The first three images were taken yesterday morning just before the storm arrived. It poured all day, snowed overnight, and today the north-west wind is howling. This means the windchill is a ridiculous temperature.
None of this has stopped my house guest from wanting to sit on his own driveway waiting for the world to go back to normal. I caught him putting up Missing Persons Posters around the neighbourhood wanting information on his Mom and Dad. 🙂
There are gulls sitting on patches of ice in the background of this image but those shrubs in front have buds on them. I am supposed to conclude from this that winter will soon be over. Even if I choose to believe this, imminent warmer weather comes with its own set of problems.
The 3 to 4 months of combined Spring/Summer/Fall in this part of the world is the window I have to prepare for next Winter. My list of projects this year is extensive and includes not only finishing the sun porch but also gutting and redoing the pantry/mud and laundry room. I have to insulate it and that means tearing apart the walls and ceiling.
It also means that I have to sand a number of the boards I painted a few years ago to replace the horrible dark fake wood on there now.
There is also the carpets which all need to be shampooed, the giant shrubs on the south side of the house which have to be cut right back, the shingles on the sunporch roof, an exhaust fan in the front, and the firewood which will have to be purchased and stacked.
To do all of that I’m starting now to try and reclaim my palm sander, circular saw, pry bar etc., which have wandered off. 🙂
The problem, of course, is that I haven’t done all the projects on my list which were supposed to be accomplished this Winter. I have installed safety bars in the bathroom (occasional double vision and loss of balance just come with the various pills I take) and I have put up half of the blackout curtains on the sunporch. Hot summer sun makes the house unbearable without them.
Two of the unused baseboard heaters were covered at some point with the wrong paint. One is in the bathroom and the other in the laundry area. Not only are they peeling, they are heavily decorated in rust. So, they have to be sanded down and covered with some self-adhesive stuff you’re supposed to use on counter tops.
There is a seemingly endless list of areas which require spray-foam insulation and repairs, a storm door which needs a new mechanism to keep it closed, and new hardware has to be installed on many of the casement windows.
I don’t feel like I’ve been avoiding things for the past few months, but I obviously haven’t accomplished enough and time is running out. I’m going to try and check off something on my list every day (or two). Really! I’m sure the other residents in the house will cooperate – the kitten will probably help.
I also have to stop spending so much time just looking at the view. 🙂
This Fundy Migrant's Tale 