“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.”
Henry Kissinger
Well I could tell you we had terrific amounts of snow from the polar vortex colliding with a wet lower pressure system from the ocean, but it would be a lie. It is biting cold out, I went for a stroll to see what was out there. Three inches not much but it is still snowing heavy. It is very cold so the snow is a fine powder.
I did my outside things, swept the solar panels, gathered fresh snow to melt on the fire, and came in. Sweeping the solar panels was a fools’ errand, they were covered in snow ten minutes later. When they were clean they were producing .8 amps not even enough to power my laptop. So I am running on my weak battery bank and will run the strong one later. I am a little concerned that I will not be able to run the generator in this cold temp. I ran it last night and filled the batteries to 75 percent capacity. I need more batteries, but they are a lot of money, and I am on a fixed income. If I cut down on my groceries I can afford one big item every couple of months. This month will be an oven, so I can cook. I haven’t had one for about 5 years.
I realize that if I ever want to have a woman here again it is a must have item. Me right now, I cook on the wood stove, got a camp stove for the summer. I don’t bake, so I don’t need one. I had a barbecue but had an incident with the propane tank lighting on fire.
I had to reach in and close the valve before it exploded. The valve was red-hot, I didn’t have time to look for gloves Ya you guessed it burned my hand pretty bad. It was better than the alternative, blowing up my house and killing all the cats inside.
If I had my choice I would buy fun stuff a wind generator, more solar batteries, tools more tools a man can’t have enough of those hahaha. The truth is I met someone who likes to cook. Maybe in the near future she will be here cooking. So for now I will get the stove.
The two stores that sell the stove say they will deliver to the door, I am looking forward to seeing that. Especially with snowstorm and brutal cold, oh yea and my address, out in the sticks Northern Alberta, Turn left at the old tree stump, carry on for about ten minutes until you see the black poplar trees (no leaves in the winter) and hang a right, my driveway is the one with a pile of logs at the end of the driveway.
Oh yea the health thing. I have an abscess where a filling used to be. Causing pain like crazy, headaches, jaw pain. What can I do about that, nothing. Two wheel drive van, barely adequate tires, big snowstorm, biting cold. Even to ask my old girl to start in these temperatures would be asking a lot. Never mind navigating the back road to get to the highway. The snowplow, or road grader comes twice when there is a snowstorm, just before and a few days after. The driver is better at the weather than I am. when I see him show up before, I know something bad is about to happen. I saw him yesterday.
“The absence of alternatives clears the mind.” I had to look up who said that, I was mildly surprised. For now, I live with the pain hope that it stops.
As for the rest same old, pain everywhere, hands, elbows, knees, back, neck. Problems walking, problems talking. Problems thinking. Left ear sounds like crackling paper. I ran a q tip inside there came out clean and dry.
Wrote so long my coffee is cold, the real tragedy. haha . Found this pic on the internet yup I need one
That is two days worth already
Poor old rusty thing it’s empty Needs firewood
Yup just did that stupid thing I always do. I emptied my wheel barrow. Yup I know how cold it is, I know there is now a biting wind. I know my skins going to freeze. I know that pushing 500 hundred pounds of wood through four inches of snow won’t be fun.
But here I go again, down the only road I ever known. I am going to chop wood. Huh wonder if white snake (the band) ever chopped wood?
My brain must be broken.
Yup been there and back again. It is -34 out there. But the great news is wood splits so easy peasy when it’s this cold. I feel better about getting in some firewood. I don’t want a repeat of last March. A snowstorm plus wind created 5 foot high drifts of ice. They just made my snowblower weep. I had to chop and carry wood back to the house then. Climate change can be a bitch.
Update: It is snowing in earnest now, like it was just pretending before. I threw on my snow boots just wearing my sweat pants, no jacket. I went out to sweep off the panels in vain. Voltage 16.04 .14 amps before. Voltage after 14.4 .38 amps I didn’t win.
TRU DAT. Just saw it on the back of a cab in the movie I am watching.
Snow fall warning has been extended til Saturday night now.
My first choice was Johnny Cash singing the nine inch nails song hurt. But this will do.
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