Several posters have mentioned failing furnaces. Mine has been making strange noises for the past several heating seasons, and the noises keep changing, as if it’s speaking to me in a kind of code. I’ve determined it to be the exhaust fan, the thing that forces the exhaust gases out of the little PVC pipe that substitutes for a chimney in high-efficiency furnaces. It got louder and louder and I still ignored it. This year, however, it’s down to a whimper, but is blowing as well as ever, judging from the exhaust outside.
So I either have a self-healing furnace, or I am about to experience an unpleasant surprise. If the latter, is there any doubt that the catastrophic failure will happen either on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve?
The coronavirus is making my BIL batshit crazy. He just texted me with half a dozen questions about a gift I sent him for Christmas: where is this from? What store? What’s in it? Do you trust the seller? What types of precautions are they taking? I don’t fucking know, man, I just thought you might like a Christmas gift.
The guy has developed a pretty serious phobia over the years of getting sick, and COVID has sent him seriously spiraling into an ugly, ugly place. It’s to the point where he’s set up a decontamination zone in his garage, requires everything to quarantine for a minimum 48 hours before it comes into the house and won’t touch his wife (my sister) because she’s the one who goes grocery shopping. I’m trying really hard to get her to talk to his therapist with him (they’re only as good as the information you give them), but so far she’s worried she’ll go in and just unload instead of being helpful.
When we moved to this house in 2017 it came with a stray cat living under the porch. We trapped the cat and because he presented as feral, had him fixed. (There is a wonderful program out here that lends traps to people who then take kitty to the program’s vet to be snipped and ear-tipped. Then kitty is released where they were trapped.) Over time, our porch cat became friendly and asked to come inside.
Of course, there is no such thing as a free cat and he hasn’t proven to be the exception. He has FIV and some weird thing that makes him pull his fur out. He has had 3 UTI’s this year. We’ve only had him for 2 years and he’s already close to 3 grand in vet bills and medication.
About a month ago, I noticed that he wasn’t looking right but couldn’t put my finger on anything. Last week we weighed him and he went from 12 to 10 lbs in about 4 months. According to his blood work, the FIV is expressing itself and its unlikely he will be able to enjoy another spring.
Here in southern Ontario heavy rain is predicted for the next day and a half – so much so that there is a weather warning. But – and this is what I love about Canada – it turns to snow on Christmas Day, along with a big drop in temperature! After all, Santa is equipped with a sleigh, not a goddam chariot!
We started this morning at 43f. Bumped up to 45.
Rain started around 9ish?
Snow by 1130am, wind started whipping.
At 10pm it’s down to 8f, windchill -20f, with winds steady at 20mph, gusting to around 50mph. Supposedly temp will bottom out at -10f overnight.
The city did get salt and sand down a few times before the switch to snow, but it’s still bad driving. Had a city plow spinning it’s wheels in front of the house. Wanted to go out and wave, as he does to me while plowing my driveway in.
I am lucky, though. I have power. A decent chunk of the neighborhood is out. And, I really like this weather. That opinion may change in the morning, depending on whether the snow blower starts.
I completely agree with this, too - she’s been dealing with this since the pandemic started and she probably needs someone who won’t get defensive to give her more practical strategies for dealing with this and also helping her kids. But mostly for herself.
And what is testing going to tell him? It’s not like it’s preventative or treatment. Plus of course he’s exposing himself twice a week and bringing that risk/exposure home to your mom.
Knowing this actually makes the whole thing easier for us. We can’t extend his short life, but we can make his end as comfortable as possible.
I gave him a B12 shot yesterday and he seems to feel better today. This makes me happy.
For Christmas, we got a nice bird feeder pole that holds several feeders and suet cages. I spend most of the morning putting it together and planting it in the back yard, then came inside to learn that I had planted it in just the perfect spot to hide it when I’m in my chair.
Oh, it’s a given that bird feeders need to get moved seven times in the first seven days. Best if those seven can get concentrated in the first day. But that only happens by having the biggest bird lover sitting inside while her tired, cold, long-suffering spouse uproots heavy blacksmithed posts with his bad shoulder… (man, where’s the Husband Feeder, that dispenses malted milk balls?)
After all, Santa is equipped with a sleigh, not a goddam chariot!
And a smart kitty. He found someone who would care for him and make his last years comfortable.