Tag Archives: little house in the city

The Move: The First Week

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Friday, August 28, 2015

NOTE: I want to mention this up front. A week or so ago a mouse died somewhere in our car. We can’t find that little bugger. The smell makes my eyes water. I drove for five hours in the car coming to the little house in the city. We are driving back to the country house for another five hours in the odiferous car. Then I am driving the car back to the little house in the city on the weekend, while Attila brings down the second truck load of our belongings. Then we drive back to the country house in the car, to do the final cleaning at the country house, and do our thing at the lawyers office. Then, someone has to drive the car back to the little house in the city, the other lucky driver gets to drive Tank back to the little house in the city. I vote that I drive Tank on the final run!

Yesterday I spent mountains of time on the phone changing our address in various places. All of the people I dealt with were polite, even friendly, with one glaring exception… the local municipal office… RUDE, ATTITUDE. I know it wasn’t me because every other call on my long list was pleasant, the difference was down to the local “attitude”. I will not miss this area one little bit, not one little bit.

Yesterday was also a packing day, box after box after box. Two rooms done now, lots left to do, so it is another packing day today. It is also bill paying day, and this job will get done first so as not to be forgotten, as it isn’t a favourite pastime.

We pick up a truck Sunday, and a fellow has offered to help Attila with the “two-man” lifts for a small fee. I cannot carry and tote, so I pack and plan and take care of everything I can.

We are feeling as if the weight of the world has been lifted from our shoulders, and the hard work of moving serves to intensify that feeling. Funny old world.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

The house is about 2/3 packed, most of the kitchen cupboards are empty, and the bathroom vanity. This morning, as I sip my coffee and look at the complete chaos that surrounds me, I can see that the packing process has brought us to the tipping point. Yesterday this place still seemed like the same old place, our home. By lunch time today it will seem like an empty shell, our stamp and presence will have faded from the feel of it. Until we arrive at the little house with the first truck load of our belongings, I will feel homeless and a little lost. Luckily, hard work will keep me so busy I will be largely unaware of these feelings.

Attila was off to work early this morning, they are very busy there. Tomorrow he starts his vacation, and we pick up the truck to start loading. For the past five years every vacation has been spent renovating the little house. This year we had thought to taking a different kind of vacation, where we would relax, go hiking, site seeing, and indulge in some of the activities we enjoy. Well, it certainly is going to be a different kind of vacation, just not in the way we had imagined. It is very lucky for us though, that Attila’s vacation has coincided with this move. It is incredibly lucky, when I come to think about it. The universe is watching over us.

Later in the day, at 1 p.m., I can definitely say that we aren’t in Kansas any more, the country house does not feel like home. Still packing.

We got word that the truck was ready for tomorrow, the wrong truck. I called Attila at work to let him know. He called the rental people, they said it was a “free upgrade”, the truck is larger than we asked for. Attila seems happy with this, which is all that matters. Moving is stream of “it’s always somethings”. I am still delighted to be moving!

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Today we picked up the truck, a forty minute drive from the country house one way. Thankfully the drop off for the truck is five minutes away from the little house in the city.

After we arrived back at the country house, Attila called a chum from work, and went to pick him up. He helped Attila load the heavy items into the truck, the dining room set, couch, upright freezer and a few other items. Then Attila drove his chum home and continued loading the truck by himself. Attila likes to do things himself! Where to sit!

I packed until I felt too tired to go on, and Attila loaded the truck until the light failed. We were grateful to fall into our beds!

Monday, August 31

I awoke early, 5 a.m., and decided to let Attila sleep until he could sleep no more. It now feels as if we are camping in the country house, with a skeleton crew of dishes, pots, pans, foodstuffs etc. to keep us functioning. We are trying to eat from the freezer, as what we eat will not have to be moved. I am looking forward to strawberries and rhubarb as a part of my breakfast this morning.

The house looks just as great empty as it did with the furniture in it! My goal is to leave the house as clean as I am able, for the new family. They have four children to start school here when they arrive, it is going to be quite an adjustment for them. I already have a pile of manuals for the appliances and little “Muskoka” knick knacks set aside for them. In particular the instructions on how to cure the masonry heater will be left in a prominent place.

As I look around this morning, I wonder at how much work Attila and I have done here at the country house, and what it looked like when we moved in. The house had been let go for many, many years. The side door had a gap in it an inch wide, letting in insects and mice, we replaced it with a window. The bathroom was a mess, the vanity had broken doors and drawers, which was replaced with a new vanity. The fireplace was badly damaged and did not function well, it was replaced with a masonry fireplace. A corner alcove had been used by the previous owner’s dog as a toilet, the smell was horrendous. We replaced floor boards, and used Killz, to eliminate the smell and reclaim the space for human use. The hot water heater was broken, the UV system was broken, the water pump broke just after we arrived. The roof leaked and we replaced it with a metal roof. We built a woodshed and screened in porch. We replaced windows and doors. The list goes on! We poured a lot of love into this country house, and wish the new family who will live here much happiness in their new home.

When I think about Attila and I and houses, I think about the “land of lost toys” in the Christmas program Rudolph, starring Burl Ives. Attila and I live in the land of lost houses!

I think we are going to stop rescuing houses though, we are getting a little long in the tooth for it. Since we both love the little house in the city, we hope it won’t be too hard to settle down.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Yesterday I arose at 3:00 a.m., far too excited to sleep. I packed some boxes, did the dishes, got dressed, and at 5:00 a.m. I moved Tank out of the way, moved the car out onto the road, moved Tank back in the driveway, and left for the little house in the city. Attila was still sleeping when I left, he had stayed up late to finish loading the first truck. He would follow later in the truck, after he had some rest.

I arrived at the little house after a long, long five hour drive. The traffic was light, but I kept getting stuck behind drivers who travelled significantly slower than the speed limit, and frequently had to come to a complete stop due to road construction. Attila arrived in the truck three hours later. Then he began to carry our belongings into the little house in the city.

Terra and Lares came straight to our house after work, and Lares helped Attila bring in the “two man” items. Inside, Terra was a whirlwind of efficiency. She setup bookcases, carried boxes of books for me to place on the shelves, carried a chesterfield from one room the other, and organized boxes. She was a tremendous help. While Terra was moving furniture around, Attila and Lares took the truck to Terra’s house. Terra is getting my dining room set, a custom made solid pine set, which will not fit in the little house in the city. She also agreed to store some of my bulky items that I am trying to sell, temporarily.

Terra and I had a lovely time together, and after a bit of a rest and cold drink she decided to head home to shower, and go to bed. She had to be up early to go to work the next morning. Shortly after she left Attila returned with the truck, having left Lares to put the dining room set to rights.

When we moved to the country house, Luna and Janus helped us move. That is now a happy memory, and their help was much appreciated.

We worked for a few more hours clearing the boxes and bags away from the beds, but couldn’t stay awake for very long. It was a long, long day, and a very happy one.

Attila slept well for the first time since the country house sold.

Today we finished removing everything from the rented truck, and returned it. We had only racked up an additional $12.00 over our basic payment, which was great!

I picked the second crop of green beans from the garden, cleaned up after last night’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast, and got down to breaking down any cardboard boxes that had been unpacked and sat empty. We will be taking the boxes back to the country house, to fill them up again for the second truck load on the weekend. The second truckload will not need to include any large appliances, or furniture, and we hope it will be easier to pack, and to load.

Talking with the lawyer’s office this morning, arrangement to finalize the deal were made. The schedule remains tight, as we must be completely moved out of the country house in one week’s time.

We are driving back to the country house later today to get started on packing… again. 🙂

I have decided to post this now, and follow later with a second posting on the move.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

The weather has been sunny, hot, and very humid since last week. Quite a bit of fog in the early morning, which is when I do my driving.

Quote

“It is not a lucky word, this name “impossible”; no good comes of those who have it so often in their mouths.”
Thomas Carlyle
1795 – 1881

Eventful

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Our Mother’s Day get together at the country house. This is me, Grandma, and Imp and Elf, the Grandbabies, twins. Tink, the youngest is busy visiting with her Great Aunts and Great Grandmother. May 10, 2015
2015MayGrandmaImpElf

The weekend came, and the weekend went, and it was eventful.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

On Saturday morning at 7:20 a.m. I left the country house and headed down the road towards the little house in the city. The traffic was light most of the trip.

As I was on the last 20 minute stretch of highway, Highway 401, from out of nowhere, a huge white SUV, which was passing me on the left, veered into my lane, about to hit my vehicle at the back of the driver’s door. I caught the movement just out of the corner of my eye, she snuck up on me from behind. I was forced out of the driving lane onto the side of the road, and barely escaped rolling the car. I fishtailed for a bit, and regained control of the car. The SUV carried on as if nothing had happened, then cut into the passing lane and disappeared into the distance.

She could have killed me, and didn’t even notice!

All’s well that ends well though, and here I am to tell the tale!

Attila arrived at the little house in the city on Saturday evening. One of the items we transported down to the little house was our old television set, a CRT, the VHS player, the DVD player, and the cabinet on which they sit. We set that up and decided to take a break, share a pizza, and watch a movie.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Sunday morning, as early as was acceptable, Attila mowed the lawn. Luckily the new mower has a bag attached, that catches the cuttings. He created a pile of cuttings that was over three feet high, by the time he had finished cutting the lawn. Then we did a bit of shopping. We had a quiet evening, eating leftover pizza, and watching Netflix.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Yesterday, Monday, was a statutory holiday, so Attila stayed the night Sunday night, and spent the better part of the day here before heading back to the country house. It was a gardening extravaganza! Attila transplanted the lungwort, the day lilies, and the sedum from the vegetable garden, to various locations in the front and back of the house. Those plants were moved to the vegetable garden just before we dug up around the basement to waterproof it. He then planted the plants I purchased at the grocery store: lavender, big boy tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, and portulaca.

Then Attila prepared soil for planting seeds, the seeds I purchased through Terra. He planted: swiss chard, borage, nasturtiums, red runner beans, pole beans, zucchini, and basil.

Our compost pile, just a heap, but very effective! The cut grass is beginning to break down and lose its chlorophyl.
2015Maycompost
The newly planted tomatoes, alongside the blooming iris, and the rhubarb.
2015MAYgarden

After downing a cup of coffee, Attila was off on his trip back to the country house. He had a good drive, but a piece of Tank’s trim from around the front windshield blew off on the highway, again Highway 401. That highway!! No damage was done, other than losing the trim. No other vehicles were affected. I guess we will have to look into what happened there, and decide if we should try to replace the piece that blew off. As long as everyone is OK, who really cares!

The day was hot and sunny day, and as evening fell, the air began to cool, just slightly. I kept myself busy, to get through the dreaded “we me” emotions. Thankfully they came and then they went.

Yesterday morning I received a call on my cell phone, from a realtor’s office near the country house. They wanted to show the house this afternoon, which they did. The feedback we got was that they liked the house and the property, but that our location wasn’t for them. That could mean so many different things, that it means nothing. I was really impressed that we received almost immediate feedback from our realtor.

Last night I received another message from our realtor, setting up another showing this afternoon.

I like this realtor more all the time!

Terra is going in for surgery this week, and Lares has taken time off work to be with her. It isn’t anything life threatening, but all surgery involves risk, so I will be glad when she is through it and smiling again!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Well, here it is 5:47 a.m. on Tuesday morning. I am writing at the kitchen table, coffee at my side. It was such a quiet winter, and suddenly it is such a busy spring. Today I will be sorting and purging items here at the little house in the city, making room for another carload of belongings, that I will bring here on the next trip to country house and back. We will be moving from a family size three bedroom house, to a tiny two bedroom house with no closets, and a lot of our belongings won’t make the cut, or the trip south. Even so, room must be made for the belongings that do make the move!

My first task of the morning is to gear up and water the newly planted gardens. Which leads me to comment on the mosquitoes. There are lots of them! Nothing like the mosquitoes we get at the country house, but lots nevertheless. I have been bitten, and can only hope that the mosquito that got me either didn’t carry West Nile virus, or that I have already been exposed, and am now immune to West Nile Virus. When the mosquitoes are bad it is virtually impossible to avoid being bitten. My mosquito resistant clothing is all at the country house! I have the spray here though, and will treat another set of pants and a long sleeved shirt to keep here, then I will have gear at both locations. Usually I keep the mosquito resistant gear in the vehicle I am driving, but with Attila using both vehicles to accomplish various tasks related to the house sale, my gear got stowed in the mud room at the country house.

Attila and I chatted for a little while this morning, over FaceTime. He looks exhausted, and well he might. When I talked to him last night at 9 p.m., he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and was just coming in from loading Tank with a full load to take to the dump. He doesn’t eat because he says it makes him want to fall asleep. He will spend his lunch hour taking the garbage to the dump, and when he is done working at his day job, he will be heading over to work at his part-time job, where he will work until dark. Hopefully, there will not be too many more tasks related to the house sale, so that Attila can have some down time when he isn’t working at one of his two jobs.

The day begins!

Worldly Distractions

Weather

17°C
Date: 8:12 PM EDT Monday 18 May 2015
Condition: Mist
Pressure: 101.4 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 3 km
Temperature: 17.0°C
Dewpoint: 16.7°C
Humidity: 98%
Wind: SSW 14 km/h

Quote

“As we grow old…the beauty steals inward.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803 – 1882

The Quiet Week

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Saturday evening our neighbour dropped by with a hand delivered Christmas Card, and an invitation to visit. We were delighted, and were ringing their doorbell thirty minutes later. The visit was so much fun! We talked and talked and talked. At last Attila asked the time, it was after 1:30 a.m.! I am usually asleep by 10:00 p.m., so this was really “going wild”. The time had flown by, for all of us.

We were up early on Sunday morning. Attila wanted to leave early, so that he could begin recharging the masonry heater during the afternoon, and turn off the electric heaters that had been turned on during our absence.

Things have been quiet here at the little house in the city since Attila drove away early on Sunday morning. He arrived safely at the country house in the early afternoon, having made a few stops to shop along the way.

Mist and I have been keeping each other company. On Sunday Terra stopped by for a short visit. She works out at the gym in town, and visited after her workout, then dressed for work here, and off she went to work the night shift.

I have been puttering about, reorganizing the little things, putting up a string of lights, cleaning the kitty litter box. Attila usually cleans the kitty litter box, so this is an assumed duty on my part. If Mist feels the kitty litter box needs immediate cleaning, she will find the responsible human, and throw up in their presence. This afternoon she wandered into the kitchen as I was eating my lunch, and announced in her special way that the kitty litter needed cleaning, immediately. I will need to keep a closer eye on that kitty litter box! Or at least check it before I sit down to eat a meal.

This Christmas Attila and I bought full fledged Christmas gifts for the Grandbabies. Until now we had been buying disposable type items at the dollar store, which were colourful and fun. This year, we decided to spend all of our Christmas funds on the Grandbabies. It was fun. Last week I wrapped the gifts, as well as carefully chosen gifts for Terra and Lares, and Luna and Janus. They sit in the corner of the living room, by the window, under the new cafe curtains. They are such a cheerful sight! Next weekend we will celebrate Christmas at Terra’s house. Then the Christmas presents, that sit cheerfully in the corner, will be gone to their new homes. I always find that things look bare when all the decorations have come down after Christmas!

The Christmas corner at the little house in the city. There are Christmas lights at the window, and the gifts for our daughters, their husbands, and the grandbabies are piled joyfully in the corner. This does it for me!
Those are our living room chairs, purchased recently for next to nothing. We have two other chairs, both worn out relics that we brought to the little house when we bought it. That gives us four chairs, which we need when company comes calling.
Chrstimasgifts2014

Yesterday, Tuesday, began with a glass of water, a chat with Attila, and a visit to the health lab. Time for a blood test, a routine blood test. Attila went last week, as there is a lab close by, at the little house in the city. I went this morning, as this seemed like a convenient time to fast, as my blood test required fasting. At the country house the health lab is an hour away by high speed highway. It is time consuming and expensive (fuel) to have a blood test there, while here at the little house it is a short trip, simple and inexpensive.

In the last few years my stomach has become very demanding. I need to eat a little a lot of times a day, to keep it happy. Fasting is, quite literally, painful. Since I rise early, 5:40 a.m. this morning, it is a long wait until 8:00 a.m. when the health lab opens its doors for business. The last half hour or so of waiting was unpleasant, unpleasant enough that I tend to procrastinate on getting my blood work done.

After spending all day Monday in the house with Mist, today it felt good to get out and about. After the blood test I came home for coffee and breakfast.

And that leads to today, Wednesday. It is still dreary out of doors, the snow has melted away in the rain, and I am grateful for that! It was an errand day. Tank needed fuel, and I checked that off the list. Milk and Rice Crispies were needed, and I checked them off the list. Disposable baking pans were needed, and I checked them off the list. A small gift for Attila was also purchased. Our Christmas gift to each other this year was Attila’s time off work, which was an unpaid vacation, so we went without an income for a week. It was an expensive gift, but one we both enjoyed and were glad of. Still, I will wrap a few small stocking stuffer type gifts for Attila, things I know he will enjoy.

I had an odd experience yesterday. There is a human being who became obsessed with me at one point in my life. This was not a healthy interest, nor was it welcome. This person’s actions had devastating effects on my financial path in life. I only recently mentioned him to someone, which is something I haven’t done for twenty years or more. And then yesterday, as I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting for my blood test, there he was. I did not recognize him, but he recognized me. He stared, and stared, and stared at me, rudely, wanting me to look at him, to acknowledge him. Since I did not recognize him, I thought him merely a strange and creepy old man, possibly a disabled man, I ignored his rude stares, and did not acknowledge him. And then, the receptionist called his name, and I knew why he was staring at me, he recognized me. I had hoped never to see him again in this life. Such was not to be. It was the coincidence of having mentioned him, and then running into him after twenty years, that bothered me. Was this a version of the “evil eye”?

I am back working on my genealogy book. Goodness, distractions abound with this book! I have found numerous spelling errors, typographical errors, bits of information that were erroneously included and should not have been, and bits of information I wish I had! I stop to search for those bits of information I do not have, but there is a good reason I do not have them, no primary records are currently available.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

2°C
Date: 5:00 PM EST Wednesday 17 December 2014
Condition: Light Rain and Drizzle
Pressure: 101.0 kPa
Tendency: rising
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 2.4°C
Dewpoint: 1.5°C
Humidity: 94%
Wind: WSW 23 gust 35 km/h

Quote

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963)

Catching Up

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We had a very good time at the party last weekend. I am talking about the overnight Christmas Party at the resort, the one that got my knickers into a twist. It is my experience, that if I am stressed about having to do something, it is best to do all my emoting well before the event. When the feeling of being overwhelmed is externalized, it is acknowledged and dealt with before the event. This “clears the decks”, keeping the negative feelings from sullying the experience, because they have already been dealt with.

We arrived to a very nice room, with a wood burning fireplace, a refrigerator, coffeemaker, wifi, TV. After settling in, we dressed for dinner, then joined the party. The waitress had been alerted to my situation, and she bent over backwards to make sure I was as comfortable as possible. The food was great, Attila said, and the company was pleasant. We even danced during the evening. Attila and I and a female employee were the last to leave the party room, which was still going strong at 1 a.m. The beds were comfortable. We joined the rest of the staff for breakfast, again I brought my own, and afterwards packed the car and headed home.

Attila’s employer was generous to all, hosting such a fantastic overnight party at a resort. They also had special decorations for the tables, and gifts for every single employee and guest. They know how to do things up right, and their employees are happy to give their all at work, because it works both ways. Attila’s employers are Gold Star employers.

Monday morning, just as morning was dawning, I climbed into Tank and set my sights for the little house in the city. Several hours after I left, Attila and Mist headed out in Four Doors, for the same destination. Our respective journeys were uneventful, we all arrived safely. Attila will be here, gone again, back here, gone again, and so on, over the next few weeks. Tank and Mist and I will be staying on at the little house for the duration of December.

It has been some time since we stocked up on supplies, so part of Monday, and all day Tuesday, Attila and doodled around the city gathering supplies from various sources. Most of our money went to food, but we did buy a few other items.

One thing Attila decided to splurge on this year is a pair of gloves for work. They had to be extremely rugged, as he handles a lot of lumber and construction materials. They had to be warm, as he works long hours out of doors. They had to be waterproof, as he works in the snow and rain. I researched gloves for Attila for quite a while before finding all of these qualities in a glove at a reasonable cost. I did find them, and could order them, at a store near the little house in the city. I ordered two pairs. Today Attila picked them up, and it seems that will do nicely. The real test is when Attila wears them at work. He will know soon enough if they are up to the job.

We hit our usual hotspots, the Thrift Store, and the ReStore.

At the Thrift Store I found a red blouse that will do nicely for next Christmas, for only $1.00. This is a real relief, as the price is certainly right, for an item of clothing to be worn one day a year, possibly only once. I also found a lovely wool scarf.

At the ReStore we found some high quality glue for $2.00, assorted screws for $1.00, and some ceramic cabinet hardware for $1.00 per knob.

On this trip we need to obtain a local cell phone for the little house in the city. Our cell phone is attached to our country house. Since Attila and I drive separate vehicles long distances now, we both need an emergency cell phone. Attila will take the cell phone attached to the country house location, and I will use the “new ” cell phone attached to the little house in the city.

Yesterday I broke down and ventured out in Four Doors to look for a new cell phone. There are only two local stores that sell them, and I visited both of them. In the end I purchased an Alcatel phone with a Telus sim card. It is a cheap flip phone, with no bells, no whistles, just send and receive calls. I called customer support to assist me with setting it up, and then tried to top up the cell phone using my credit card. No can do, the address for the cell phone is the little house in the city, the address for the credit card is for the country house. The addresses have to be the same. My only option was to make a trip this morning to purchase a top up pin number. I went for the $100 that is good for 365 days. This saves me from forgetting more than once a year, to top up the cell phone!

Attila and I are happily puttering about today. I have strung Christmas lights on the front windows, hung a few Christmas ornaments in the windows, put up the tiny artificial Christmas tree, and decorated it. I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce, and invited Terra and Lares for supper. Should be fun!

Attila rerouted the electrical wiring to the kitchen, as it had been installed in a crazy way. While he was at it, he installed a new updated electrical switch box, and a new plate to cover it all. He also got started on installing the new light fixture above the kitchen sink. The light fixture that was there when we purchased the house in 2010 never worked.

Mist meowed weakly twice after being brought into the little house from the car, when we arrived on Monday. She adjusted immediately, and has been as happy as a clam. She seems to love the little house, and had staked out her hiding places, as well as Attila’s chair!

Tired! I am feeling tired, so I fear the proofreading on this entry is not up to snuff. I will do better next time!

Worldly Distractions

Weather

-3°C
Date: 3:00 PM EST Wednesday 10 December 2014
Condition: Light Snow
Pressure: 101.1 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 2 km
Temperature: -2.7°C
Dewpoint: -4.7°C
Humidity: 86%
Wind: NNW 29 gust 43 km/h
Wind Chill: -10

Quote

“I love life…Yeah, I’m sad, but at the same time, I’m really happy that something could make me feel that sad. It’s like…It makes me feel alive, you know. It makes me feel human. The only way I could feel this sad now is if I felt something really good before. So I have to take the bad with the good. So I guess what I’m feeling is like a beautiful sadness.”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone

The Trip South

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Saturday Morning, November 22, 2014

Here it is, Saturday morning. I am watching the road reports like a hawk circling prey. Right now ice pellets are pelting out of the sky, I can hear them hitting the chimneys. Attila is out there working in it, and will return home for lunch. After lunch we pack the car and leave for the little house in the city.

Everything has been gathered and placed near the back door, so that loading the car will merely involve carrying things out, and finding a place for them. I am bringing canning jars and the pressure canner and the hot water bath canner, hoping for an opportunity to put them all to use. I have all the discarded shirts ready to go, hoping for an opportunity to transform them into towels, hot pads, tote bags, and curtains. I have lots of warm clothes packed, a few books, and of course my computer!

The weather people keep saying, over and over again, that the ice pellets will turn to rain by this afternoon. The road reports indicate the roads are now completely clear, and wet. Since it is a smidgen above freezing now, the ice pellets should melt on contact with the road, so the roads should stay clear and wet. Clear and wet is not a problem!

There are flood warnings in this part of the world, over the next few days as the snow melts and the rains fall. We are high and dry, and barring anything unusual, we should be fine. There are a few dwellings on the waterfront near here, that may face some serious challenges though. One of our neighbours has just purchased a low-lying cottage, which was flooded a few years ago. One wonders if the new owner was filled in on this before the purchase, or if they are about to learn from experience. I wish them luck, whatever the case may be.

Saturday Night, November 22, 2014

We arrived at our destination just after 6:30 p.m., the roads were clear and wet the whole way down.

We let ourselves into the house, turned on the lights, the heat, the water, and the hot water tank. Then we went into the kitchen.

Mice!

Droppings on the counter, the kitchen table, in the cupboards, on some of the dishes, and one food container had been compromised, one that held macaroni. Sigh.

Out came the bleach and soap, and Attila and I went to work cleaning. It took only an hour to get everything clean!

I will have my work cut out for me while I am here, I am on mouse patrol! The traps were sprung but empty, the mice are getting smarter. Oh well, I will keep trying different things until I get all of them.

Time for a little rest, and then we unpack the car!

Worldly Distractions

Weather

0°C
Date: 11:37 AM EST Saturday 22 November 2014
Condition: Light Snow
Pressure: 101.5 kPa
Visibility: 10 km
Temperature: -0.2°C
Dewpoint: -1.5°C
Humidity: 91%
Wind: S 13 km/h
Wind Chill: -4

Quote

“Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower.”
Jean Paul Richter
1763 – 1825