Home Alone

“School canceled by snow storm and power outage, wife and daughter off to Madison overnight despite the storm, just me and the two dogs, the cat, the zebra finches (Jack and Lizzy have 3 hatchlings that squawk up a racket). Not really alone, if you count attending to the menagerie.

What do you do when this type of day drops in your lap? On my way back home (school was canceled AFTER I left for campus) I picked up a couple diversionary action/suspense movies (renting videos at 8 in the morning is strange), and grabbed deli fixings for bachelor meals. Then it was TT time.

Snow days bring out good neighbors it seems. I snowblowed the double driveway we share with next door at 6 a.m. I just went out to clear the mouth of the drive since I heard the plows come through a bit ago, but the old fellow next door had popped out and shoveled it clear, when he could have waited for me to fire up the machine, or even asked me to. Ah well, more snow still coming (and tree branches falling), so the new snowblower is finally starting to earn its keep.

Maybe I can learn something from the cat -- he's sitting next to me watching the finches flit about their cage like it's some sort of bird TV.”

“Zebra Finches?

What color are they?”

“Enjoy it, pekka.

But your post does raise an interesting (if you are very bored) series of questions...

What do you do with a snowblower? Snowblow? And if so, what is the past tense of snowblow? Snowblew? (Obviously you rejected that one.)

;-)”

“You go out to your gear room..

go thru everything you own.. and inventory/repair everything.

:)

then you go make a list of all the neat new stuff you want.”

“If the cat is haveing fun then try it.”

“Tom,
Both sexes are generally a soft gray topside with orange beaks, and a black verticle bar down where the beak meets the face, followed by a white bar, then a black bar down from the eye, meeting in a V at the chin. The tail is b/w horizontal stripes. The male has orange cheeks, a b/w striped bib, white-dotted cinnamon sides, and a white belly. The female has gray head and bib (other than the V face bars) and a beige belly. The male's beak is a deeper orange than the female's.

They are Australian natives, like parakeets. Was watching one of the nature shows recently and there was a shot of an outback puddle with parakeets and zebra finches flocking around for drinks. They do not "sing," they beep, squeek, squeel, chortle, squawk. My step-daughter had gotten 4, but when two were pecked to death by the pair (thus my naming them Jack and Lizzy) we have now, she couldn't "handle it." So they came to our house, and began laying eggs in an open nest. Once we gave them an enclosed nest, the female actually began sitting and, voila, 3 noisy baby finches. Stop by in a few weeks and you can have your own set.”

“Ha ha ha

When I was a kid we had a Java Temple Bird/Java Sparrow.
It was a cute little black and white....grey.....orange beak...
It had a neat little song that it would sing over and over.

I hope Jack and Lizzy are good to their little ones.

Home alone?
A good time for movies, scotch/rocks, bleu cheese/crackers, farts, etc”

“Fritz, I know, snowblew just wasn't "right."

TownDawg, right now, every room in the house, basement to upstairs, is a gear room, I realized recently. Yeah, that may partially happen. I've been wondering where my set of Sierra Designs packable rain-wind wear has gone to, so I could do it as a treasure hunt. Of course if I find and clean up all my old gear, I'll have a harder time justifying new gear to the wife...”

“Tom, thanks for reminding me to check the Scotch supply. (I leave, come back) Yikes! NO SCOTCH. Just 1/3 liter of Jim Beam Black, 1/4 bottle of Drambuie, a bit of B&B, some cheap cognac for cooking, an inch in the bottom of a dark rum half-gallon, a nice uncracked bottle of Sandeman Porto, a half bottle maybe of Kahlua, some Bloody Mary mix, but NO SCOTCH. Oh, there are two Leinies in the fridge. Now I have a worthy mission -- a run to our favorite dilapidated liquor store, The House of Spirits, for some Famous Grouse.”

“This is the perfect time to buy new gear, because no one will see you bring it in the house, you can play with it/set it up in the living room, stuff/unstuff/assemble/dissemble to your heart's content without anyone thinking you're nuts...

How 'bout some snowshoes from Target? They are on sale ya know!

Or take the dogs for a walk in the snow! My dog loves fresh snow. Just watch out for those falling limbs.”

“No Target near by, but I already have nice snowshoes -- Iversons, woodframe, made in the U.P. That little company in Shingleton (a meer crossroads) nabbed a great slogan, which is burned into the frames -- "Seek Wilderness."

Yeah, the dogs will get outdoor time, though the water spanial is a wimp. He'll do his business and want back inside. The sheltie will want to play frisbie.

At the rate the snow is coming down, I shouldn't get too comfie.”

“Okay, let's see how I did so far with everyone's advice.

Went to House of Spirits and got a liter of Famous Grouse blended Scotch, my favorite. Is it cocktail hour yet, Tom?

Went to Mel's Trading Post and browsed gear on sale. 20% off sleeping bags, but limited selection. Hmmm...a Bota of Boulder microfleece mummy liner, could that boost my Cat's Meow down into winter zone? Would it make it too snug? Must investigate. List is $69, they have it marked $42, and if they'd give me the 20%....

Cruised the new Goodwill store for first time. SCORE. Brand new Manzella double-layer fleece mittens, $2.99. Compare at REI-Outlet.com: $9.93 marked down from list of $28. Beat the discounter by nearly $7 and no shipping (just dang 6% sales tax).

Roads getting ever worse, decide to come home. Take dogs out to play in snow. Another big branch down in back yard, this one from the maple. Come inside and do a little web research on sleeping bags, liners.

Check back in with TT advisors, hoping to distract them from their gainful employment.”

“Well, the count is in ... we got 10.5 inches of wet heavy snow as of 10 p.m. CST, 16" up in Phelps. Lots of tree branches down, which has 13,000+ customers without power in the area, about 4,000 near Rhinelander. Glad its not me.

Now the big question ... will my college be open tomorrow? Still a chance of more snow tonight and the roads are a mess.”

“New gear!

New gear!

New gear!





Surely you can think of something to tell the wife that she'll believe!”

“Florida is great. Which short-sleeved shirt should I wear today?

Fritz - You should know about snow-blowers in your area. Once I was snowed-in for three days up there in PA.”

“Hey pekka.It sounds like you have lots of cool gear.I like how I have things set up in my house.M office and gear room are one in the same.So when I am on the pc I can look at my backpacking gear too....:)”

“Well, the storm is over. Had to reopen the plowed-in driveway mouth this morning with the snowblower, but still made it to work on time.

CrazyMike -- My gear isn't arrayed for appreciation or quick use (not that organized usually), I just often set something down and it stays there for months (years?). I couldn't find one of my stoves for a long time, then I moved some shoes in the front closet and there it was in its stuff sack. Don't have any idea how it got there.

Nowslimmer -- I have a nice selection of Florida worthy shirts. I wear them until it just gets too darn cold, trying to put myself in the Keys mentally. If I had my druthers, my daily wear would be a Hawaiian-style shirt and a pair of shorts. Not much of an option most of the year up here.”

“Yeah, but when the temperature UP there gets in the 40's, I'll bet the natives are nearly naked!

Vermontsters are that way.

Man, it sounds like you have quite a stash of booze there.....even with out the scotch.”

“Tom: It's that cumulative effect. A bottle here, a bottle there over the years/social events. Nice thing about liquor -- doesn't usually go bad with time. The only full bottle is the porto, which is awaiting the right occasion to crack open.

And, yeah, come a sunny 45-degree day in March or April and I may hit the off-season closet and pull out one of my "fish" shirts, as my students call them. As you note, I won't be alone.”

“pekka - I had TIC on that one. Just could not resist. The weather now in FL is great. Actually, I've done my time up north, and further south, too.

Born and raised on the deep south side of Chicago, 4 yrs. of college in Appleton, WI., and lived in 10 states , Germany, Puerto Rico, and the Rep. of Panama. Plus a lot of travel to Japan, Hawaii, and Alaska. Spent 10 yrs. in MN and almost as many yrs. in Panama. So FL is about halfway between some of my family in MN. and in Panama.

I don't plan to fight the snow anymore, except on winter bp-ing trips. LOL

And home alone is great.”

“nowslimmer: Don't worry about the TIC, we try to laugh about it anyway and no offense taken at your flaunting Florida weather. My mother-in-law called from Lake Worth last night, so I heard how nice it was while I looked out the window at our 12th straight hour of snowfall.

My folks were both from Michigan, but my dad was career Navy. From birth to 4, I lived in Hawaii, California and Florida. Then they returned to the homeland. I, however, was imprinted with warm temps, sandy beaches, and salt air. Thank goodness for the Great Lakes while I was growing up (and since) or I would have gone mad. Hmm, maybe I did anyway.

Did you go to Lawrence U. ?”

“"... Did you go to Lawrence U. ?"
pekka
01:51:40 PM
02/21/02

Yes, and to Madison during some of those fall, football weekends. L. was a college then(pre U days), 50-54.

If you can, ask your Dad about his roughest sea experiences. In the '80s I spent a lot of time on a radar, tracking ship. Most of it was in the Bering Sea near Siberia. Winter storms (typhoons) sometimes had seas of 60 to 70 feet and winds well over 100 mph. We had to keep turning in that stuff to stay in position. Sometimes the ship listed more than 45 degrees. Only the concrete ballast in the hull's bottom kept us from capsizing. I might still be there, except for some heart problems. Ship's picture.”

“nowslimmer:

My dad and I have talked a lot in recent years about his sea days. He was on a destroyer in the 3rd Fleet when it got hit by the big typhoon of Dec. 1944, which claimed 3 destroyers and 778 men. His ship was lucky in that it had managed to complete refueling and was ballasted, unlike the 3 that were lost. Amazingly recounted in the book Typhoon: The Other Enemy, written by a destroyer captain who survived, C. Raymond Calhoun, who tells of his ship being rolled nearly 90 degrees and recovering.

My dad had also done North Atlantic patrol around British Isles while we were still "neutral" and I'm sure that had its share of unpleasant seas. His destroyer was shadowing the run of the Bismarck when the Brits finally caught it.

Glad I've only dealt with the Isle Royale Queen crossing Lake Superior on a nasty day.”