1/13/09

More snow, of course, which meant getting back out there and shoveling. I worked on our neighbor's walks today. She's been in the process of selling her house for some time now and spends a good portion of the week in Chicago. I never like to see the house looking empty. I also had to move her curbside recycling bin up close to her porch. We still haven't gotten ours, but it looks like a good percentage of the block has. I'd thought they'd be light, but was in for a rude awakening. I could barely manage to get it up out of the snow and up close to the porch. I pulled my back more yanking it up the steps than shoveling the snow. Clearly this new recycling contract (at least right now) is a massive screw-up. They've been late by four plus days now for the first two pick ups of the year. Someone actually backed over my old bin when they miscalculated a three point turn and came up over the curb and into the snow. I had to pick up all the pieces and put them into another bin. I called the company (since the actual city office had its line busy pretty much continuously...apparently voice mail or holding is a big city concept) and asked to actually get one of the new bins, but they still haven't arrived yet. Supposedly next week is the last time they'll pick up without the new bin.

Irritating.

It has also gotten cold- which would usually mean at least a reduction of the snow, but it seems we're still getting pretty significant accumulation. The temps mean the furnace runs more than I'd like. I've been trying to find leaks and holes where I can to cut down on that, but they're all pin-pricks that add up to a major loss. The windows we had put in to replace the one's we lost in the house fire clearly aren't as good. We spent $23K on getting those windows done and had them for about a month before the fire took out most of them. Again irritating.

My biggest worry right now in regards to the cold is Doorstop, the outdoor cat. I don't like it when it stays this cold for this long. He has his house and his blankets, but it is dropping to zero and below at night. He's been eating a little less the past couple of days, so I'm worried he might be getting sick. Unfortunately we can't bring him inside. Besides the hair and the other cats not liking outsider animal, I'm worried about diseases. We don't have the money right now to take him to the vet for shots or anything and we're behind with the other cats' vaccinations. I lost the heating pad we had for him in the fire, and haven't been able to get another one. They're expensive, yeowtch and you have to leave them plugged in out there, which...with my fire paranoia, doesn't sit too well with me. Still, he managed to survive the last several winters, so I have to hope for the best. We've done well by him and have gone out of our way to help. I fear that sounds like rationalization, but that's the way it is.