We are closing out the coldest week of winter with another week to come. High temperatures have been below zero for a few days and lows, with wind chill, are in the -40 to -50 degree F range. Brrr!
This has not stopped Pam from working on the art deco stencils going into the library.
The results are starting to look great. It’s just a huge amount of work to get there! And once the painting is done, Pam still needs to add the rest of the ribbon and tacks to complete the job. Things are moving ahead and looking good.
I received a call from the Mayo Clinic, setting up a March 3rd appointment to discuss treatment options for my prostate cancer. The fact that they called appears to indicate the cancer has not spread to surrounding soft tissues or bones. If confirmed, this is good news. I have an appointment with my regular doctor at the Mason City Clinic this coming Monday and will get the official results then. I hope for the best outcome which would be to qualify for Mayo’s Proton Beam Therapy but won’t know if that is the course of action until after the March 3rd appointment.
Most of my activity this week involved moving snow around. We had two light storms come though that dropped just enough snow to be shoveled. After I had finished a neighbor came up and asked me to do a driveway for a neighbor lady (Kate, whom we had met last year) as she is in therapy and can’t be home. Of course I said yes then spend another half-hour clearing her drive.
Cleared walkways are a rarity in this town, but I feel it is the duty of a responsible owner, or renter, to clear their sidewalks. Elma does not have a local school any longer so there are no children walking to and from, but there are people who walk and the only course open is to stay on the street. In winter, with slippery roads, this can be an adventure, particularly at corners with stop signs where autos tend to slide out of their lanes of traffic.
At any rate, I try to keep our walks clear and in useable condition. This year we maintain the walking path that extends from the east (side) porch out to 7th Street. Delivery people, the mail carrier (with boxes that won’t fit in the mail box), and even the neighbor who asked me to clear Kate’s drive all use this path.
It adds more shoveling time but is worth the effort. It’s possible we will put in a permanent cement walk in this location at some point.
Just for the record, here is a view of our Main Street walk; the 7th street access follows the left sidewalk branch and the diagonal walk goes up to and around the house.
Pam is starting to feel “cabin fever” and decided to put a bit of color — in the form of silk flowers and a spring flag — on the east porch to brighten the landscape a bit.
Speaking of colors, we have seen a male and female cardinal at the feeder a few times. Their reds add a striking bit of color to the otherwise drab snow. A blue jay has also made a few appearances, but he doesn’t stand out as do the cardinals. I’m glad to see all the birds getting something to eat.
In my last post I mentioned I had some trouble with the snow blower. I did work on its carburetor and the blower is now in running condition. Not perfect, and I have ordered a carb overhaul kit, but running well enough to get through to warmer weather.
We have started to assemble the paperwork for our taxes. Oh the joy. I have part-year status in two states, sold property, retired, and started getting Social Security checks. Pam does not have the part-year issue but also started getting retirement checks. There will be plenty of forms to fill out this year!
Photo Archive
This week’s photos are from 2004 and are primarily landscapes but there are a few others tossed in.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I reinstalled the two red hearts (made from rope lights) in the downstairs bay windows for the weekend. The hearts were such a hit over the holidays, I’m sure the locals will appreciate an encore.
We remember these frigid spells from previous years living in the Midwest. Not fondly. On the tally sheet of things to “like” and “not to like” in Elma, frigid Alberta Clipper weather patterns are definitely in the “not to like” column.
Be well. Happy Trails.
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