Cold

It's 1 degree out. The low was -14 last night, and -3 the night before. So it's been bloody cold.

When you live in the toolies and it's that cold, you spend most of your time keeping the wood box full, the stove stoked and animals watered. And the pipes warmed and faucets dripping.

I always find time to read by the fire, and cook and/or eat warming food. But there is no energy to expend on projects, even Christmas projects. Work has stalled on the rabbit condos and window replacement. I'm just waiting for the warmup. C., being a maniac of Irish extraction, will go out and split wood or dig sun chokes or collect guinea feathers for short periods. But not with her usual dogged enthusiasm.

I have an idea for a cool present for C., but need to go to the gym and find parts, and it's too damn cold to even start.

We've got the felt-pack Sorel boots out, and the fleece jammie pants. It's too cold to look for the long johns or the rest of the gloves and hats. Isn't that sad? I'm a loser in any preparedness contest.

The water line to the rabbit room froze last night, thanks to a crap GFCI outlet where I had plugged in the heater and heat cable. I ran an extension cord over from the gym, through the wall and up onto the partially completed condo (to keep buttheaded rabbits from chewing the cords) and hooked everything back up. I'm hoping the sink is thawed and working, and the pipes haven't burst. If they've burst, I'll fix them; but not until it warms up. Same for the outlet.

Just got two gallons of milk and four dozen eggs from Rose, up the hill. Tapioca pudding is in the works.

Fire good.