Greetings from Ice Station Zebra! Don started calling the cottage, in this frigid, stuck-in-the-house, worried-the-pipes-might-freeze weather, Ice Station Zebra (after the movie of the same name) when he was dealing with it all by his lonesome 4 years ago. At that time, I was working in sunny San Diego. Now, the tables are turned and I’m dealing with it all by my lonesome. I get it. I feel like I’m in some cold, lonely outpost trying to stay sane.
Incidentally, I turned on TCM last night and what was on? Ice Station Zebra.
After I wrote and published yesterday’s post, I went to turn on the cold water in the kitchen. Nothing. The pipe had frozen. Trying to ignore the more than slight feeling of panic that was trying to take over, I grabbed a hair dryer. Sometimes we have to go down into the basement to thaw the pipes. But I thought I’d try the pipes under the sink first. After about 5 minutes of work, I saw the stream of water from the tap get a little stronger. Eventually there was a nice, heavy flow as the pipe thawed.
Phew!
Our pipes in the kitchen and bathroom have a history of freezing. They are on the outside wall and I suspect there’s not quite enough insulation there due to some mouse activity in the past. Since the next 2 or 3 days promise to be just as frigid, I am now dripping water which has turned into a steady stream, all the time in both the kitchen and the bathroom – hot and cold. I might just go mad. I’m also keeping the heat at a higher temperature than I like overnight. Monday, when the temperatures are supposed to be warmer, cannot come soon enough.
Because of all this, I have truly lost track of what day it is. I was all set to do a big post today on Decorating on a Flea Market Budget in the Kitchen. But then as I emerged from a restless sleep, I realized that today is Friday. Not Thursday. Friday. And my posts on Friday are usually not big ones because I also post A Favorite Thing on Friday evening. So I’ll hold off on the kitchen post for a day or two.
In the photo, a few treasures: my dad’s toy, a Model T made out of cast iron that still has remnants of its original yellow paint, and some things I’ve gathered on my walks – a pinecone, a feather, some pods and some acorns – sitting on a brown transferware dish.
And I made another scarf:
I love this color. If you were interested – and why would you be – you’d find several items in my wardrobe in this color. It’s made of silk and bamboo – very soft and silky to the touch.
I’ll be back this evening for A Favorite Thing. In the meantime, I’m running some quick errands and getting ready for the snow that is supposed to fall overnight.
Why am I not in Southern California at the moment?
Happy Friday.
