Updates

I have just a few updates to pass along this week including news on our latest foster kitten and the Oliver OC-3 tractor plus a few other small tidbits.

The kitten, Pumpkin Pie, is doing well and is exploring outside his pen. Here is a short video of him; Pam thinks he is about 8 – 9 weeks old.

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Kittens are always fun to watch at this age.

I’ve made a bit of progress with the Oliver OC-3; I had the starter cleaned, repaired, and tested and received my rebuilt magneto from the repair shop. Here are photos of these two components:

OC-3 starter

Wico brand magneto for the OC-3

I have reinstalled the starter and hope to get the magneto installed before the end of the month. Installing the magneto requires timing it with the engine and I need to find out if the engine will spin over first.

Moving on…

Our weather is gong to take a change for the worse later this week. Still no snow but the temps are going to drop below zero if the forecast is accurate. I’ll have to get the kerosene heater out and light it up to try and keep the garage above freezing for the outside feral cats’ comfort and to make sure the cars start OK. We have appreciated the above-normals we have had so far but everything is very dry; we are officially in a drought. When walking across our lawn you can feel the grass crunching under your feet. Pam is worried that without some ground moisture the 100+ bulbs she planted last fall will not bloom as they should. She’s thinking of putting together an indoor cistern arrangement for household water and doing some mid-winter flower bed “moisturizing.”

We may get some snow this Wednesday or Thursday, a 50 percent chance, but if we do it will be light and have little moisture in it. Not like Wisconsin; brother-in-law Craig posted a photo of their place under a fairly heavy coat of new snow. I guess we will just have to see what the next system bring us.

Weather forecast (Click for larger view.)

The other project completed was Christmas cards; all have been addressed, notes attached or included, and mailed. We don’t do a lot of Christmas shopping, as we tend to buy “stuff” as we need it. This makes Christmas less of an event (no gifts beneath the tree).

One financial advantage we have this year has to do with my payroll. Beginning  last January I was moved from a once-a-month paycheck to a check every two weeks. December is one of the two months out of the year where I receive a third check, most of which will end up in the savings account and be used to defray our tax bill come April.

Woo-hoo, the Denver Broncos have won two games in a row! They will still finish the season with a losing record but perhaps not the worst in the league. I have a feeling heads will roll within the Bronco organization after the first of the year.

We are looking forward to the Christmas break. The community college closes between Christmas and New Years, giving Pam almost two weeks off. I will be taking a few days of vacation as well. We might consider a day trip or two but don’t plan to do much except take it easy. That would be a pleasant change!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Lovely to enjoy paid time off til the end of the year — only down side is getting back into the grind come January 2nd.  Maybe I’ll get a chance to pick up my uke more often.  It’s been sadly neglected of late.

Little Pumpkin Pie will be fostering with my boss starting the week after Christmas. If all goes well, it will be a foster-to-adoption arrangement.  He is one personable kitten, a total “orange” personality.

Happy Trails.