Best Of

Yesterday we broke the record for high temperatures- it was 86! Today it was 85, but no records broken. The temps are dropping into the 60’s on Tuesday and staying in the low 70’s for about the next 10 days. Yesterday and today were 12-15 degrees higher than normal.

Mind you, I’m watching the NY house like a hawk. Checking cameras it seems like hourly. Double checking on the temperature in the house, just to confirm it’s warm enough inside and all power is on. NY house has about 16” of snow right now and it’s still snowing. Many stores closed early today and many doctor offices sent texts/email today that they’re closed tomorrow. All the schools in the area are closed tomorrow too.

On Saturday I installed the second weatherstrip on the inside of the garage door. It was hot inside the garage, but not actually a hard job. Sitting on the garage floor and working left to right - set it with a clamp, pulled the tape strip to stick it to the door; then use my drill to put in a self tapping screw - the tape really doesn’t hold it there, it assists the screws. Haha!

I ran to Lowe’s and bought plumbers tape to fix the master shower and found a nice pair of garden gloves in clearance. A win win, We took off the shower head, retape the pipe and screwed the head back on. Tested it and it was fixed.

Today was a normal Sunday - bed stripped, laundry going. I showed my SO dr son the sliced off skin on my shin and he suggested I take the bandaid off and cover it with gauze instead. I don’t know if I told you all - a snow brush w extension and an ice scraper on the other end fell off the hooks in the garage and sliced a piece of skin off my shin. So gross, I just slapped the flap back on and went in to SO requesting a bandaid.
Why… you’re wondering why I have a snow brush in 86 degree FL weather? Traveling down we always keep it in the trunk of the car. Once here we take it out. I’ll be bandaged up for some time, it’s about the size of a half dollar.

Sandy - I hope you enjoyed your birthday despite the rain.

I apologize for not taking notes. I read a lot a day ago and fell asleep before posting. If you’re in the storms path, be safe and stay warm.

DD sent me a picture of her backyard in Freeport, ME. Beautiful to look at but I'm happy here. She does have a generator but tries to do as much as possible before a storm comes in. When I talked to her last she was doing laundry, vacuuming etc. Pre-generator, she had charged her phone using her car charger when needed. She spent five days without power over Christmas a few years ago and the generator became a huge priority.

My great niece was married in Miami yesterday. The bride and groom were living in Boston, her uncle and family in Syracuse, and many family and guests were coming from Charlotte. The groom was expecting family from both France and Peru. Everyone got there but my sister was worried about when they would get back to Charlotte.

The other ICE is also in Maine. Somalis moved to Lewiston, an old mill town established by French Catholics as they came down the Androscoggen River. From what I've read, it was a successful integration until recently. So sad. Debbie lives about 1/2 way between Lewiston and Portland, the other hot spot. You may also remember hearing about Lewiston when they had a mass shooting at a bowling alley and the shooter was hard to track.

Justforher - I was really glad I had my port. I don't remember getting it was a problem at all. Holding you close! I also decided I wouldn't do "would have, should have, could have" about my BC. It just was - no family history either.

Stay safe and warm everyone.

There are two good things in life - freedom of thought and freedom of action.

W. Somerset Maugham

carole, I would say talk to your PCP first about going to PT for sciatica treatment. If that doesn't provide relief, then see pain management for a consultation. Fingers crossed, it will resolve with PT. You need professional help with this because it can become a long standing issue, so I would advise DH not to self-treat.

We are being bombarded with snow at present as promised and it has been steady for the past few hours. The direction, shape of the snow (small vs large flakes) and velocity keep changing though. This is to persist into tomorrow and they keep changing the depth we will receive. In March 1993, during the storm of the century, we received over 39 inches of snow. We had to exit the garage to create a path from it to the back door. We could not open the storm door on the back door and we needed to create a path so the puppy we got in February could go out to be potty trained. So we had this huge trail in the backyard for her to walk in. Both she, and the next dog we got, were potty trained within 7 weeks after joining us.

Misty is driving me crazy because she wants to sit in the bay window to track the many birds our feeder has attracted. So far she has knocked a major branch off my one large jade plant, broke the flowering branch off my one orchid and then upset another orchid plant spewing bark all over the floor. I will have to repot that plant since some of the bark is small and irretrievable. The birds are mostly starlings with some juncos and sparrows thrown in. I haven't seen any cardinals yet nor blue jays. DH will have to refill the feeder because this seed helps keep them alive during these conditions. They need more food to keep warm since their metabolism increases during these low temps. It is currently 15 degrees with a feels like probably zero.

DD and DSIL supposedly went home to get their pets and return here, but then had a change of heart. Their house is electric heat, so if the power goes out, they have no alternative. We have oil heat, but also have a whole house generator that uses propane. So we will not lose power if the electric goes out and can support heat, and electricity for several days if we are careful. The garage refrigerator and freezer will keep food cold with no loss as we experienced in the past. Biggest concern is if we get an ice storm which will wipe out cable and electric to the area. Access to cellphone towers can also be handicapped if we get trees down, poor road conditions and for those totally dependent on them, it is an issue to maintain communication. We still have a house phone, knock on wood, it will continue to work. Otherwise, DH will get on his HAM radio (like your DH intolight) and get a message out if need be.

I checked the weather for this week and we will have sun, but no temps above 20 degrees for the entire week. Some days we will be lucky if it gets above 10 degrees. Chris, I do understand it is colder where you are, but this is unusual for our area and that's why I never moved north of this area. As a kid, we loved these days because we had no school and when I worked, this was a reason for the college to close, but now as a retired person, I am not as enthralled, even though I do not have to leave my house unless I so desire. DSIL just texted they will be back to help clear the driveway since DH has a bad cold and is feeling bad. I'm concerned about the roads in their area as well as here being passable. We have not need to leave the house at present, no appointments this week and the only concern is if we get an ice storm which will make us virtual prisoners.

I must push to get this laptop replaced because I am tired of keys failing to work as I type, which means I have to do a lot of proofing and editing of any emails. The key failure is not consistent either. some days it is certain keys and the next they are different.

It is a very gray day, so I think I'll clean the drawers in the guest room and in DD's old room and see what needs to be stored elsewhere and what is being donated. Funny how a clear out for one project means a re-evaluation of what will be returned to the room once the work has been done. Great opportunity to redecorate with only the necessities. So chaos can lead to beauty or at least that's my mantra for now, living with 2 stripped rooms and another that looks like a zone of doom. I might see my cleaned drapes by March at this rate, lol.

If you are in an area impacted by the storm, please stay safe and warm. Now it is sleeting! Small pellets, but still sleet. I'd rather have the snow. Hope everyone can have a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.

@justforher I understand your fear but it will be alright. I have had mine for three years now and it has worked well. I prefer techs use my port instead of my arm even though they can usually find a vein. I don't feel it as I go about my usual daily routine at all. Once they access it (a needle prick) you won't feel whatever they need to do. They will prescribe you lidocaine to put on the spot before you go in and most of the time you won't even feel the needle, so use it. I will be thinking about you and praying for you tomorrow.

I'm freaking out today. Port tomorrow. I hope it is put properly!