17* going to 5*

So tonight, I will have all the water running in all of the bathrooms and kitchen, even the hot water.

It is cold and going to get colder. I don't think it will be above freezing tomorrow either, and that's what makes it so hard to keep the water going when it's below freezing for several days continuously.

I really should not complain. I don't have anything else to do during the day except run from room to room and turn the water on and off. That keeps it from freezing up.

I do feel sorry for people like Jr who have to work out in this mess. I'll bet he's about to freeze to death.

All I did today was tidy up the house, do the dishes, crochet a little, and keep a blanket over me.

The sun did shine some today and some yesterday, which is kind of amazing considering how very, very cold it is. Thank goodness we have not had any ice or snow.

I have been trying not to read any of the news, but it's pretty hard to do. I just tried to remember that the good Lord has a plan and he already has it worked out. God does not make mistakes. I am very aware of that. I do think he uses situations to teach us lessons. I think a lot of people are going to learn a lot of lessons under this administration. Maybe it's like God saying, "You want to worship another god? Let me show you what can happen."

I just continue to pray for my family to have faith in Jesus Christ and to do what I can to help people. I want to be humble, kind, and thankful. God bless us all.

Cousin Winnie Jo has this wonderful sun room. It would be great to turn the heat up to about 80 and just sitting there and relax.

Thankful

For so many things. This is a picture of my old Jeep. Bill sold it to a friend's son for $750. This is a picture of it now that I got from the 17-year-old kid's website. He is so proud of this Jeep. Just look how shiny he has kept it. I'm sure the kid paid for it himself. It had to stay at Bill's house for several weeks because the kid was not old enough to get a driver's license.

Today, I crawled out of my warm bed around 8:30. It was 10 degrees outside and 41 degrees in my living room. The bathroom and kitchen were warm because I have oil heaters in those rooms. I left the water running last night so no pipes froze. Yes, there is a lot to be thankful for. Within a few minutes after I turned on the wall heater, it was nice and toasty in all rooms of the old house.

Today, I am working on a baby blanket. Since I am crocheting it, I can just sit here working on it with my electric throw keeping me warm.

I made some rice for lunch. You know, when you live alone, you can pretty much do what you want. There was a time when I couldn't get away with having only rice for lunch.

I am mainly just sitting here watching old movies. There are no good new ones out anymore, but I do enjoy several of the old ones, especially sports movies. I think that is because they don't use as many profanities.

Kimberley posted the greatest video of the grandkids this last weekend. I wish I could have somehow stolen it and got it on my blog. Lex had on a blue prom dress that belonged to Kimberley when she was in high school, and Seth was so handsome with a shirt, tie, and slacks.

It's snowing in Oklahoma, and I'm channeling the weatherman skills of the late, great Clayton. Apparently, whatever Tulsa is experiencing today, my humble abode will be mimicking tomorrow. Fingers crossed Clayton is wrong this time. On the other hand, Fleta says that if it gets too chilly, the snow won't come. It looks like I'm relying on the meteorological wisdom of the dearly departed and a really old woman.

I ventured forth to dispose of the trash  but Betty's sane  advice to bundle up fell on deaf ears. I simply slipped on my shoes and dashed out, as the trash can was but a stone's throw away. I forgot to express my gratitude to Betty, given the chilly 15°F temperature. If I Should  have fallen and found myself unable to get up, I'd have been in a world of trouble quicker than you can say "frostbite." A sensible person might think, "Time to put on a coat," but I'm contemplating skipping the chore altogether - after all, the frigid forecast suggests Mother Nature may spare me the task and take me soon.

Can it get any colder

Yes, apparently it can. Right now, it is 13° outside. Yes, that feels like it's 5°. At 7:00 AM, it says it will be 8°. Well, cold is cold, and it is cold.

Betty told me a story today that I had never heard. As we all know, my brother Richard was quite the coon hunter. He trained many fine coon dogs. Years ago, he had one that was not easy to train. This particular dog kept tracking deer. Richard tried everything to break him from tracking deer, but apparently had little success. So, as a last resort, he took his dog and a piece of a dead deer and threw them both into a coin-operated dryer, holding the door closed so the dog and the piece of deer would have to stay in there. They made several tumbles. Finally, when Richard decided to let the dog out of the dryer, he had had enough of chasing deer, and it broke him from that habit. Now, if much of anyone except family read my blog, this would probably be a big problem, but to us Powells, we kind of understand.

I've been nurturing my sourdough starter like a delicate houseplant, and it's finally ready to graduate from the bathroom counter to its own spot on the kitchen counter As for naming it, I'm holding off - I don't want to jinx this budding relationship by rushing into anything too serious. Let's see if this little yeast colony has what it takes to rise to the occasion (pun intended).

In other news, I've been dabbling in the world of soup bowl koozies, the latest must-have accessory for the discerning soup enthusiast. After a few failed attempts, I'm finally ready to take my creations to the masses. All I need is this elusive pattern from my sister Betty, and then it's off to the races. I'm sure she will be putting a pattern into that mail any day for me.

There seems to be nothing interesting on TV these days. I am watching reruns of Deadliest Catch. There are over 20 seasons of Deadliest Catch, and I think I'm on season 5 for the second time around. Melissa will remember it, as we used to enjoy it. Those days are long gone.

Today was Emily's birthday She was born in 2001Happy birthday beautiful Emily I love I love you so much!

Today starts the really cold

I just ran across this picture of Benjamin. I just had to post. It was taken about 06.

Ah, the joys of a cozy abode! I've been posting from the tablet my dear son Billy blessed me with - God bless that boy. It's a far cry from the phone, which is about as user-friendly for these old peepers as a microscopic font. 

As for that baby blanket, I decided a fresh start was in order. Apparently, my initial attempt was destined to become a full-fledged over sized blanket. But fear not,  Mackenzie's blue blanket is now underway, and I'm hoping it'll one day keep a future grandson warm and snug.

Crocheting may be a cozy pursuit, but it's no match for the arctic tundra that is my living room. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I've resorted to cultivating my own sourdough starter - the bathroom's perfect for that, don't you think? It needs to be kept warm. My bathroom is the only warm place in the house. At least I won't have to worry about impressing any potential customers with my  fermentation methods.

On the bright side, I've found the perfect resting place for my trusty $15 vacuum cleaner. The closet in the bathroom. It's like a five-star hotel for appliances. And let's not forget the culinary masterpiece I whipped up - Sour dough starter.

I made beans and cornbread with ham. Truly, the height of gourmet dining when you're cooking for one.

As for this pesky camera on this tablet Well, let's just say my tech skills are about as advanced as my sourdough expertise. Maybe it would work better in the bathroom.

The weather is freezing out, and I have this irresistible urge to wash my car by hand. So far, I've managed to resist the temptation, but I can't help but wonder if I'm missing out on the ultimate winter sport. I'd have to do it in the yard, with a bucket and a hose, just to prove that I'm tougher than the elements. Maybe I'll even start a new trend - the Polar car wash challenge.

Junior came by today and installed a new wall heater for his mother. I was thrilled, not because it's bigger and better than her old one, but because now I can sneak down and bask in its warmth. I'll just tell her im testing it for her. Not that my own heating system doesn't work just fine, but you know what they say - free heat is the best heat.

Speaking of heating things up, I've been watching a lot of Dateline lately. You know, the show about people who got killed and someone killed them, and they try to figure out who. I told Junior that I've been making a little list of people who would like to see me gone, including my landlord. Apparently, my rent-controlled house is quite the hot commodity. I'm just waiting for my name to show up in the obituary, so the line can finally start moving.

Rain but it’s not freezing….

 Yet! Tomorrow will be colder than today. Actually it will be colder for several days now. For the next week, we’re gonna have low temperatures and probably a little snow or rain. That pretty much means I’ll be staying home.

Today the only time I got out was when I got the mail and I took out some trash to the burn barrel. That was enough for me. The wind was blowing today, not blowing as bad as the Kansas wind, but it was blowing.

I did do all my bedding today. I have a nice clean bed for tonight. and I had crocheted almost the whole skin of yard in the last three or four days working on a baby blanket and today I decided I didn’t like it. It was too wide, so I ripped it all out and I started over. After all, what else am I gonna have to do for the next three or four days except sitting in the house? 

I ordered a kitchen food scale from Amazon and it came today so I used it and started my sourdough starter. I decided no more than I have to do. I think I’ll try to make sourdough. So I weighed up the flour and the water. Stirred it all up really good and cleaned down the side of the jar. Did all the stuff you’re supposed to do put a loose lid on it. Then I read that the ideal temperature is between 75 and 80°  So it will grow properly. The only hope of a temperature like that would be in my bathroom. You know the one I keep warm so the pipes don’t freeze and so my plants live and now so my sourdough starter will grow. So it’s sitting on the bathroom counter.

Fleta stop by after work today. She brought me some Pepsi. As Betty says some syrup to drink I thought it was nice of her.

I would like something really good to eat, but I can’t think of anything to make. Tomorrow I think I’ll make Spanish rice. It is one of my favorite foods. I think I may go make me some French toast for supper. It’s awful late for supper, but I have not had any yet. I guess I could have some hot air popcorn that would be a lot less fattening and no sugar in it I do love my hot air, popcorn popper. After thinking on it, I think the popcorn is a much better idea because I can have a glass of pop to go with it.

Oh, I know what sounds good to eat. I’ll make pinto beans and cornbread tomorrow. It’s gonna be so cold that would be really good.

I have so enjoyed having my new picture on the wall of the grandest. She just looks so sweet in that picture Kimberley took.

At least Fleta doesn’t have to go work for the next few days. I’m sure she’ll enjoy her days off by the time she has to go back to work. It’s gonna be really cold though. I hope it’s not icy. I guess if it is bad weather, she’ll just have Robert take her in the truck. It won’t hurt him to get up early.

It’s hard to believe Hannah and Robert just have about four more solid months of school and then they will have graduated. I remember when Fleta first got them. They were so little and now they’re all working and driving seniors in high school. She has her job done. She should be very proud of that. 

Fleta’s propane heater on her wall quit working. Jr is coming tomorrow to install a new one for her. She’ll be needing it. I told her I didn’t think this one was very old. She said it was that they bought it before George passed away. But I think she is wrong Even though I did not argue with her about it. I think she has bought it in the last five years or less.

She puts things like that on her blog when she gets something new I might get on there and look. But that sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go through just to prove your right when you know you’re right. when you live alone, you can be right almost all the time.

Let me look for a picture and see if I can find one.

A very old picture. Me, Fleta,  and Betty. Setting at the kitchen table. That is about 3 feet from where I am setting right now. Not many people are that fortunate.