4 January 2010 Throw another log on the fire and man the heat pump

Woke this morning to the alarm for the first time since Thursday. The temptation to hit the snooze bar was strong, so I did, twice, before finally rolling out and groping for my fleece-lined jeans. They are heavy, bulky, and feel great when sliding into them. The trek to the mailbox was much more pleasant than it would have been wearing much-washed, time-thinned standard jeans. Loki didn’t seem to be bothered by the temperature, 15°F after an overnight low of 13°F. I was happy to get back inside.


Gloria called a heating/cooling company this morning. They are supposed to be here tomorrow to check our heat pump and tell us how bad the system is. The current unit is at least ten years old.

I’ve got to go into the VA hospital tomorrow to try to convince a new primary care physician that there is something wrong with my shoulder. X-rays taken about 18 months ago showed no gross abnormality. That was then. Hopefully this new physician will be ready to do more than just renew medications.

Made the morning hike with Mike today. It was 16°F when I left the house and 17°F when I returned to the warmth of the house. During our two mile walk the wind averaged about 2 MPH with gusts reaching 6 MPH. Not too difficult to handle with the wind coming from behind but the force was more apparent walking into it. The return stretch was into the wind as well as uphill.

So far today, I’ve lugged in three loads of wood, taken out one load of ash, and poked up the fire more times than I can recall. The routine is made more necessary by the wind and the snow that began falling seriously about 1030. Today’s snow is fairly dry, falls in flurries that contain large flakes. The predicted flurries with little to no accumulation that I was happy to believe in last night have been replaced by a prediction for snow tonight and tomorrow. We’ve received about half an inch so far with predictions for 1-4 inches. I’m hoping for the lower amount.

The road out to the highway is likely to be treacherous tomorrow morning so an alternate route out is likely in order. There’s a narrow uphill stretch with a sharp bend to the left and a steep drop on the right, as one comes toward the house. I think I’d like to avoid it and another similar bit of road if there’s any accumulation at all tomorrow. Could be an interesting trip in tomorrow morning. Or the roads could be salted, scraped, and mostly clear. The latter option is the one I’m hoping for. Still, I’ll get up about an hour earlier and try to leave about 90 minutes before I need to be there. Even if the roads are clear there will still be the parking lot dance to liven up the day.

The turkeys walked in about 1040 and began contesting for favored feeding spots. We’ve managed to lure them up to the steps to the back deck, and one bird decided on its own to check out the pool deck this afternoon. Just a moment ago I looked up to see one fly from the base of the steps to down by the creek. The flock has become familiar with our property and they may come to tolerate our presence on the deck if we can link it to food and do it slowly.

I’ve moved another day’s wood up onto the deck for easier access. I’ll haul another two loads in before dark and check the well filters. We’ve been letting water run at a low rate since the temps have remained below freezing. I don’t see that changing for a week or so if the forecasts are correct. Both of us have to remind each other not to turn off the kitchen faucet.

It will be interesting to watch the political commentary leading up to the State of the Union Address. The GOP has already signaled that they have no intentions of allowing any sort of reality or reason to intrude upon their pledge to discredit Obama’s presidency. I find it hard to understand how anyone could wish to destroy a presidency. There’s a nation and its populace involved in that process and we have enough enemies, foreign and domestic without our own elected officials creating havoc and trying to disrupt the workings of the nation because their party was removed from power by the voters. It is time for such idiocy to stop. I need to write some letters to that effect and send them by mail to selected politician and to selected newspapers. Although I’m certain the exercise will be a waste of time, paper, ink, and stamps, I might manage to say something, most likely by accident, that causes someone else to begin to think rationally and to question the GOP’s idiocy. That’s worth the effort,