I'm not in the mood to candy-coat my blog and write what you want to hear, rather than what I'd like to say. I'm tired of trying to be "upbeat" when in the grimness of raw reality I'm wallowing in depths of acute depression.
I've been posting a lot of reruns on my blog lately, solely because they are more palatable to read than the present horrifying realms of my existence.
I'm not in the mood to hear about saccharine Thanksgiving blessings and gratefulness and prayers, and sumptuous holiday meals with fantastic families and friends.
So how was my Thanksgiving?
Somewhere between the Twilight Zone and Dante's ten circles of hell. Thanksgiving week was one of the worst of my entire life.
In a proverbial nutshell - - I had no heat, no hot water, and no working oven. My numerous health issues were so bad that I honestly didn't think I'd live through the weekend (no exaggeration). My physical maladies are getting terrifying.
And it was the coldest November week I can remember. I've said this numerous previous times, but I'll say it again:
I always thought Tennessee was a mild southern state. If I ever knew it had six month winters with ice floes and penguins, I would never have moved here.
The house that I live in is so unbearably cold, damp, and drafty that words can't adequately describe it. It's like being in an igloo with the air conditioner on.
It was so cold last Monday (Nov. 22, I think) that I made an emergency trip to town to buy a space heater and an electric blanket (my old electric blanket literally burned up last winter).
They're no longer called electric blankets. They are now called heated blankets. I suppose "electric" sounds too lethal.
The temperature dropped to 16 degrees (Fahrenheit) on Monday night. The heated blanket kept me and the two cats very cozy.
My furnace? Stops working every time the weather gets cold. Just like clockwork. This time, I STRONGLY suspect that some air ducts have been damaged by the 'possums that rudely reside under the house. I have to crawl under there to check it out, but presently I'm not in the mood.....
My water heater? The tale is too long to tell. I'll simply say that the heater was improperly installed (before I moved here) and is located in an EXTREMELY difficult place to access. I plan to get a new thermostat - which seems to be the problem.
The oven? It needs a new heating element, which I can easily (?) install - but I'll have to order it online.
Thanksgiving? I ate tuna sandwiches. To hell with a sumptuous holiday meal. I had a pork roast, which I made in the slow cooker on Thanksgiving night - with potatoes, carrots, and onions. Ate it on Friday and it lasted all weekend.
That was my Thanksgiving week. I have only revealed a very TINY fraction of my problems and woes. If I ever told the truth about everything, you would be completely astounded.
Most of the time I'm so frazzled and stressed that I can't think clearly. I often feel that I'm losing (what's left of) my mind. I lay in bed at night listening to my heart pound ninety times a minute - and wonder how I manage to stay alive.
It wouldn't be a complete blog post without photos, would it?
Despite the frigid weather and my rapidly crumbling life, I managed to crawl through the back yard forest and take some pictures.
I'm (very) hesitant to post this "selfie", because I look like Bigfoot's ugly brother. I've aged twenty years since I moved to the wilderness.
My El Cheapo digital camera only has a ten second timer.
I had to prop the camera on a piece of wood, set the timer, and then run like hell to get within camera range. It took about five tries (I kept slipping on the mud).
The nearby hills can be seen, now that the foliage is gone.
My Thanksgiving roast in the slow cooker (picture taken before it was cooked)
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