The Monkey Wrench

I'm not kidding, it has been that kind of a day. How much is enough? I thought I would not have time to post today, but since I'm half laughing and crying and probably out of my mind, I need to record this because it is too incredible. It started this morning. I told my husband John, that I was sleeping in because I was so tired and had a busy day ahead of me.

No problem, he made coffee for himself, (forgot to put the coffee in), so I got up at that point, remembering yesterday that due to the SUV being solidly frozen in the driveway, and having the door frozen, he not only forgot his winter hat on the coldest and windiest day of the year, so far, but his reading glasses of all things. Came home with a headache!

Seeing him off in the morning is a necessity because I literally go through a list, got your tie, keys, wallet, etc. It has been a dilly so far. The weather is predicting more of the same. I would have gone out to clean up yesterday, but the temperature and wind factor prevented me from doing so. Also I had Nathan. Much too cold for a toddler.

It came as a real big surprise today when I noticed that the living room door was all ice. In fact frozen solid. Couldn't open it. I started shovelling off the deep snow and ice from the deck and side of the house, to get to the downspout, in the front of the house. It was frozen to the ground. I removed as much ice as possible with a hammer. Tapping upward, I noticed it sounded hollow. Not good by the ice cycles hanging down the screens and everywhere else in eyesight.

I shovelled a path to the front stairs and cleaned them, coughing my brains out still, to have a look at the door. Ice. Thick solid ice. Went in to change, almost frost bite and warmed up a bit.

Back outside to clean the other vehicle, solidly iced over, had to shovel around and decided I would need to back it up in order to be able to get by as one side was up to the edge of the driveway.

In order to do that, I had to clear the ice at the end of the driveway, deposited by the town, which was not only deep but frozen. Back to the car, after running upstairs to get the keys, only to find the door would not open, of course. Finally got in, and couldn't find a scraper. Managed to chip enough ice off to back up in my driveway, with the intentions of going on the street. Never made it, as I got stuck on the ice. Burned some rubber, rocket it, and drove right back up the drive. It took two hours to clean and chisel the ice off.

You would know Christmas is tomorrow. Nothing wrapped, nothing cooked "yet". Because I was so exhausted, I needed to rest first, then lunch and then we will see.

I am hopeful that now that the electric panels in the gutter and on the roof, have been turned on Sunday, the gutters will start to work, possibly tonight right around the time we should be getting another ice storm. Usually we turn the system on in November. Somehow, it didn't cross our mind, until I came back home from church Sunday, and looked up. I have been ill, and Sunday was the first time I'd been out of the house.

This is not the first crisis, nor will it be the last. It is the story of my life. You can't get tired of all the bullshit, because it doesn't change anything. Just move on.

Christmas Eve will come tomorrow, and like many other times, I'll be ready as parents always have to be. Just think I've already made 3 pies and one dip after lunch.

Okay, so you have a sense of humor, I laughed. But, I cried too. That is when I remembered that the last time my husband used the snow blower, the cord broke.

I find that when things are so unpleasant, my little grandson, who is so much fun and says the cutest things, like yesterday when he saw the spoon rack, said, "where are the forks?" He causes me to reflect on how much joy there is in life.

And I laugh, and I laugh, and I laugh. He says, "grandma your laughing," "why are you laughing?" And I tell him, cause everything is so funny. When it comes to him, everything is.

How odd, I saw a picture of a man on Fox News just now, and he looked just like John's father, who passed away around this time of the year. Mario was kind, non-judgemental, and a good listener. In fact, he's the one who said he could hear the singing in heaven before he died. I believe he went straight up. He was a man who stood for hard work and family. A man you were proud to call dad.

Pie's done got to run until tomorrow.

This is a footnote, as John just told me, talk about coincidence, his dad passed away fifteen years ago today. May his memory be eternal.