Realizing after a power outage in December that we should have a secondary heat source we explored several options and settled on a woodstove. Where to put it was the next question so we settled on the part of the house farthest from the furnace so even when furnace is on it will provide additional heat to the part of the house that is coolest.
The woodstove company recommended an installer who came out to assess our location. Originally we thought we would take out the middle window in the back, but in order to run the stove pipe up outside we would have had to have too many bends. Instead he suggested between the windows, a lower cost required for installation. We then ordered the stove and the hearth pad. Luckily the company had just finished manufacturing the model we wanted and had one in our preferred color that had not been spoken for. The hearth pad will not be delivered until the end of February.
Monday, in the snowstorm the installer came with the stove which he brought in with a hydraulic dolly - it weighs 440 lbs. He went to work preparing the hole for the stove pipe.
Granddaughter #3 loves to draw and at 5 1/2 she's making progress.
Here are two of her masterpieces that I display.
The one above from left to right depicts the artist, her sister who turns one next month, her mommy and her daddy. The family used this as their Christmas card this year.
More snow coming tomorrow sometime.
More from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
More to come next week.
We had snow on Friday and usually the wind or rising temperatures makes the snow disappear from the trees. This time this has not been the case. All the snow we have is like frosting on the trees and bushes.
I took this set of photos on our ride back from church on Sunday after lunching at Panera.
Looking for something to post, I came upon the photos I had taken of a farming implement at the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Historical Society of Williamsport, PA. We visited there at the end of October.
In a room with lots of old time stuff I saw the flail. We have one of these that we found in the barn. We never really knew what it was for until a neighbor in town described how it was used. He didn't put a name to it though.
I have no idea how old ours is but I can't imagine it was in use in the 20th century. I don't have a photo of ours and it's cold, wet and dark outside as I write this so you'll just have to believe me that ours looks just like the one hanging there. Two rods fastened together with a leather thong (I don't think ours is eel skin), with one rod shorter than the other.
I plan to print up the description and mount it next to the flail so others will now know what it is.
To be continued.
My father was a Presbyterian minister. He died in 2007. At the time of my mother's death in 2013, my youngest daughter took home the file box with Dad's sermons, well some of them. She thought she'd have time to read through them. Work and motherhood prevented that so the box came to me.
It wasn't until last fall that I got it out to find some sermons to send to my brother in law, Jerry, when he inquired about them because he wanted to help his pastor who had long Covid. His thought was he could read them in her stead on several Sundays while she recuperated and the church found others to fill the pulpit.
She has since returned to ministering but was impressed with one sermon in particular and asked Jerry to give it this Sunday the 15th since she was going to be away.
Barbara of When I was 69 (now 80) posted a link to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' speech to Congress in her post this week. I had read portions of the speech but not heard it in entirety. It is magnificent. Check it out if you haven't heard it.
But at least read below his closing - a stunning use of alliteration.
“We will never compromise our principles. House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy. Benevolence over bigotry. The Constitution over the cult. Democracy over demagogues. Economic opportunity over extremism. Freedom over fascism, Governing over gaslighting. Hopefulness over hatred. Inclusion over isolation, Justice over judicial overreach. Knowledge over kangaroo courts, Liberty over limitation. Maturity over Mar-a-Lago. Normalcy over negativity. Opportunity over obstruction, People over politics. Quality of life issues over QAnon. Reason over racism. Substance over slander. Triumph over tyranny. Understanding over ugliness. Voting rights over voter suppression. Working families over the well connected. Xenial* over xenophobia. Yes, we can over you can’t do it, and zealous representation over zero sum confrontation.”
*xenial means hospitality.
Didn't realize that when we poured cement in our cellar in 2021 to eliminate the radon that it would one day be a roller rink.
But that's what it's used for now. Granddaughters were coming over for during the holiday for a bit of time so I suggested they bring their roller skates. They now keep the skates in the basement and come over to roller skate.
They've both become better skaters in the weeks since this started.
