It’s 8 degrees below zero as I write this.
It’s frigging cold! I’ve been up for 2 hours and the house is still cold.
We had snow starting Sunday afternoon and this is what it looked like on Monday morning.. I’d say we got about 4 or 5 inches. It was light and fluffy, so Don was able to shovel the long driveway. My back was bothering me – too much bending over repeatedly as I removed all the ornaments and lights and packed them away in the bins on Saturday morning. We were moving fast so as to beat out the storm.
Did I say it was cold out? We are in a subzero stretch here which should improve by Friday. “Ice Station Zebra,” – a reference to an old movie that takes place near the North Pole.
(I just got up from my chair to add another layer of clothing.)
Oh and I went outside late in the day on Monday to start my car (because it was so cold) and the battery was dead. Somehow Don had turned the lights on without knowing when he moved the car the day before. So, there we were outside in the frigid weather jumping the battery. I ran it again yesterday and I’ll do it again today. We don’t have a garage, unfortunately.
So that’s what has been happening. COLD, batteries, COLD, shoveling, COLD, wearing extra layers, and some cuddles thrown in.
I spoke to my friend Jan yesterday – it’s been hard to make contact, lots of voice mail messages. She’s still in rehab, but she’ll move into hospice care next week. Her voice is weaker than it was and Joe tells me she’s not eating very much. It’s so hard to know what to say. I could hear some guy shouting continuously from across the hall. Jan said that he should be “voted off the island,” which made me laugh. It was good to hear some of Jan’s particular brand of sarcasm. When I asked her about her state of mind given her prognosis, she said she mostly felt numb. She wants to know more about what to expect going forward and hopes to get more information when she moves into hospice care.
It’s so heartbreaking.
I did another tour of the studio because I was unhappy that YouTube cut off the top of the first video. The Gene Marshall dolls were missing their faces, Don’s Japanese print was cut off, as well as the Putz sheep. I’ll post it here and you can watch it if you want to. Or ignore it, if you want to do that! It’s all part of the process of learning how to do videos via YouTube.
Visit YouTube – my account: claudiathechroniccollector
A Longer Tour of the Studio
Okay. Don just made my second cup of coffee and I’m going to try to warm up.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
It’s been very cold here also but we have not had the snow. My weather app shows that it will start warming up a bit today and will continue through the weekend. I miss my walks outside but won’t risk it with the cold and ice.
Stay warm and cozy, Claudia
Thank you, Ellen!
Stay safe (and warm!)
It’s been frigid here as well. We haven’t left the house in days…except Jim did go out to get the mail lol. And just a light dusting of snow…which doesn’t seem right. New Orleans, Gulf Shores, and Pensacola get snow and we don’t? Freaky weather.
There is nothing worse than a dead car battery…glad you were able to jump start it. Stay warm…it’s supposed to start warming up today…fingers crossed. Enjoy your day! ;)
We don’t really get a warm up until Saturday. Sigh. I’m tired of feeling cold all day long!
Stay safe, Donnamae.
You have so many wonderful things in your studio and around your house. It’s a treat to see. I also want to say that you have a marvelous voice. You should narrate audio books!
It’s been freezing here in Illinois, too, but has climbed way up to 12 degrees this morning.
Stay warm, Claudia!
Well, I was an actress for years and have taught voice for most of my adult life, so it makes sense. But thank you for that compliment, Jenny.
Crazy when 12 degrees is a plus, isn’t it?
Stay safe, Jenny
We’re having cold mornings…but it’s all relative… temperatures nowhere near yours. I enjoyed your tour again. I realized that my mother has the same, or similar, sheet music cabinet…it was in her family’s home in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Stay warm!
It’s very similar to my grandmother’s cabinet, which my sister Meredith has in her home.
Stay safe, Barrie.
We had 8 inches of snow and cold here as well but slightly warmer than you this morning at 3 degrees. I thoroughly enjoyed the studio tour. So much to take in and such a happy space. I do not recall ever seeing the vintage glove boxes before and I absolutely love them. Take good care.
Aren’t they lovely? I forget that I have them at times.
Stay safe, Susan.
Enjoyed the wonderful tour!
It is so cold here too.
Stay warm.
Marion
Thank you so much, Marion!
I hope all of us get a break from this freeze very soon.
Stay safe!
dear Claudia/Don — glad to hear from you — we are feeling a little blah — house bound b/c snow/ice/very cold here — supposed to warm to 20 today but we’ll see, I guess. snow w/ice from 10 days or so ago still here, thick crusty on top w/more light stuff on it — SO OVER THIS WINTER — of course, not alone re weather but doesn’t make easier to deal w/it. Worst winter for us in 8 – 10 years and we have forgotten how to deal w/it. of course, we are 10 yrs older which does not help HA! At least, we were prepared for this — stocked up on people food, meds, pet food, etc but am so done. I know I have no right to complain, have my health, my companion w/heat, food, water, electricity so am ashamed to gripe SORRY — hope the days get better for you all, stay warm, safe, healthy
I am sick of it, too. I’ve been dreaming of spring.
Stay safe, Linda.
We’re just a bit ahead having already had the deep freeze for several days where it never got above zero with teens wind chill. I was suddenly hit with something very nasty and am only just getting over the constant nauseousness and other accompanying unpleasantness. Today we’re already 12 degrees above and by Saturday it’s supposed to be 37! You can be sure if I head to Costco on the weekend, I’ll see some guys in shorts.
Enjoyed your studio tour very much. I love when I get a chance to hear your voice.
Take care and bundle up,
Kay
I’m sorry you’re ill, Kay! I hope you feel better soon.
Thanks so much for your kind words.
Stay safe.
Brrr, I will complain much less about the cold where I am, a comparatively warm high 40’s! Renovation for my bathrooms continues. The crew keeps the garage side door open but though the door to the house stays closed, the outside cold still seeps in. Stay warm, safe and sane!
40s would feel like heaven right now!
Stay safe, Wendy.
My goodness, that’s cold! The older I get, the less I can tolerate it. I’m not a fan of extreme heat either.
I can put up with the endless rain and drizzle that has made up most of my Autumn and Winters.
You say Ice Station Zebra and I think of how popular the Alastair MacLean novels were when I first started at the library in the 1970s. Guns of the Navorone is another one.
Just had two friends over this afternoon for our monthly Film Club. We’ve watched The Three Triple Eight which was very good and also made us angry about the treatment of these brave women during the Second World War by the military hierarchy just because of the colour of their skin.
Hope you stay safe and warm.
My friend Jan, who is critically ill, said she remembers reading the book when she was in the Peace Corps in Africa. The descriptions were so vivid that she actually felt cold in the midst of the heat.
Stay safe, Dee Dee.
Whew, I thought It was cold here (18 degrees). Glad I don’t have to deal with sub temperatures. It sounds so cold. We have enough wood for one more fire, so we’re waiting until later in the day to start one so it will last into the evening. Have a great day and keep warm.
We don’t have a fireplace and always regret that.
Stay safe, Leslie.
Hello again. So sorry to hear about your friend. For awhile when I was first diagnosed the doctors were talking about not doing surgery because they were concerned that it had metastasized and they didn’t think such a difficult surgery would make a difference. It was going to be palliative care. That was shocking to hear. But thankfully the secondary spot that was found on the pet scan wasn’t a spread but a carcinoid that was successfully removed along with a bit of my lung. The doctors successfully did the cancer surgery and then radiation. I’m still recovering but the prognosis is good. It will be a couple of years before I get an all clear. I am in Canada and so thankful for the best care. I often think about how much it might have cost had we lived elsewhere.
I don’t know why I am telling this but… maybe to say to anyone going through a horrible time….don’t give up!
Thanks for listening, stay warm and safe.
Your story is so moving, Loretta. Thank you for sharing it with us. Your words will encourage many.
I hope your recovery moves along quickly and that you’re back to normal very soon.
Stay safe.
As you can imagine, we’re in the same weather boat as you. Sorry about the car battery. I worry about that too but so far, so good. I’m glad you were able to talk to Jan but I know how hard those conversations are. I’m glad she’s maintained a sense of humor, voting the fellow off the island! Yes, hospice will be a great help but still — a journey we’re not ready to take. Thanks for the video!
Not ready at all, Jeanie. Thanks.
Stay safe.
I am so sorry to hear about your friend Jan. It must be so difficult to find the right words. The studio tour was interesting.
Thanks so much, Kay.
Jan moves to hospice this Wednesday.
Stay safe.