Raincharm’s Weblog

We received a St. Nicholas Day gift today. When retrieving our newspaper from the front porch there was an additional bag with the beautiful kringle from Larson Brothers bakery. The attached note simply said, “Happy St. Nicholas Day.” 

I think this is my carpooler, but whomever – THANK YOU. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, and we certainly have enough of those associated with the house, and one resident that has an ability to understand childlike tendencies from deep within.

Update: – 3 miles around the lake, but stopped at 1 mile to use the bathroom, stopped at 2 miles to walk – about 1/16th mile, then run 1/8th, then walk 1/16th, then run 1/4 mile, then walk 1/8th, then run the rest. Hey – I’ve only been training one day! Obviously need some more work before next Sunday.

I can walk forever, well at least a really long distance.
I used to run races up to 8 miles. Not for probably 20 years.
Now I run playing soccer, but that is at most 100 yards before stopping or slowing down, and usually more like 10-20 yards. This allows for recovery.
This morning I ran one whole mile without stopping. It may not seem like much, but it sure felt like much. A plodding sort of run, but just keeping the legs moving at a different sort of pace

My goal is to get to 3 miles. In fact I am going to try that tomorrow.
I have signed up (sort of) to run a 3 mile race/run next weekend. Somebody else actually signed up and now can not participate due to a romantic weekend trip to Victoria BC. So I am stepping in. The best part is any record of this attempt will not have my name associated with the results.

The color of the day is White!

Frosty 12-06-09 Morning

It was frosty yesterday too. First morning I had to scrape the entire car, side windows too. Carl did help on the last bit of the front window when he brought me out my coffee. Yesterday it was dark in the AM. This AM it is late enough to know it is foggy, but still almost feels like a sunny day.

I just took a break to take out compost and recyclables. The lids to all of the associated vessels were frosted shut.

The excitement in our back yard reached a fever pitch among the rodents this week. I am visually hampered because, except on the weekends, it is always dark when I am at home. Carl doesn’t take the kids out back, so it is not always on his agenda either. But he specifically looked yesterday, and the precious little furry devils had been rolling up corners of the sod again, and moving some of the smaller pieces. It was cold enough that Carl had to wait for the middle of the day to put them back because they were so stiff in place.

This means we are moving to the next level. I went and bought some “landscape pins” on the way home. Who knew there even were such things. I also looked at some deer fencing that we could try. (Not installed vertically like you do for the deer, but horizontally, like a blanket.) I am going to wait for the next assault and pin any that get pulled.

I am a little more worried about the survival of our new lawn. It looked fine when installed, and we started watering per their instructions. Then the deluges hit. Then two “normal” days when we decided to let it dry out a bit to maybe a normal moisture content. And now the heavy frost, which is supposed to last several days.

But since you can’t control Mother Nature I guess we will just have to wait. And try to control the squirrels.

The excitement in our front yard was last night. Our street only allows parking on one side – the opposite side. But there is a popular restaurant at the end of the block and some popular people live here, so sometimes there are also cars parked on our side of the street, all the way up to our house. It makes for a skinny street. But last night that was not the case. I was sitting in the living room and heard sirens. This is not too infrequent as we are near a busy street. But then I heard the big engine noise getting closer. definitely sounded like a fire truck. So I opened up the front door, and a really big ladder truck pulled up in front of the house. No smell of smoke, and they went into a house across the street. An ambulance followed. We know the man of the house, younger than us, has had back problems in the past, so maybe that is all it was. “All?” To need to call 911 makes it more than a little thing. We hope they are all getting better.

More than a year ago our futon decided it was tired and only wanted to lay down. (lie down?- Mom, I am just confused. Maybe you can give me a pneumonic device.)

I don’t remember exactly when this was, but it was a long time ago. Rey was still in school and had a few friends home on a visit. He graduated a year ago, so it must be more than a year past.

I took it apart and put it back together more than once. Took pictures of the gears, transmission, or whatever you want to call the moving parts. Measured them up and down. Searched the internet, searched Seattle futon stores (the one we purchased the frame from originally had closed), stopped in a few non-Seattle futon stores on travels, e-mailed some different sites that looked like they might be helpful. I even considered buying a set of replacement transmissions that did not look exactly like ours, but kind of close – decided it was not worth the $50.

Finally decided that it was just time to get a new frame. A week or so ago I ordered one. I don’t know exactly what I had started looking for on-line, but it was not a futon frame. But I got side-tracked and ended up pushing to purchase button. Then a few day’s later I was not even sure that I had really ordered it, except that I had the friendly “Order Received” e-mail.

The new frame arrived in a smaller than expected box on Tuesday. The old frame was in the kitchen (don’t ask me why – I don’t know). After dancing around the frame while making split pea soup I made up a “Free Futon Frame” sign, with an added note that it only worked in the bed position. Wednesday morning we shuffled the frame out of the kitchen, through the dining and living room, and out the front door. It was proudly displayed with the helpful sign on our parking strip.

By the time I arrived home last night it was gone. Carl said he saw a couple tying it on to the top of their car when he was coming home. Don’t know who they are, but hopefully they will get several years of use out of the frame, as a bed. I just hate throwing stuff that is still in relatively good shape away.

And now I have a project for tonight – putting together the new frame and finding out why the box is smaller than I expected (must have two pieces bolt together for the long run). And then we can sit side by side with a back to lean against in the living room. Next up – a new cover for the futon. The current one, which I love, has a rip on one side from so much use.

I have heard a ham and 2 people described as eternity.
We have not finished our Thanksgiving 2 Ham yet. But we are close, and it has not felt like eternity at all.
In fact, we are just at the best part right now.
Split pea soup made with a honeybaked hambone.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Carl made something for dinner yesterday. Oh, yeah. Salmon scramble. I finished step 2 of making the split pea soup after dinner, and had to have some for dessert. Carl was out and about with his buddies by then, but had a bowl when he returned.

And there is more for tonight, which is good because I probably won’t be getting home until 9 PM. And it is cold out (actually cold inside too – the heater at work needed to be kicked this morning).

Winter has arrived. Chains in the trunk, and after last years debacle with the snow, Seattle was even putting down the de-icer that goes on before the ice/snow this morning. (Snow is not actually predicted this week, but I figure having the chains should make it stay away from the lowlands even longer.)