Oh, what a lovely day we are having today!
It’s bright and sunny, and we have reached a high of -16C/-3F, which feels so incredibly warm right now! The wind chill -20C/-4F, but comes from a direction we are sheltered from, so we’re actually feeling warmer, not colder, in the sun. Technically, we are still under an ongoing extreme cold weather warning, but looking at the weather map, we are just on the edge of the area covered by the warning. A reserve some distance to the north of us is no longer under the weather warning area, and they are warmer than we are right now.
The thermometer in the sun room was reading 5C/41F when I did the evening cat feeding. The outside cats were very active and enjoying the warmth and sun.
Meanwhile…
I got the truck to the garage so they could check the tire. It seemed like it was still holding air, but I needed to make sure there was no leak or damage anywhere. I had a general drop off time, not an appointment, so I after I handed over the keys , I got a very loose time frame.
While there, I checked my numbers and asked if I could move the oil change/engine flush/senor replacement up to early next week. I’d really prefer to have that done before I have all our city driving to do at the end of the month, and decided it was worth putting on my credit card. So that got switched to the 25th. The 26th is when we do our first stock up shopping trip, so that works out.
That done, I headed over to the DQ several blocks away. I just needed someplace where I could sit for about an hour. While placing my order, the guy behind the counter asked how I was doing. As we chatted, he commented that I was looking tired. I told him, I’d just dropped my truck off at the garage and… well… I was having “a day”.
The guy was so sweet about it, I got table side service, even for my drink, which I normally would have been given a cup to fill myself at the dining room fountain.
I took a loooong time, eating my onion rings and nursing my drink, which worked out for the better. My husband messaged me saying he’d just ordered a refill on a “take as needed” prescription for delivery tomorrow, unless I could pick it up. The pharmacy is about a block away from the DQ, so I headed over to get it. I went to the drop off counter, first, to see if it still needed to be filled. The pharmacist saw me, recognized me and came over – she had literally just finished getting it in the bag to set aside for delivery tomorrow, so she brought it right to me, instead. Perfect timing!
From there, it was back to the garage, where I found the truck in the bay. I asked about it and was told they hadn’t looked at it yet. He was just about to text me – there was no note on which tire it was, and he sees so many, he couldn’t remember which one they’d worked on. So I told him, and one of his mechanics took it off to check it, pretty much right away.
After a few minutes, he asked me if I’d filled it before coming over. I said I’d filled it yesterday. He told me, it was at 45 psi – right where I’d pumped it to. They could find no leak.
As we were talking, I told him of my concern that I might have driven over something, mentioning that a bin with light bulbs had been knocked over not long ago. I was pretty sure I’d swept up all the glass, but it’s entirely possible I missed some. So they understood my concern! There was no sign of damage anywhere.
I asked him why it would have been down to 30psi after several days, and his response was “… -45?” š So basically, the tire was nice and warm when they replace the sensor and leaking valve, then came home to polar vortex temperatures, and the seal didn’t hold. Once I filled it again – in the cold – the seal held.
So that was a relief. I wasn’t charged for anything, either. I expect to at least be charged for their time, since they had to take the tire off and use their equipment to check it, but nope. No charge. That was very appreciated!
From there, I went to the grocery store across the street. I had three water jugs to refill. With the septic pump not draining again, my daughter also sent funds so I could pick up food that we could prepare while getting as few dishes dirty as possible!
I ended up getting more sandwich fixings (I use paper towel instead of a plate) and 4 different large fresh deli pizzas; one for each of us.
Plus more eggs. Because we can never have too many eggs!
We really need chickens. š
I know that in the US, with millions of laying hens being slaughtered due to “bird flu”, so prices have gone insane. For comparison, I got two 18’s on sale at $5.99 each. A flat of thirty was just over $10, so I was paying less per egg by buying the two cartons instead of my usual flat. At the current exchange rate, Cdn$5.99 is US$4.21 for 18 eggs. I believe the regular price was $7.99 (the sale sticker covered the regular price, so I’m going by memory), which is US$5.62, as of today.
That done, I got some gas ($1.569/L) before heading home.
After the truck was unloaded, since I was dressed for the outdoors anyhow, I went ahead and gave the outside cats their evening feeding a bit early. They did still have some food, but their water bowls were almost empty! The isolation shelter had no food or water left at all. After giving them their food and water in there, I counted 8 cats crowded into the upper level – and that was after a few had run out earlier!
I swear, The Grink has not left the isolation shelter at all, since the ramp door was opened.
Most of the cats were absolutely everywhere. They are so loving the warmer weather!
This is Stinky, wanting to reach out to my phone, and Magda. I got to cuddle Magda before Stinky forced his way in!
Judgement is down at the bottom, judging us all!
I need to remember. Magda has the white spikey triangle on her forehead and spots on her back. The other cat that has a white spikey triangle on HIS forehead does not have those spots on his back. I keep getting those two mixed up.
Anyhow.
After everything was done, I made sure to check on the septic pump again. I primed the filter and turned it on again. The water level dropped, just a bit, but still no inflow. So I primed it again, then took some video to send to my brother when I started it up again. This time, though, I could hear an extra sort of grinding noise, so I didn’t run the pump for long.
My brother is at work, but my SIL let me know that he’d seen my messages, but just couldn’t respond yet.
While I was doing all that, my daughter started heating up the pizzas for our supper. The instructions said to bake them right on the oven rack, which sounds like a recipe for disaster. Instead, she made sure to use parchment paper so as not to dirty the baking trays, which could then be used to transfer the pizzas to dinner plates to keep them clean, too. Of course, a large each is too much for one meal, so the parchment paper could be used to transfer what was left back onto a baking sheet to go back into the oven for later.
The less dishes we dirty, the less we need to wash in the basin so we can dump the water outside, instead of down the drain.
Oh, my goodness! My husband just sent me a photo I have to share!
Syndol was all over the bathroom window, wanting in!
He is probably the most socialized of all the yard cats and loves attention. He’s such a stunner, too!
Unfortunately, he would not be considered adoptable, as he has respiratory issues. It doesn’t slow him down in any way, but when rescues bring cats to the vets for treatment before adoption, they are typically told to have the cats put down, instead. It’s hard enough to adopt out “perfect” cats. Harder still, to adopt “imperfect” cats. The Cat Lady tried a few times, with people saying they were fully aware of the health issues and that they were ready and able to accommodate them, only for them to end up returning the cats to the rescue because their vets told them to put the cats down. At least three of the cats from our place got adopted out multiple times and returned before the Cat Lady and her family simply took them in themselves, permanently. They have several others that have even more severe health issues.
Anyhow.
So this is where we are at now. We have good news with the tire, and got a few things done during this much, much warmer day.
We shall see what my brother has to say about the septic pump and what he thinks is going on, there. Aside from checking on the pump, I’ve also been checking the floor drain. We are only using the water to wash our hands in the bathroom, which should have almost no affect on the level in the septic tank, but it things to go crazy somewhere, we would see back flow into that floor drain before we see it anywhere else. There has been moisture in there since the last time I used the hose to clear the pipe to the tank, and I’m starting to see roots growing in it! I’ll have to clear it again, soon – but not until after we solve the problem with the pump and can drain the tank again!
Have I mentioned how tired I am with the plumbing in this place?
Just a few times by now, I’m sure. šš
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 