Wintry Wednesday

ei34

Okay winter. We see you. We feel you. We know you’re here. We get it 🥶 

The roads were an icy mess this morning but thankfully no delayed opening (and yes even as a teacher I’m thankful for that. What does it do besides throw schedules off? Can only speak for my area in which there aren’t snow plows out there aggressively salting or doing anything to make the roads more drivable. If some live in areas where the road conditions improve over two hours, I revoke my statement.) 

SSDD at work and into the evening.  Wishing safe travels to all in treacherous driving conditions! 

short+sassy

I slept on the couch in the living room last night because it's warmer than my bedroom!  

Unfortunately, my bedroom is where my small office set up is located so I'm having to brave the cold to work in here today.  I'm wearing a knit hat and scarf.  But that's how much I like WFH, lol.  Because I could have gone to the office.

I already started the day with one work emergency.  But don't have anything else I need to get out and am hoping it is a mellow day.  I have a lot of work to do that I don't need to interact with anyone for and am hoping I can just stay in my bubble doing that.

banana468

It is COLD today!  

Kiddos have a 2hr delay and it's still in the upper teens now.

With the recent rain fall I'm seeing water marks in a spot on our family room ceiling.  Our fingers are crossed that this won't be a pain.

DH has his physical today.  He's anxious and has felt off and one of the largest triggers for his anxiety is his health and also getting riled up.  I told him that he needs to make sure he speaks up because what he does to compensate for his anxiety is to appear even keel but that may be detrimental to a doctor who may not see his real concern.  

levioosa

I know I can’t complain in comparison to you ladies, but it’s cold for me over here. I even got an ice warning the other day when I got in my car. I’m so glad I have a space heater in my office. 

Not too much is going on here. Grandma sounds a little better. Otherwise SSDD. I feel like I’ve been at work four days already and today is only day two. 😭

Good vibes for DH’s appointment @banana468

MNNEBride

We are above zero and sunny today - yay!

A person on my team has decided to leave and is actively seeking other jobs.  They have not been here quite a year and have tried to make the role a good fit for them but it's just not.  I respect that but it's hard on the team when we've put so much time and energy in training them only to have to start over.  The role has significant time in facilitating groups, large and small, which causes this person high anxiety.  They thought they could work through it and it would get easier but it hasn't.  It is what it is. I hope they find something that doesn't trigger their anxiety like this role did.

DH has been having a lot of back pain again this week and is schedule for an injection on Friday.  They have been very effective in the past and I hope that continues.  Chronic pain is no joke.

Looking forward to a get-away with some girlfriends at the end of the month.  My mom will stay here to keep DH company and our nephew will stop in frequently.  It will be a nice break.  We are going to WI Dells Sunday-Tues.  

@short+sassy, your cold temps may be getting you prepared for the move to Ohio!  To be fair, Ohio homes are likely better equipped to withstand the cold temps than those in NO.

Otherwise SSDD.  Stay warm everyone!

CharmedPam

Very true @MNNEBride, about the Ohio houses being better equipped.  Does H get a cortisone shot?  Love the Dells.  Have fun!

I’m staying home again. I didn’t feel like going into work.  I rarely wfh from “being sick”.
I signed up for facebook dating on the 7th and I feel my past is being unearthed.  So far, the dude I dated 2 years ago tried to friend request me, and liked my profile and sent me a “it’s been awhile” message. I ignored. 
2 other guys I had a few dates with in the past but cut it off due to no chemistry “liked me”.  One even wrote “sorry it didn’t work out with the guy I lost to”. Wth? And then the last guy I went on a few dates with “liked me” too and he cut it off because he wanted to date someone who “he had more chemistry with” his words. Clearly that’s over now. Ahhhhh! I’m like what is a “like” really then? It’s not really a like if you do it to someone you’ve dated in the past.  I think it’s a “heeeeey I see you.  And I know you’re still single”. Amiright?
oh, and the long term guy I was with who had crippling depression and ghosted me as a way to leave me happened to pop up as a “lucky match”.  So he’s still looking.

Have I said this before? Dating is hard. 

ILoveBeachMusic

Ugh @CharmedPam. I can't even imagine having to navigate the dating world! Plumbers are on their way over as I type. He came late afternoon yesterday but needed a second person to help lift the pump out of the hole. He says he thinks something is clogging it. We have no idea what could be clogging it. He said it could be frozen up the line. This is sounding very expensive (again). I told H that if it is as expensive as last month when the pump was replaced we are canceling our trip to Portugal in the spring! 

It is 14 here and sunny - almost a heat wave in comparison to the last few days! 

charlotte989875

We got another 8-10” of snow overnight which is might better than the 3 feet a few miles away from here got. We’re supposed to get more later today. Everything is closed and canceled, and we have a driving ban so we’re holed up in front of the fireplace watching movies. Unlimited screen time, even though we did get M to play and read books for 3 hours before he remembered the TV. 

Casadena

Back at work today. This round of meds for G went pretty well. He complained of more pain and physical symptoms than other rounds but his mood was a little more regulated. Monday he didn't leave the couch at all, and yesterday he really perked up in the afternoon and had some energy and said his body was feeling good. I love the snow but ready for temps to be a little more reasonable so we can actually take the kids outside, they're going a little stir crazy. 

short+sassy

@MNNEBride, I was thinking the same thing!  "At least this is prepping me somewhat for OH."  And it's also a really good point that my house isn't designed for cold weather.  I don't have HVAC.  It's a raised house that's 2.5' off the ground, so the cold wind just blows under it.  But hey, the house has never flooded in the 100+ years it's been around, despite being in a flood prone city.

Though it also exposes our pipes.  We've been dripping water from both our faucets since Monday night and our next door tenants have also.  The rental properties I have are newer and on slabs.  But the city was telling everyone to drip water, so we texted our tenants on Monday and they all replied back they would (crossing fingers).

Despite that, our kitchen sink was frozen yesterday morning but thankfully no damage (phew).

It's been in the low/mid 20s, but the temp is slowing climbing and it's supposed to get into the 40s by the late afternoon.  I usually don't look forward to the weather only being in the 40s, but I am today!

VarunaTT

My OCD was flaring up trying to get the faucets dripping.  There's a "right" drip -- don't ask me how/why or what it is, I just know when it's right and I'll spend 30 minutes getting it to "right" b/c if not, my pipes will freeze/burst, Harley will get sick or worse, an insane utilities bill, and ruin all my stuff and other bad things I can't be too sure off.  I was almost late to work with the kitchen sink.  But they were both left dripping with the cabinets open to keep things warm hopefully.  We're getting up into the 30s today and it feels like a heat wave or spring day after all of these single digits.

Nothing too much going on here.  I got a new (to me) album from Tom Waits last night and got my Almave tequila in, so had an Old Fashioned while listening to the new vinyl and felt hipster cool.  I'm trying to start reading and listening to music more, rather than just plopping in front of the TV and not moving.

CharmedPam

I hope it doesn’t come to the canceled trip @ILoveBeachMusic. 

Glad he’s being more active @Casadena, it can’t be easy watching that!
i never left faucets dripping before, @VarunaTT, and we have the same weather conditions almost.  Was that advised by your landlord to do that? At what temps should you because I left this weekend -12 and didn’t….

VarunaTT

CharmedPam said:

I hope it doesn’t come to the canceled trip @ILoveBeachMusic. 

Glad he’s being more active @Casadena, it can’t be easy watching that!
i never left faucets dripping before, @VarunaTT, and we have the same weather conditions almost.  Was that advised by your landlord to do that? At what temps should you because I left this weekend -12 and didn’t….

Our landlords did text us and ask us to do that.  I've always done it as soon as the temps drop below freezing, at night.  With it being so cold (negative to teens), I do it all day, just a very slow drip.  I open the cabinets b/c it keeps warm air circulating around the kitchen pipes.  I'm probably overly cautious, but my kitchen is above our garage and I don't feel like there's anything in the way of insulation between the cabinets and the bare floor over the garage.  My cabinets under the sink get really cold.  Plus the whole building is a remodeled parking garage so it's just not very warm in the first place (which is great in the summer, but not so much in the winter).

banana468

Do you do it when it's consistently in the 20s?

FWIW in our house we only saw the pipes start to freeze in the back office bathroom when we start to be in the teens but we're also not in a space that sits consistently at below freezing for a long time. 

VarunaTT

20s I'll leave it dripping at night, but not during the day.  

charlotte989875

We never leave our faucets dripping unless there’s a risk of the power going off. Maybe this is a northern/eastern thing, but our house is pretty well insulated so we don’t risk freezing or burst pipes unless the power is out. 

However we did just talk about getting a generator. We’ve never had one in the past but with the climate crisis it might be a good idea. In Buffalo we get these big lake effect storms when the lake water is still “warm” (well bit frozen) and the air is cold. This year lake temps were the warmest the latest into the year setting up these huge lake effect events. So when we got the blast of cold air everyone else did that’s how we get dumped on with snow. That’s likely to continue so we’re talking about being more prepared. 

charlotte989875

Todays example of therapy speak going too far.. 

banana468

charlotte989875 said:

We never leave our faucets dripping unless there’s a risk of the power going off. Maybe this is a northern/eastern thing, but our house is pretty well insulated so we don’t risk freezing or burst pipes unless the power is out. 

However we did just talk about getting a generator. We’ve never had one in the past but with the climate crisis it might be a good idea. In Buffalo we get these big lake effect storms when the lake water is still “warm” (well bit frozen) and the air is cold. This year lake temps were the warmest the latest into the year setting up these huge lake effect events. So when we got the blast of cold air everyone else did that’s how we get dumped on with snow. That’s likely to continue so we’re talking about being more prepared. 

Ohhhh we have one!

The only area of the house that becomes a concern is my office because it has electric heat, it's not used throughout the day and the pipe area is near the garage that is not as well insulated.  The rest of the house is not a concern as long as we keep the temp set well.  That said, this is exactly why if you know snow birds that it is NOT a smart idea to turn down the temp in your house when you leave to even 50 because your pipes will freeze.  

The generator we have has enough power to run our boiler, refrigerator and well pump.  It won't power the entire house but it will heat it and let us shower in hot water plus we can use the microwave.  I think we also had power from an outlet near the TV that let me work too.  Our larger concern here has been hurricane/wind over the snow.  If you look into one make sure you're working with someone who knows about the power level you need.  We are on well water and not city water which means that without a generator that has enough power to power a well pump, we have no running water, toilets, etc.  That would have been a nightmare during Sandy 12 11 years ago when we had no power for nearly 6 days but we were able to take hot showers every day and didn't lose any food in the fridge. 

charlotte989875

banana468 said:

charlotte989875 said:

We never leave our faucets dripping unless there’s a risk of the power going off. Maybe this is a northern/eastern thing, but our house is pretty well insulated so we don’t risk freezing or burst pipes unless the power is out. 

However we did just talk about getting a generator. We’ve never had one in the past but with the climate crisis it might be a good idea. In Buffalo we get these big lake effect storms when the lake water is still “warm” (well bit frozen) and the air is cold. This year lake temps were the warmest the latest into the year setting up these huge lake effect events. So when we got the blast of cold air everyone else did that’s how we get dumped on with snow. That’s likely to continue so we’re talking about being more prepared. 

Ohhhh we have one!

The only area of the house that becomes a concern is my office because it has electric heat, it's not used throughout the day and the pipe area is near the garage that is not as well insulated.  The rest of the house is not a concern as long as we keep the temp set well.  That said, this is exactly why if you know snow birds that it is NOT a smart idea to turn down the temp in your house when you leave to even 50 because your pipes will freeze.  

The generator we have has enough power to run our boiler, refrigerator and well pump.  It won't power the entire house but it will heat it and let us shower in hot water plus we can use the microwave.  I think we also had power from an outlet near the TV that let me work too.  Our larger concern here has been hurricane/wind over the snow.  If you look into one make sure you're working with someone who knows about the power level you need.  We are on well water and not city water which means that without a generator that has enough power to power a well pump, we have no running water, toilets, etc.  That would have been a nightmare during Sandy 12 11 years ago when we had no power for nearly 6 days but we were able to take hot showers every day and didn't lose any food in the fridge. 

Thanks for this, that’s really helpful. 

We have boiler heat so we want one that can power our boiler, fireplace, and fridge at the very least. Our electric is weird (our second floor was an addition so the wiring to get there is safe, but wonky because some is on the same circuit as downstairs rooms) so we’d definitely need someone experienced to look at it and install. 

short+sassy

@charlotte989875, If you all decide to get a generator, I'd recommend one that has multiple power sources if you have gas at your house.  Most generators are gasoline powered.  But if power is out all over town, the gas stations will be closed also.  Or if there are only a few open, it will be an hours long wait.

I got my generator from Costco a few years ago.  It was $900 and can use natural gas, gasoline, or propane.  Our house does already have gas, so we hired a service person to hook it up to our natural gas.  Though that was a lot spendier than I thought.  I think it was another $800.

I don't remember the exact power it has.  But it's enough to run two refrigerators and a couple window a/c units, plus plenty of small electrical devices like laptops and chargers.  Though space heaters typically use more electricity than a window ac unit.

MNNEBride

CharmedPam said:

Very true @MNNEBride, about the Ohio houses being better equipped.  Does H get a cortisone shot?  Love the Dells.  Have fun!

I’m staying home again. I didn’t feel like going into work.  I rarely wfh from “being sick”.
I signed up for facebook dating on the 7th and I feel my past is being unearthed.  So far, the dude I dated 2 years ago tried to friend request me, and liked my profile and sent me a “it’s been awhile” message. I ignored. 
2 other guys I had a few dates with in the past but cut it off due to no chemistry “liked me”.  One even wrote “sorry it didn’t work out with the guy I lost to”. Wth? And then the last guy I went on a few dates with “liked me” too and he cut it off because he wanted to date someone who “he had more chemistry with” his words. Clearly that’s over now. Ahhhhh! I’m like what is a “like” really then? It’s not really a like if you do it to someone you’ve dated in the past.  I think it’s a “heeeeey I see you.  And I know you’re still single”. Amiright?
oh, and the long term guy I was with who had crippling depression and ghosted me as a way to leave me happened to pop up as a “lucky match”.  So he’s still looking.

Have I said this before? Dating is hard. 

SIB

@CharmedPam, he gets CT guided steroid injections.  So glad I'm not in the dating realm these days!

Our townhome is on a slab and our plumbing is in the slab.  We keep the back bathroom sinks dripping when it get's below zero.  Then we keep that bathroom door closed because it's off our bedroom and the dripping drives me crazy.  I've heard you can use a piece of dental floss or thread tied around the faucet and left hanging.  The drips will follow the thread and not make a noise.  Ours is more noise from the drain.  

STARMOON44

Did my egg retrieval today and got so many eggs! As many as I did when I was six years younger. Pls all cross your fingers that they all fertilize, become embryos, and test genetically normal. 

Between norovirus at the start of the year and all these meds I am exhausted and looking forward to a few weeks of just feeling normal. 

ILoveBeachMusic

The water is back on! It was just a frozen pipe - the pipe is in the pit outside so dripping water wouldn't have helped. The cost was a lot less then a new pump or digging up to the main. While it isn't an expense we were counting on, it could've been a lot worse! I've never been so happy to flush a toilet in my life! I'm also looking forward to showering in my own shower tomorrow- I went to the Y again today.

Fingers crossed for you @STARMOON44!

short+sassy

@STARMOON44, good luck!  Definitely crossing my fingers for healthy embryos.

@ILoveBeachMusic, I'm glad you have your water back!  And especially that it wasn't any of the big problems you were worried about.

Casadena

@STARMOON44 I'm so happy for you!! Definitely crossing everything and hoping for a super positive outcome 

charlotte989875

Wow @STARMOON44 that’s great, good luck!! I hope it all goes well and you have a successful process!