Overcoming

The air is dense this morning and no wind. I should be able to get a few of my outdoor projects done – well until frustration takes over. 🙂

Hurricane Fiona had no impact here unless you count one of my hummingbird feeders falling down in what little wind we did get. I think those birds have all gone south now, but I’ll keep one up in case of stragglers.

A friend and I went to Saint John yesterday and managed to get nearly everything needed to finish winterizing the house. I was very well prepared and had noted the aisle location for each item. Unfortunately, I used the St. Stephen store as my guide and, of course, the one I went to doesn’t use the same floor plan. Bastards! As usual the trip wiped me out and I was asleep by 8.

We went in my friend’s truck because my car was getting a new starter. At this point only a few bits of her are the same vehicle we arrived in 5 years ago. I’m on my 3rd battery, 4th set of tires, 3rd set of brakes, 2nd pair of headlight bulbs, 2nd windshield, and now a shiny new starter.

Oh, there is one other change. I’ve mentioned (ad nauseum) my feelings about the insurance industry and decided this year to get another agent to try and find me a better deal. Weirdly, same car/same driver/same coverage and same insurer but my new policy is almost $100/mon less expensive.

I’m going to drop off the cancellation notice to the local agent this morning. If they’d like me to explain I will gladly do so. 🙂

The chores today will begin simply enough. I have to put new batteries in the outside lights – that’s no big deal. Then I’m going to put a safety bar next to the door on the outside wall of the garage.

It’s a fairly big step into the building and, when it’s wet or icy or snow-covered and my arms are full of firewood, it can be a bit dicey.

The third thing I’d like to get done is replace the latch on the storm door. Being able to close it will keep a lot of cold out of that end of the house. However, the latch which is there invariably locks me in the house when I try to use it. I gave up trying when I was fed up with early morning struggles out the front and around to the back in sub-zero temperatures and snow drifts.

I love this place in spite of the peculiarities I keep uncovering. Some of them I should have noticed right away but I’m usually focused on a task and don’t pay attention.

You’ve been told in these pages about my decision to set up the 2nd floor bathroom for the exclusive use of the cats – it’s not suitable for human use anyway. This benefits me in multiple ways – not the least in the ease of cleaning around the litter boxes on a typical bathroom floor. Sweeping litter spread by overly-enthusiastic digging is a lot easier than vacuuming. However.

I can’t clean their bathroom unless it is full daylight. The first time I tried I realized that there is no light fixture in that room – or, once I looked, in the bedrooms. There is one in the central hall but that’s all – and it does nothing to illuminate the rest of the floor. I guess previous residents used table lamps?