Questions I've Asked Myself This Winter

The snowy cold days have given me a lot of time to question things I do and wonder if I should change some things in my country life. I've had to say to myself many times this winter, "Cheer up Buttercup! There have been days I've felt like Eeyore with that dark black cloud following me as I go about my day. Let's just say, it's been a challenge to be positive as I go about my routine with the freezing temperatures that seem relentless.

 Here's some questions I've asked myself this winter.

1.   Do I really want to live in Ohio?
2.   Do I really want to live in an old farmhouse?
3.   Why does it take two wood pellet stoves and a fuel oil furnace to heat a house?
4.   Why isn't this house insulated properly?
5.   Why do we wait until the coldest day of winter to call the guy to clean the fuel oil furnace? 
6.   Why does fuel oil cost so much?
7.   Why don't I have batteries in the radio and flashlight during a power outage?
8.   Why don't I have power when my neighbors lights are on?
9.   Do I really want to keep chickens when they don't lay eggs?
10. Why haven't I learned to roll up a 50' heavy-duty extension cord?
11. Why do wood pellets for the stove come in 40# bags?
12. Why do the wood pellets for the stove spill on the floor every time I put them in the stove?
13. Why do automatic generators cost thousands of dollars and why can't I have one installed?
14. Why doesn't my car start in freezing weather. Oh, I need a new battery?  Why do I wait until
winter to get a new one?
15. Why does the pellet stove motor blow-up in February?
16. Why does my dog shed more in the winter and why doesn't he want to stay outside awhile? Oh, that's right.  It's twenty degrees everyday!
17. Why can't my car be parked in the garage in the winter? Oh I forgot, seems its a storage building.
18. Why can't cows drink from the pond? Oh, it's frozen! That must be why they have to be watered twice a day. But thankfully, that's my husband territory.
19.  Do I really want to stay in my house all winter?  Maybe this retired teacher should get a job? Oh, teachers aren't working much lately....snow days continue. Maybe I could do some other job?
20.  Do I spend too much time on Facebook?
21.  Should I cook more meals?
22.  Should I clean my house better?
23.  Why don't I like to shop? That would get me out of the house.
24.  Why don't I read more novels?
25.  Why don't I write a novel?
26.  Why don't I read the Bible more?
27.  Why are my feet always cold?
28.  Why don't I exercise and eat right?
29.  Why don't I sleep well?
20.  Why is Jay Leno leaving The Tonight Show?
21.  Why do the women on The View talk all at the same time?
22.  Why do real estate taxes come at the same time as house insurance?
23.  Why is my retired teacher's salary $110 less? Oh right, the crappy insurance went up!
24.  Why do my sweatpants keep falling down? Maybe I should go shopping and buy some.
25.  When will it be Spring?  I thought Punxsutawney Phil was a quack, but it looks like Buckeye Chuck was the quack. Bah!
26.  When am I going to get a new house? What am I waiting for?  I'm certainly not getting any younger!

Some of these questions may never be answered, but I've got to remember this:

~God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.~

Oh, and one more thing, "Cheer Up Buttercup!  :)





  

The Dreaded Polar Vortex

   
    January of 2013 came in with what the meteorologists called the Polar Vortex.  Yes, bitter temperatures below zero and a wind chill value of -25 degrees to -40 degrees.  The last time I remember such cold was in 1996 when an ice storm blew in and temperatures were about the same. The power was out for five days on the farm after the electric pole split and fell to the ground.  The Polar Vortex experience wasn't nearly as devastating as 1996, but it wasn't pleasant.  You know it's cold when you have to carry warm water for chickens to drink in the coop and your dog doesn't want to go outside to do his business.  The cows stayed in the shed and the barn munching on their hay and could get water by stepping on the ice on the edge of the stream that runs through the pasture.Thankfully the worst of it only lasted two days, but left many reminders of the frigid temperature behind. Our pellet stove in the living room suddenly wouldn't blow the heat from the stove on the high setting. Each day it decreased in it's ability to operate properly until the blower quit working. The Polar Vortex got the best of it I guess and new parts had to be ordered to fix the problem. Thankfully, we had no frozen water in our house nor did we lose power, but my youngest son paid a big price due to the dreaded Polar Vortex.  The lock on the front door of his house froze and his key broke in half. Thankfully his back door opened.  The radiator cracked in his car and it needed replaced and the mechanics at Don's Service Center fixed it. Thanks to Don for being there to help.  When my oldest son dropped him off at my house to borrow my car, yep, my car wouldn't start. I couldn't find the keys to my husband's old truck and he wasn't home.  So the battery charger came to the rescue in the dark cold night. It only took an hour and a half to get it running.  But by far the most horrible result of the Polar Vortex was when my son's water pipes broke in his house as he was all lathered up with soap in the shower. Glad I wasn't around when that happened.  It took my sons two nights after work to fix that problem. A week after this ordeal my older son's water line ruptured and his basement filled with water.  He said it was a nightmare. The outcome to that fiasco is pending.  Looking back on the whole ordeal, we couldn't help but laugh as the story was rehashed over and over again. After reading the news on Facebook I realized many people were without power for eight hours. And I thought to myself, see, it could have been worse. Well, today was in the 30's and tomorrow is going to be beautiful with a high of 47 degrees.  Woo-hoo!  Time to celebrate! I learned a few things from this Artic Blast that came our way in SE Ohio, I don't ever want to see, hear or feel it again and our old farm house needs more insulation.!  Stay warm out there.  Winter has only begun!  :)