It seemed to be quiet this past week. Still, the kitchen was re-arranged. Pam and Becky started working on a 1000 piece puzzle, and I cleared our most recent snowfall. The bird feeder was visited by a couple hawks, much to our chagrin, and a couple local squirrels have discovered our corn-cob feeder. Such are details of life in a NE Iowa winter!
The biggest item of the week was a re-arrangement of the kitchen. We had a rescued cabinet under the pot rack that held our bulk water dispenser. This was not ideal as it made changing water bottles difficult and hanging pots partially blocked a cabinet. The rescued cabinet is now relocated to the garage and the water dispenser is sitting on a plant stand (which was purchased at an antique store in Leadville, Colorado decades ago). Pots have been moved to the back hangers of the pot rack and access to the kitchen cabinet is much better. The changes have improved the work flow in the kitchen. The cats and dogs were a little put out as these changes required a relocation of their water dishes, now just around the corner in the library. They got over it quickly.
An occupation for sunny daytime hours is the assembly of a 1000 piece puzzle. Becky is the primary worker on this task, but I have contributed a few fitted pieces as well. The puzzle is a difficult one and will take some time to complete. It has been nice to have the three of us gathered around the table, fitting the occasional piece, carrying on conversations and just talking to each other. Add some fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies to the mix and you have a pleasant way to spend a snowy afternoon or two.
We received around 5 inches of snow within the last 24 hours. I did my usual bit of cleaning our sidewalks and alley access for the garage. Included in my routine is the cleaning out around two sets of mail boxes, even though we get mail at only one set. I am sure the carrier and people that drive up to the boxes to pick up their mail appreciate the snow removal. The downside is that the work leaves me very tired, as I am still not up to my pre-prostate cancer levels of energy.
Earlier in the week I put up a corn-cob feeder for our local squirrels. Squirrels have been sighted under the bird feeder, cleaning up corn kernels that fall to the ground, so I decided to put up a dedicated feeder for them. It’s fun to watch the grey squirrels running up and down the tree and sitting on the feeder to grab the corn off the cob. The feeder is located where we can see it out the kitchen window.
In a less-desirable development, a Cooper’s hawk (we think) has come by the feeder a couple times, scaring the birds off before grabbing one for a snack. We try to keep an eye out for it and scare it off with crow calls and noise when it appears, letting the hawk know it is not welcome around our place. I know that small birds are among the Cooper’s diet, but it can find them somewhere other than in our yard. We had not sighted any hawks last year so this is new for 2022.
Yes, it has been a “quiet” week!
Photo Archive
This week features more “mechanical” items. I had not realized I had so many old machinery photos! Most of these were taken at antique tractor shows.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
It was disappointing to find out this week that “Bob the Builder” is having major heart issues. He’s already had stents put in since we last saw him in October; now he needs even more medical intervention. Bob is quite a local character. He’s a slight, suntanned independent contractor who, in his 63 years, has constructed or renovated numerous homes in Elma. Bob was supposed to work on our second floor bathroom this winter, but that project’s been put on hold now.
We were hoping to convince Bob to replace [quite a bit of] siding on the east side of the house this summer. Much of that siding — at the second floor level — is in need of attention; if it’s not replaced with cement board, “somebody” is going to need to scrape and caulk it before it can be painted. Scraping and repair needs to be accomplished before we can convince painters to bid on what remains of the exterior paint job. (Left to paint is a major portion of the second floor and ombre-toned gable details.)
Bob was also contracted to replace another window set on the west side of the house, and repair an eave off the laundry room addition. I’m mentally rearranging renovation projects for 2022…
Happy Trails.
Jerry is 100% correct. “Puzzling” is indeed a great way to spend snowy and/or cold days here at Heart House. I love it – especially so as the completed puzzle will be framed and hung.
Impressive that all the snow removal was completed before I’d finished my coffee. What’s not to like about winter when all the snow removal happens like magic?
Very nice too to watch the many birds at the feeder and now squirrels too. Sister’s crow “caw”, used to scare off the hawk, can be heard from the bedroom upstairs. Pretty incredible, huh? 🙂