Oh Baby, it's cold out!

Greetings one and all.   If you're anywhere north of ...well,  you don't need to "north"  for that matter.  Just bundle up.  Stay indoors. 

Stole this from one of the weather type sites.  Seems like it's a bit warmer out in the Southwest.   Other than that,  forget it.

We have this little temperature sensing gizmo,  that I really like,  'cause it lets you know just how warm or cold it is outside.   I don't think I've ever seen it that low.

Initially,  I wasn't quite sure where to put the thing,  and had it out on the front step.  Trouble was,  the sun would mess with it,  and you'd get a false reading.   So I had a brief "Wyle-e Coyote,  Genius"  moment,   and it now hangs under the back step.   Now,  having said that,  when the generator does its self test every Sunday at noon,  I do think it messes with the sensor just ever so slightly.  Just a hunch.

In other weather related "news",  it so happens that a few of the "high def"  channels that we get come out of Chicago,  and it would seem that they've had a bit of an issue with their natural gas supply.  There was a fire in one of the natural gas compressors,  which was quickly dealt with,  but then that meant that they're having a heck of a time keeping up with demand. 

So,  the Governor,  Gretchen Witmer,  had the dubious task of asking everyone to turn down their thermostats. 

I'm sorry,  but when I saw this,  I had to chuckle just a bit,  and thought,  "OK wait,   first you're saying you don't know how to manage the infrastructure,  and now you're telling everyone that they should take it on the chin??".    Hm.  Good luck with that.

Anyhoo,   that's all I got for today.   It's a beautiful sunny day,  but I wouldn't recommend lying out there in the sun.   You'll freeze before you get a tan.

Keep your stick on the ice.

I'm out.

Well, here it is 2019.

So,  Merry Christmas,  Happy New Year and all that.

And,  we're finally getting our first taste of real winter.  We've been dodging the weather bullet for a couple months now,  but now we're getting our comeuppance.

I also must say, these days as a "Pensioner",  I don't really mind a good snow storm.  It kind of brightens my mood.   And that would be just weird,  I do realise,  except that when you consider that,  when I was doing that whole "working for a living" thing,  I used to dread going to work after or during a snow storm.  The only exception of course being if the schools were closed.   School closures didn't seem to happen nearly often enough.  Plus,  there were too many occasions when I was thankful to have a four wheel drive vehicle.   So ya,  now that I don't really even need to go outdoors!  I don't mind it at all. 
Funny how that works.

Mind you,  it's one of the rare times when I do wish that I had some way of accessing the garage directly from the house.  But,  it's only on these occasions.  I'll live.

Travelling Companion did mention that the previous owner had talked about some sort of way of doing that,  but it would have involved cutting into the existing garage floor right about where I have cabinets and a sink,  and coming in to the basement that way.   The "previous owner"  was my late Father-in-law of course.   I'm sure he realised at some point that it would have been a major undertaking,  which is precisely why it was only "talk".

I'm trying to come up with anything of interest to share.  It's a challenge.

*thinks*

I did make a cabinet/containment thingy for the bottom of the laundry chute just the other day and it's already in use.


Oh,  I have a picture. 

It's just a melamine "box"  that's not quite built in the traditional "box" like structure.  It had to be open at the top for the clothes to fall through.   The "door"  is actually a panel I had made years ago for the dishwasher that used to be in the kitchen.   It was a "Miele"  (not that that matters)  and was designed in such a way that you had to make a panel to match the other cupboards etc.  When the dishwasher finally fried its brain a few years back,  we (well,  when I say "we",  I mean..."me")  installed one with a stainless steel front,  but I couldn't bring myself to just turf out the panel I had built.    It sat and collected dust at one side of the garage/workshop for the longest time,  and then I had this cunning plan.   

And there it is:







This morning,  I put it to the test by stripping the bed and putting the entire contents down the chute,  and then going down to see if the door would stay closed.

It did.

I could just leave the laundry there until it's time to put it in the machine,  or transfer it to a basket.   Before this arrangement,  the laundry would sort of fly down and end up sometimes in the sink,  sometimes on the floor,  sometimes in the garbage under the sink if it wasn't completely tucked under. 

One time,  and one time only,  I just happened to be at the sink when T.C. fired a towel down the chute,  which then ended up on my head! 
I laughed so hard I was weeping.  Weeping,  I tell you!

Anyhoo,  that's today's missive.   Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep that stick on the ice.


I'm out.