You probably are wondering where I have been the last few weeks. A lot has been going on, and by the end of the day, I usually snuggle up with Heidi and fall asleep.
I had contracted with a company to clean and restain my cedar shingles. We weren’t sure if they would get to it this Autumn, or if we would need to wait until Spring. However, they called me almost right away and were able to start. Here is a before picture.
The process of cleaning (pressure washing) the shingles and restaining was awe-inspiring. I wish I had a good front-of-the-house picture, but here is the front now. Restained and new shutters!
Although the shutters look black in the picture (I blame the snowstorm), they are, in fact, a deep blue.
So the madness and mayhem of construction were all around me, and I sat down to write a letter on my laptop, and everything was crazy. Those who know me well know that computers and I do not always get along. However, a long time ago, I met a man named Brad, whom we always called for repairs. My brain wanted to understand computers, and Brad taught me gently what I needed to know.
I always remember him telling me, “Give it a go and if you can’t get it done, call me.”
I decided to back up everything this time. Then I sat down and completely wiped the hard drive. I took my time, thought it through, and planned. Once it was done, I began to reprogram the laptop.
The first thing I did was uninstall OneDrive. I swear that program has caused me more trouble than it ever has actually helped.
Then, slowly, slowly, I added the files I wanted, leaving the rest on my external hard drive.
Naturally, there was a day spent going through accounts to add in auto-fill answers and also setting up other programs I use frequently. I went very slowly, and finally, I can say, it is all done.
Then Thanksgiving was upon us, and I had a long drive to my daughters and back.
Life quieted down briefly, and now I am back up and have two full weeks of appointments coming up. One day I am free, and I think I may go to the Outlet Mall.
Snow fell for the first time yesterday. We got between 8 and 10 inches of snow. Previously, I had gotten a small electric snow blower. I was a bit hesitant to use it in the dark. Today I got it out, and here is what I found.
It works great every 3-4 inches. Now I know I will stay on top of things. After all, little Heidi has short legs and needs help getting through the snow.
I also had a dental appointment to clean my teeth and have a tooth that has been bothering me checked. Much to my dismay, a root-canaled molar crown had gotten chipped. Next week, they will remove the old crown and get me ready for a new one. It could have been worse.
Just as I was catching my breath from all of the above, I realized my big goal of cleaning closet #2 had been forgotten. So, as I got out my hat and gloves for the snow, I also started pulling things out of the closet to deal with. All in good time.
