You haven't fully experienced the unmitigated excitement of winter until your furnace dies and the temperature plummets to ZERO (0) overnight. And you're stuck smack dab in the freakin' wilderness, where no one will ever find your ice-encrusted corpse when you freeze to death.
I spent an unnervingly restless night, watching the frigid hours drag by, and fervently praying that there wouldn't be a power outage (which always occur during the coldest time of the year).
I'm keeping reasonably warm with several space heaters and an electric blanket. I kept the sink faucets running (not dripping) all night, to avoid (hopefully) frozen water pipes.
A frozen water pipe burst under the house during the first winter that I lived here, and memories of the experience still torture me.
The temperature was three (3) degrees (Fahrenheit) at dawn, and only got up to around 12 degrees for most of the day.
Ice. Ice is the culprit. The doors were frozen shut, and it took the warmth of a hair dryer to pry the back door open. The day was bright with sunshine, but that did nothing to thwart the ice or alleviate the cold.
Of course, nothing can dissuade me from wandering outside and taking photos - even though I had to stay near the house, and nearly turned into a popsicle within three minutes.
The intense glare from the sun, ice, and snow was blinding - rendering my photographic efforts less than satisfactory.
So, what other adventures did I have today?
The roast that I made in the slow cooker turned out perfect.
BUT.....despite the delicious tenderness of the roast and vegetables, one of my teeth broke while I was eating. It completely broke apart into fragments. Go figure.....
In an attempt to alleviate my nerves and forget the hundreds (no exaggeration) of problems that are plaguing me, I watched Murder on the Orient Express, starring David Suchet. It's one of my favorite Poirot episodes (and one of Agatha Christie's best books). I've seen it numerous times.
A chilling tale that unfolds on a snowbound train - depicting the inherent evil of humanity....
In case anyone is interested, all of the Suchet/Poirot PBS episodes are available for free on YouTube. Check out the YouTube channel BritTV.
Meanwhile.....
back here in the miserable wilds of Tennessee, it's supposed to be even colder tonight than last night and I'm dreading it.
Lately, I've been dreading every aspect of my miserable existence....but I suppose that's beside the point.
I have nothing more to offer, except some of the photos that I took today.
My car
Cliff and I watched that movie on TMC the other day. I love the older movies. Casablanca is my all-time favorite.
ReplyDeleteUgh.. Blistering cold here as well. I can only imagine the anxiety of living in a very rural place with heat that hangs by a thread. Perhaps it is time to think about creating or scavenging a wood burning stove.. in the vent all forms of energy and heat evaporate ( wither by mother nature or the Evil Green Minions that roam Washington.) Burning a few trees will not only thumb your nose at the greenies, but will also help keep you warm by using Mother nature's own weapons against her! A Win Win! Plus... Wood burning stoves warm you up THREE TIMES! Once while cutting the wood, Once while hauling it in... and finally, once when burning it. More bang for the buck.... if you back and hands can endure the wear and tear of all that work...
ReplyDeleteStay warm... well, as best you can, I'm sure.
Here we are in New England with a scant 5-6 inch snowfall and meanwhile you are in the deep freeze in TN, Jon. Seems it should be the other way around. Shame on Mother Nature and hope you and the felines can survive those frigid temps with the space heaters. Ouch to the broken tooth, shich is just another headache, whoops toothache, for you to sort out. Sorry to read about that, my blogger friend.
ReplyDeleteYou okay up there? I like that idea about investing in a wood-burning stove. Your tooth mishap aside, the sound of your roast is messing with my mind! 😋
ReplyDeleteSorry to read about the tooth. Nothing worst. I had that happen and had to have an implant put in. Can I say fortune????
ReplyDeleteAnd I love David Suchet. That is one of my favorite version of the book. On our PBS station they run Poirot every tuesday night. Never miss it. Your the only person I know to ever mention the name!!!
Jon,
ReplyDeleteAs beautiful as your Tennessee wooded isolation is, you need to get into a city or a town. You're going to freeze to death out there. Beautiful scenery yes, but deadly this time of year. Sell that house and get to town.
Ron