Wednesday - 327th

It's the last day of weather meant for human habitation and so I must do everything, everything before all hell breaks loose. 

It feels that way, too. That I'm doing everything. Ed is terribly busy with some work transfer something or other issues. It's occupying most of his waking hours, leaving us to dig even more deeply into an already gendered division of farmhouse work (there because Ed is not good at attending to stuff that needs attending in order to keep the farmhouse presentable).

Hours upon hours spent on my usual home stuff, while the Ed list grows and grows and will continue to grow until he stops being so preoccupied with those work transfer something or other issues. A broken microwave, chickens without heat, property border issues, oh, why bother spelling it out. The list is just too long.

(To his credit, if something of vital importance broke in the farmhouse, he would fix it right away. The problem is that he and I have very different ideas about what is of vital importance.)

A pretty day. A pre-storm bit of blue-skyed loveliness.

The animals are as happy about the sunshine as I am.

(Though the cheepers huddle from the cold... six beaks visible and accounted for!)

 

We have a seventh cat hanging around here. A new one. And the pack of six is keenly aware of it and so I have that age old struggle of distracting them while I take food to the writer's shed. The cat is hanging out underneath. If it is still with us in several weeks, we'll trap her (or him) and have her spayed. And then we'll watch as this gang of sibs and half sibs chases her off the property. These guys are very protective of their space.

And speaking of new, I have the following isolation bug: I want a new car. People want new houses, new rooms, new kitchens, new sheets, new pajamas, new slippers, but I want a new car.

Now, I am not going to get one because honestly, even without travel this past year, and with near zero interest rates, I cannot afford it and, too, I do understand that in buying a new vehicle, you are paying THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for that newness. For no good reason, because within a day it wont be new and it will feel to you like any old car, cluttered with kid toys and stained by tea drips from your travel mug.

Nevertheless, I want a new car. Here's why: as I already told you, I did everything today that needs to be done before a storm wallops and a horrible Arctic snap shutters us inside. This means I filled the car with gas, I picked up (curbside!) prescriptions, and bottles of (curbside!) wine. And I delivered some fruits, cookies and books to the young family. And, because they are nice and they want to keep me giddy with happiness, the kids and my daughter came to the door to greet me and I was delighted and began to tell them all some irrelevant nothings when Snowdrop interrupted me -- gaga, your car just rolled down to the street.

 

 

 

Thank goodness the car did not squash anyone or bump into some other car (it's a quiet street), but still, it does have this problem among many others. Ed has fixed the most urgent issues as they have arisen, but the moody rolling on slopes is annoying. It means that I can never ever leave it on any incline whatsoever and that's fine -- we live in a flat-ish environment, but then there comes a time where I just want to hop out for a sec and yes, there is a hill and the old and now quite rusty car will start its downward crawl.

I came home and told this to Ed who rolled his eyes and said -- you probably parked it in third.

I did not! I put it in first, as always!

I'm sure you put it in third.

It's rolled before! And besides, why would it roll in third? No, don't explain it to me. I wont understand.

I'll fix your hand brake, so that when you accidentally put it in third, as you likely did, it wont roll.

He does not understand. I want a new car. It's my isolation bug. It will pass I'm sure, but I took some pleasure at looking at websites of new Hondas, Subarus, Mazdas, and VWs. They look a lot more complicated inside than my now 14 year old vehicle, bought used, 7 years ago. All the more reason to learn about new technology now before I get too old to embrace it.

Any other photos from today? Of course! There was breakfast. (Almost ready)

There was Dance enjoying a new bunch of flowers. She does like the flowers.

And there was my outside masked visit with the young family.

And, too, there was late afternoon skiing. Imagine, I say to Ed. We could put the skis in a hatch back rather than you sharing space with them in the front seat. He says nothing. He knows that this too shall pass. Unless we have to stay cooped up for another two years and then I will really want a new car!

(I still think that in his winter garb, on skis, he looks like Bernie! Or at least Larry David. Who, of course, is related to Bernie.)