“No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.”
Abraham Lincoln
I wish I could fill these pages with more hope than despair. Some days you can’t. I just finished my morning chores.
I moved the Wheelbarrow outside, snow bowls outside, fill a container full of gas, gas up the generator, fill two 1 litre jugs of sunflower seeds.
Move the generator outside pull the starter cord, it fires but barely runs, I forgot it doesn’t like cold rooms in -25. I finally get it to run and notice that there is a puddle of gas on top. I didn’t tighten the lid enough when I filled it. Stop the engine, clean the spilled gas. Start it up again.
Solar panels are covered in snow I swept those. Before sweeping, I was making 16v 1 amp after sweeping 18v 1 amp. While I am out there I fill the bird feeder with seeds. I move the wheelbarrow inside near the wood splitter.
I split a night’s worth of wood, I hope. I move that outside near the back door. Now it’s time for the snow bowls. The snow is thin, we need more snow. I fill the big bowl, a smaller bowl, a pot and a stainless mixing bowl with snow, filled with leaves, grass and twigs. I move all this to the back door on top of the wheelbarrow.
I run my water through two different filter systems so removing the debris happens, but it means replacing the ceramic filter more often, which I am currently out of. Then that water is filtered again through two Berkey pressed carbon filters which also removes 99.9 percent of all chemicals even (ROUNDUP WHICH THEY SAY IS EVEN IN OUR RAIN AND SNOW WATER.).
Then back in the garage door, through the maze of engine hoist, treadmill and the frame from my 55 Chevy. Every trip through there is like climbing Everest, one careful step and one handhold at a time. Yup still dizzy all the time. Breathing is difficult, something weird there, it is like I forgot to inhale and suddenly have to take deep breaths, almost gulping air.
I read something about my diaphragm working in reverse, I don’t know if that is the problem or not doesn’t matter. Today I am still alive, maybe not tomorrow.
Last time I tried to walk through there like a normal person I fell, elbow first on the bottom of my new engine hoist, directly on to a 4-inch box metal leg, I landed with all my weight on the new bone spur on the inside of my elbow. It hasn’t healed right since then. When I straighten my elbow I can feel something move and then I scream like a little girl in a horror movie.
Once back inside it is time to go to the generator and turn it to the slow speed, this time of year it doesn’t like, so I have to play a little with the throttle run down to my battery charger and turn it full, which makes the gen run a little harder. It likes that.
Back outside through the back door, I empty a load of wood pellet cat poo onto a pile out in the yard, I used to burn that in the woodstove, but it burns cold and takes a long time to burn, it is just not feasible anymore. If we do get enough snow I will light the pile on fire and it will smolder for the winter months.
Now it’s time to push the load of wood inside, have a glance at my snow bowls and remember that I haven’t filled the woodstove since before daylight. Gotta go now. BRB
Okay, that is done, while I was up noticed that the kitchen door was ajar the room was filled with cats that were not supposed to be in there. They might have a legit reason to be there the other day I found a plastic tub with a hole chewed through by little rodent teeth.
Most of the time the cats do bad things there, horrible, unspeakable things. Things that require a ton of shop towels to clean it up.
Last thing to do go up and water the plants. I have the supplies to plant 5 trays of microgreens but haven’t yet. I grow them in my old loft only room where cats don’t get into.
Right now I have parsley and kale growing up there as an experiment, to see if they survive a winter up there. That room is facing north not even in sunlight, although you don’t see much of that in December and January unless it is brutally cold.
Did I mention cats love to squat in the plants?
Yea I know why do I even have them, they cost a ton of money, they are destructive, and they would die if left outside. The cats, not the plants.
Well, I am off to water the plants and then on to play a little on my xbox. Back to the big story tomorrow, maybe.
Btw time elapsed to get all this done three hours including the writing. Take care and be safe
