Update on life

 In a word, busy. It's fascinating to me to find out that I seem to have less time to myself than I did when I was working. I think a big part of it is that my lovely bride Cindy retired about the same time as I, so when I (we) are home, I'm less likely to sit in my den and write a blog. We just do other things. 

The colors are more attractive than this
 photo shows.

I have been very busy around the house, but much of it has turned into upkeep and maintenance. I have still not finished this den. We again are stalled at choosing a paint color. The ceiling is finished, and it looks great, so we are down to wall and trim work. Hopefully I can get to that after the holidays.

Outside maintenance has taken a lot of time. Besides the annual battle of the leaves, I cut down two large trees along the fence line, then have delt with the massive clean up. Surprisingly, the city took all eight bundles of sticks and 3 garbage cans full of leaves and twigs in one day. I still have several large logs to cut and store for curing. I will mostly burn those in the solo stove, and save the better hardwood for the fireplace.

New refrigerator being installed. Note
the missing door and frame.

We lost our "new" refrigerator over the summer. Apparently, 7 years is around the expected life span for them now. I have learned that the effort to employ more environmentally friendly refrigerants has significantly shortened the lifespan of compressors and coils. Also of note is the substantial increase in price of home appliances, and the scarcity of them. We were very lucky to get one we liked in the smudge resistant finish to match the range. I measured several times to see if the unit would fit through the door. I knew it would be very close. I ended up having to take off two doors and parts of two door frames to get the damn thing in the house. Hope it lasts for more than 7 years.

We have already done much of our holiday baking. We did our two batches of both cinnamon buns and bread, It occurs to me that I should do a blog on that, or maybe another blog on that. I need to go back and look to see if I previously wrote one. Cookie baking is on Cindy and her sister-in-law and aunt. 

Trapped and without power thanks to
 hurricane Ian.

We traveled to New Jersey twice, and also had a long and wonderful trip that included a Yankee game with my nephew and brother, the Jersey shore, Virginia Beach, and Myrtle Beach. That trip ended with quite an adventure as we were hit by the same hurricane twice. Pro Tip: Make sure you have a working flashlight when traveling to the south in hurricane season. That should be a blog as well.

We are preparing for the holidays now. The Christmas tree is up, the outside lights are up and working, and the house is decorated. I have a bit of shopping to do, and we have a couple of trips planned. A day trip to Skaneateles to experience the Dickens characters, and a few days in Saratoga to enjoy some food and drink, and to enjoy one of the most beautiful Christmas towns in the country.

Cold

We finally got some snow to go with the cold.

It's been really cold lately, record cold in fact, and it reminds me of the kind of cold we had back in the late 1970's. Back then, we had several days in a row below zero, pipes burst, and the old cars we drove in those days didn't start real well. I was just a teenager without responsibilities and enjoyed the brutal cold. Now, I own an old house, for which I am responsible to heat and maintain. Our old house, has been doing just fine, having endured cold winters for a 100 years, except for a poorly conceived addition, in which they built a half bath in an old porch. The plumbing for the bath runs through an unheated crawl space. Not good, especially if the temperatures fall below zero. When we moved in, the pipes were damaged from previous freezes and needed repairs. After they were repaired, I did my best to insulate the pipes and the floor. Last winter was relatively mild, and we had no problems. Over the Holidays, in anticipation of the cold, I shut off the water to the room and sure enough, the pipes froze. Of course, this was just before a big Holiday dinner we were having, and I was at work, so First Brother In Law Randy came to the rescue, and with the help of brother Ed, got the water running. No pipes had burst. If anything, it's gotten colder since and I have the water off. I hope we have no burst pipes. A summer time job will be to wedge myself into that crawl space and properly insulate those pipes and wall.

Katia enjoys the fire.

With the cold, we're close to halfway through our full cord of wood. Almost everyday, if we are home, we build a fire in the fireplace. If I leave Cindy keeps it going, including trips to the garage to stock up on wood. As inefficient as it is, it really does make a difference in keeping the downstairs warm, and it's great to look at. Katia has finally learned to lay on the rug next to the fire to warm up. Tiny little Natasha looks at the fire with interest, but generally wanders away and sleeps the day through up in our chilly bedroom.

We haven't had much snow, but much of what we've had came in two recent storms. A nasty rain, to ice, to snow storm left about half a foot and with some trepidation I went out to start the snow blower. I had started it in the fall, but figured with several below zero nights, it would be difficult. Much to my surprise, it started on the first pull. Off I went to clearing the driveway and walk, along with several of the neighbors sidewalks. One of them returned the favor as I slept off my graveyard shift and cleared mine after additional snow fell. We are lucky to be in a great neighborhood.

On the home improvement front, I installed the home security system we got from SimpliSafe. It was actually quite easy, with the hardware pretty much stick on. The package we got includes motion sensors, glass break sensors, panic button, and door and window alarms, along with two entry keypads and key fobs. I need to purchase a smoke alarm and CO detector. After you install it, the hard part begins. Thanks to living in New York, The Empire State, otherwise known as the Rules & Regulations State, the system has to registered and licensed, which means paperwork and questions. So, while the system is functional, it's turned off until I can get the blessing from the local 911 center.

The transition to fall accelerates

Last year's leaves. Soon to be repeated.

For whatever reason, we've had some very nice fall's lately. It's a far nicer season in upstate NY than spring, generally drier and warmer, with more sun. As a meteorologist, I understand the reasons for this, but as a resident and native, I appreciate it. It is truly the best time to be in this part of the world, well, most years anyway. We tend to spend days under high pressure bringing hours of sun, but cool and clear nights. No longer dependent on air conditioning for comfortable sleeping, breezes blow the curtains gently at night, As the inversion settles in late, fog develops and sound carries distant train whistles. Even the distant thrump of tires on the highway is somehow comforting. The days are dazzling. Color develops in the trees and is set off by deep blue skies. Mums, followed by pumpkins, appear on porches adding to the unique orange of the fall season. Our cats, hiding from the heat all summer, sense the impending cold and decide they want to snuggle again, and search for spots where sun streams through windows, warming the sill and the floor.

2016's Xmas tree. I did turn the
saw around properly before cutting.

The food changes as well. Cider and apples are everywhere, and even though you can get them year round, they taste better now. Soup for lunch or dinner is suddenly and option and grilling, while still an option, is less leisurely and seems more urgent as the evening sun is shorter, and the end of the season looms. Casseroles and couch time is more likely than burgers and porch time. It is a great time for walks, as the cooler air is more comfortable, and the bugs are less plentiful. Plus, who doesn't like kicking through crunchy leaves?

It's a great time of the year to be a sports fan. Football from high school to pro, is in full swing. Baseball playoffs are underway and the October classic is just around the corner. Very soon, the best spectator sport in town resumes as our local hockey team begins it's season. There's nothing better to do in January and February, on those long winter's nights, then to head to the bright lights and pulsing sounds of hockey. It's the place to be in the late fall and winter.

It's also time to begin planning for the holiday. Not just where to go and what to do, but also to begin baking. Cindy and I both work, I often on weekends, and we bake bread and cinnamon buns so we have to pick our time in advance. Cindy, first sister Karen, and first Aunt Kathie will no doubt have their annual cookie baking/vodka drinking party. I show up in time to be the designated driver, and designated broken cookie eater. We also need to chose a weekend to cut down and decorate our tree, a full two day task at least.

A full cord of firewood has been delivered and stacked, but I still must fine time to double check the furnace, and do a preliminary start up of the snow blower. But the days are still sunny and warm, so I don't feel the urgency. But winter can arrive in New York suddenly though, so I cannot let the benign weather fool me.