Archive for January 21st, 2012

House-cleaning pause for some reading

January 21, 2012

During the snow/ice pause to our normal lives, cleaning of the house has continued.
Carl has been working on the majority of pulling things out of old hiding places.
Then he brings me the latest pile to go through.
The piles this week have only proven to slow me down – because they are old letters.

Letters from old boyfriends (yes), roommates, friends, relatives, and most from Mom & Dad. I have read (reread?) many of them. Thus the slow-down.

Much of the letters report the weekly comings and goings of our lives.
Sort of like some blogs.
Birthdays, weddings, passings, retirement and a divorce or two.
Dinners, movies, plays, college experiences, bike trips, visits. You name it, it was reported.

Some of my memories have been reinforced, and more than one corrected.

I have to share a few things here – just because.

My Dad can be such a card!
From one letter dated Sunday April 18th, during a year in which Jane was at MTU

I hope this letter finds you alive and well. We assume your housemates would inform us in the event of your death.

References to my lack of timely writing are a theme throughout the pile.
Sunday 6/6 included an exchange between Dad & Jane.

 Dad: Jane doesn’t have a job yet and is as happy as a clam.
Jane: Hi – are there any jobs in Col(orado)? And is there room in your apt.? I’m not happy, as dad says, because no job – no money. No money – not so much fun. Oh well …
Dad: P.S. I give her all the money she wants, but still she lies.

Sunday, July 11

We’ll be going to Stratford next Thursday with Betty and Duke and Don and Katie to see some plays. That will give Jane some practice taking care of herself, the house, the cat, and the greenhouse. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to pray, if you have the time.

From a Tuesday June 19 letter that was right about the time of my Dad’s retirement.

Dear Former Daughter,
It’s a pity about your being cut out of my will, but what the hell, “easy come, easy go.”

The preceding sentiment followed my hiring “Eastern Onion” to have a “fairy godmother” crash Dad’s last class (as a high school spanish teacher), with a Happy Retirement song and dance. (I can’t remember if I did this on my own or had sibling help.)

Sunday, Sept. 7

Cabin story to be entered in permanent archives: Sat 8/30. First breakfast in the new kitchen. Dad fixes toast and notices burnt smell due to bread crumbs. After breakfast Jane cleans up while Mom & Dad go to Don’s cabin. When we return the toaster is out on the deck and Jane is grossed out. It seems she decided to clean out the toaster and found a dead mouse hung up in the guts. He was more than a little charred.

Included with a letter was the following program dated Friday November 3, 1978, 8:15 PM at the Music Auditorium.

Michigan State University Department of Music presents
ANNE FINLAYSON – flute
In a senior recital. Accompanist Taks Pizanis

For those that want to know, Anne (KW) played the Sonnata in E minor by Bach, Concerto by Gordon Jacob, Grand Solo No. 1, op. 57 by Friedrich Kuhlau, Density 21.5 for flute alone by Edgard Varese, and Prelude and Scherzo by Henri Busser.

On the roommate/suitemate/college buddy level there was the following from Sam (Archaeofacts) written late January 1983 from Jackson, Michigan

 
I dread looking for work in unknown places – no more archaeology – so am getting more and more serious about going back to school – maybe something technical that would include employment. I am glad I did archaeology, but I don’t have the cutthroat mentality it takes to get by in these days of Reaganomics and shrinking economy –
I have hope – something will work out.

I do believe it did work out.

Many letters included bits about transitions. School, work, boyfriends and girlfriends, kids. In other words, everyday ordinary life.

What I really realized is how much I liked, really relished, getting letters.
And I know I was not the best letter writer, but I must have written some to have received so many.
And don’t anybody feel bad if I did not quote them. The pile was enormous, and I just pulled out a few that struck me at the moment.

Now – back to cataloguing books.
ASHLAN – Rey has gone through the list. Your  turn.

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Day 5 and into Day 6

January 21, 2012

Day 5 dawned with no snow falling.
Rain had finally started.

Rain just starting as I went out for the - not delivered - newspaper

This meant the chance for work was high.

Waiting for my carpool

 
Carl did eventually venture out to run a few errands. Getting out of our street was a slippery sliding event, but once on the main drags it was just slushy and wet. Same thing we found driving to and from work. Driving to work we did have one overloaded evergreen branch dive to the shoulder about 100 yards in front of the car.
 
At work it was different.
Those that had been involved in the “response” in person, working 12 hour shifts, were understandably tired, and yet still adrenalized. Those of us responding from afar were in a more normal work state. We had power at work, unlike many others, and by the end of the day, only two of our facilities were still powerless.
 
We have been debating whether we got power back much sooner than estimated because we put out a conserve water message to the press. It was not so much that we were running low on water, it was to reduce the number of times we had to refuel generators to keep the sewage flowing in the right direction. (Downhill is not always the correct direction.) The original thought was 4 days without power. Reducing that to 1 day – amazing. Fuel is usually our big problem during these windstorms.
 
The most exciting thing in the office was when the snow started sliding off of the higher level of our double tiered metal roof, and landing on the lower tier. Each time there was a huge thud. The first time it happened we thought a tree had hit the building (as it had during the 2006 storm). This would happen over and over throughout the afternoon. Just keeping us on our toes.
 
Day 6
Saturday dawned for us really early, before the alarm clock early.
The predicted winds arrived with loud gusts that shook the house.
I do not know how to gauge wind speed, but this was several big gusts in a row.
When we finally decided to get up we found that the wind and warmer temps had significantly reduced the snow hugging trees, cars and fences.

Rain and wind have cleared much of the snow

We expect the snowpeople to last for a while as they are on the north side of the house. But the rest should become puddles as the temperatures are in the high 30s to low 40s.

Looking like February/March Snow in Michigan

I am not sure that we can declare this the end of the storm.
Wind is destined to be the next big culprit, especially in the outlying areas with more big trees. And the rain that loosens the roots for easier tipping.
 
I will end my weather centric reports here (I think). For those that want a closer meteorological view on the weather, check out this blog.
Next blog I will get back to our work cleaning out this old house.

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