Thanksgiving, Christmas Lights, and Cold

A few events have taken place over the last couple weeks. Thanksgiving came and went, we put up some outdoor holiday lights, and the weather turned frigid. I spent some time organizing bird feeders, a heated water dish, and started putting out suet and acorns in various feeders. Changes were made to our health insurance policies. Here are the details.

Pam’s sister Becky came over for Thanksgiving. The day was mostly overcast with a few snowflakes floating by the windows, but the food was excellent and the conversation flowed freely.

Becky brought some of the food and a few belated birthday gifts for Pam, who had fun opening them.

The menu included crock-pot cooked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, 7-layer salad, cranberry relish, squash, and two desserts: pumpkin pie and frosted angel food cake, both with toppings. Best part: Leftovers for the next few days!

Before the weather turned very cold, Pam and I spent some outside time putting up holiday lights. Normally the temps are still mild this time of year, but a recent stretch of Canadian air featured high temps anywhere from 15 to 20 degrees below average, so outside decorating was necessarily limited.

I prepared the outside feeders last week. The large bird feeder was unpacked, set up, and filled with seed. The birds, including a male and female cardinal, soon took advantage of the free food. We began putting out acorns, salvaged last fall, into the acorn feeder. (The squirrels appreciated that effort!) Suet feeders were packed and hung, and many nuthatches and woodpeckers have already visited them. The new water dish platform seems to be a hit, with both squirrels and birds making frequent stops to get a drink of water.

After the outside chores were done, we moved inside. Pam had made a request of our insurance agent, Steve Heitbrink, to review our supplemental health insurance policies and see if changes should be made. That he did, and we are beginning a new approach to our health care policies.

In the past we each had three individual policies: dental, vision, and prescription drug plans. Steve was able to find an advantage plan that combined these 6 policies into two policies – one for Pam and one for myself. Not only will the coverage be nearly identical, but we will save money and simplify our health care coverages. We really appreciate Steve’s efforts on our behalf. If you happen to live in NE Iowa, check with Steve at Assured Partners in Nashua, Iowa. He is a helpful agent.

Here is a little anecdote concerning Steve’s visit. His mother-in-law was best friends with one of the children who grew up at Heart House; Steve remembers the home from his early days growing up in the area and visiting relatives in Elma. Quite an example of small town networks!

I’ve been wondering what the neighbors across Main Street plan to do with their burned out house (the house burned last July). While working outside recently I talked to the neighbor, and asked her about future plans. She told me the house was going to be demolished and replaced with a ranch-style modular home that was being designed and built. The old place will be gone by the end of December, and the new home moved in after the first of the year. The couple hopes to occupy the home during March or early April. I will have photos of this process as it unfolds; we will have front row seats from our north windows on both floors. I wish them the best of luck.

There are a few other things going on. Pam continues to work on the holiday cards and many will soon be in the mail. I am working on upgrading my 2013 Mac Pro computer, which means I need to buy new software as the old versions will not work with the newer versions of the Mac operating system.

A network upgrade was recently completed: Replacement of our Wi-Fi modem/router. I just got tired of paying the monthly rental of our Mediacom when I could buy my own and save the the rental. A good deal on a used Arris SBG8300 popped up on eBay so I went ahead and made the purchase. The conversion went OK but included a call to tech support to finalize the installation. The new unit has improved out network speeds and TV streaming, so I would call it a success. Total cost, with tax and shipping, came in under $55.00. Our monthly rental was just over $17.00 so the SBG8300 will pay for itself in just over three months.

In the next couple weeks we will put up minimal inside decorations; the holidays are low-key for us and activities will be at a low level. While there is no snow in the 10-day forecast, cold temperatures will persist and wind chills will be below zero quite often. Time to hunker down!

Finally, for Julie, a recent cat photo. (Cats are experts at hunkering down.)

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

The horse and sleigh about to launch off the front porch and into the abyss is an art installation — representing the country as it lurches into the uncertainty and drama of 2025.

Happy Trails.