Two Busy Days - Saturday

 Saturday and today were busy.  I just sort of blew off Sunday (I got up late and had to real "get up and go").

Saturday was outside stuff and not much went well (some did).

I started by soaking the ground around the birdfeeder pole, using a 5 gallon bucket with a small hole drilled in the bottom so that the water would drip slowly but deeply.  And then did it again.  When I installed it, I had the thought that a base of 10" black iron pipes in a square would keep the feeder pole upright forever.  Not quite, as it turned out.  It tilted any way.  Frost-heave, I suppose.

The idea was to get the soil muddy at the base so I could wiggle it level again and then use stakes and rope to hold it level while the soil dried.  It is said that "everyone has a brilliant idea that will not work".  This did not work.

When I wiggled the post, it seemed to move slightly.  But then the pole broke!  The feeder fell to the ground and also broke.  The seeds spilled everywhere.  Really, both the top and the base separated from the seed box part.  I laid on my back (the weather was decent and I was warm), watched clouds passing overhead and asked to myself "why me"?  Why now?  I had other things to do...

I shouldn't have been surprised at the collapse and breakege.  I built it 25 years ago and have made a few half-assed repairs on it since then.  Not to say "sour grapes", but I was planning to build a new one anyway.  Now I just have a more immediate reason to do so.

The bird feeder is back up, temporarily.  I pounded a 6' metal rebar stake into the ground 2' and used some zip-ties to attach the birdfeeder pole to it.  Then I applying a heavy layer of outdoor wood glue to the base and fit the seed box onto it.  Scooped up all the seeds I could and added them in.  The top was actually undamaged so that fit back on.

Then I used rope around 2 trees to triangulate pressure on the new support stake to get the birdfeeder pole level again.  It should last the Winter.  By then, I will have built a new one.  Same design, I like it.

The barrel and flat disc defeats the squirrels completely.  The board across the center bothers the blackbirds and starling somewhat (because they are large and don't fit under well) and the overhanging top keeps the seeds in the tray dry.  And it is made of cedar, which discourages bird mites.

And that was just the start of the day!  The weather forecast is for a snowy Winter.  So I decided it was time to bring the snow-blower into the garage.  I pulled it out of the toolshed.  I pulled the starter rope a few times and nothing happened, but it also has an electric starter.  

So I dragged out my heavy-duty outdoor extension cords.  I could find the snowblower plug.  Fell free to laugh, but I had pulled out the roto-tiller, which has no electric starter!  I sure had to laugh at myself about that one.So I got out the actual snowblower.  Plugged it in.  It started right up.  

Which matters, because it is heavy and is nearly impossible to move unpowered.  I had to make space in the garage (which seems to get more clutterred every year).  But there is a usual space for it.  I just had to move the stuff that was there to "elsewhere".

Got the Holiday lights (blue) lit again.  They stayed up last year.  Partly, I was lazy, and partly my neighbor (who helped me so much when I fell off the extension ladder almost 3 years ago) screams at me if I so much get on a 6' stepladder.  But I plugged them in an outdoor outlet, and set the timer.  They come on right at dark.  

I also had a female (the ones with berries  -  some people don't know that) holly tree with some drooping branches and I pruned them.  One big branch is hanging on the front door.  I put 2 smaller ones per side of the mailbox post.  I tend to try to look natural.  

Speaking of holiday decorations, I have seen people driving around with wreathes on the front of their cars.  I used to laugh, but I found a white one with pinecones at Walmart at a decent price and decided to do it.  I like it!

And that wasn't the end of the day.  The street end of my driveway is "barely" lower than the street and lawn.  Rain collects there.  I use a small grub-hoe to scoop a path into the lawn for drainage.  I really have to set in a perforated pipe there for better drainage.  But Sunday was not that day.

I ended Sunday with 3 loads of washer/drier loads.  Then made dinner.  After that, it was just TV and cats on my lap til bedtime.  And two joined me there all night.

A Little Of This, A Little of That

I didn't realize I hadn't posted for so long.  I've been on the computer about "enough" stuff that I kind of forgot about my own ME blog.

Computer problems continue to drive me crazy.  I can't seem to solve them.  I'll try to stay brief, to spare you...

The computer restarts randomly because of (from the error message) incompatible software or hardware.  Wow, that pretty much covers all possibilities.  I've unplugged all non-essential hardware.  I've looked at all the software, trying to figure out exactly what is incompatible.  Maybe turning off nearly all software and bringing them back one at a time will help.

I've scanned the HD for problems.  2/3 is available, so nothing there to fix.  I've used Kaspersky and Bitdefender to search for malware.  Nothing seems wrong.  I increased my RAM from 8GB to 16 GB; didn't help.

Macs can stay in sleep mode without problems, but I restarted it several times and even shut it down a few.  That didn't solve anything.  I even shut down the router overnight and restated it.  No help there.  The problem pre-dates my current O/S (and nothing mentions frequent restarts as a bug in any recent O/S).  The 2018 Mac isn't old enough to be a problem.

ARGGGG!

I can't get the newer printer to print.  It there in the printer list, just "idle and paused?  I've tried it cabled and wireless, and followed the manual instructions in "baby steps".  I've even gone a a Mac Help Forum.  No  luck.

On other stuff...

I ordered a clear acrylic dining tabletop cover in November for "3 week delivery".  And since I was doing that, I ordered covers for my 2 computer tables for easier cleaning.  The computable table covers arrived in perfect condition.  The dining table one had a big chip on one edge.  When I sent the sender pictures, they promised to ship a replacement in 5 business days.  That was January 17.  Time to bother them again.

They don't want the damaged one back, so I am using it in the meantime.  I haven't even peeled off the protective masking.  It does work functionally, but a bright blue tabletop is a bit funny-looking.  When the new one arrives, I'll use that.  Interestingly, I do make things from plastic sometimes.  When I'm positive they can't demand the damaged one back, I'll use it for a few projects.

Not everything is bad.  I ordered flower seedlings.  A native-plant seller of good reputation offers various plant mixes.  One was 38 plants for $149 dollars (free shipping).  You can order 2 kinds (16 of each) or up to 6 different kinds (7-7-6-6-6-6).  Since most are perrenials or self-sowers, I went for the 6 different kinds.  I matched them by water/sunlight needs and spread them by bloom time, so it should give blooms May-Nov.  Most of those are meadow flowers with a couple of ornamental grasses.

I also ordered 3 seed mixes (each covers 500 square feet) for about $22 per bag.  One is deer-resistant (for the front yard - the deer can't get into the backyard), one is for shady areas, and one is for pollinators (some specifically for native solitary bees).  

Plus, I have saved seeds and existing transplantable meadowlike and pollinator-friendly plants.  I'll move those.  That will free up some space for "merely" ornamental flowers.

I'm sure glad I bought a snowblower 5-6 years ago.  Self-propelled, forward/reverse, and electric-starting.  It was most important with the 12" snowfall, but even with 4" it sure makes things easier!  My house faces north, so while the cross-the-street neighbors' snow melts in a day or 2, mine turns to ice if not removed quickly.  And my driveway slopes downhill to a drainage ditch.  I had to pay a guy $50 to shovel my driveway once (18") so I think the snow-blower has paid for itself now.

I'm replacing the refrigerators.  Yes, plural.  I have a really old one in the basement for bulk veggie and seed storage.  It is SO bad, I have to chip ice off the top of the refrigerator section and the freezer section won't go below 10 F (S/B 0 F).  And I bet it is costing a lot just to operate.

The current fridge isn't great at temperature uniformity, but it is sure better than the basement fridge and more energy-efficient.  I looked up newer/better ones at Consumer Reports.  There is a bottom freezer  LG model rated at the top I think I'll buy.  The temperature uniformity, reliability, and owner-satisfaction are all at the top, the price is about the same as lower-rated ones, and it has a top "energy-star" rating.

It has an external ice-maker.  I'm not sure I like that.  They tend to fail.  I make ice cubes manually just fine.  But if it works, "hurray".  Mostly though, you can't find a good refrigerator without one, LOL!

I'll have to clean the basement before I order the new refrigerator though.  It is too cluttered for movers to get around in.   No matter what I want to do, I have to do something else first!  To explain, I have say that my electric co-op will come and take away the oldest refrigerator and credit me $50.  Who doesn't want $50?

But I have to clear a space for the new fridge guys to put the older kitchen one in the regular space and the oldest one "somewhere".  That "somewhere" has stuff in the spot.  So I need to move that stuff.  I'm running out of places to put "stuff".  Which leads to REALLY cleaning the basement before I can buy a new fridge.  It's ALWAYS something...

Back to sad stuff...

Lori went into heat Wednesday night.  It's Monday night and that makes it 5 days.  She HAS to stop tomorrow, right?  Lori hasn't been as bad as Ayla was, but a sudden "calling session" in the middle of the night is hard to sleep through.  I sleep badly enough as it is.  Daytime isn't too bad and she doesn't keep it up for more than an hour.

Unlike Ayla did.  OMC!  She was a yeller.  For those of you who read this but are unfamiliar with "Alya In Heat", she had 2 botched spays by the breeder's vet, went into heat every 3 weeks for 7 days at a time, climbed me desperately with sharp claws, for maybe a year before my regular vet got her fixed.  

Ayla drove me crazy day and night, screaming.  The first circle of Hell is probably filled with Siamese cats in heat...  It was a terrible year.  I still have the calendar marked with Xs for her days in heat.  It seems mostly Xs.  She was seriously messed up.  

Lori isn't "that bad".  She has a quieter voice.  And it will certainly be her-our last experience.  I am a little annoyed at the vets though.  They said they didn't like to operate on a cat in heat so they wanted her to go through it first.  Timing the operation for "in-between", they said.  OK.  But they aren't here listening to the calls.

I am sad that Lori can't get the relief she wants so desperately.  Marley and Laz are neutered and *I* sure can't do anything about.  There should be a chill-pill...

That is sure more than enough for now...

Post-Snow Post

Well, I sure am glad I have my snowblower!  After the 2010 storms, I finally bought one.  Buying one in the Spring, though, I had time to do some research and get a good price.  Granted, they were "last year's models".  But they don't change much.  Really, what can they do other than make the blades that throw the snow heated so snow doesn't stick?  And I expect that will be a while.

I read in an article that one can expect any future event to be 25% "more" than what one has experienced before.  So when it came to the abilty to handle deep snow, I took my deepest snow and added 25% to that depth.

Good thing I did, because this Toro 24' wide and 20" tall input was barely enough!!!  And in a couple of drifts in the driveway, I had to tilt it up slightly and make 2 passes.  And THAT was while the snow was still falling Saturday after lunch!

But it worked perfectly.  The snow was dry and powdery and went "up, up, up, and away"!  The swirling wind made me keep rotating the output chute right and left (and I DID get snow back at me a few times).  Five passes up and down the driveway had it nearly cleared.  

Sunday morning, I went out and blew off the 9" of snow that had fallen overnight (6") and the 3" that drifted in with the wind.  Each time took only 20 minutes!

And removing the snow before it started to freeze on the bottom really helped.  The snowblower gets down to about 1/4".  The sunlight gets through that little snow and hits the black asphalt which warms enough to melt the remaining snow above it.  The next day, it was all clear, like this...

If I had to shovel the snow by hand, it would have been 2 three hour efforts; maybe 3 efforts.

Aside from that, we are all doing fine here.  The cats have a small area to step outside on the deck.  It took a while to shovel 4' though the 3' snowdrift (and throwing the shoveled snow 4' over the side of the deck was some work.  But I know to pace myself and take rest breaks.  I extended the path out toward the end of the deck a few feet every few hours on Monday, and completed it Tuesday.

You may have noticed a box from Chewy in the top picture.  Naturally, we were running out of canned cat food just as the storm hit.  But a Saturday online order arrived here this afternoon while there were still 2 cans left.  Good timing. 

Well, I WOULD have just driven to the local PetSmart for some if needed.  The roads are clear "enough".  But it was nice to have 5 cases of food delivered to the garage door!

Snowblowwer Snow That Wouldn't Melt

Well, I intend to write mostly about something else tonight, but I just stumbled across something on the Public Broadcasting System at dinner I really liked.  A show called "Classic Rewind" plays famous classical music set to film (like Disney's Fantasia" was classical music set to animation).  And apparently, it is a regular show but also available as an 8 DVD set of 135 pieces of music.  I plan to get it.  So I just wanted to mention that first.

OK, onward...  Before it gets too late, I wanted to mention a seeming violation of the laws of physics.  Seriously, ice melts in your drink too fast, right?  Well, I had the opposite problem.  I couldn't get snow to melt!

I happened after I FINALLY got to use my 3 year old snowblower for the first time March 5th (See?  This is already 10 days old).  But the point is that I used it, it worked pretty well, and I was done clearing the driveway and sidewalk.  But there was a slight problem.  Toward the end as the snowblower warmed up I suppose) the input area got packed with snow (so it was heavier than the snow on the ground) and the output chute got clogged with slush.  I had cleared it once, but when I was done, I didn't think about it much except to recognize that the snow in the snowblower would melt in the garage, so I placed an old towel under it to wick away the melting packed snow and let it evaporate.  Good plan.

Except the snow packed in the snowblower refused to melt!  The garage was at 40F degrees, so it should have melted.  Three days later, no apparent melt!  It was FIVE DAYS above freezing in the garage before the snow finally started to melt.  It was only 2 days ago that it finally all melted.

I wish I had taken pictures, but I had no reason to think it would be interesting at first, and after a few days I was just fixated on my annoyance that the snow in the blower wouldn't melt!

You can imagine it though.  Sort of like the "snowman who wouyldn't die"!

More Snow

I was caught off-guard Sunday to hear we were getting more snow the next day.  I really thought we were done with that here, and I hadn't paid attention to the forecast.  Then Sunday night, I saw that we were dead center in the storm-track and could expect to get 6-10"!

And sure enough, Monday morning it was snowing.  Not hard but steadily.  Worse, it had started as freezing rain, so we had a nice later of ice down first.  YUCK!

Well, at least it meant I would get a chance to use the snowblower.  You may recall that after the previous 8" snowstorm (which ended in the morning) I awoke to find that someone had snow-blowed my driveway for me.  I thought I knew who had.  I sure appreciated the neighborly gesture, but I was disappointed to not get to use mine for the first time after having it sit around for 3 years.  At least I did start it up and widen the driveway clearing by one pass on each side (and mostly hoping that the helpful neighbor would notice that I had a snowblower).

But while it was still snowing in the early afternoon Monday, I heard the likely good neighbor snowblowing his driveway, then a neighbor's, then another neighbor's, so I watched carefully.  Seriously, I wanted to use mine, but I was going to wait at least until it stopped snowing!

As soon as he came to the foot of my driveway, I ran down to the garage, pulled my snowblower to the garage door and opened it.  When he looked up, I smiled broadly and pointed to MY machine with a big "Ta-Da" gesture.  He laughed and came up to the garage and we talked for a while.  He admired my snowblower (and it is a good one - I did some careful research before choosing it). 

I thanked him very much for doing my driveway previously, of course.  He completely understood I was anxious to use my own for the first time.  We talked for a while.  Which was good, because I don't talk to my neighbors all that often.  It's not that I'm unfriendly, its more that I spend most of my time outside in the fenced backyard.  And I'm not good at standing around out by the street just "hanging out".  I'm more the "you need help, just knock on the door" kind of neighbor. 

It turns out he does things like snowblow neighbors' driveways because he's bored all the time.  As he said "I watch TV, fall asleep, wake up, watch TV, fall asleep".  Which may explain why he has so many "toys".  He has 2 cars, a boat, an ATV, a jet-ski, and probably other mechanical stuff I haven't seen.  In the Winter, he's trapped inside! 

While we were talking, another helpful neighbor came by (with a snow plow blade on an ATV) and decided I needed the snow at the end of the driveway shoved to the sides before I could say anything.  What had been light powdery snow became a 2' high block of ice...  We both waved at him so he came up and we all talked more for a while.

Well, they were both wearing heavy Winter coats and I was out there in my shirtsleeves, so eventually I had to admit I was freezing AND needed to get back to my lunch (if the cats hadn't already eaten it).  They both laughed and went along their helpful way.  It was nice to talk to them both though.

Later, just before dark, the snow stopped so I went out and used my snowblower for the first real time.  Wow, those things are great!  I have to admit that it was actually fun.  It really threw the snow well off onto the lawn, and with powered wheels, going back up the sloped driveway was a breeze.  6 passes and I was done.  But it is SO COLD that even in my garage, the snow packed around the augers in the front hasn't melted yet.

But funny story:  The snow surface all around my driveway is now MUDDY!  You see, my asphalt driveway is 27 years old and I've never been one to re-coat the driveway every few years (if things are functional, I don't bother with them much).  So grass as grown up through it in places.  I didn't realize that the growing grass was creating humps of soil on the top.  Things that happen very gradually escape notice.  So when I went along the driveway with the snowblower, it cheerfully scraped the humps of grassy soil right along with the snow.

For right now, I would be glad not to have enough more snow to need the snowblower again this season!

Snow Removal

A neighbor removed the snow from my driveway while I was still in bed Thursday, and I'm annoyed!  I think I know who did it, and he did my next-door neighbor's too.  He is across the street and he's the only person nearby I've seen using a snowblower (and this obviously wasn't shoveled).

Why am I annoyed?  Well, I don't mind a kind neighborly deed.  I wasn't feeling my property rights were violated.  It was even nice to have a nice clean driveway even though I wasn't planning to drive anywhere.  I didn't even hear him doing it.  Well, I might have heard and ignored the snowblower noise, assuming it was his own driveway.  I tend to ignore extraneous neighbor noises.

But I have my own snowblower.  I bought it in Spring 2011 after the three 12"+ storms of the previous Winter.  And I hadn't gotten a chance to use it yet.  We just didn't get any snow until Thursday worth using it.  It sat clutterring up my garage for 2 years until I finally moved it to the toolshed last Spring.

Wednesday, the forecast was for 4-8" of snow, so I wrestled the snowblower around to the garage, gassed it up, made sure it started, and waited with some anticipation of finally using it.  I watched the snow fall and accumulate Wednesday night.  So when I got up the next day and saw the cleared driveway, I was a bit taken aback!  We had gotten about 6" of snow.

Then it snowed more after lunch, then rained most of the midafternoon before changing to freezing rain.  Then, in early evening, it changed back to snow.  By the time I went to bed Thursday night, we had another 4" of snow.  Hurray!  Enough to snowblow!!!

I got up early today to make sure my neighbor hadn't cleared my driveway again.  I got dressed quickly and went out to use my own snowblower.  It started right up, and I had a blast using it.  It worked pretty well.  With all the rain and freezing rain that had fallen on the lunchtime snow and more snow in the evening hours, it was heavy wet snow!  Nearly slush!

Toward the end, the slushy snow froze in the discharge chute a couple of times and I had to clear the chute with a plastic plunger that came with the snowblower.  And at the street where a plow had pushed up a wall of slush 2' tall, the wheels slipped a bit.

When I later shoveled a path clear on the deck (for both myself and the cats), I found it nearly impossible to lift a whole shovelful of the stuff up and over the deck rails.  I think this was about the heaviest snow (by weight) I have ever encountered!  No wonder the snowblower struggled a bit on the driveway.

But it did handle the heavy snow well enough to assure me that regular snow will never be a problem for it.

Next time I talk to my neighbor, I'll ask if he cleared the driveway the first time.  If so, I will thank him very much for the kind act.  But I'll also tell him the story of waiting 3 years to use my own and we'll have a good laugh.  He's a genial person.

My snowblower is a good one.  I did a lot of research before I bought it.  It's a Troy-Bilt Storm 2620.  The number seems to mean 26" width and 20" high intake.  It it gas-powered (there are electrics), has powered wheels (because my driveway slopes up toward the house and there's no way I'm going to push a heavy non-powered piece of equipment up a slippery slope), separate controls for the blades and the wheels.  It even has a headlight.  But best of all, it has electric starting!  Not a battery, you plug a cord into an outlet, press a button, and then disconnect it.  I'm not 25 anymore; I appreciate all the powered help I can get, LOL!

I admire well-designed and user-friendly equipment...

So while I don't exactly hope for more snowstorms, it is sure nice to have something that will clear my 60' driveway in just 20 minutes.  If I had had to shovel that heavy snow manually, it would have taken a couple hours and I would have had to stop for a few minutes many many times and been utterly exhausted by the end.

You Always Have To Do Something Else First!

I had to drive to the landfill today because the snowblower was in the toolshed.

That actually makes sense.  Allow me to explain...

I have a narrow but deep yard.  The toolshed is in the back about 200' from the garage and the snowblower is kept in there most of the year.  While we have had a couple of light snowfalls here this Winter, they weren't worth the effort of pushing the snowblower all the way around the yard and into the garage, so I just shoveled.  But we are forecast to get between 4-8" of heavy wet snow and freezing rain tonite and tomorrow, so I wanted the snowblower available.

But the only spot in the garage large enough for the snowblower was occupied by tubs of used cat litter and big honking recycling bin (bigger than any trashcan I've even owned).  The only place I could move the recycle bin to was where the golf clubs, a snow shovel, and a hand truck were stored.  The only place I could move the golf clubs and handtruck to was where there were bags of dry but uncompostable trash.

So, I filled the SUV with tubs of kitty litter and bags of trash (and accumulated junk stashed out under the deck) and drove to the landfill and returned home.  Where the trash bags had been, I moved the golf clubs and handtruck.  Where the golf clubs and handtruck had been, I moved the big honking recycling bin.  Where the tubs of used kitty litter and the recycling bin had been, I moved the snowblower.

And that's why I had to go to the landfill in order to move the snowblower into the garage.  LOL!

Snow

Well, we are getting our 1st meaningful snowfall in the Washington DC area since 2011 (or maybe 2010 - winters get confusing because they cross over the New Year).  Anyway, after that seriously bad winter a few years ago when we had several snow storms over a foot deep, I bought a snowblower.  I haven't had an excuse to use it since, so last Spring I moved it into the storage shed in the back yard. 

I was caught by surprise by this snow.  I had stayed up all night Sunday so I only got up after dark Monday evening.  I live alone, I'm retired, and I've never done well with a 24 hour day.  So eventually it shifts around the dial so much that every couple of weeks I just stay up all night and all day to get back on schedule.

So I only found out about the snow forecast at 9 pm yesterday.  I sure didn't feel like going out to the storage shed in the cold and dark and getting the snowblower running to bring it to the garage.  And snow forecasts are often wildly wrong around here.  We are in a transition zone between Caribbean Highs and Canadian Lows.  A 6" snow forecast is just as likely to be 1" or 12" but seldom what is forecast.  Washington DC and all the local schools were shut down in December for what resulted in 2" of snow and then a 1/4" of freezing rain (but the roads stayed clear).  I saw a Weather Channel report once that said Washington DC was one of the trickiest places to forecast snowfall.  Its a combination of Jet Stream variability, the Appalachian Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay.  Baltimore to the north is snow country, Richmond to the south is rain country, and we are right in the middle!

I decided to wait til this afternoon to see how much snow we were really getting.  If I needed the snowblower, at least it would be daylight!  By 3 pm, we had about 3" of snow, and (unusual for this area) it was dry and powdery.  If it gets worse (not likely as it is supposed to stop about now), I can still drag out the snowblower.  But for 4" of dry powdery snow (we DO usually get heavy wet snow), I'm not going to bother.  Two neighbors who I know keep their snowblowers in their garages simply shoveled their driveways just before dark.

I think I will just use a shovel tomorrow.  But I also think that as soon as the weather improves a bit over the weekend, I will make sure the snowblower is working and move it into the garage for the rest of the winter...