More Power

Today's good thing is a MAPP torch. I use one to clean the bunny cages -- it burns off all the hair that gets caught on the wires. Today, however, it was useful to free the bunny cage that had been sitting outside of about an inch and a half of ice.

Last night it got down to zero, and I decided to bring the bunnies in from their outdoor hutches to their indoor cages in the garage. Unfortunately, when I cleaned their indoor cages, I left them outside. One of them was fine, but the other one's tray had filled with water, which was frozen into a solid block of ice. So, for the night, I gave Genevieve the ice-free cage and put Andy in a dog kennel with a lot of hay.

This morning, in the light, I examined the frozen cage and figured out the problem. The ice had completely encased the bottom wires of the cage. So -- out came my trusty torch. More POWER! I melted the ice off the cage enough to free up the tray and then was able to dump it and fix it up for Andy.

So now the two bunnies are relatively snug in the garage with a space heater on them. Even so, Genny's water bottle froze last night. I'm glad I got them in. It looks like they'll be garage rabbits for about a week or so.

On the knitting front, I finished the first of my Irish Moss socks from the fabulous Casbah yarn that Lynne gave me. It turned out large for some reason, but it feels good on and seems to fit my foot. I think I made the leg part a little too long -- I was enjoying the knitting so much I just didn't want to stop. The only problem may be that I won't have quite enough yarn to make the second sock. I've got some left over Casbah in another color though and, if worse comes to worse, I can always make the toe in that.

Road Crew

Today's good things are the people who plow the streets and melt the snow. God bless them. The weather is raw and the streets are dangerous, but they made it possible for Jeff to come home safely from Chattanooga last night.

Snow Day!

Today's a Snow Day -- so Kate and I both got to sleep in this morning. Jeff's in Chattanooga and supposed to drive home tonight -- good luck with that!

Today's good thing is a crackling fire. Last night, I put a fire in the fireplace to set the mood for our meditation group. We haven't had many fires this winter and I enjoyed it. It made everything cosy.

Sleep

This morning I'm thankful for a good night's sleep. I haven't been sleeping very well lately, and last night I did sleep well and woke up refreshed.

Later: Sitting here in the basement directly under the washing machine, I just thought of another good thing: washing machines. I love to hear the rhythmic swooshing as I work down here. It makes me feel industrious. I'm doing two things at once. And I don't have to go down to the creek and beat the clothes on a rock. Yay!

Two Good Things

Today I have two good things. The first one I planned as I was lying in bed this morning. The second happened when I went out.




The first one is turning the heel of a sock. Last night I turned the heel on the first of a pair of socks I'm making out of the luxurious Casbah yarn Lynne gave me for Christmas (another blessing). Turning the heel looks difficult -- and does require paying a bit of attention -- but it's easier than it looks and gives you such a feeling of accomplishment.




The second good thing happened when I had to go out to the bank early this morning. My neighbor was on duty at the drive through window and, although we're not close friends, it was so pleasant to see a familiar smiling face and chat about the neighborhood for a few minutes. It was a sense of recognition -- she knew me. Working, as I do, alone in the basement at the computer, it was nice to see a friendly face and it started my day on a cheerful note.

Roses in January

Today's good thing has to be supportive and loving husbands. I know they're few and far between, but I'm very fortunate to have one.

Jeff has been such a trooper through this whole illness thing. He's taken on a lot of my jobs -- like taking kids to the doctor and taking dogs to the vet and picking up groceries -- and still been there to encourage me and build me up.

On Friday, he brought home a dozen roses because he knew I was feeling low. Is he one in a million, or what?

Sweet Saturday

Today's good thing is sleeping late on Saturday mornings. I love to just lie in bed all snuggly and know that I don't have to get up or be anywhere. It's a good time to think and sort things out.

Things are looking up. Yesterday, I hired a new housekeeping service. After the debacle with the last one, which included a pickup truck full of stuff stolen from my garage, we've been cleaner-less for about 2 months. I certainly haven't been in any shape to do much cleaning, so the house has been in extreme disarray. Hopefully, the new service will be as efficient and reliable as it seems.

Today, I'm going to organize all my Mom's estate stuff in file folders. I need to get a good grip on what needs to be done before tax season kicks in.

Have a good weekend!