A very productive week....

I have started typing this blog several times and each time, something happened and I never got farther than the title.  And I kept thinking that tomorrow would be the day and tomorrow came and went with no blog.  The only good thing is that because those of you who have been faithful readers over the last several months became concerned and either reached out in text messages, emails or called.  It was quite nice to hear from all of you.

The truth of the matter is that when we ordered the dining room furniture, I found myself under the gun to get all of the boxes in the dining room emptied.  And in doing that, I was forced to get things set up in the kitchen in order to have room to prepare any kind of food.  So I became quite focused on doing the job of unpacking.  

By the time the dining room was delivered, there were only two boxes in the living room.  One was all of the glass hummingbird stuff that I had collected over the years.  It had lived in a little china display case that had been in the wall in the dining room.  They had carefully packed all of the trinkets in a large dish pack, carefully packed the display cabinet. The cabinet had been locked for safety.  The key that I think belongs to the cabinet no longer opens the door.  But it may be because it is laying on it's side and not upright.  I will be trying that next week.  We cannot mount the cabinet until we get it gets unlocked....

Here is what the dining room looks today...

The dining room is not large.  This table and chair set pretty much fit perfectly.  Enough room to walk around and get seated.  There is a 12" leaf that is folded into the table.  So we could seat six people comfortably, but some will be more in the living room than dining room.  But if we add a couple of folding tables at the end, we can have the Dungeons and Dragon folks over to play here.  Quite a workable solution, if I do say so myself.  The chairs are solid and heavy.  The padding is comfy and the back is high enough that when I lean back, my shoulders are supported.  Rob and I put sliders are the feet of the chairs so they are easier to move on our thick carpet.

This is a picture that shows the dining room as it goes into the living room.  The desk/secretary, that was in my dining room in Parkesburg, is on the in-between wall.  The wood stove is in the front corner of the living room.

It was a toss-up as to which room, dining room or kitchen, needed to be finished first, but with Thanksgiving this week, they both needed to be usable.  The kitchen was finished up on night of the Wednesday before.  I had a half of a dish pack with stemware that needed to be dealt with as well as the stray things that had been living on the counter top while waiting for a place to land.  I had gotten some wire cubes that were going to provide a place for those last things.  So I only had time to get a cheese ball ready for Thursday before falling into bed on Wednesday night.

This is the back side of the kitchen.  There is a sink under the window which is between the dishwasher and the broken trash compactor.  We still use the compactor as a trash can and we will, in time, replace it with a working one.  I brought mine from Parkesburg.  It is set up in the garage.  I will be able to compact trash if we get a really big storm and I am unable to get out to the transfer station.  There are two two-door glass front cabinets.  The cabinet closest to the sink has my Grandmother's china in it.  We ate off of that set for Thanksgiving.  It is the first time it has been used in well over 50 years.  It all made it through this move and the many moves before it with not a single broken dish!!!  The second cabinet is my everyday dishes.

This is the other side of the kitchen.  The fridge is at the far end, the stove in the middle.  The stove is electric with a glass top.  I have been slowly getting the hang of cooking on it.  I have cooked on gas for the last 40 years, so there is a bit of a learning curve.  I am happy to report that I may be getting there as the Thanksgiving meal turned out perfectly.  The turkey roasted in the oven.  The stuffing cooked in the little counter top oven, the mashed potatoes were done in the Instant Pot and the gravy on the stove top.  Kate brought homemade cranberry relish with cranberries that they picked and some baked acorn squash that we warmed up in the oven.  I made Pumpkin Mousse for dessert later in the evening,  It is a very nice kitchen to work in.

These are the last three boxes in the living room.  One is full of newsprint that has been used to wrap up all of the stuff in the boxes.  Rob burns it every time he comes over.  We probably have enough paper in the unopened boxes to get me through the winter.  The box in front is the final box from the dining room.  It has "glass decor" so who knows what it is.  Could be vases that were on top of the secretary or it could be all of the antique glassware that was in the glass side of the secretary.  I already have some new things in there, so I may be purging yet again.

The box in the back is the hummingbird stuff.

I took some pictures of current conditions outside the front window.  We have been having some annoying little snow falls.  Only an inch or two at a time, so the snow blower was not even brought out.  we were waiting for the 6 to 9 inches that was forecast for Thanksgiving Day.  It never happened.  But the trees are coated and it looks like a winter wonderland.... because it is.  Looking out my front window makes me feel calm and warm and cozy.  It brings on thought of hot cocoa with marshmallows on top, warm fuzzy slippers and a Hallmark marathon on TV while curled up under a beautiful quilt.

The trees look like a Christmas Card.  And if you look at the other pictures of the house that I have posted from the window, you may realize that the bottom rail of the fence is now hidden by the snow.  It is not all fallen snow, but a combination of fallen snow and blown snow.  Somewhere in those trees live my moose family.  One of them has crossed through the snow, across the front yard from the opening from the driveway, made their way across the front yard to a small deciduous tree that they must have tried to munch on but instead broke it in half.  Then they walked out of the other side of the front yard.  Life in Alaska.

This is the big tree in the front yard.  Also covered in snow.  It looks like someone sprayed flocking on the tree, getting it ready to sell on a Christmas Tree lot.  But no, it is just some of the fluffy, white snow, that glistens in the morning sun... when we get it.

Speaking of sun... the sun rose today at 10:16 AM and will set at 3:02 PM.  So those of you who are thinking about complaining about how early it gets dark now.... well... don't.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I did.

And now, to straighten out the living room from all of the things that have not yet found homes.  We bought a small sectional and a chair that will be coming on Saturday to complete the upper level furniture.

Then, all that is left is to set up my sewing/craft room!!  Finally!!!

Busy day.....

Monday, Monday.... so good to me...

Sunday was a slower day.  I was able to watch the NASCAR championship from beginning to end.  Kyle Busch, #18 won in commanding style having a great ending to a less than stellar year.  He is not my favorite driver, but he is a very talented driver and he is maturing nicely, not nearly as arrogant as he once was.  Still a controversial young man, but fun to watch on the track.

I got some pictures hung in my bedroom.  I have finally gotten all of the boxes in that room unpacked, broken down and out of the room.  I was so tired of starting off the day with a view of boxes.  So I had taken a day and worked on the bedroom.  In doing that, I had found all of the many pictures I had hung there in Parkesburg.  I had taken all of them around the room and determined where I was going to hang them.  Then I did not hang them, giving myself a chance to think before hanging.  I finally started hanging them on Sunday.

I have had LED light bulbs for the craft room for a while.  I had replaced some and the first couple burned out in less than a week.  But I had found some on Amazon and had replaced the two that burned out.  They have not burned out, so I began replacing the others.  It requires a small ladder and a chair for stability, but I go up and down to change the overhead fixtures.  Does not do much for the hip that is now aching, but it has to be done.  The high intensity, incandescent bulbs run the cost of electricity up quickly.  I am aiming for a totally LED lit house.  The hard one will be the light fixture at the entry door.  Lots of bulbs and currently all compact florescent, so it is better than incandescent.  It will be the last one changed.

So....Monday, Monday....

I woke up fairly early.  Rob had planned to run some errands and then bring a replacement shear pin for the snow blower.  He arrived at the house before I had even finished my morning coffee.  He is such a kind person.  He had dropped Kate off at work, gone to the hardware store and gotten a small bag of shear pins, and had come to the house to fix the snow blower while he waited for the Post Office to open.  First he made a cup of coffee, then fixed the snow blower.  We chatted about some things we needed to talk about then he lugged all of the broken down boxes from the living room downstairs.  He figures I have probably gone through close to 30% of the boxes that were moved!!!  I wish it were more, but I am really the only one who can do this.  And I can only do so much each day.

After Rob left, I dressed, loaded the car with trash, a couple of bags, a couple of boxes full of paper (the paper from the moving boxes is overwhelming and there is just no way for me to unpack AND monitor the burning of the paper at the same time... so some of it made it to the transfer station), and some long boxes that had held odd things that had been purchased for the house.  Just tidied up that garage a tad.  Off to the transfer station.  From there to the bank.  I had gotten  check from the homeowner's insurance for the Parkesburg house, but it also had Rudy as a payee.  Because the house had been in both names, the insurance had stayed in both names.  I just took a death certificate to the bank and since I had never removed his name from the bank account, it was easy, peasy.  Just as a note, the bank recommended that I keep his name on the account.  It has been close to 9 years since he died.  If his name had not been on the account, I might not have been able to process the check as easily.

Then I headed, in the snow as it was snowing (fall/winter in Fairbanks), to Sadler's Furniture.  It is one of the only furniture stores in Fairbanks.  There is an Ashley Furniture but it is in the Sadler's building.  My recliner came from there as did Rob and Kate's bedroom furniture.  I was just going to wander around to see what was there.  We still need a dining room table and chairs along with a living room sofa and perhaps a chair.  I was also looking for just a little upholstered chair for my bedroom.  Something I could sit on to put on shoes or just to sit.

I wandered around, ending up in the dining room furniture area.  The tables had not changed much, but now that I have been in the house a while, I had a better feel for what would look nice.  It could not be big as that room, while open into the living room is not that big.  A tad bigger than a breakfast nook but a table with chairs will fill up the room... and a smaller table at that.  I found one, that we had looked at before, and I think it is going to be perfect.  It will be a smallish oblong table with four chairs that will be fine for the three of us or just me.  There is one extension that will make the table about a foot longer.  If we need more, then we will just have to set up folding tables.  The extension is in the table in the pictures.

I did not want anything too dark, as it will show dust more than I wanted.  I also did not want anything really light,  I was afraid with a whitish kitchen and the wood on the walls, that it would just be pale and bland.  I thought this was just the perfect color.

The chairs are nice and heavy.  The seats are padded and the backs are high.  Sitting on the chair, it was comfortable for the bum and I could lean back in the chair and my entire back was supported.

The nice thing was that this set was in the warehouse, so no waiting for it to be shipped up from the lower 48.  As I was checking out, a young man was wheeling some new merchandise by the desk.  There on the cart was the perfect, small chair with a creamish background and blue, gold and light orange geometric designs in it.  The chair sits a little lower to the ground, but will work well for putting on shoes, etc.  Right now I sit on my bed, which is high and I have to contort all sorts of ways to get the shoes and and get them on.  I asked about the chair and Connie, the saleslady, laughed and said that the first one they got that chair in stock, it never made it to the sales floor.  I laughed and said that this one might not either.  The young man put it on the floor nearby and I sat on it.  It was perfect.  Connie checked the price and we added it to the order.  Then to make it even better, they were doing a scratch-off sale.  I drew a card, scratched off the circle and then Connie took of 38% from the total.  Saved myself well over $700.00!!  And it will all be delivered on Saturday.

Thanksgiving dinner will be in the dining room on a new table sitting in new chairs and eating off of my Grandmother's old china that is now out of the boxes it has been in for YEARS!!!  The old and the new, together, just some of the many things I will be thankful for this year.

I left Sadler's feeling very satisfied.  Now I need to really dig in and get more of the boxes upstairs unloaded and put away.  Headed to Fred's for a few groceries and then home.  

This week, in addition to unpacking, the electrician is coming on Wednesday to finish the electrical setup for the generator.  Thursday I will be going with Rob to his lawyer's office to do some work on setting up things for maximum tax exemptions for the two homes.  Friday I will probably be taking a break and meeting with the sewing ladies at St. Raphael's church.  We may also be working to move the boxes that are left in the dining room into the living room so the table and chairs can be delivered on Saturday.

Busy, busy week.  I will keep you updated.maximum 

FYI... today the sun rose @ 9:40 AM and set @ 3:32 PM.  And in Barrow, AK. the sun set yesterday and will not rise until sometime in 2020.

Life moves on.....

I have taken a break from posting.  I had to get my unpacking back on track after my brush with death.  It is surprising how much a disruption like that can derail one's life.  I was a tad off kilter for a day or two, but I am back at full strength and once again making progress.

I have been uncovering and unboxing things that I have been looking for.  The last box had my Wink Hub and the smart lock from the Parkesburg house.  Also Ethernet switches and cables.  Not sure how I will use them in this house, but I am sure I will, in time.

Kitchen gets more and more functional.  I came across my drill and have hung my metal measuring cups and spoons over the area where the mixer is living.  The other measuring and baking stuff is located in the cabinet below, so the kitchen is taking shape.  Still missing some baking pans, cake... loaf... pie plates... but they will appear.  Also able to install towel rings at the sink so cloth towels are available for hands or drying dishes.

My tech home is shaping up as well.  Every free standing light in the house is plugged into smart plug.  The living room lights are on a schedule so they come on and off throughout the day, making the house look occupied, even when it is not.  I have routines for several times during the day.  If I say Good Morning, I get the weather report, a report on what is being celebrating that day, a fun fact, a joke and what is on my calendar, then it turns on the lights in my bedroom.  If I say Wake Up, it does the same thing but will fire up the coffee pot in the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.  Saying Good Night I get the weather report for tomorrow, a fun fact and then any light that is left on will be turned off.  I can arm and disarm my Ring alarm system with my voice commands.  The entire upstairs has been set up with door and window sensors.  I have three or four windows in lower level to set up... perhaps today.

The guest room is shaping up.  I have been ignoring it until yesterday.  Rob and I got the beds set up shortly after moving in.  The movers were supposed to do that but three nuts had been lost in the move, so we had to buy replacements and then put the daybed together.  It is really the smallest room in the house.  The daybed takes up a big amount of space.  I got a Google Mini set up in there so any guest can use it for information and to control any of the lights in the house.  I have a fern stand in there as a lamp stand.  My old console sewing machine is in there, too, but I am thinking that I may be moving it out into the living room... where it was in Parkesburg... and take the matching fern stand that is now in the dining room into the guest room.  It will fit better.  I am going to be putting my little travel TV in the guest room, too.  It is small and will suit that room so much better.  Any guest can use it to watch TV or DVDs as a player is built in.  Yepper, things are coming together.

It snowed again on Thursday.  Another 4 to 5 inches fell.  This time there was some wind involved as this storm was the remnant of a Pacific typhoon or hurricane.  Rob and Kate really felt the wind up on the mountain.  Rob said it kept him awake one night as the storm approached.  On Friday I attempted to get my snow blower running.  But I could not get it fired up.  We think the electric start is broken, so you have to pull start it.  I just no longer have the strength in my arms to do that.  I tried for an hour to get it to run, but nope, not happening.  I tried off and on the rest of the day to no avail.

Rob and Kate arrived early Saturday morning.  Rob was able to get the blower fired up.  He did a pass or two and then I took over so he could deal with a really hard to use gas can and get that gas into smaller gas cans that are easier to use.  I appreciate safety things on gas cans, but when they make it so safe that the gas is unable to come out once it is inside, they are no longer usable.  While this was happening, Kate was clearing the steps to my front door.  It was a team effort and I am so grateful that they are here for me.  I did manage to take off a shear pin on one of the tines, so Rob is looking to find a replacement so we can repair it before the next storm.  Looks to be a standard part here in Alaska.  I am also going to try the electric start as the directions describe to make sure that it is indeed broken.  We might try to get that feature repaired if it is or look at a new blower that I can start on my own.  I need to be able to work the blower on my own for the days when Rob and Kate need to stay at their home to deal with snow.

This morning I am enjoying a couple of cups of coffee and watching the NASCAR championship on TV.  I am also sending this blog out to you.  Having the live NASCAR events actually being in the late morning rather than afternoon is really great.  I can ease into my day, watch the race and still have the bulk of my day to get something accomplished.  I love it.  This is the last race of the season.  I will be missing them until Daytona in February.

I have a couple of pictures for you.  They are older, but still very relevant.  The first was a morning early in November when I woke up to somewhat cold weather.  I have a thermometer screen in my bedroom.  It gives me inside temp. and three outside temps....one at the front door, one out at the fence by the driveway and one behind the garage.  This was early morning here in Alaska in November.

Can you tell the outdoor from the indoor???

I got new glasses.  I have been struggling for a bit and knew I needed some new glasses.  I went to the vision center that Rob and Kate used.  My appointment was for after Thanksgiving, but I was on the cancellation list and they called me, so I got in early!!  The difference in the prescription was dramatic.  I still have some issues, but there are things in my vision that are clouding things here and there, but at my age, that is normal.  My new glasses are really kicky.  The fronts are plastic and look like confetti with teals and purples.  I love them.  What do you think???

So, I am off to get my day started.  The race is not over, but I am finishing my second cup of coffee, so I need to get going to work off the caffeine.  I will have the race on in all of the rooms I will be in.

Have a great Sunday and week!!

An entry error.........

I was sound asleep when my 8 AM alarm went off.  It started out as part of whatever dream I was having until I realized it was some annoying sound that I needed to address.  The dogs were extremely confused.  I only slept a few minutes before that silly 3 AM alarm.  I could not turn off all of the things that were running through my mind.

I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach.  Once reality set in, I realized that I was not going to get any more money from Social Security.  I had no insurance... no Medicare, no supplement, no drug plan.  And who knows what other agencies that information was being sent to.  But the Social Security Administration thought I had died.  And when they think you are dead... for all intents and purposes.... you are dead.

The young women at Social Security phone bank at 3:00 AM had started out bored, but we were in giggles by the end.  She had looked at my records, verified that I was listed as having died and said that I needed to get to a Social Security Office "forthwith" as is expressed on 'Blue Bloods'.  So, alarm set for 8:00 AM, I finally managed to drift off to sleep for about 5 hours.  Then the alarm went off.....

I felt as if I had been drugged or had been drinking all night.  Head hurt, stomach hurt, feet not working well, having to state my next step out loud just to get my brain to begin working.  I kept looking at the clock and time kept moving even when I still felt like time had stopped from the time when I found out I had died.

The Fairbanks office of Social Security opened at 9 AM.  I had planned to be there at 9 AM, but my feet would just not work fast enough.  I pulled out of the garage here at 9:10 AM.  The GPS drove me directly to the building, although I made a wrong turn before the last turn as my mind was just not quite with it.  I parked easily and walked into the Federal Building.  There were two guards and bins for coats and pocketbooks as well as a metal detector.  I set off the metal detector with my artificial knees and I thought about explaining that it was OK as I was also dead, but did not think the guards would have thought it too funny.  I was directed to the Social Security Office, just down the hallway.

I walked in.  No receptionist, just an armed guard who directed people walking in to the Kiosk in front of her, if they had not already figured out that her job was not to do anything but guard the office.  I filled out the questions and thought about the poor folks who could not read or fill out a form on a computer kiosk.  I had to wait for 5 people ahead of me who also did not have an appointment.  Several of them were looking for lost SS cards in order to secure jobs,  Sadly none of them had a phone and one had no mailing address.  One becomes grateful for what you have when you hear a person struggling to try to get work so they can afford to live in a warm place and perhaps get a phone of some kind.  Hopefully they have not been sleeping outside as the nights (and some days) have not gotten out of single digits.

My number was called fairly quickly and I went up to talk to Pam... I think that was her name.... and she asked how she could help.  I told her quickly that I just needed to have this issue resolved and she began madly typing into her computer.  She typed and typed and typed and then explained that she was trying to find out what had happened or how such an error could have been made.  She assured me it was nothing that I did online... phew.... and then began more typing.  Finally she paused and turned to the gentleman behind her at a desk and told him that she had never done a resurrection before and could he help.  Indeed, that is what the folks at SSA call correcting an erroneous death report.  Yes, a resurrection!!!

Fortunately I had gotten my Alaska True ID driver's license so they had my new address and a federally sanctioned ID.  A printout, a copy of my driver's license later and I was assured that I was once again alive and all would be reinstated to the original status.  Might take a day or two, but Medicare would contact everyone they had sent the notice to and would make sure I was back on their lists with all of the same coverage that I had before I died.  I was back at home by 10:30 AM.  It was handled efficiently and quickly!

I had call from Edmund John, my guy at Banker's Life.  He has handled all of my Medicare supplements from day one.  I left a message for him last night at around 10;30 PM.  He called me early evening, his time, tonight.  He is going to also make sure that I get back on the roles of my insurances and also make sure that I will be properly covered next year.

So, I guess I am back among the living.  I will be checking on things over the next several days.  I am hoping that it will all continue to be as simple as today was.  But I am not going to hold my breath!  

Keep your prayers coming.

Still not alive....

But there is hope....

I have to appear at my local Social Security office with a picture ID.  It appears as though, in changing my address that someone in SSA also listed me as having died.  So, I need to go to the Fairbanks SSA office and show them ID with a photo and they will be able to bring me back from the dead.  Hopefully without too much trouble.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

I am sad to let you know....

That I have died....   More to follow when I have the details!!!

Feeling Overwhelmed, again and before pics.....

There are days when I wonder why I did this.  But I wondered that as I was getting ready to make this change.  I also wondered what I should be doing for the last. almost nine years after Rudy's passing.  I am sure it is the same things that other widows and widowers go through.  When you marry you assume it will continue well into your "Golden Years" and when it does not happen as you had imagined, your entire world is off kilter.

So, having survived the first significant snow... my standards not Alaskan standards... I continue to attack the many, many boxes in my life.  The kitchen is beginning to be much more functional.  In fact, I prepared the main course for Dungeons and Dragons get together for Saturday night.  Rob was working all day at the yarn shop, covering for the owner who is out of town on family issues and Kate had Tai Chi and then costume sewing for the Nutcracker.  So I took over the task of preparing the main course.  I made Crock Pot Chicken Chow Mein with rice and noodles.  It turned out well and it was so nice to be able to actually cook a full meal in the kitchen.

The dining room still has a nice layer of boxes.  But you can walk around them now and actually get to the window in the back of the house, so there is progress.  The kitchen counters are still covered with stuff that is searching for a home.  This kitchen is not set up the same as my old kitchen.  Sometimes, as I pull things out they need to sit as I imagine how they are going to be used and then find the best place for them to live.  There are days when I seem have more sitting then being put someplace.  This is when I wish had some of you close by to come help me with these decisions.

There are days when I look at the stuff sitting and then at the unopened boxes and just get a feeling of "Holy Cow, what was I thinking???"

I did get out of the house on Thursday morning last week and went to St Raphael's Catholic Church on the east side of Fairbanks to visit some ladies who have a monthly sewing group there.  They had met the day before and I could not go, but they planned an extra day, so I drove out there and spent an hour or so with them, saying 'hello' and seeing what they were doing.  It is not at all like Sew Much Love.  They are not working on anything for charity.  Everyone brings their own projects to work on.  Patches, they feel like you do... they enjoy sewing with friends.  On this day, everyone was working on quilting projects.  Several were doing Christmas Tree wall hangings.  Others were just piecing quilts that were to be gifts or were to have been gifts that were past due.  (Glad to know I am not the only one who finishes gifts after the giving deadline.)  There were five ladies there... Tammy, the lady who had invited me, her daughter, Maria, Nancy.. who lives nearby and opens the hall for the ladies.  Then two ladies who came later.  I think they were Camille and either Cheryl or Shirley, but I am no longer sure if I have them right.  I have never been good with names when first meeting people.  They were very nice and have another two-day session planned the week before Thanksgiving.  I may be digging into craft boxes to try to come up with a project to dive in to sew.... or at least take my crocheting project.

So here are some more before pictures of what was the family room but is now my Master Bedroom.  I had a blow-up bed for the first few weeks.  Furniture has made it much nicer.  Looking forward to no more boxes.  But I love the room and my lovely space I am making on the lower level.  And the dogs seem to be very comfortable here as well.

Here is my before in the Master Bedroom.  I have found that a comforter is the best topping for a bed here in Alaska.  As the temps dropped, I found that a couple of nights I could not stay warm all night.  Kate loaned me the comforter that they had gotten for their bed.  So I purchased my own.  Glad I did.

The little TV traveled with me.  It was my "travel TV" for spending time in bedrooms that did not have TVs as I have gotten used to falling asleep with the TV on.  This TV will end up in the guest room here.

Just so you can see the boys.  They have some of their toys and sleeping areas in this room and the craft room.

The octagon window looks into the Sauna.  The next door on the right is the bathroom, the almost invisible wall on the right is the laundry and the open door at the end is the craft room.  The farthest door on the left is storage under the steps. The closest door on the left are the stairs going to the front door and the upper level.

This is on the other end of the room.  The door on the right goes into the garage.  The closed door is a closet.  The hooks are quite convenient for taking the dogs out for their periodic walks.

I will have some after pictures soon.  We are prepping for another major storm by the end of the week.  Sounds like it might be more east and south, but as one knows, weather cane be very fickle.  So I am off to pick up a couple of things to be prepared.  Still do not have a generator setup here.  Takes a lot of time to get a new home set up as well as the old home was.  And I seem to have a lot of time....

A couple of before pictures.....

Today (Thursday) was snow cleanup day.  The storm that started Wednesday late in the afternoon, was first supposed to be the in the 2 to 4 inch range.  By the time we got home from dinner at the Brewsters on Aiport Way it had become 6 to 8 inches.  By the time I went to bed, it was a full-fledged Winter Storm, complete with the appropriate warnings for up to 12 inches.

Rob had planned to clear his driveway first thing this morning with his new track driven snow blower and then he and Kate were going to come down the mountain so Kate could go to work and Rob was going to be here to give me snow blower instructions.

He got his driveway blown open in 2 hours as opposed to the all day job it would have been to do it by shoveling.  Then they battled roads that had been unplowed with only the tracks of vehicles that had gone before them.  Took them a tad longer than usual.  I found out that Rob was here when Miles, perched on his new window seat, started growling.  He was outside shoveling my steps (which I had done yesterday but the overnight snow had buried) so I booted up and started my snow blowing lesson.  I think I have everything down, but I may not have the arm strength to pull start the engine.  The electric assist no longer works so pull start is the only way to get it going.  

Rob got it started and then I took over.  It took a few turns around the driveway, but I got the hang of it and while I was blowing the snow, Rob was digging out his spare car that will be gone on Sunday.  Rob took over towards the end as I have been having periodic issues with a pain in my right hip.  Just  a growing old with arthritis thing, I think, but just about the time I think it is gone it comes back.  But I had the snowblower on slow forward and back, so it was more like a leisurely walk around the driveway fifty times.  The large driveway is impressive and very nice for turning around and parking.  But it sucks when it is covered in 5 to 8 inches of snow.  After Rob cleared some grass areas for the dogs, we shut it down and  it had taken about 2 hours here, too.

He has a standby agreement with my lawn guy to plow his driveway and mine.  Jim would charge Rob $100 to drive out to his location and plow and each time he came here to my house, it would be a $75 charge (boy do I miss my truck).  So being able to snow blow will save me tons of money.  I am all for that.  Plus I know that Rob will be here to help or do the work if I find I cannot for some reason.

I also had a chance to finally meet a neighbor.  His name is Mike.  He owns the duplex that I can see from my house.  Miles and I had slogged out to the mailbox before Rob got here and Mike came out to introduce himself.  He is the chaplain at the local hospital.  He also works with the local Neighborhood Watch group.  He was quite nice, so I am guessing that if I need help to start the snow blower and Rob is not around, I might be able to ask him if I cannot make it work.

So, some pictures.  These are before the truck arrived.  so this is the empty house, save for the few things I bought to use until the truck arrived.

This is the dining room.  More of a dining area rather than a room.   The only room with a ceiling fan.  We have been looking for a dining set.  Initially we were thinking good sized for gaming, but we have revised that to a smaller table for 4 that we can add folding tables to for gaming.  Right now it is full of boxes... not as many as before, but getting all of the stuff from the PA kitchen has been quite the task.  I did not realize how much kitchen stuff I have accumulated, especially considering I had a fully stocked kitchen at Indian Acres.

This is the view from the dining area.  All along the wall to the right on the outside is the deck.  The wood stove has come in very handy for burning the plethora of newsprint that keeps coming out of the boxes.  Again, not a large room, but we will have some comfy living room furniture that will accommodate the knitters on a Sunday afternoon.

Another view of the living room.  The shelf at the stairs once held an aquarium of Piranha. Right now a small TV is there, but it will soon be mounted on a rolling stand so it can go into any room upstairs or downstairs.  As you can see, the boys are relaxing under the table.  They do not always get to come upstairs.  Trying to keep the dog hair from being all over the house.

Miles is really mad over Kate.  He looks for her to come to the house and when it is only Rob, Miles almost pouts.  When Kate does come he squeals and wiggles and licks.  And she giggles and pets him.  It is adorable to watch.

Final picture for this blog.  Looking down the steps to the front door.  On the right is storage that is under where the aquarium was.  It is currently where excess cooking items are living.  These are the things that I do not use all the time and were either on carts in the kitchen or on shelves on the inside back porch.  It holds a surprisingly large amount of stuff.

So, off to bed.  No overnight snow.  Going to visit the sewing group tomorrow as Tammy texted that they are meeting again tomorrow.  Then shopping for the main course for Dungeons and Dragons on Saturday  Have a great Friday!!!!!!

Let's talk weather....

I was watching the "SomersinAlaska" YouTube channel and Jessica said that we are in full on winter mode.  After yesterday, I would have to agree.  So, let's talk weather since I have arrived.

On the 4100+ mile journey across the US and Canada, I watched the seasons change from late summer to early fall, to full on fall colors to the bare trees of late fall.  Each mile moved me either north or west and sometimes both at the same time.  It was fun to watch, sort of like time lapse photography but in real-time.

When we arrived in Fairbanks, the trees that had leaves had long since dropped them.  In fact, our lawn guy had already come in for the final mowing and leaf removal.  Only the few stubborn leaves that resisted the seasonal changes remained to fall for me to get the feel of fall.

I had left Parkesburg with the air conditioner running.  I arrived in Fairbanks to full on furnace running.  During the day it was comfortable to be out in a light jacket or a hoodie.  But I soon found myself looking for a heavier coat at Walmart so I could attend a bonfire party in the snow that was falling a few hundred feet higher without looking like a total idiot.  After all, the truck had not arrived with the winter clothes that I thought I would not need until much later.

So, we are in the middle of our third significant snow fall.  There was an early storm before the truck arrived.  It was just a tease as it melted away letting the grass show.  The truck arrived before the next storm.  But it was a week or so before any of the coats appeared as they were not in any of the wardrobe boxes.

The next snow was between 3 and 4 inches.  Rob had a bit more up on the mountain.  He was able to use his new snow blower to clear his driveway.  Then he spent the next day with me.  He broke out the snow blower that was left behind and was able to blow out my driveway.  I had actually taken the car out before he removed the snow and I had no trouble.

I have never been confident in my ability to drive in snow.  I knew this when I made the decision to come here.  So I knew/know that this is something I will have to gradually get used to.  I am very pleased with the location of the house to the things I will need, so I have no doubt I will conquer this obstacle.  I may not go out right away after a snow, but little by little, I will make the adjustments I need to make.

I woke up this morning to quite a but of additional snow.  I had my ankle boots on and the snow was creeping over the tops as I was walking the dogs this morning.  It will continue snowing today and into tomorrow.  They are calling for 4 to 8 on top of the snow we already had.  And all of this snow will be remaining on the ground until the spring thaw... whenever that might be.

I talked to Rob about calling in the plow guy (the lawn guy who mows our lawn) to clear the driveway.  But Rob wants to wait until tonight's plans get firmed up.  There may be a dinner... it is Wednesday.... and then he may tackle the driveway with me after that so I can learn how to use the blower.  If I can do that, then I will not be paying to have the snow plowed, which will save much money in the long run.

It was nice to have Rob to talk to about things like this.  One of the reasons I moved here is to be able to run things by family that are on my mind rather than having to make decisions on my own.  It is one of the things I did not like doing since Rudy died.

Yesterday we had some electrical work done on the house.  In preparing for a generator, the electrician had noted some issues with the outside electrical supply equipment.  It had sustained some damage either when a tree fell or a pole moved, but it was not caught by the inspector and it needed to be addressed.  So the recommended electrician came yesterday for phase one... repair.  He did a wonderful job at a good price, so Bill Stewart at Stew's Electric has become our 'go-to' electrician.

When I woke up, the outside temp was 0.  We had quickly gone into freezing and below.  Now back in Parkesburg, freezing and below will take your breath away.  You walk outside and the cold penetrates your clothing and hits your skin with shivering results that can go into your bones in no time.  That is because the moisture in the air holds the cold and it lays heavily in the air and just chills you so quickly.

Here, the air is dry.  So even in the freezing and below, it does not "feel" as cold.  This also means that the snow has a different texture.  Back in Parkesburg, you can get the really big snowflakes.  Those are wet and heavy.  The snow here is tiny little flakes.  Sometimes you do not even see it until it lands in your coat or the dog's back.  It is not heavy.  It is light and fluffy... perfect for a snow blower.  Kate says that as it stays on the ground that it actually changes.  I know that as I walked the dogs on the previous snow, the snow on the ground actually crunched as you walked on it.  That, plus the snow never seems to get dirty.  It glistens in the sunlight.  As you walk along, it actually looks like someone took handfuls of teeny tiny crystals and scattered them on top of the snow.  If you are fond of glitter, you would love the snow here.

So, I need to get my day going.  I have been making progress in the kitchen.  I am taking a break for now to do this blog and will pick up later in the day to get more things done in the kitchen.  And it is already early afternoon here... you guys out East are sitting down for dinner.  I am going to have a more lazy kind of day, I guess.  

That works for me.  I deserve a break every now and then!!

Sailing a sea of boxes.....

It is just a little after 8 PM on Sunday night.  So it is already Monday morning for you on the East Coast.  And it is November already... good gravy, where has the time gone.

I did have trick or treaters at the house on Halloween.  It is the first time in 40 years that I have had anyone ring the doorbell in costume.  I found that in the dark, I was very happy about having a driveway alarm installed.  If the alarm went off, it gave me plenty of time to get down the first little flight of steps and pick up the bowl of candy and be ready for the kids.  I had a steady stream of visitors, most in homemade costumes, and they took away over half of the bag of candy I had gotten... just in case.  I had no costumed kids once I moved out on Route 10.  In town, on 5th avenue I usually had to spend a small fortune to make sure I had enough candy for the Parkesburg kids as well as the kids brought in from other townships and cities.  The first Halloween out on Route 10, I got the same amount of candy and not one, single kid came.  I had Halloween candy until after Christmas!!

Friday I woke up at 9:30 AM.  Rob and Kate were already here.  Kate was working from their bedroom and Rob was busy carefully burning the newsprint from the boxes that I had opened since he last burned.  They were spending the day with me as they were going to be transferring the title to one of their old cars around noon.  Then I was cooking dinner and we were going to a play in the evening.  Rob and I worked hard all day.  I was madly opening boxes and he was madly wadding up the paper and burning it in the wood stove.  I was able to finally get to my grandmother's china.  I had two dishwasher loads to get it clean.  The delicate cups only number 7 and there are only 6 saucers.  Everything else seems to have 10 of everything.  It has been washed to allow it shine once again and has been carefully stacked into the glass front china cabinet in the kitchen, ready and waiting for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Rob and I did take time to put together the new TV stand to hang on the wall in the craft room.  It is white and because it is more compact than one that sits on the floor, it blends into the room.  so we moved the TV over to the stand, Rob brought the little microwave in from the garage and we moved the recliner over into the corner where it will be living, giving me a little living area in the lower level.  My TV, recliner, round table and another chair occupy a corner of the craft room.  Each thing we do, makes this place more and more like my home.  

I baked a small ham, almost burning it as I am still struggling to get into cooking with electric.  The oven thermostat seems to be off 50 to 75 degrees, so it has been a challenge cooking my usual fare without my beloved gas.  After dinner we were off to a play.

The play was "The 39 Steps", a mystery/comedy based on a Hitchcock mystery.  It was acted by a troupe of 4 actors playing many parts.  It was hysterical... even more so watching the 4 people act the multiple persons that they were portraying.  This little theater is all volunteer.  Not a paid actor among them.  And they love what they do and it shows.  I am looking forward to the next show.  I will probably end up getting a season ticket in the future.  I love little theaters like this.  They are a dying breed.

It snowed on Thursday and all day Friday.  By the time it was time to go to the play, if we were in Parkesburg, the play would have been cancelled and we would have been at home.  But in Alaska, if you are not willing to go out in the snow, you are going to be spending a great deal of time at home.  In fact, I had driven to North Pole, AK on Thursday in the snow and I was just fine.  Gaddy, the Caddy handled the icy roads with only two little slipping incidents that were quite minor... just spinning tires with too much gas for conditions.  Studded tires and front wheel drive should be fine for driving around here in town.

Saturday morning Rob was up and out using his new snow blower on his hill of a driveway.  He said it had really made dealing with their snow much, much easier than hand shoveling.  Then Kate dropped him off at the house while she went to a sewing party for costumes for the December Nutcracker ballet performance.  I would have loved to have gone, but I need to get through these boxes and get my kitchen working and then the craft/sewing room.

Rob then broke out the snow blower that had been left here by the sellers.  He fired it up and blew the 4 to 5 inches of snow on the ground from the driveway.  It took him about and hour or so to clear my big driveway.  It looks fairly simple, as long as I can pull start the snowblower.  Kate says that we do not usually get BIG snows that can fall in Parkesburg.  It is just constant, little snows that never go away in between snowfalls.  So it is quite likely that the snow I am seeing now will be the base of the snow that will be around until spring... whenever that might happen.

Once the snow blowing was finished, I began tackling the boxes again.  I am finding my coffee pot, with most of my coffee but I had not yet found filters to make coffee.  I am setting up a coffee station in the kitchen.  It will be set to brew a pot of coffee when I tell Alexa 'Good Morning'.  I also worked on replacing the knobs on the little upper cabinets in the kitchen.  I was able to get all but one cabinet above the stove side of the kitchen.  I think it is going to have canned good and dry goods up there, leaving the lower cabinets for pots, pans, baking pans, etc.  I am still trying to figure the best way to make the kitchen work properly.

Today Rob and Kate picked me up for a trip to North Pole.  I had a shipment to pick up so we had lunch at the Pagoda.  It is a wonderful Chinese restaurant and one of the few that have Egg Fo Young on the menu.  I had gotten used to ordering Shrimp Egg Fo Young at the little Chinese place in Parkesburg, so I have been searching for a place here.  North Pole is a tad far to drive just for Egg Fo Young, so I am still searching.

Rob came in the house after lunch while Kate did more sewing.  I have now unearthed the majority of my pots and pans.  I also found some coffee filters in a box pf pots and pans, so I will be able to set up my coffee for tomorrow morning..  I am finding room for everything, so far and still have lots of spaces to fill.  My spices are proving to be the hardest thing thus far.  I have my regular spices out on the counter near the prep station, but I have a box full of spices that are not used often and I am not sure where they are going to live.  It is a marathon, setting up this kitchen, not a print... I keep telling myself.

So, more boxes tomorrow.  I see the box with the mixer and juicers... according to the list.  But I need to make room on the counter where the mixer is going to live where it is readily available for breads, cookies, cakes, etc.

We are having electrical work done on Tuesday.  We are going to be installing a transfer switch so we can have a generator ready to power the house in the event of a power failure.  I cannot afford to not have one ready in temps at 40 below.  But the electrician found some damage to the supply area where power comes in from the outside lines.  It probably happened when they previous owners had a tree fall in the area of the lines.  Our inspector must have missed it, so we are going to have to get to fixed before the transfer switch gets installed.

In the meantime, I will be sailing the sea of boxes that are in the dining room and garage.  The nice thing is the dining room is down to pretty much a single layer of boxes.  Makes me feel like I am finally accomplishing something.