Correction...

We often see newspapers or other media offer a correction when an error has occurred. So, today I'm explaining what actually happened when I posted that we might have a frozen septic system. The short story is that we didn't have a frozen system. Yesterday morning Ray called a septic service company and they arrived shortly after lunch.

The last time the septic tank was cleaned was six years ago so it seemed reasonable that it was time for a service call. The service man wondered why the pump had not turned on so he asked to check the circuit breakers. During the check, Ray discovered that he had accidentally turned off the circuit breaker for the septic system. It was right next to the furnace breaker which was the one he thought he was turning off. (The furnace breaker is turned off too as we are still waiting for the replacement motor.)

With the breaker turned off, the pump couldn't kick in when to pump water from the holding tank and the alarm system (buzzer) worked just as it should. Would love to post a photo of Ray with a sheepish look but I don't think he wanted to pose.

Here he's digging to find the cover for the second tank.
We'll have to do some reseeding in the spring.

More winter weather is coming tomorrow and next Tuesday and Wednesday. We haven't gone through a car wash in a long time and with the coming snow, we might just as well wait. I've been thinking that someone should organize "the dirtiest car contest." We might have a chance!

A January to remember

We're nearing the end of the month and the weather is moderating some. The citizens of Atlanta or, more specifically, the Interstate highways in that city, had an ice event beyond compare.

Some of our snow has melted and we see green patches of snow. We were expecting -17 several days ago but it never got that cold. The wind chill did make it seem like it was that or even colder. Today the temperature reached the 20s.

I wrote about our Furnace Woes several days ago. The woes are not over. The old motor Ray installed on the furnace was working for a while; however, it was making a racket and he decided to re-install it to get a better balance or fit (something like that). It has never worked since. Fortunately, we have one working furnace and it is keeping our bedroom nice and cozy, but the kitchen area is generally around 62 degrees. A replacement motor has been ordered but is not expected to arrive until Monday. I've been fairly comfortable by wearing several layers.

As I said, this is a month to remember. This morning I heard a buzzing sound just after breakfast and we discovered that the septic system was warning us of a problem. We're not sure if we need to call someone to pump it out or if there is a frozen section in the system from the two nights that we had minus zero temperatures that might thaw in a few days. Right now we're conserving water so we don't have a backup. Isn't life interesting at times?

We were enjoying a light snack this afternoon and watching some TV when Ray looked out the window and saw a coyote crossing our frozen lake. I quickly grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots out the window. Obviously, he was hungry because when he found our compost heap he stopped to munch for a while. We compost lots of fruit and vegetable waste and dump it on the heap. You do have to feel sympathy for wildlife in this weather, but since this coyote found the heap he may be back for more.

On top of the compost heap foraging for something to eat

Leaving and heading to where?

Furnace woes

This morning started out as usual, but when I entered the kitchen I immediately commented to Ray "It's really chilly in here." We had breakfast and then got ready to head to the Rec Center for our usual Friday routine. As I passed the thermostat on the way to the garage I noticed a blinking red light. Ray knew immediately that something was wrong and went to the basement discovering that the "air flow" light was on and that the furnace was not running. The motor was obviously dead.

We have two water furnaces and about a year ago we replaced the motor in the other furnace but did not throw it in the trash. For one thing, do you really throw motors in the weekly trash pickup? Ray knew that the old motor still had some life in it so when we came home from the Rec Center he immediately began working on replacing the dead motor with the old one.

In the meantime, the other furnace was keeping the house fairly warm. The functioning furnace heats and cools our bedrooms. Our kitchen, laundry room, sun room, etc. are heated by the furnace that was not working so that part of the house cooled off to about 65. Not too bad considering it was 10 degrees outside with a high wind chill.

It's also great to have a son-in-law who is familiar with our furnaces. At one point Ray was uncertain how to proceed and called Joe who gave him the information he needed to know.

Shortly after 12 noon, Ray had the motor installed, turned on the circuit breakers and soon we had heat. We plan to order a new motor because the one just installed today is as old as the one that died so we need to have a replacement on hand.

Kudos to my dear husband for saving the day and tonight we are heading to bed in a warm house.

Winter continues

We usually wake up to our TV…it has a built-in timer...and this morning was no exception. The weather prediction was for snow overnight and we assumed we probably wouldn't be going anywhere in the morning. In the dim morning light we could see that additional snow on the ground. We were just thinking about going back to sleep when the power went off. That made it clear to me. I wasn't going to get out of my warm bed.

Thankfully, the power came back on within several minutes. In the next hour or so the power went off three more times always coming back on. The combined total outage was less then 30 minutes.

Tuesdays are trash pick-up days and eventually Ray got up. I guess he was thinking about getting the trash to the street but, before he could get out the door, the truck drove by. Our small bag of trash is back in the garage for another week.

Eventually we had breakfast and about mid-morning Ray got out the tractor and cleared the driveway. The snow was heaviest near the end of the drive mostly because of blowing and drifting snow.

Now we are facing really cold weather with a chance of more snow. The eastern U.S. is getting some heavy snow now that the front has passed us. Yes, it is still winter and we have the weather to prove it.

It's January

Yes, it's January in Indiana. I hear some people voicing angst about the weather, the snow and the cold. Sure it would be nice to be in a warmer setting, but we don't usually have balmy weather in January. Our current weather is sort of predictable so don't complain. After all, this is the middle of winter.

Last evening we enjoyed our quarterly dinner with neighbors. Snow began falling after lunch and by the time six o'clock rolled around, there was about an inch or more on the ground. Since our next door neighbor was the host, we decided to put on our boots and walk over. That way we wouldn't have to clean car windows before going home and avoid tracking snow into the garage.

I made pumpkin soup and pumpernickel bread for our contribution. We had chicken marsala, rice and about four different vegetable dishes and, for dessert, ice cream with brandied cherries and chocolate cake. Tasty food!

By the time we were ready to go home the snowfall had abated. We donned our boots, gathered our belongings and headed home. We enjoyed the walk though it didn't take more than three or four minutes. There was no wind and no sound. A beautiful night. We didn't even need a flashlight -- maybe there was moonlight reflecting on the snow -- we could even see fresh deer tracks in the snow.

This past week I finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy. Is it science fiction? That may be the first science fiction I've read. The movie version has been quite popular, I understand, and as I was reading I  could see there were many opportunities for special effects. I can't say the series is the best I've ever read but it is entertaining.

Since the first of the month I've been slowly working on a new church banner and finished it this past week.

Acrylic paint on felt
Lettering is felt bonded to bottom layer

I delivered the banner to church yesterday morning and then spent a few hours knotting quilts for Lutheran World Relief. We only had three of us but it's surprising how much can be accomplished in a morning.

This morning our street and another mile or so was snow covered, but the rest of the ride to church was without any problem even though we had snow overnight. Attendance was slight for the 8:00 service mostly because it was cold (19 degrees). The sermon was on the three stages of discipleship: 1) Recognizing Jesus, 2) Following Jesus and 3) Sharing Jesus. The best form of advertising is word of mouth and the same can be said for sharing the Good News of the Gospel.

I'm glad the Broncos won this afternoon giving Peyton Manning another opportunity to win the Super Bowl. I know who I'll be rooting for in two weeks. It won't be the Seahawks.

Football withdrawal

The last of the divisional games is now in the history books. We've had the TV tuned in to all four football games the last two days. Next weekend, there are only two games for the conference titles with the two winning teams meeting in the Super Bowl on February 2.

Of course, we were disappointed that the Colts didn't win last night. I think most prognosticators picked the Patriots and, no doubt, New England played a great game. The meeting of the Patriots at the Broncos next Sunday might be a game not to be missed. How many times have these two quarterbacks played each other?

We were rooting for the New Orleans Saints yesterday and now we'll be cheering for the 49ers to beat the Seahawks next weekend. (For reasons I won't go into, I don't want to see the Seahawks play in the Super Bowl.)

I finished work on a church banner today. It's one that I was supposed to complete a year ago but when I realized I didn't have time to finish by the date needed, I left it undone until the first of this year. Next, I'll start work on a Lenten banner which has to be finished by March 5. I'm thankful I have a large table where I can lay the banner until it's finished.

Just a week ago today we received 11 inches of snow. That seems like weeks ago instead of just one week. Most of the snow has washed away from the rain on Friday night or melted from today's warm temperatures. Now that we are back to normal weather, we plan to get back to our regular workout routine.

Returning to routine

For the first time in 2014 Ray and I went to the Rec Center. The recent weather "happenings" have kept us from our usual routine. We had to get up much earlier than we have the past ten days.

After our workout, we headed to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to see the Matisse exhibit which has been there since October but closes next Sunday. The galleries were pretty crowded but we were able to see more than 100 works of Henri Matisse including paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. A Frenchman, Matisse lived from 1869-1954 and is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. In his last years he was confined to a wheel chair and eventually to bed, but that did not stop him from creating art. When he could no longer stand to paint, he began using scissors to cut designs from paper!

Photography without flash was permitted but I didn't have a camera with me thinking that it would not be allowed. We returned home by mid-afternoon and both of us took a nap. All the activity made us tired, I guess.

Tomorrow is the big test for the Colts when they face the Patriots at New England. We're planning on watching. How about you?

Post storm repercussions

We stayed home again today. The temperature was supposed to get up to about 30 or 32 today but I don't know if that came true. The highs haven't been above freezing since the polar vortex descended on us last Monday.

Some of the repercussions of the storm:

1. Monday's and Tuesday's newspapers were delivered late Tuesday afternoon.
2. We didn't receive Wednesday's bi-weekly newspaper.
3. We didn't have mail service until Wednesday.
4. Our trash pick-up service hasn't been around this week (Tuesday is the regular day)
5. We had a two-hour power outage.
6. Many schools are still closed for the 5th day tomorrow. Some are in session with a two-hour delay in the morning.
7. Our street was shut down several hours this afternoon. A large delivery van was attempting to turn around when it got stuck in a huge drift and then backed into another one. This happened several houses down the street from us and no one could get past the van to get to their homes. A wrecker was called but turned out it couldn't handle the job and even broke a chain. Reinforcements were called in but this all took time. The street was effectively blocked for about 3-4 hours. (Our street ends in a cul-de-sac so we don't have through traffic.)
8. One of our neighbors was on their way home from doing errands and couldn't get to their home because of the van blocking the street. They knocked on our door seeking shelter for a few minutes but it turned out they stayed much longer. We even sat down to play cards while waiting for the street to reopen.

Earlier today I was thinking that the month of January has been really long, but it's only day 9. Wondering now what the rest of the month will bring.

We're still hibernating

Last evening we stayed up late watching the national championship football game and slept in late again this morning. It's become a new routine. Usually we are leaving for Plainfield and the Rec Center before 8 a.m. but we haven't been there since last Tuesday and that's a week ago!

The bright sunshine today didn't help melt the snow, but the temperature did get above zero by mid-afternoon. This morning as the sun started moving higher in the sky I snapped a photo of our driveway.



All day long I was glad that our electricity wasn't flickering like it had yesterday, but without warning we had a power outage for about 4 or 5 seconds. A few minutes later, shortly after 2 p.m., the power went out again, but this time didn't come back on. Ray called the power company and listened to a recorded message that was a bit confusing indicating that it might be two or three days until power could be restored. We started thinking about what to do as we didn't think we would want to spend the night without any heat. Ray called one of our neighbors to ask his opinion on the best way to prevent water pipes from freezing if we were going to be without heat for a day or so. Generously, our neighbor offered to house us overnight!

The happy ending is that about two hours after the power had gone off, I realized the refrigerator was running and knew that the power had come back on!! The temperature in the house was in the low 60s and we were grateful that we had power again.

Another cold day

It has been twenty years since we had temperatures like today. We woke to -14 with wind chills at about -40. When we had temps this low 20 years ago we were still living in Greenwood shortly before moving to our present home.

So far today we haven't had any lapses in electricity like yesterday afternoon. The outages yesterday were strange. They lasted about 1 to 3 seconds each. I suppose there is an explanation why this happens but it is a pain to reset clocks and have to repeatedly reboot the TV and computer.

11 inches of snow fill the bench

Early morning sun

The poor maple tree is loaded with snow

Ready for a picnic anyone?

We will be watching the final college football game of the season this evening--the end of the BCS Championship Series. Next year, four teams will vie for the championship in two semi-final games followed by the championship game on January 12.

A first...

The phone rang late this afternoon. I listened to a recorded message telling me that the Morgan County Commissioners have declared an emergency meaning that no one should be out on the roads. It's good to know they are looking out for our welfare but we've already decided that we'll be staying home again tomorrow.

Yesterday evening we decided that we wouldn't make the drive to Greenwood for church. Earlier today I learned that the regular 8 a.m. service was held, but the 10:30 service cancelled. If we had gone, we would have been driving home when the heaviest snow started. I think we made the right decision.

During the last hour or two our power has gone off three or four times but only for a second or two. So we're still listening to the Green Bay/San Francisco playoff game. Each time the power shuts down, we have to reboot the set top box before we can watch. A few seconds of lost power isn't a problem, but since it will be around zero degrees in the morning, we don't want any long term loss of electricity. The winds are picking up and that isn't a good sign for tomorrow. I don't think any schools will be open.

We're still amazed at the comeback of the Colts yesterday afternoon and now we know they'll be traveling to New England to see if they can upset the Patriots.

Our garden fence is even catching some snow

Heavy accumulation

Front yard

Ray is clearing the drive

Football

Last evening Oklahoma played Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Ray was glued to the TV set and I listened while working at the computer. We stayed up to the end since Oklahoma was leading and we wanted to see the conclusion. OU was not favored but was victorious! Fun to watch if you are an Oklahoma fan.

That meant that we didn't get to bed until this morning and, of course, we slept in late as we didn't plan on going anywhere since the driveway hadn't been cleared. However, that has changed. Ray used the Kubota tractor with its front end loader to clear the snow away and then the bright sun did the rest and melted the snow on the driveway.

I was able to finish two more layouts this afternoon.

Jayden is six and Persephone will be in February.
They are both in Kindergarten.
Persephone holds her "Unipat."

Brrrr!!!

The year 2014 has begun with some harsh winter weather. We went to sleep last evening knowing that we were supposed to get some snow overnight. We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland.

Here's what we saw outside the window this morning.

Note the snow on our new solar light globe.
The wind blew off the snow later in the morning.

Ray walked to the street to get our newspaper and found that the snow was as deep as his boots mostly because of blowing snow. We actually had about 5 inches, give or take a little. Later he spent several hours in the basement cracking black walnuts. It's a tedious job and takes patience but we now have one small jar in the freezer and, I hope, some more in the coming days.

I spent some time working on my digital hobby and finished The Days of December layouts.

December 1-15, 2013

December 16-31,  2013

On reflection, perhaps I should have made this a three-page layout. The photos are small and the pages seem crowded.

Since we were home all day, I found time to complete two layouts from November.

My goal for tomorrow is completing December layouts. I don't think we're going anywhere since the driveway still is not cleared.

Hello 2014!

We are expecting snow overnight so anyone who got a sled for Christmas should be happy.

I believe I'll sleep well tonight since I lost a few hours last evening. Our bridge game lasted well into the New Year.

I believe I set a record this year. After breakfast this morning I started taking down our Christmas decorations and finished before our evening meal. Usually, it takes two days or more mostly because I don't stick with it. I also decided it is much faster putting away the decorations as opposed to setting up and decorating the tree. It always seem to take a week to finish decorating for Christmas so tonight I'm satisfied that everything has been put away until next year. Wondering if I'll find a stray decoration that I overlooked.

First I took all the ornaments off the tree and laid them on the table and them packed them in a large box. Ray carried all the branches from our artificial tree to the basement.

Day 1 of 2014 was a good day!