Tuesday, April 2 - Massachusetts

It is with heavy heart I post this evening. Yet another favored appliance has bit the dust.

My microwave chose a most inopportune moment to die. Sunday night, when I like to snug in bed early with HGTV and a nice warm dinner.

The microwave did not give even a hint of going bad.

Dead microwave

I am one small person. Thus when I cook, I make enough for about a week. I put the rest in containers to be MICROWAVED during the week. Supplemented by frozen dinners every few days to mix it up. All of this requires a working microwave oven.

Alas - it was not meant to be. The other night it just up and quit on me.

Me being me, I would have expected sparks or snaps or SOMEthing. Nope. This one just simply... quietly....  quit working. No warning.

In its favor, this WAS one of the longest-lasting microwaves I have owned. We actually bonded. I was hoping for another few good years. Not meant to be.

Today I made my way to Walmart for a replacement. I had done my due diligence with Consumer Reports, and was confident in my purchase. Only to discover upon unpacking and testing it that half the buttons on the unit I bought do not work.

I like the microwave; I am NOT happy with a faulty unit. (Another 'bad checkmark' for Walmart.) This is why I save receipts.

It will serve for a few days (the main buttons work) until my most awesome brother rescues me once again.

I have left a very long trail of appliances gone bad! Story of my life, but I do not consider it entirely my fault.

I have a theory about some of this. (I believe in conspiracy theories; they are prevelant).

And --- I do have pics of my living room and kitchen finally changing color which I will share shortly :)

Wednesday, March 28 - Massachusetts

Good evening my friends. I had intended to post two weeks ago after the storm, but circumstances prevented. I have not felt well for over a week; nothing serious but enough to  keep me "down and out". Feeling somewhat better now, and have the promised pix to share (belatedly).

The tail end of Winter that preludes Spring in Massachusetts is a mighty fickle thing. There are days the sun shines warmly and lulls you into thinking maybe... Then two days later an icy wind blusters down from the North and you are bundling back into the Winter gear you have not put away yet. Because you know better.

Thus the weather has been this year during the gnarly month of March. Stepping stone from Winter to Spring. When we were young, my Dad called it "mud month". I know why now :)

One day the chill of February changes a bit. You can feel the wind shift, even if just a little. Smells a bit different outside; not as biting. The snow on your porch and in your yard starts melting. Winter receeding.

Then - POW! Mother Nature is done teasing and socks you with a good one. That is what happened about 2 weeks ago. We got seriously dumped on. Close to 14" here - I measured it the next day. My front door was a bit stuck opening with all the snow.

Trying to open front door

Here are some before and after pix.

Before the storm

 

After the storm

Before the storm

After the storm

This week has not been too bad as far as weather. Upper 40s, but a chilly 48 degrees. Snow still in piles. April is just around the corner, but as T.S. Eliot cautions, "April is the cruelest month". And goodness knows, after having been born and bred in New England, I can attest to that without question.

I do know I am not putting away all of my winter things for another month yet. April can be cruel. Some years we actually do get a true Spring; I live for that! Hard to tell this year.

The inside of my house is being painted slowly but surely, and I am over the moon about it! Iggy tropical greens are being replaced by lighter grey and grey/blue colors. Details in my next post! In the meantime, I seriously envy these guys. My kittles warm and sleeping after the snow. :)

Kitties sleeping....

Kitties sleeping more :)

Stay tuned!

Monday, March 12 - Massachusetts

Good afternoon intrepid followers! Welcome to the Arctic, where Winter never seems to end. After lulling us through an unseasonaby warm February, it appears Mother Nature is now trying to make up for it. We are in for one doozy of a storm starting tonight and lasting through tomorrow. Third one in ten days.

This storm is expected to dump between 8 and 14 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. The last storm was the heavy and wet snow (excellent snowball-making material), but this one will be light and fluffy accompanied by high winds. What a mix we have had so far this month!

Hope I do not lose power. The last storm I did not, but my Brother was without power for 12 hours - that stinks. I consider myself fortunate I only lost cable for about the same amount of time. Fingers crossed. Preparations made (as much as they can be).

I did take some "before" pix today to share after the storm is done. It is expected to pack a whallop.

The good thing that happened this week(end) was - Daylight Saving Time!!! Yay!! My favorite time of year.

When it starts staying light much later in the evening, carrying promises of Spring. The sky turns a gentler hue.

The cats know. According to studies, indoor cats who are fed on a (fairly) regular schedule judge their feeding time by how light it is outside. As one who has shared most of my life with cats, I concur on that. Phoebe, having fully recovered, has let me know earlier and earlier over the past few weeks that it is time for breakfast. As have Percy and Panda.

Apparently "They" (whoever "They" are) actually pay people to do these studies. "They" could just ask us cat people and get the same answers and conclusions for free.

Stay tuned! Will have pix after the storm.