The low for last night was forecast to be -25C, before starting to warm up.
We are supposed to be well into the “starting to warm up” part by now.
Almost 8am, and we are at -30C?? We are supposed to be closer to -23C by now.
That’s off by quite a bit!
I just checked the critter cam. There are surprisingly few cats in the sun room. I’m glad that heat lamp came in yesterday, though!
Hopefully, things will warm up a fair bit over the next few hours, since plugging the truck in, is not an option. At least it’s closed up in the garage!
I do wish we didn’t have to go out in this, for my husband’s eye appointment, but it wasn’t supposed to get this cold.
Well, time to bundle up and feed the outside cats!
Well, it wasn’t how I hoped to set it up, but it’s pretty much the only option.
I took the platform out completely to work out how to hang the heat lamp, as well as to reach where the power bar is hanging. This gave me the opportunity to remove one of the shop lights, as it will be needed in the living room, when we start our seeds.
All the possible places to attach the lamp were too far to the sides, and too close to stuff being stored. I tried to set up the metal saw horse in the middle of the space, but that put the lamp way too low. So the platform got put back, and the lamp was hung directly to the side of the frame. No need to make holes in the insulation.
It was first secured with garden twist ties, both on the hanger, and the clamp, so it can’t swing around. Then zip ties were added, for extra security.
The platform bounces a lot when the cats jump on it, so that needs extra support. I think we have long enough boards, salvaged from a shed, in the basement. A pair of those under the platform should be sufficient.
I think this location is best, too. If I’d put it on the other side, it would be right over the cat beds, which might actually get too warm. We don’t want to mess with their ability to acclimate to the outside temperatures. Plus, that would put it close to the windows. The temperature differences, inside and out, could lead to glass cracking. That’s already a concern.
The insulation under the platform mesh will help keep the warmth under the platform, even with the lamp to the edge like that. It is over where some of the food bowls are, which I’m sure they will appreciate at feeding time! This room does not need – and should not have – a lot of heat in the winter. I think this set up will be just enough for the coming cold.
I just checked the critter cam my SIL gave us, and I can see a pair of cats almost directly under the lamp, while others are on the cat beds, as usual.
I just got back from the post office and brought this home. The heat lamp for the sun room. It’s assembled and ready to hang up. I’m going to let it all come to room temperature before I try to hang it up and turn it on.
This is much better than what we used before, which was never intended to be used for anything other than keeping the pipes under the kitchen sink from freezing. This is a brooder lamp, so it’s meant to keep critters warm, safely. The bulb guard being particularly appreciated. Sure, a cat could still stick it’s head in, though I’ll be sure to hang it where that is not likely to happen. More likely is an accidental brushing. Between the bulb guard and the depth of the reflective shade, that is no longer a concern.
There is the option to hang it from a hook, or using a clamp. I expect to be using the clamp, but it’s good to have choices.
We are not expected to have daytime highs below -20C for a while yet, but overnight lows have already dropped to that point. The city we lived in last is expecting to drop colder than -30C, so we don’t have much to complain about.
In other news, I got a voice mail on my cell phone. It never rang, but at least it took a message.
It was the computer repair place, letting me know my machine is ready to pick up.
!!!
I had thought it was a lost cause, but no. He got it going. It takes about 5 minutes to boot up (it was taking that long for a while, now), but it’s working again. The total bill, including saving and backing up my data, is almost $300. Much cheaper than a new computer!
I do still need a new computer. The hardware is giving out and it’s not worth replacing it all, but it does give us time to figure out getting the funds for a new machine. Or even a refurbished one.
I don’t know when we’ll be going into the city next, to pick it up. That gives us time to scrape the money together to pay for it.
Then there is the cost of replacing the valve stems on the truck.
Then there is getting my mother’s car in to see what the damage is, and how much it will cost to fix.
My husband has an eye appointment coming up and will need new glasses. The last time he got glasses, it cost over $1500, most of it for his special lenses, some 15 or so years ago. His insurance currently covers only about $400.
Then there is…
Then there is…
Then there is…
It just doesn’t end, does it?
However, the kitties will be nice and warm. I think the lamp is ready to hang up, now!
By the time I finish my morning rounds, the outside cats are done eating and settling into their cuddle piles. The three smallest kittens are in this one.
I want to snuggle the fluffy tabby so much! S/he will not allow it. The white and grey is friendly. Once in a while, I manage to sneak a pet on the grey tabby with white, on the left, but rarely do. The other two littles do allow me to pet them, and sometimes pick them up. The tortie does not like it, but tolerates it a bit more.
I ended up heading to my mother’s, today. My brother was planning to visit her and set up a call blocker, to stop the scam calls my mother gets, as well as the abusive calls she gets from our vandal. He was going to start while she was in church, as her place is so tiny, it’s easier that way. I came over to help him out.
He has a much longer drive than I do, and we ended up meeting elsewhere, then going to her place together. I’m glad I was there to help out, even if it was just passing him things. Before we started, though, we checked my mother’s answering machine for her. She can listen to messages, but can’t figure out how to delete them.
There were two messages from our vandal.
He was quite upset that I answered her phone while I was there. Had all sorts of nasty things to say about me, of course. Apparently, he’s poor because of “what [I] did”, and his $7000 in legal fees. Of course, no taking responsibility over the fact that he was caught vandalizing the gate and that’s why I pressed charges. Or his stalking behavior, etc. No mention of his trying to sue me for $13,000, for stuff I never claimed to own. He’s lucky my mother and brother aren’t up to doing him for all the stuff he took from here, over the years. That total would be over $40,000, and that’s just for the stuff my brother could remember, and that we know is at our vandal’s place.
Oh, and apparently, I have lots of money, and cameras all over the place. Well, if he thinks we have more cameras than we do, I’m good with that. Those cameras are probably the only thing keeping him away. Also, apparently God says he should be allowed on the property.
My mother has been getting these abusive calls for at least 10 years. My brother has copies of hundreds of them. It will be so good for my mother to not have this anymore. The only thing is, she will probably still call him, eventually. She does not understand why she should not do that.
Setting up the call blocker took more time then it should have, of course. The device itself was easy to do, and our vandal’s numbers were already programmed in. To block the over 5000 known scam numbers, however, required going through a process to link and turn on through the phone system.
It didn’t work, of course. Even though my brother made the arrangements and paid for the service already. The numbers should still be blocked, but that’s something he has to work out with the phone company. They should be able to set it up remotely – he used to work IT for them, years ago, so he knows they can. But they insist he has to do this from my mother’s phone.
Still, we got as much done as we could.
My SIL had packed a lunch for my brother to bring, so by the time my mother came back from church, we had tea made and lunch out and ready for her. She did not know I was going to be there, do that was a surprise, too.
It was a very good visit. Plus, there were a few little fixes she got my brother to do. I dud have to laugh when she started telling us how, when our sister had been there, she fixed the glass shade thar came off her bedroom lamp, but she had no idea when she did it.
It was funny, because I was the one that fixed it, the last time I was there. She’d stepped out of her apartment and, while waiting for her, I saw the shade and reassembled it. Then I went to help her with things and forgot about it. She did not notice it was fixed until after my sister left her place, the next day. 😄
I’m glad I was able to be there. Not only to help my brother, but with both of us there, she was on much better behavior. She tried to go off on a racist tangent only once, and was easily deflected.
The only downside is, both my brother and I forgot to pick up some milk for her, before heading home. So maybe I will be heading back, tomorrow.
Well, I tried using my cell phone to call 611, the general number for service and repair.
Yes, I made sure wi-fi calling was on. It’s even set to “wi-fi preferred.”
When I got through to a human, he could barely hear me. After several attempts at speaking, he asked for my number so he could try calling back. He double-checked to make sure he heard right, then we hung up.
When my phone rang, I heard nothing. At all. I repeated that I could not hear and asking if he could hear, but nothing, until he hung up at his end. He called again, and it was the same. Since it was possible he could hear me, even if I couldn’t hear him, I said we would try again from a different cell phone and hung up.
My husband’s phone handles calls better than mine for some reason. He called 611, but got different automated options than I did, with the system finally saying to call back from a local number.
Of course.
My husband’s phone still has his number from before the move. I’m the only one with a local number, and that’s because we switched SIM cards. When it was time to renew the contract, he got a local number, and they were able to find one almost identical to the land line. The number for the landline is my childhood phone number, so he gave it to my phone.
So he tried logging in to find a service number, but he’s only made an account for cell service (same parent company). I’m the one with the landline account, but I’ve only ever logged in using my desktop.
I no longer have a desktop.
I was able to use my phone to go into an old emailed bill, all of which I keep, and followed a “view my bill” link. Thankfully, I remembered my password.
Among the numbers to call, it says to use 611 for repairs, which we couldn’t do. There’s an 800 number, but only for calls from out of province. So we had to call a non-toll free number.
We did get through, though. We had trouble hearing her, but she could hear us, so it worked.
Describing the problem was a bit difficult. It seems she’d never encountered something quite like what we have happening. Especially the part about it suddenly working again, then not. She did ask if we tried unplugging and plugging in the phone line, of course, and I told her all the stuff we tried.
So we now have a ticket started, under my husband’s cell phone number. They will first check the line remotely, then call us. We let her know we are in a cell phone dead zone, so there may be difficulties getting through, even with Wi-Fi calling. She included that information in the notes.
Wednesday next week, someone should come by to check outside the house. For that, we let her know about the locked gate and to call ahead – or honk real loud!
She got a laugh out of that.
She did include that in the notes, too though!
If all goes well, they will find the problem with the remote check.
If they don’t, they will hopefully find the problem outside the house.
If that doesn’t work, the tech will have to check the lines inside the house.
Unless that remote check finds the problem, our landline may be down for at least another 5 days, including today.
Thankfully, we still have satellite internet for communication!
At some point, I do want to get a new corded phone. If the power goes out, hands-free phones are useless. A corded phone usually still works. We will keep the two corded phones I found in storage, though. Emergency backups.
Today’s is the Epiphany, also called Three Kings Day, recognizing when the magi visited Jesus, bearing gifts. It is also the closing of the Christmas season.
I found this rendition of We Three Kings I’d never heard before.
This was one of those songs I really enjoyed singing in my younger days. There’s something about the melody that just pulls you in and lifts you up! Alas, I don’t really sing anymore, as it triggers coughing fits, so I just get to enjoy the singing of others.
I finally got through to my mother. While we were talking on the phone, it started to crackle loudly. We had to cut the call short.
Now it’s back to “home line busy.”
*sigh*
I don’t know why I’m so hesitant to call the phone company. I just am really loathing the idea. I guess there’s always this thought in the back of my head that they’ll decide it’s a customer problem, and we’ll end up with a massive repair bill. Given how things have been for the last couple of years, that would not surprise me at all.
I’ve mentioned before that our landlines is out. On the base, the “hold” light was blinking, and the display read “home line busy” all the time. When I picked up, I could hear a slight crackling. Basically, our phone was acting as if it were on hold, a feature we’ve never had to use, and coyodnt hang up.
Not my phone. 😆
We suspected a cat may have sprayed on a phone jack somewhere. The one in my husband’s room being a prime suspect. At the suggestion of my brother, I traced that line in the basement to the hub, and unhooked it.
No change.
The next day, I decided to find and trace the line from the upstairs jack, which we have never used. I did that, yesterday evening.
I also tried moving the base and hooking it up in the living room. That jack has a device hooked up with a voice that announces the number that is calling. Unfortunately, before we were able to barricade the living room, the cats knocked it over, and now it speaks Spanish. I don’t see how to change it!
The jack, however, fits two phone lines, and is well above the floor, so it’s easy to reach. Unlike the jack in my room, which requires crawling under a table.
After unhooking the upstairs jack, there was some change. Sometimes, the display would read “no line,” and the hold light stopped blinking. When activating the phone, however, I heard the same crackling.
Then it would switch back to “home line busy” and the hold light would start blinking again.
After a while, I got tired of crawling under my table, so I set the base up in the living room again, and left it there. It’s very visible right now.
Then, after going to the post office this afternoon (alas; the heat lamp did not come in, yet), I went into the living room, walked past the phone, and did a double take.
The hold light was no longer blinking.
The display screen was inactive. No message showing.
I picked up, and there was a dial tone!
I test called my cell phone, and my pocket started ringing.
Our land line is working again!
So now I’m thinking that it may have been an external problem, and something got fixed somewhere. That’s just a guess, though.
So very strange!
I’m glad it’s working again, though! Even if I have no idea why!
Tomorrow is the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, which is our official end of the Christmas season.
Alas, without my computer, I was not able to do my usual end of year posts. Hopefully, we will be able to get a replacement soon, and I will no longer be stuck tapping on my phone!
The Re-Farmer 