Good Earth Day Here!

We're back in business. The daffodils are blooming in the flowerbeds! Power came back 5pm Friday. Yard guy came to pick up yard debris and clean limb off of roof. Delivery of my new ride. Created a fun picture on computer.

Here are photos of the limb on the roof before he removed it and all other debris around the property. Photos courtesy of JK.

I was contemplating about calling the golf car facility to return my 2013 model from winter storage. Then I got looking at the new ones listed on the site. Oh! I then called and negotiated a deal and now have a new 2022 buggy in the carport. I have to get my flip phone (3G no service now) replaced and will take a ride. In the meantime I snatched photos from the site and created an imaginary scene. Now remember this picture below is only my photomanipulation!

This is the real thing!

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Waiting...

painted trees down all around

Still no power here. My yard guy will check the propane tank later this afternoon to ensure that the level is reasonably sufficient to continue running due to the generator usage 24 hours a day until regular power is restored. There are some areas in the county that are with it but most are without. It is really hard on those who have no heat, water, lights and more. Right now at 10am it is about 45° and a very dull day. The sun is hiding and some snow has melted,

but not all.

I did some research and here is an excerpt from the Generac site. My generator is serviced EVERY year and that is a good thing!

"If your Generac uses liquid propane stored in a tank, running times are not indefinite but still considerable. Most standard tanks contain anywhere from 250 to 1,000 gallons. Typical home-use will burn through around 2 to 3 gallons of propane an hour. So a 1,000-gallon tank will see you through around two weeks of outages. 

Maintenance: The best way to fight depreciation is to use a lubricant to reduce friction between all of the generator’s moving parts. Generac recommends replacing the oil in your machinery at least every fifty hours of cumulative usage. That translates to once every couple of days of continuous use."   

Well I can't do that! And my tank is 330 gallon size. Oh!

I'm expecting a special delivery tomorrow or Saturday. Some excitement is in the works.

I like a cap with a deep crown and large brim - need to go shopping soon. It will be necessary.

Awkward Times

For some it must be very difficult to be without power and all communication devices. My neighbor next door counts on me giving him notice when power is restored as he uses a rollaway generator for his power and has just gone to town to fill his gasoline cans. I always know when power is restored as my Generac quits when that happens. Another neighbor also likes be contacted for the same reason. It was a big expense for us back in July of 2015. There wasn't only the cost of the generator, there was a competent electrician necessary, a propane gas line extended to the equipment and a solid stone and treated wood structure for its stable placement. It really was one of the best investments we have made for living twelve months every year here as we aged. We really didn't realize how wonderful and secure we would feel when it automatically took over. I really think this is the longest in one stretch it has run and we are not out of the woods yet!

We once had a good running rollaway generator. The procedure was kind of tricky to get it to go to work. The Mister had to bring it out of storage, and get it started manually. Then, I had to turn off the house power switch in the main box and then he could plug it into the special outlet on the carport pole and flip the lever to have it take over. Gas cans had to be full and ready to replenish the supply tank when it got low. When power came back on, the procedure was reversed. It was as a pain but better than not having it at the time. 

I'm expecting my daughter to arrive soon with freezer foods and phone. They have nothing at all at home to preserve and charge - at this time. 

There are frisky winds here and the sun is out. Everyone is sure looking for the return of normalcy in the area.

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Weather in NE PA

Let’s Start Over!

Tuesday April 19, 2022

9:00am

Sometime early in the night, I felt a strong vibration for just an instant that woke me. I thought that perhaps a tree came down up on the hillside behind the cabin; then no more sounds or vibrations. Later on, around 1:30am I heard the generator come on and there was a blinking light on the dresser clock. When I got up this morning, earlier than usual at 5:30am, the generator was still running and is, as I write this at 9am. Oops! A limb or something just came down on the metal roof and made quite a racket but I peeked out the door and saw nothing. The fresh cold air felt good! 

My yard guy might have thought he was finished with the Spring cleanup but Mother Nature says, “Nope! Not yet!”  There are small sticks and twigs everywhere. Not a car has gone by and that is a good thing. The snow looks like it is wet and mushy. The plow truck had better not come through! It will only make a muddy mucky slippery snowy mess! Well…it did!  Yikes.

It’s peaceful here. No TV, internet, telephone, traffic, and I might just get to work on more file clean-outs! 

By the way… My neighbor has a branch down and James is not happy at all out there!

Around noon my yard guy came to check on me as I have no means of communication. Yes, he did a check around and saw a medium limb down and lying on the back roof over the end bedroom. That must have been what made the noise earlier. After lunch I took my usual nap and at 3:00pm there is still no power. The generator is going strong, however. No mail, no trash pickup. 

6:00pm the cable, telephone and internet are all back BUT the power is not! Thank goodness for that generator.

I created a wild painting on the computer. It didn’t need the internet to run the application but it did need electricity.  Finished a book I was reading as well.

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I wonder WHY the power hasn’t returned—WHY? I don’t know but the news just said we may be out for three or four more days. 

Waiting for Real Spring

In the meantime I kept busy today - INDOORS! I awoke this morning to see that almost all of the dozen of daffodils I had cut as buds are open. In fact, later on they were ALL open and making me smile!

I went to work nipping the anthers out of the Easter lily as the pollen is affecting my nose! There are a total of five buds on this lovely gift and only two are open so far, so they have had their 'surgery.'

The next thing I did was shake the soil off of the amaryllis bulb. Unfortunately I found it to be soft and I think it is a goner. I'm drying it out more in front of the heater and will save it anyway.

The three hyacinth bulbs have now had the soil shaken off and are further drying in one of my special blue tubs on top of dry potting soil. Perhaps these will be ok - they are hard and the tops still need to dry more. 

So back to cleaning out a file or two. See YA!

Spring?

Here I sit watching snowflakes come down on Easter Sunday! I looked outdoors and my daffodils are not yet in bloom. I may cut a few buds and bring them indoors before they are covered as the forecast for snow is up to FOUR inches tomorrow!

It is 32° as I write this at 11 AM. 

Last evening my friendly neighbor brought over a blooming gift after he had finished the yard work. That was a nice surprise! I wonder how soon I can put it in the ground. My mother always did a couple of days after bringing them home from church.

There are five buds and another has opened this morning.

Yesterday my neighbor shared her pictures of loons. I knew of them  being here as I've watched them dip and dive and return further down the lake. I mentioned them to a neighboring lake resident who has also seen them at his lake and has heard them too. I have never heard them, only seen them. The neighbor who shared the pictures heard them this morning! I researched them several years ago and learned a few things.

“Loons return to northern forested lakes and rivers in the springtime, usually in April or early May.

Loons nest in quiet, protected, hidden spots of lakeshore, typically in the lee of islands or in a sheltered back bay. Loons can't walk well on land, so nests are built close to a bank, often with a steep drop off that allows the bird to approach the nest from underwater.

Loons are swimming and diving birds. They have very distinctive bodies: long and low-slung with spear-like beaks and blood-red eyes. In addition to their unusual bodies, they have an eerie, haunting call that some consider a characteristic sound of early summer.”

Friends

Today there were TWO MEN here helping me with miscellaneous jobs. One patched an old hole in a bathroom bottom log that was formerly used for a drain hose of an old dehumidifier. At least the log wasn't rotten! He then figured out why the bottom drawer of the newer (but still quite old) dehumidifier wasn't cooperating with me when I attempted to put it back in after emptying it into the toilet every day last summer. Let's hope that it will function better for this year and I won't have to invest in a new one yet.

The other man is my "yard guy" a very dutiful and thorough fellow who sprayed for carpenter ants a couple of weeks ago. Today he raked, wheelbarrowed debris away, cleaned gutters, blew leaves out of places they didn't belong, fixed the ramp to the shed and then moved the snowblower into it to rest beside the lawn tractor. Soon he'll take the tractor for a ride just to make sure it still functions, even though he uses his own. THEN...the summer mowing and weed-whacking will begin. The porch chairs still need to be power-washed and the swing will be uncovered as soon as the 'squiggleys' have fallen from the trees. They are actually tree catkins and are a nuisance. In early spring it's the turn of the willows, populars, maple and oaks to open up their catkins.

How lucky am I? I have a long story that a friend sent me from SC about the need for having friends. There sure is! I'm keeping that story as I continue to clean out my files. It hit me really hard. 

Why?

WHY did I start this purging project? I really think I was trying to save parts of my life with so many good friends and family members. I was also feeling in control of what is thrown out, what is recycled and what is still saved!  Oh yes, so far I'm a failure with decisions regarding cards and correspondence of family and special friends. I guess I am a special kind of hoarder. I must move to a different project. Perhaps the other file cabinet won't reveal memories and it will be much easier. I know there is stuff there that not only can but WILL go!

I can compare this with having a handful of jelly beans - all colors - and saving the red ones 'til last. Do you do that? 

I did manage to get James' winter scarf off and dried and I also put on his spring scarf of forsythia. The image below is last year's as my golf car isn't back yet to go out on the road to get a picture of him. 

My Visitor..

Yesterday as I went out on the front porch to see if any of the daffodils had bloomed, a strange looking butterfly was in the area flying and landing from spot to spot. I didn't go back in and get the camera so the photo you see here came from the internet after I identified it. 

I haven't seen one of these before to my recollection. It is called a "Mourning Cloak" representing the cloak worn by people who mourn the loss of a loved one. This type of butterfly is a symbol of "mourning" the death of a loved one. Well, that fits...doesn't it?

The "Saver"

When we moved from the big house into the cabin in 1997 I threw a lot of things away. Some of them I now feel that I should have kept. Today I started purging my greeting card box. The cards in there all came from friends, some very special, and also from family members. I only worked on the "friends" section this morning. So many memories of friends exist in that box! Boy is it a difficult thing to do!  BUT I'm not throwing much into trash, I have already contacted a local young artist who will accept and recycle them. She creates cards as I have done in the past but quite different and beautiful. I gave her my scraps several years ago. I made many and sold them all during the years 2013-2015. I created over 250 handmade cards (not counting Christmas) from my photographs of flowers and birds and other interesting scenes. 

It was a pleasant process this morning for me, knowing that they won't go to waste at all! One of them was sent to me with a sweet note. It was one of my own creations and she bought many! That was a surprise that I had forgotten about. I scanned all to keep memories of my project so will now show you the one that came back to me with her hand-written message inside.

It's time to empty some files, but not easy for me. I'm a compulsive organizer, though my eldest daughter tells me I'm too sentimental. I just am, who I am.

The family section of saved greeting cards will be a bit more difficult for me to sort, but I WILL. I think my inclination is to probably keep all of the thank you cards and notes. They mean a lot and more people should send them IMOP. After this project I really must get into the file cabinet and see what HAS to go. That is going to stress my brain, I'm sure! You might think this should have been a winter project. Well it is a project of "renewal" - SPRING AHEAD!  (Spring cleaning, too.)

Bright and Beautiful

After another rain event early last evening I saw this sign of hope!

Cleaning Galore

Today is the day the dusting is being done on all of the upper beams! My grandson and his "Significant Other" are at it again! They not only dust, they clean the living room top beams that hold my 'treasures' and the tops of the kitchen cupboards with other 'treasures'. She washes and dries items as he travels up and down his extension ladder replacing things to their former positions of display. I used to help but it is now too difficult as I don't move like the former me.  Their cleaning project carries on to other areas and also entails getting behind the very old dressers in each bedroom and taking care of all dust bunnies, cobwebs, etc. that have accumulated during the past year. The bare floors are swept and swiffered!

AND... the picture below is when he said, "Grandma, did you have a bird in here?" There was one pile of (definitely bird) droppings on the beam where he is looking! (No other was found!) Nope! I have no idea when this happened!!

Well that's it for today. I'm so tired out from watching all of this cleaning!

 

Curtains and windows will be done at a later time. One day soon the living room furniture will need to be pulled out and behind and under them examined and GI'd. 

THEN...the front porch will need to be set up again with seating and plants and I will be happy until next winter.

NEW NEW NEW — From me to me for my birthday. A Dark and Rusty Farmhouse Soup Bowl! Yeow! A  real beauty~  had spaghetti and meatballs in it last night for supper. 

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Spring Adjustments

If you know me you know when I get something into my head it gets attention and this is today....

For many months now I have been refilling two humidifiers daily. I was forced to eliminate the cost of replacement filters in the larger and older one and started anew with double the trouble, but saved a lot of $ on replacement filters. The old one had died January 2, 2022!

One was set up on a plastic crate on my bedroom floor close to the bed. The other was placed in the living room on a step-lamp table. The bottom section of this wooden table was already ruined by spills of water from the past as placement of the previous tank sometimes was tricky and the container was heavy! One and a half gallons! Last autumn, in preparation, I downsized to a variety of humidifier that was, 1. Smaller in capacity. 2. Easier to transport from the kitchen sink to its place in the living room. 3. No replacement filters ever needed. Every single day I have refilled each one; moved one on the rolling walker from the kitchen to the living room. Easy peasy. Carried the one back and forth from the kitchen to the bedroom. I cleaned both every Saturday morning. Today I really GI'd them both and will store in their original boxes after they are thoroughly dry. 

click on link below 

Previous Post about Humidifiers

Less is MORE!

If you read the previous post by clicking on the link above, I guess I'm going to toss the brand new replacement that has been sitting in its box as I can't find any 'takers' who want to order filters for it.

Next project:  After the predicted 'soaker' rain quits I'll remove and replace the winter scarf on James with his Forsythia one. Spring! Here I come!!!

And then..... I shall get help and a new dehumidifier will be installed.....SOON!

Very Annoying

Lately, every day there is at least one political shiny semi-hard paper in my mailbox. It measures 6" x 11" and is bright and colorful with one of the politicians pushing for a vote from me. Well I immediately tear these very annoying pieces of junk mail to shreds. What a terrible waste of paper, ink, and money including production and photography effort.  I'll bet I'm not alone.  The other thing that is annoying is that the mail carriers have to deliver this stuff. Bad! Bad!