Bear with me...

THE RIDE...

Still learning trial and error method.

Indoor Playtime

It is way too cold for me to take a buggy ride. Temperatures went below 32° last night and will again tonight! Come on!!!!

So.... I play with my ArtRage Lite application some more. It sure does make my day go faster! I think I have the stencils under control. Now I'll try to make some of my own and add them to the file on the application. Being self-taught is a challenge and I sure do like trying to use this.

Here are a few of my results. I don't care if you like them or not, but I have a ton of fun experimenting. Oh! And the bright and crazy colors are fun! They make me feel happy. 

First three of the empty stencils that I found on the internet many years ago (2014) and saved them. 

Some of the fun (for me) results:

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Busy Day

My daughter took me to my dentist appointment for my bi-annual cleaning.

From there we made a stop at Rite-Aid for my calcium supplement and body lotion. I asked the lady in pharmacy if the 2nd Moderna boosters were available. Yes they were, so I filled out the paper work and had it done.

Then we went to the local hometown market and only she went in. I was wearing out with all of the activity! It's not easy for her either, as she has the need for a hip replacement. We are the two-cane ladies. At least she can drive!  Some cheese and half and half were my only current needs and we returned home. She removed her foods she had stored in my freezer and took them back. Her other cold and frozen foods were lost during the power outage and she had a really hard cleanup but got it finished. The car ride in and out really showed me all the damage with trees and limbs down in just the 5 mile area we traveled. No wonder we lost power for so long.

I called the golf car place to be sure my buggy was functioning properly on the uphill and downhill sections of the dirt road because it was different from the old 2013. He said, yes I would have to use the brake more but the battery consumption will be much less. OK with me! It still is not warm enough to go for long rides and I sure am looking forward to some. 

Daughter has the tomato seeds planted and they are starting off in her neighbor's sun dome. YAY! This image is from August last year.

That's it for today. 

First Buggy Ride

It is a gorgeous day here! Temp up to around 60° so I got brave and tried out my new buggy. It steers easier, but rolls freely downhill and I don't know if it should, because I have to touch the brake. The older one didn't do that. The older one went only when I stepped on the pedal and held itself back, even downhill. Anyway, I rode around the lake and saw that there was a large amount of tree damage in resident's yards, some large and messy. I did stop out front to shoot my blooming daffodils. This is short, as I have to fix lunch now but just wanted to share my joy of a nice day.

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!

To view larger tap on image

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.”