Month: January 2015

We picked up quite a few nice things at the winter farmer’s market at Mahoneys.  Only two farmers, though.

I fixed Ron’s van!

The door locks had frozen into closed position.  I was able to free them up with a big screwdriver.  Similar setup as the hood latches.

I am in a horrible mood, partly because Ron yelled at me about not being able to hear me rather than expressing appreciation, and because one of our neighbors has a lousy, imperious attitude toward us.  If it weren’t for the fact that I’m fond of her son, I’d be tempted to go over there with a baseball bat right now.

I am so fed up with people: on Facebook, in the neighborhood, in the course of everyday commerce.

Hope to be able to laugh about this tomorrow.

We got a dusting last night.  Windy this morning.

My right shoulder hurts.

Made corn chowder yesterday.  Used condensed milk, but that made it way too sweet.

I put the grill back together and it still works.  Kept it burning for a little while today to dry out and to evaporate an accumulation of grease.  Cleaned up greasy snow on the deck, too.

We’d left the kitchen a mess last night.  Cleaned it up this morning.  We did a load of laundry.  Had stupid fun chucking air dry items to Ron to hang up.

Dug out a path to the shed and shoveled the front walk and stairs.  Worked with Ron some more on the driveway.

Great news from Trinity: they got the missing signature from Sunova and have passed along our request for meter replacement to NSTAR.

So far, so good on the radon remediation system.

The remediation company was here a little after 9 and finished around noon.

James texted a request to take his gang sledding, which we did, but it was a bust for them, not the right kind of snow.

Ron and I shoveled our way through two feet of snow: the vehicles, the driveway, the grill which had been knocked over by the wind, most of the porch, a path to the bulkhead and the furnace exhaust pipe, the bulkhead.

The radon remediation company will be here tomorrow, so we wanted to be sure they have access to the back and the cellar.

It was hard going; by 1:00, it felt like my muscles were totally depleted.  Worse, after a day of hard going, the shovel I was using is pretty much a goner.

We started again mid-afternoon and just finished around 4:30.   I fell in deep snow and had an awful time getting up.  We actually got more done than I thought we would: both vehicles shoveled out and able to get to the street.

A consolation: beautiful landscape last evening.

Ron cut up some more tree yesterday and we brought it to Emma in exchange for lunch, soup with cornbread muffins, and a visit with Mr. Baby.

I was saying what a laid back child he is compared to Robert, who wouldn’t keep still when he was little.

It started snowing yesterday around 2 and it’s still snowing, but the main feature of this storm was the wind, strong enough to knock down the grill.

I’m making fish chowder/stew with frozen cod pieces from TJ’s, tomato paste, viognier and vegetables: onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, turnip or maybe it’s rutabaga, green beans, mushrooms, zucchini.

First time attending a beer fest at Kappy’s. The reps made it fun, but it was too crowded for my liking, with clumps of people mingling around the tables as if they were having a private party. Maybe just as well, I know I’d have purchased more if it had been easier to sample and select.

As it was, we came home with a 12-pack of Blue Moon winter brew, two comped pilsner glasses and a 4-pack of Sacchi. Afterwards, Ron stopped by Andy’s for their Irish whiskey tasting. He made Irish coffee for us this morning: way, way too early for me!

Around mid-day, we’d stopped by iCape to say hello to Peter and his co-workers. Spur of the moment, we had lunch at Estia. Servings were generous and the service excellent, but we were disappointed in the lamb entree and thought the much-vaunted coal-fired oven pizza was so-so. Still, we loved the bread and the hors d’oeuvre sampler: Dolmades, Spanakopita, Loukaniko, olives & feta. We’d like to try some other items on the menu.

Around 5, Ron roused me from my easy chair so we could gas up the truck ($2.179 with our 10 cent Stop & Shop discount) and return a library book.

Snow this morning but it’s clear now (10:21 am). There’s enough going on outside to indicate that Spring will be here soon, but I’m still enjoying the winter break from outdoor work.

Left ear is still messed up.

Changed the theme and the header image for the blog.

Yesterday, we went to Hy-town to pick up an online order at Best Buy. Shopped at Trader Joe’s, Hyannis Toyota and Christmas Tree shop. The washer fluid reservoir on the truck is cracked at the top but still works. The replacement is expensive, even on line, so I’ll live with it for a while.

Peter came by for the radon test kit.

I finally got MRS to work. Thank goodness for IIS logs.

Snow this morning, has already turned to rain. Looks like it’ll be with us for most of the day.

Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a pain in my shoulder that shot up to my left temple.

It felt like a bullet wound and an abscessed tooth combined.

A bundle of nerves near the base of my neck had formed an ugly knot. After I took a hot shower, to no avail, Ron massaged and put on muscle rub, and got me a cold compress. I grabbed a heating pad and took a couple of acetaminophen.

Slept for two hours, missed my PT appointment, slept for another hour.

Watched a film about hunters in Siberia for a while, then felt well enough to make baked mac and cheese in the new little casserole – perfect for half pound of macaroni. I’m still hurting a little.

I felt fine earlier today. Brought the remnants of the pie to Laura and her sister Ellen. Paid a pile of household bills, including one from Arbella that I’d misplaced.