakeup, I had a bit of a problem getting back to sleep. I was so late getting up that I didn't do anything at all.

I had gotten a phone call from Schwan's about 9 AM telling me that my package is on its way. How they would think I didn't know that, I don't know. Curiously, they haven't charged my bank account yet. When I was rooting around looking at things, I just discovered that the package weighs 44 lb! How Ron is going to handle that, I don't know. At least once, they put it in two boxes, but it doesn't look like they did that this time. Like your average 80-year-old can lift 40 lb!

The storm has been a good one, but a curious one. The wind has been from the east to northeast, which is sort of weird. Usually our storms come in from the west. The winds got as high as 32 mph with 47 mph gusts. It's riled up the lake, which is howling even louder than the wind. The temperature was nearly steady at about 19º, which has put the wind chill down around 0º. Of course it was dark and dreary, but I didn't pay much attention to the outdoors and it was dark before I got to the kitchen, so I couldn't check the driveway. It's supposed to be very cold and snowy for the next two or three days.

Grayson was back on my lap again. it's cold in the house, of course, and I'm warm.

So it was a truncated day and I hope to get to bed earlier tonight. I left the heat lamp on in the bathroom and if it's warm enough, I may finally get my hair washed. We'll see.

Now it's a very cold, windy, snowy night in the field.

January 4

Well, it's late. I've been late all day. I wasn't late last night; I think it was about 1 AM when I got to bed, but I didn't sleep at all well. I was having problems with my temperature and I hurt. I got a phone call right about 8 AM, and then I went back to sleep fairly well, until around 11 AM. The plan was to wash my hair, but the bathroom never warmed up enough, so I just sat and knitted and played until it became clear that I wasn't going to do anything further there.

That phone call was just the beginning of several I had today. This one was from FedEx, because a driver had reported that my address is a seasonal house and there was nobody here. Huh? I assured him that I was indeed living here and he said he would send someone back. At the time, I didn't understand exactly what had happened. That came later.

When I finally got to the office, I took a deep breath and called Schwan's. This time, I selected a different option from the menu and got a very nice woman who was very helpful and who could find her way around their computer system enough to see what was going on. Evidently, my order never left their warehouse, and there was no indication of why it was held up. She tried something herself and then she had to escalate it to a supervisor, who may not have found out what was going on but was able to free up the package. A short while later, an email appeared that said the package was on its way and when I checked the tracking, it should arrive on Thursday. And yes, there is a tracking number now. I laid on her my problems last Thursday and my displeasure that the original arrival date was two weeks after the order. I also answered their survey, and when I looked for the tracking, there was a place there for feedback, and I zinged that, too. I'll be keeping very close track of where my package is.

Then, just on a whim, I looked at the emails I'd gotten from Chewy yesterday and I discovered that was screwed up, too. When I looked at the tracking for one of the two packages (the one with the kibble in it, of course) it said "you've moved. Call this number." Oh, shit. So that was why the guy called me this morning! So I called the number and got another very nice person and explained what had apparently happened. The package that got here today is the other one (they split the order into two pieces for some reason). So they are going to send it again for nothing.

Sheesh. I didn't look at the packages that came today, and I guess I should have, but I'll do that tomorrow. I'm wondering if there will be a third thing. The only thing that made it at all tolerable was the very nice CSRs I dealt with today. I have to believe that the one last Thursday was just filling in, because I've never had anyone from Schwan's who was that unhelpful and unpleasant.

So that took up the part of the day when everybody is working. I ate breakfast so late that I wasn't at all hungry until after 10 PM and then I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat. So I just finished and I'm going to be very late today.

The weather started out dull and dreary but nearly calm and warm. The high temperature was 31º, but it started snowing after 9 PM and pretty soon the wind had picked up to 33 mph gusts from the southeast. I'm not sure I believe that; southeast should be just about out the south windows, but I haven't heard anything. I am sort of sheltered on that side, though, by my neighbor and a lot of trees on their property.

Grayson found it too warm to sit on me, but just about the time I was going to get something to eat, he came in and sat on the cart and shouted at me. Now what? When I got to the kitchen, I heard something and when I followed it - remember, I don't hear very well - I discovered that somehow the alarm beside my bed had gotten turned on and since I never set it after the last power failure, it was set to go off at midnight. It is a very loud alarm. He only makes that noise when something is wrong - it's about the same as he made when the dehumidifiers were on in the house last year, but not as loud - and he doesn't do it very often. He doesn't mind the radio very much, although I think he prefers talking to music, but he clearly doesn't like loud noises. Well, neither do I. It's why, when I set the alarm, I always turn it to the radio.

So that was a rather interesting day and now it's a not too cold, dark, snowy night and I'm going to be very late, because Murray Perahia is playing Bach - two of my favorite people.

January 3

So I inverted. I read and played and I completely lost track of time. Maybe tonight I can do better. Don't turn on the laptop and leave the phone alone.

I did do something, though. The information for the bulletin came in around midnight last night and I wanted Pastor to know I appreciated it. I guess maybe all the scrambling last week sent him a message. So I did the bulletin - it was easy, after all the special ones for the past two weeks. Now that's out of the way. I hope it continues. He has to understand that if i don't get the information until 2 AM on Wednesday, I may have other things planned for the day - like sleeping or going to town - and I may have a hard time getting it done in time for Sue to print, because she has things she does, too. Last week it was compounded by the guy she gives the ones for St. John's to not being in his office on Friday. Well, it's a new year. Time for a reset.

The first time I was up, there was sunshine and blue skies - very nice to see, but by the time I got up for good, it had clouded over and the rest of the day was dull and dreary. However, it warmed up! The high temperature was 26º, It didn't do a lot for the temperature inside, though, because when it got that warm, the wind picked up from the north with gusts up to 32 mph. It has calmed down now, though, but it's cooling off. However, we have a Winter Storm Watch going for Tuesday night and Wednesday, and it's only a matter of time before it turns into a "warning." They say there could be as much as 8" of new snow. I don't pay too much attention to those predictions, though. It could be 4" or 16" and we won't know until it happens. All i know is that it's going to snow, probably quite a bit.

Grayson has been sitting on me a lot again, and he has also been sitting beside the monitor looking at me with beetled brow. It's cold around here. He doesn't like that and he doesn't understand why I don't do something about it.

So at least I accomplished something today, if not much. Now it's a cold, dark night in the field, but not as cold as it has been and it's not snowing yet.

January 2

I don't remember exactly when I got to bed last night, but I think it was probably around 1 AM. I started reading once I got up to the north end. I slept much better than I have for the past few nights, and I think it was around 11 AM when I got up.

I knitted the gusset on the light sock, so now I can start the feet on all three socks, and then I played a bunch of Solitaire, so I didn't do anything much. I just remembered that today is the day I do my backup - at 7 PM. I must have been playing Bookworm when the message came, because I never got it. So I'm doing that now. Sigh.

The weather was very cold and snowy again. The high temperature was only 17º again, and the wind started out from the north, switched around to the southwest and is now from the west, in the 10-20 mph range. It was dark and dreary again. I don't remember exactly when it happened, but sometime in the past week, the harbor started to freeze and there is ice over most of it now. I think it's about the normal time.

Grayson got his very favorite canned food today - I finally got some - and he gobbled it down much faster than usual. He also hung around while I was out there, hoping for more, but he had enough. His favorite kibble should be coming this week, which will also make him happy. He spent most of the day on my lap. IT's cold around here. So he would come, sit on me, with his little feet up against me or under my jacket, until he warmed up, then he would go away until he got cold again and come back. I'm the warmest thing around here right now. He kept my left hand warm, too, but i had to put on my glove on my right hand so that I could use the mouse. He wanted some of my dinner, too, but he didn't get any, so he went away disgusted.

So that was my very quiet, useless day, and now as soon as the backup finishes, I'll be off to the north end. I'm tempted to sleep in my sweats, but actually, the flannel nightie and my covers keeps me warm. I think I'll wear my bed socks, though. And when I have a night sweat, having it cool helps me cool off.

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

January 1 - New Year's Day

I was just looking at what i wrote at the end of 2020 - "Oh, thank God it's over!" Well, it wasn't, so I can repeat it this year and hope and pray 2022 is a better year.

I think I got to bed right about midnight, and there weren't any fireworks, or at least I didn't hear any. I didn't sleep very well again. This time, I kept waking up all hot. I'm afraid I have my winter virus again. I don't believe it could be COVID - I haven't been anywhere I could have picked it up. This is the thing I have gotten every winter for the last 40 years. We'll see how it goes. I get night sweats and I don't feel good, and sometimes I run a temperature and have other symptoms. So I will hibernate.

I got up at a sort of reasonable time this morning and I did the gusset on the dark sock. Now I have to do the same on the light sock and then I can do the feet. Socks go fairly quickly on #2 needles. I think I knitted for about an hour and a half.

I had a nice breakfast - pancakes and bacon. My sausage had gone bad again. Next time I will have to freeze it, since I don't seem to use it before it goes bad. The bacon was a bit old, too, but it tasted pretty good anyway and I finally got the mix to water ratio right for the pancakes.

I had a cat on my lap for a good part of the afternoon, but he had gone away when I think I actually went to sleep for a few minutes. I should have had enough sleep, so that's part of the reason I suspect I have my virus. I do not feel good.

The weather was about the same but colder. The high temperature was only 18º and the wind was out of the north in the 15-25 mph range. I think it snowed for most of the day, but not enough to register at the weather station. It was dark and dreary.

Grayson wanted to sit on me and he actually slept on my lap for quite a while after breakfast. I think it's mostly because it's cold in the house and I'm the warmest thing he can find. I had a weird dinner, because I found an old mini-pizza in the freezer and I ate that with the rest of last night's rice. I didn't eat the last piece of crust, and the next thing I knew, he had picked it off the plate and was crunching it down on the floor. I don't think that's good for him, but it's probably something he discovered when he was a stray and he likes it. I'm not sure about tomatoes, but I know onions aren't good for him, so I hope he didn't get many of those.

I have still had the feeling today is Sunday, so I will have to keep reminding myself tomorrow. Holidays are nice, but they sure do screw up the weeks. Now we're good until MLK day.

I had some ideas of things to do today, but like I said, I was sleepy, so tomorrow. And I won't be up too much longer tonight. It's a very cold, dark night in the field.

And it's 2022. Happy New Year, everybody!

Last updated 01/19/22 10:26 PM