Winter Windowsill Lettuce

Not the best lettuce I've ever grown, but "tis enough, twill serve...

Actually, it is a nice combo of romaine, head, leaf, mesclun, and cress.  And when I pick them by leaves, more grow!  It's nice to have stuff growing that costs $7 a pound...  And I can pick whichever I want each day.

MORE SNOW!

I'm getting pretty tired of the snow.  Hard to find complete data by storm (which seems odd) but we had about 18" here Dec 20th, 20" Feb 6th, 10" Feb 10th, and a total of about 55" total (some minor snowfalls along the way)...

55" of snow in Southern Maryland?  That just bizarre.  And there is more forecast for Mon 15th.  That's only the middle of Feb!  We have had bad snowstorms in March on occasion...

After the December snowstorm, I finally decided to buy a snow blower.  Right, all the local stores were sold out for the year and had no plans to restock.  I looked online, but the manufacturers wanted another $350 just to ship one!  I'll have to wait for next November, and believe me, I'll be there the day they arrive.

I've been lucky this year in that a neighbor teen is looking for money and willing to shovel my 65' driveway for about $10 per 6".  He is neither fast nor skilled (I could shovel it in half the time without over-exerting myself), but that is up to him.  I offered suggestions the first time, but he just wanted to do it his way.  He is willing to do the work, so I am grateful...

The official snowfall isn't the same as the amount to be shoveled from the driveway.  Especially this last snowfall.  We got an official 10", but the accumulated snow is 30" deep and my nice cleaned driveway was just a tub waiting to be filled by the blowing snow.  The new driveway depth was 18"!

I decided I had to shovel my own driveway at least once this year, so I got at it just as the snow was tapering off.  The neighbor has to do his own first, and the last time, it took him 2 days to finish mine.  I'm not ungrateful, but I needed to do some shopping (food, beer, printer ink, cat food, etc).  I had done about 1/4 on the driveway when my adult neighbor with his snowblower came up and started work.  YAY!  I had been SO jealous watching him do his driveway in 15 minutes in each of the snowstorms.  He just started right up the driveway.  I've only talked to him a couple times casually, so I didn't think I could ask to borrow it.

So he did the main part and I kept busy cleaning up the edges and leftovers.  He stopped and said he was sorry he hadn't offered to help before.  Sorry?  I was thrilled he was willing to help even once.  He didn't have to at all.  Most of this neighborhood is renters, so it isn't "close-knit and cooperative".  I've been here 26 years, and everybody just goes away after a couple years.  He moved here 2 years ago, and he says he plans to stick around for a decade.  That could work out well.  We both like to fish, I noticed he tried to grow a tomato last Summer, and he has mentioned that he hunts deer. He likes cats too (has 2 and mourned the loss of one the same week I lost Skeeter).

Anyway, more snow pictures:





.

Superbowl Game

I'll admit that football is not my favorite sport.  I'm more an individual player, so I prefer baseball, tennis, soccer, or golf.  And I prefer to play rather than watch.

But I do like the Superbowl ads (not many outstanding ones this year) and it seemed both teams were evenly matched, so I watched most of the game.  It WAS a good game and neither team has to feel too badly about it.  Both played well.  A little change of luck and the results could have been reversed.

I rooted for the Saints.  It was their first Superbowl appearance, and besides, I felt New Orleans needed a bit of happiness.  So "Hurray" for the New Orleans Saints.  Let the good times roll...

SNOW!!

Yikes!  I knew they were forecasting "substantial snow, but I didn't realize HOW much we were going to get until it started yesterday morning.  Fortunately, I was able to rush out and pick up some staples (beer, wine, fruit, veggies).  And I tried to find anyplace selling a snowblower.  HA-HA-HA!  They sold out in December and won't being restocking this season.

When the forecasters started to talk about "record snowfall" (I'm near Washington, DC) of possibly 30", I cringed!  The last thing I want to do is shovel over 2' of snow.  I injured my right hand a few days ago, and the idea of pushing a shovel and lifting heavy snow with it is daunting.  And my driveway is 65' long.  Plus the 4' high wall of frozen slush down at the end where the plows have pushed it...

I haven't gone out with a yardstick, but out in the level backyard, the 2'high flower cages are covered.  The driveway appears to have a 3' high mound covering 1/3 of it.  The deck is about the same.  Both are due to peculiar anomalies of wind patterns around the house and snow blowing off the roof.  

I may be in the house for the better part of a week.  Fortunately, I don't suffer from "cabin fever", and I have lots of cooked meals stored in the freezer.

And it is STILL snowing very hard!

The birds are doing OK.  I filled my 2 feeders as the snow started.  They are flocking around...

 

And the cats are sure loving watching them all!  Alya jumps up to the high bathroom windowsill where she has a great view (and through which I took most of these pictures).  Iza is not so lucky because she can't jump that high.

I have a bunch of cardinals.  I counted 10 males at one time, and there are many various female cardinals, juncos, nuthatches, sparrows, doves, titmouses, etc.  Black oil sunflower seed is very popular with many birds.

 

I also have a thistle feeder for the finches and some other smaller birds.  It's hard to get a picture of that today because the snow piled up against the deck door would fall inside.  But here are three little birds waiting their turn to perch and feed...

This snow is very wet, sticky, and heavy.  Various evergreen shrubs are crushed right to the ground!

 

That 2nd one was above the fence 2 days ago!  I had to cut away some broken branches after the December storm.  I expect to have to do more pruning after this one.  That's a shame; I had them well-shaped.

And you notice the 3 cages at the bottom of that 2nd pic?  Those are 2' tall.  They are covered now.

I like this pic of my compost tumbler.  It sits about 30" above ground and there appears to be 2' of snow sticking on top of it.  If the snow won't fall off a curved plastic top, it's STICKY!

 

Here are some more pics of the birds...  I think the middle 2 pics are good candidates for Holiday Cards next December!  But there might be better ones tomorrow when the sun is out and the birds are still collecting around the feeder.

 

I think I will mention something that I am very grateful for, that I did not really appreciate when I first moved here 24 years ago.  We have underground electrical lines!  Somewhere around 300-400 hundred thousand homes in the Washington DC region are with electrical power.  I almost never lose power (only when a switching station is struck by lightning) and it almost all comes back on within minutes.

And, being retired, I don't have to go anywhere for days.  From the sound of things, even by Monday, it is going to be very difficult to get around here.  Lots of people are going to have to get to work Monday.  I'm glad I'm not among them.

Oh, before I post this, I wanted to mention why this was such an evil snowstorm.  It started coming at us from the Northeast.  Then, as it passed over us, it looped around and hit us again from the southeast.  Finally, as the storm tracked east again, we got hit a 3rd time!  It did 3 loops with Maryland in the center each time!

Oh, BTW, do you know what happens the moment the camera "Card Full" message shows?   8 Male cardinals all sit close together in the same shrub!    LOL!

(Almost) Wordless

 

LC's little memorial.

They are both close together, as in life as in death...

The LC Burial Project

This is not truly a project, but a sad responsibility for me.  But it meant something to me to do the burial with effort and care and love.  I did not think it quite appropriate to place this on the Mark's Mews Blog, so it has to go here.

It was fortunate that the temperature went above freezing for over a week.  LC died on the 13th and the ground was too hard to dig.  But it was forecast to stay warmer for a whole, so I waited.  This morning, I was able to push a thin metal rod through the freeze zone.  And tomorrow it is expected to start freezing again.

So I went out this afternoon and brought my strongest digging implements:  the solid steel spade, the "Mutt" (think of a 6' chisel), and a post hole digger.  I was expecting to need my electric auger, but was spared that.

I dug the topsoil into one 5 gallon bucket.  The next foot was clay and gravel in another bucket.  Below that was pure sand.  This whole area used to be a silt plain.  I went through the same thing when I dug Skeeter's grave 13 months ago, but there I hit a lot of house construction debris.  At least in LC's spot, it was clean.

So I got the hole 3 feet deep.

It doesn't look it, but the camera shows no depth.  I measured it with a yardstick.  There were three 5-gallon buckets filled from a 1.5 sq ft hole

I laid dear LC out on the ground next to it...

 

 

When I was sure the hole was large enough, I set her in.  

 

That was very hard.  I placed a couple favorite toys, some of her only favorite kitty treat, and some fresh catnip on her.  Then the final part.  I covered her body with dirt.  

That was the hardest part, yet it must be done.  So final, yet so merely mechanical.  Dumping dirt from a bucket...  Why does truly saying "goodbye" mean covering someone with dirt?

Well,  I will build a small wooden marker to match Skeeter's, but for now I will use a paver stone to mark her special spot.

Farewell LC...  You were A Very Good cat, but you are over the Bridge now with Skeeter.  You have moved on and now I must do the same.  See you again someday...

And Now We Are Only 3 (1 Person and 2 Cats)

I am sad to say that an era has ended.  I have been dreading this day for months.  LC has joined Skeeter over the Bridge.  Skeeter joined me in 1992 and went over the Bridge Dec 2008, LC joined us in 1993 and left this afternoon.  Together, they were a major part of my life for 17 years.  I hardly know how to imagine their absence.  While LC was still here, so was Skeeter in a way.  Now she has gone too.

I give LC her thyroid med when I go to bed and when I get up in the morning.  Last night, I couldn't find her.  Well, that happens sometimes; there are lots of places in this house where kitties can hide when they want to and LC always knew when it was med time.  Ayla has some places I have NEVER discovered.  LC seldom hid, but she did a few times.


This morning, when she didn't come for breakfast, I went searching.  The past couple of months, I have often had to find her and bring her food to her.  I couldn't find her anywhere.  After 30 minutes of searching, with dread in my heart, I spied a tail.  She had burrowed into a corner of basement clutter.  When I shook her, she did not move.

I went upstairs and cried.  After a while, I went back downstairs to retrieve her body.  She was completely unmoving.  But when I pulled her out, she was warm.  She blinked one eye.  She was at the vet 5 minutes later, though essentially comatose.  The vet put her on fluids immediately and drew blood for tests.  He sent me home. 


An hour later, the vet called and said she had died.  He said she had roused a bit after the fluids but that at one of their every-10-minute checks, she was gone. 

Oh LC, I am so sorry that I wasn't there in your last minutes.  I wish I had just kept you home and held you until your brave spirit left your failing body so you could leave while in my arms as Skeeter did.  But I had to try to save you for a few more days...


I do not think she was at all aware of her surroundings.  The vet says she died from a kidney infection; her white blood cell count was very high.  He says she was not in any pain, just was feeling very very tired.


When I went to bring her home, the vet had tears in his eyes too.  The assistant who brought her to me was also crying.   She knows how I felt because she said she lost her 5 kitties in a house fire last week.  We cried together for a few minutes.  But I had to leave...


At home, I laid LC on the floor for Ayla and Iza to examine.  Iza sniffed her many times.  Ayla came over, but backed away and ran into the kitty condo cave.  She stayed in there an hour.  I think they understood that LC was no longer in her body.  It is important to me that they understand that she is dead rather than "missing".

 I went outside to dig a spot for LC next to Skeeter, but the ground is frozen hard.  I can't handle this today.  Tommorrow, I will try pouring hot water on the soil to thaw it.  For now, I need to build a small memorial box like Skeeter's.

They were beloved close companions (and mine) all their lives, their bodies will be close to each other afterwards.  It's all I can do at this point...

Please forgive my maundering and inelegant post.  I am grieving the loss of their presence and my memory of them.  I had so many happy years with both of them.  It is hard to accept that they are BOTH now gone.   17 years is a long time to share with cat-friends, and I am grateful for that time together.  They exist only in my heart and mind, treasured pictures, and their memorials.

Goodbye Skeeter and LC...

I think I will now go toss toys to Ayla and Iza, and explain to them that they are the "new era" now...

Computer Problems

3 PM:

My Mac Pro computer is apparently too evil too repair.  I don't mean that it is possessed with a malevolent spirit or that there are problems that multiple repair techs can't fix.  I mean that it apparently smells so strongly of cigarette smoke that no one is willing to repair it.

OK, I'll say straight off that if the computer is damaged because I smoke, that is mostly my fault. Only "mostly" because I have a lot of other computerized equipment in the house (including a PC that worked for 8 years - and still does) and they all work just fine!  The Mac needed repair after only 9 months and then again after 6 months.  If Macs need to be operated in a smoke free "safe" environment, they should have told me! 

I am not defending smoking; I know it is a really dumb habit and I'm trying to quit .  But when Apple Repair Stores point to "environmental abuse" in the warranty and claim that detectable cigarette odors void the warranty, I have a right to think I am being abused...

I was surprized and confused when the 1st repair place refused to work on the computer.  I tried to find a place that cleaned smoke-damaged computers (with no success).  When I called an actual Apple Store, the person laughed and said of the 1st repair place - not an official Apple Store, "That's just an excuse they use, bring it in and we'll repair it".  I was quite relieved.  But after 3 days, they called me back with the same story; that they wouldn't even work on it and my extended warranty was void.  Apple considers cigarette smoke to be a "toxic hazard".

After struggling with the fan problem for 3 weeks plus driving 220 miles back and forth to the 2 repair stores AND not having a repaired computer, that was a hard blow!

The problem is that the output fan operates on high speed constantly.  The computer appears to work just fine.  So it may be that I just have to put up with the noise until I can find someone willing to clean/repair it.  Or I may have to replace it, and quit smoking.  Quitting would be a very good idea anyway.  And I think I bought way more computer than I need, so replacing it may not be THAT expensive, especially if I am no longer buying cigarettes.

So the computer might fail at any time and it will be a while before I can replace it...

Update:

I just searched "Mac cigarette smoke" and found many sites that explained why cigarette smoke is so damaging to computers (and especially Macs because of their design).  I understand now why it is a real problem.  I even found a discussion site about it.  There were posts from users in my situation, users who have never (like me) experienced the problem with a PC, posts from users who blame Apple for not specifically mentioning cigarette smoke as a deal-breaker, and posts from Apple techs who described how cleaning melted nicotine from computers is both nearly impossible AND disgusting (even to techs who smoke).  Apparently, no smoking user has ever gotten any mercy from Apple.

I am in a real dilemma.  Given the descriptions of the problems with repairing Macs abused with cigarette smoke, I accept their refusal to repair the computer.  I think Apple is seriously wrong not to advise buyers that smoking voids the warranty or extended warranty, but I accept that no further action on my part can get the computer repaired.

I am fairly confident that I could stop smoking in order to save the next computer (if not myself).  But I haven't really been happy with my Mac Pro.  I haven't had crashes like on my PCs and I feel little threat from hackers, viruses, etc, but the applications software basically SUCKS!  Pages and Numbers are far less featured that Windows Word and Excel.  Even Office for Mac is far less than the same on a PC.  Organizing files in Finder is much harder than in Windows Explorer.  I first thought I just wasn't familiar with the Mac systems and commands, but after more than a year, the same problems remain.  Macs are expensive.  In addition, the nearest Mac repair store is 25 miles away, while there are 4 PC repair stores within 3 miles.

On the other hand, I switched to a Mac because Windows became so frustrating to use.  It crashed, it froze, it needed massive hacker and virus protections, and it is slow to load software.  The 3rd time in 1 year that I had to spend 2 days completely reloading all the software from scratch made me determined to never own a PC again.  My PCs needed a repair about every 6 months.

I think, though, that I will stick with a Mac.  My old PC still works.  I could use that more often for offline work.  As far as I can tell, my Mac would not yet need any repair service.

If that forces me to stop smoking, it might be the best purchase I've ever made!

SNOW!

Well, we got our first big SURPRISE snowstorm of many year the past few days.  Not 5 days ago, the forecasters were saying they didn't see any snow through New Year's day.  Then they suddenly predicted 4", then 8", then 12", then 20"!

I got 14" out in the middle of the driveway, which is about my most accurate place to measure.  Some nearby places did get 20", so I guess I was lucky.

I got up early this morning, deciding to buy a snowblower.  Consumer Reports magazine had an article rating them in October.  I googled my local stores for the "Best Buy" recommendations, but of course, none of them had those models.  My one gripe with Consumer Reports magazine is that it is nearly impossible to ever find the exact models they give the best ratings to.

But then the sad truth hit me!  First, I had to shovel the driveway anyway to get the car out.  Second, most stores were closed because of the snow.  Third, any snowblowers available tomorrow weren't going to be on sale, even if the lesser ones were available.

So I accepted reality.  The driveway had to be shoveled before I could contemplate any further decisions.  Reality sucks!  But I got out my heavy socks, pulled on my knee-high rubber boots, pulled the "serious" (Carhartt) winter coat out of the closet, and set about shoveling the snow.

The driveway is 60' long.  I did almost 1/2 and decided to stop for a rest.  I had taken some pictures and decided to load them onto the computer, and I make it a point not to over-exert myself (the hospitals call the day after a major snowstorm "heart-attack day").

When I went back outside, a neighborhood teenage boy walked by and asked if I wanted to have him finish the job.  I said no, but quickly changed my mind.  When he said he would finish the job for $20 I said YES YES YES! (in my head)  but "well...  OK" out loud.  He didn't have his own snow shovel, but I have a good one (real metal, teflon coated).  He didn't have gloves, so I lent him a pair of mine.  It was worth it just not to have to deal with the dreaded snow plow ridge at the end of the driveway!

I told him it didn't have to be edge to edge, just more than the width of the car.  And because the driveway is at an angle to the house (because of a poorly placed storm drain), I stomped out the edges for him.  And he went to work.  Not to make fun, but his technique was horrible.  Clearly, he had little experience shovelling snow.  I gave him some slight advice (like, you really can't lift 15" of snow at once because it won't stay on the shovel, so take it off the top first.  I know about snow.  I grew up in Massachussetts and as the eldest child, I did all the snow shoveling, as I have all my years.

I helped him out when snow started sticking to the shovel.  Even teflon-coated shovels will start to keep snow when they get cold enough.  The trick is to bang the snow off and hit it with a silicon spray.  He did his best and was about near the end of the driveway (that dreaded snow plow ridge) when a neighbor (whom I do not know) came by with an ATV with a snow blade attached.  He blew out the snow plow ridge in 5 minutes!  What a cool machine...  I would love to have one, but I would settle for a snowblower!  When he finished, he just drove to the next driveway.  The only thing I could do was salute as he left.  I wish I had pictures, but the camera card was full.

Meanwhile, the neighbor kid was widening the driveway (relieved by not having to fight with the snow plow ridge).  Finally, it was done.

When I could tell it was wide enough for the car, I offerred him another $10 to do my 12' sidewalk and front steps.  Again, his technique was awful.  He was trying to do it from the bottom up and tossing snow where he would have to shovel it again.  I showed him that it was easier to turn the shovel over and scrape it "downhill".  When he did that, it went very quickly.  He got that done in about 20 minutes.

 

After he left, I widened the driveway by another 2 feet, but that only took 10 minutes.  After all, he had done what I asked of him and I was grateful to be spared the endless bending to scoop out most of the snow.

I'm still deciding whether to buy a snowblower.  I'm thinking a 2 stage, multiple speed model with electric start and recoil rope backup.  And I'm thinking Ariens for the quality, but CR magazine rated a Craftsman a "Best Buy".  Any advice will be appreciated.  I'll probably wait until the end of winter when they go on sale.  For use next time.

Then I went to do the deck.  I usually shovel out a path for the cats.  I did that.  I discovered that I had more raised decked nails than I realized.  As soon as the snow melts, it is HAMMER time!  But I did get it shoveled.

They enjoyed that, but you will have to go to my cat blog for that story.  The snow on the deck was almost 21" though.

Boat Canopy Again

Well, I waited too long.  I need to assemble it in halves in the garage (for the outside access) and assemble the 2 parts outside on the spot.  It is now too cold!  I am going to bundle up all the cut PVC and set it aside until Spring.  There were just too many questions about constructing it that made me hesitate in warmer weather, and then too many things that distracted me from the project the past month.

Next week will be cold but dry, so, as soon as the insides of the boat dry out and I can clean the leaves out of it, etc, I will simply put ropes over the seats bow to stern and across an tie a tarp down over it for the Winter.  Too labor-intensive for daily use, but worth it for the season.  I think other boaters call that "winter shrink-wrapping".

At least that frees me to pursue the other inside projects I have been putting off while dithering about the stupid boat canopy.  The pedestal dictionary stand, the end tables, and flooring the other half of the attic (though it does get cold up there in Winter, so I'm not positive). 

I put plywood on half the attic floors years ago, but the other half had wires running over the joists.  I cut notches in the joists for one sheet of plywood, butdecided that seemed structurally unsound.  It suddenly occurred to me last week that I could glue spacers/supports between the wires and simply raise the plywood up a 1/2 inch.  I am usually quite creative, but in this case, quite stupid!  The solution was obvious in hindsight.

I think I will set up a Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) breeding tank.  I have a new tan male with unusual darker spots on the fins, and I've never seen that before.  And since I have a tan female showing signs of eggs, why not?  I've raised them before (decades ago).

I think I will do the Bettas first, to get them on their way.  I need to make a multi-compartment insert to place in a aquarium for the newborns.  Even males a few weeks old will attack each other, and fin damage never heals perfectly so they need to be separated real early.

Then the dictionary stand.  I am really ready for that.  I want to work with wood again!  All that PVC stuff really threw me out of my comfort zone for months.  Not that I am a great woodworker, but at least I understand the stuff!

And gardening season actually starts in 1 month!

Back on track, ever optimistic, and ready to go back to what I know...

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Sorry I haven't been doing projects lately.  I've really been distracted. Raking out leaves from the patio, pulling early winter weeds from the flowerbeds, doing the Thanksgiving Dinner thing, cleaning pots for next year, arguing with people on the Richard Dawkins website (WAY too much time spent doing that). 

Ayla (a cat) is in heat again.  It's really sad.  She has been spayed twice and neither operation worked.  She demands a lot of attention.

The rain gutters that I cleaned only a few months ago overflowed yesterday in a storm and the overflow gets into the basement.  I have screens covering the gutters and made sure the downspouts are clear, so I can't figure out the problem.  I was going to take another look at them today, but it started to snow unexpectedly.

I've been cleaning out my file cabinet.  That takes a lot of time and I'm not done yet.  And because of that, I am trying to re-write my Will.  Not an easy task.  And I am trying to search through old letters from my parents to find the information they have sent about their instructions about elder care and funerals.  I should have kept notes along the way, but I didn't.  Now I have to try to catch up.

A neighbor is having an addition put on the house.  The nailing starts at 8 AM every morning.  I normally don't go to bed until 2 or 3 AM, so I am not getting much sleep.

I've also been cleaning the basement.  Way too much stuff left out and to the point where I couldn't find anything.  Cleaning was needed.

And the car needed attention.  Not maintenance (I'm good about that), but cleaning.  I should have cleaned it when the weather was better, but I didn't.  I spent almost a whole day doing that.

And then there were the holiday cards to make.  I don't buy mine, I make them on the computer.  And it isn't easy.  The 2 programs I have to do that suck!  One only permits installed clip art and that got boring real fast.  The other allows imports but not "French-Fold" (twice-folded) cards.  So I figured out how to create French-folds in Excel.  It's not easy.  Half the text and pictures have to be rotated, I can't delete the boxes around the text half the time, and changing the text colors is nearly impossible.  I am a bit inept at that stuff.  Took my 2 days to create 1 birthday card, 25 Winter Holiday cat cards and 15 Winter Holiday people cards (my cats have more friends than I do).  But I did it and that's done with.

And there was a LOT of garden cleaning to do.  I cut down 90% of the tall perennial flower stalks last week, pulled up all the old tomato plants before that,

So, basically, I've been busy with stuff that was not "photo-interesting".

I'll try to get back at the boat canopy and other projects soon.