This is going to be a short post as our activity level has been curtailed. Not much noteworthy happened this past week. However, a few items are documented below.
The biggest event of the week was weather-related. The “big storm” that passed through the Midwest by-and-large passed us by. We did receive around 4 inches of snow and a light coating of freezing rain. This combo resulted in a “crusty” new layer of white that Pam had to shovel from the sidewalks. The upcoming forecast has temps getting back onto the low 30 degree range so most of what we received will melt in the next few days.
Before the storm we drove over to the Walmart in Decorah to stock up on supplies and pick up a few groceries. We try to not stay for prolonged periods in the store; we have a list of items to get and don’t dally longer than necessary.
As a treat, we stopped at the Culver’s restaurant for lunch on the way home. We don’t leave the house much these days and it was good to be out and about. Pam did the driving and it was a treat for me just to sit back and look at the passing scenery.
One victim of the storm was our daughter, Felicity. She had been visiting friends in Portland, Oregon and her flight back to Tulsa, Oklahoma (routing through Denver) was delayed a couple of times. This proved not to be a problem as she just stayed with her friends a bit longer than originally planned.
Son Toby has an offer on his South Bend home and has started refereeing ball games in Las Vegas. Apparently softball and baseball games are a nearly year-round activity in that part of the country. While this will not be his main income, it will give him some funds while looking for a full-time job.
Nati the cat seems to be doing OK. While she is not very active in her cat condo, she is eating and eliminating just fine. Nati will butt her head into Pam’s hand when Pam feeds her and Nati tries to purr, but the sound comes out a bit strange and gravelly. There may be some damage to the vocal cords, or it may be that the damage to Nati’s neck is inhibiting her sound reproduction. Pam has been able to rub some bag balm on the bare spots on Nati’s neck and chin in an effort to help keep those areas a bit more pliable.
I continue to have minor improvements in the use of my right hand. The stitches in the incisions – there are two incisions – appear to have absorbed OK. However, if I make a careless move I can feel it! I quit taking any Tylenol or Ibuprofen last week as the pain level has subsided to a dull ache, not bad enough to keep me awake at night but still there.
We continue to enjoy the antics of animals both inside and outside the house. Birds, who had not frequented the feeder during mild temps, returned with the snow. The red Cardinals and Blue Jays sure make a splash of color when they are around. The corn cob and suet feeders attract other birds, such as red-headed woodpeckers, and squirrels.
The cats and dogs offer up entertainment as well. The cats run and play with each other, except for KitKat who could care less, and the dogs mostly sleep and ignore the cats. Here is a photo of Bru in her ‘road kill’ sleeping position.
All the cats enjoy sitting in the morning sun in the library, including KitKat.
And that, my friends, is about it. We have begun gearing up for tax season by downloading state and federal forms and putting the various tax statements together. (Tax prep is always a PITA.)
Photo Archive
I did not take the following photos of this steam-powered rotary snowplow on the Toltec and Cumbres RailRoad, but wish I had. Familiar with this line from our time in Colorado, we had driven to the top of Cumbres Pass to see the train running in the summer on one of our trips. These are screen shots of footage taken in February, 2020, and the rotary is being pushed by other steam engines. The sight may never be repeated.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
Notes from the infirmary:
Himself’s shoulder incision is healing nicely. Removal of the tape stitches revealed no red skin or any nasty infection.
Bru dug a mole (or something) out of the side of her face and had to be encouraged to “leave it.” Now it’s clotted/scabbed over and hopefully she will “leave it” that way.
Nati continues to heal. The raw redness of her facial surgery is starting to subside. Additionally, Nati rolled over so I could check out her spay area. All good. She [unexpectedly] allows me to touch her while giving her care, pretty much without hissing or scratching.
Happy Trails.
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