I Got Out!

What a difference a day makes.  It got up to 40F degrees today and did it early.  Sunny.  A little breeze, but not bad.  So I got bundled up, did my outdoor chores and started digging out.  Soon had to take my coat off.

The only way to approach this is one shovel full at a time and don't think about the project as a whole.

Made it to the car.  I don't know if the snow plow operator thinks he's helping by shoving this snow up against the front of my car or what.

This really wasn't fun, but I finally got the car dug out and made sure I could drive out onto the road.

Cleaned up a bit then drove to Nederland and returned two library books and checked out two more I had requested.  Went to the spring and filled a couple of jugs with water.  Dropped off some recyclables at the town dump.  I would guess this is the only town dump with a view like this:

Stopped at Ace and took advantage of a 20% off sale to get a couple of boxes of Safe Lite Fire Starter Squares and the bits and pieces I need to make a pot rack.  More about that in a future blog..  I dropped off some plastic bags at the recycle bin at the supermarket and bought myself a chicken sandwich and Diet Coke at the deli.  I was starving after all that snow shoveling.  Got my mail and was pleased to find I had received two books I had ordered, based on the recommendation of Karen Anderson who does readings at the Blue Owl Bookstore in Nederland.  They are DNA Demystified and DNA and the Quantum Choice both by Kishori Aird.  I am interested in exploring DNA reprogramming and am really looking forward to getting started on these.

Decided that since I had freed myself from my snowy prison I'd drive on down to Boulder.  The Salvation Army store had been having a 50% off sale since yesterday.  I figured things would be pretty well picked over I was getting there so late, but found a few things.  I couldn't believe no one had grabbed these two Victorian? Edwardian? engraved silver napkin rings.  Loved the little bracket with the hooks for a hanging sign, what I guess is a silver wine bottle holder and the beautifully colored sphere with the leaves and fruit.

I also got this lapis skirt and Chico's travelers top:

The grand total for everything was $8.77 with tax.

And I got back before dark.  How did you spend your Saturday?  Teddee

1320 Steps

The wind had died down this morning and I had to do outside chores.  I will use any excuse not to go out in that wind, so spent about six hours on the computer yesterday and the rest of the day and evening reading.  But, the wood box was empty; the pot, the used dishwater and slop bucket needed to be emptied; and my wet garbage container was becoming a health hazard.  My boots and socks were warm, so no more excuses.

Some hot water and a lot of Clorox later, the health hazards had been addressed and it was on to the wood.

Despite having lows as low as 11F degrees and highs in the high 20s or lower 30s (my icicles have icicles),

that wood stack I made before the great snow had started to emerge so I decided to bring all that wood inside, sweep the snow off the pallet and carry some of the new wood from the pile dumped out behind my car and stack it here.

First, I had to dig my way out again because the winds had drifted my path in.  I think this is the fourth time and sweeping is no longer an option.  You could easily build an igloo out of these snow chunks.  

Before I started carrying wood, I decided to dig out around the right front tire of my car.  The drifts are high enough on either side of my drive that backing through them is like threading a needle and I hadn't done a very good job of threading the needle the evening I got back from Denver. 

After I dug out, got my wheels straightened out and made sure I could get back out onto the road, I addressed the new, snow-covered wood. 

Had to kick some of it out of the snow.  You do this with your heel, or another piece of wood, not  your toe.  Latter hurts.  Made 12 round trips of 110 steps and this is all I have to show for it.

Short arms and not much upper body strength.  Also didn't want to be carrying so much with the treacherous footing that I wouldn't be able to catch myself if I slipped.  It would help to have someone to load me up.  When we were children, my sister and I had the chore of bringing in firewood after school each day.  We'd take turns loading each other up.  You can carry about twice as much.  I'd like to claim that red splotch is a result of blood, sweat and tears, but I believe this is the way Forest Service marks beetle-kill trees.

There's a 50% chance of snow tonight and 60% chance on Sunday night.  Hopefully I'll be able to get some more wood moved before that.  How did you get your exercise today?  Teddee

How Much Wood?

Everything I did today killed trees.  I started out getting rid of all these little bits of paper on which I'd written a variety of information that I just thought I needed to keep.  This was an accumulation since last October! 

I was getting so tired of sifting through these things so decided I would type everything into Word files.  I had a dozen topics--Music, Blogs, Websites, Books, Crafts, Recipes, Computer, Fonts, Goodwill Locations, etc.--As I typed the information into the correct Word file, I put the slips of paper in a box to burn, so they will be used to help start the fire in the morning.

I was doing this while I was waiting for the firewood I had ordered a month ago to be delivered.  The wind had been blowing hard all morning, so my path had drifted shut and I had to dig it out again.  Not nearly as neat as the first time!

When I got to my car, I saw that the man who I had heard playing around with the road grader this morning (He sounded as if he was having way too much fun.  I could almost hear him making little boy engine noises.) had shoved this snow right up in front of my car.  This stuff was like rocks.

 So I threw it back out in the road and felt better.

 

As soon as I knew I could get my car out so the truck with my firewood could get in, I started digging out an area behind my car for the wood.  I was just finishing up with the wood arrived.

That's $260 of firewood.  The last cord lasted about three months, so hopefully this will get me into May.

What did you chuck today?  Teddee

Diggin' Out and Diggin' It

I spent some time today digging out from yesterday's wonderful snow.  It didn't snow that much more overnight.  I measured about 22 inches just off the deck in the west meadow. 

 It was a gorgeous day.  It got a bit cloudy at mid-day then cleared off again and it's cloudy again now at 3:30 p.m., but the rest of the time the sun was bright and the sky that wonderful shade of blue that I've only seen here.

The fox had broken ground for me.  He didn't come around until about 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening.  I had turned off the porch light and closed the curtains, but heard his footsteps crunching in the snow.  You wouldn't think a fox would make the snow squeak, but this is what it looked like just before I turned out the porch light...

...and this is what it looked like after I heard the footsteps.

I didn't see him, but told him to hang on and put some food out.  It hadn't been touched this morning.  I think he must have given up and gone home.  This is what his meandering path looked like this morning.  His was not the shortest route between two points.  I wonder how they even know where they're going when they're down in deep snow.

Today, I addressed first things first, clearing a path to the toilet and wood.

Then, using the fox trail as a start, I dug out to my car.

 
A close-up of the west side of my car:

 

My strength amazes me.  I certainly don't look fit and had taken a couple of Ibuprofen before I started, but was making very good headway when a local gendarme stopped by and offered to help.  While he was shoveling from the front of the car out to the road, I swept off the car.  I asked him if he would mind if I took his picture for my blog and promised I'd take it from behind to insure his privacy. 

He commented it probably wasn't a very flattering view.  I said he looked like he was in pretty good shape...Hey, you don't forget how to do this just because your 67!...and that he'd be in even better shape after he finished.  We discussed the snow (lots of  it), avalanches (very likely) and who we liked in the Super Bowl (neither team) and decided we'd probably both be watching just for the commercials, and if the Broncos couldn't be playing, we'd be more interested if Green Bay or Chicago were.  I got some "how do you rate?" looks from drivers of cars going by and yelled at one young woman, who actually slowed down and gaped, "Just look helpless!"  I suggested to my neighbor, who must be in his 80s and probably had his  cars dug out by 8 a.m., that he'd started too soon.  The deputy told him teasingly that I'd made him stop and help.  I said, "Yeah, I wept and wrung my hands."  Anyway, I thanked him profusely, he gave me his card, left, then came back about ten minutes later to see if I'd got my car started!  I told him I hadn't tried, but didn't think it would be problem.  I had no intention of going anywhere, just wanted to get dug out.  Success!

It was a good thing it snowed.  Otherwise I probably would have been lured to Boulder to the 50% Saturday at Goodwill.  I'll show a couple of things I didn't get when I was there on Thursday.  I'm thinking this could be almost as much fun as actually buying the things.  I really loved these two heron prints, but they were asking $35.99 each.  I thought that was steep.  I probably would have wanted to get new frames on top of that.  I'm sure they sold right away today if they hadn't already.

Then I found these two candle sconces out on the patio.  Made in the Philippines.  Gorgeous.  But, if I recall correctly, they were $24.99 each.

My solace was that I thought I might be absorbing lead just handling them.  Definitely "Not for Food Use!"

Then there were these two cute little New Orleans illustrations mounted on slate. 

So that's what I would have bought if I hadn't been saving for the electric improvements.  Maybe this is like the professional organizers who have people take photos of things before they force them to give them away.  You'll always have the memories!

Uh oh!  Snowing again.  Hope it doesn't fill up my paths and cover my car up.  Well, my favorite Saturday night blues show is on KUVO, so I'm happy even if they are having their winter fund drive.  What was your Saturday like?  Teddee