Major Catch Up

It has been brought to my attention (and I have been aware) that I haven’t been posting on my blog much lately. The culprit is FACEBOOK. Yes. I seem to be out on facebook several times a day and posting little tidbits here and there. So I owe it to my V A S T audience to bring you up to date as best as I can.

Let’s start with my Woman Cave

You can call it the basement, the den, family room or my cave. No matter what you call it…it’s cozy and comfortable…my cocoon. I don’t think I’ll come out as a butterfly, however. :)

The bookcases came down in mid-January and it took some doing to get all the books placed. They are in alpha order according to subject. I also have a database that tells me which bookcase and what shelf any given book is on. It should be much easier finding what I want from now on.

My office is fully functional and I’m super thrilled to have everything in its place!

This is where I create…write, think, then write some more. My muse has come out of hiding and I’m writing poetry again…and I’ll tell you more about that later.

Water Aerobics

Two to three times a week I go down to the pool house and join a group for water aerobics. It’s excellent exercise, low impact, and it has contributed, in part, to the weight I have lost since moving here. It’s been fun losing pound number 13…then it finds me and I have to lose it all over again. This has been going on for some time now.

This morning I got on the scale and saw I lost another half pound. Astonished, I got back on the scale and it said I had lost another pound. I got off and back on only to be told I had lost yet another pound. I really don’t want to replace the battery. I like it the way it is…malfunctioning. :)

Winter

What can I say that hasn’t been said already. This winter has been brutal. However, I don’t have to worry about snow removal. Well, that’s not completely true. I have to clean off my car and shovel enough to move it so the plowing can be done. And I have to shovel my deck each storm so it doesn’t collapse under the weight of feet of the white stuff. That’s it. It gets me outside doing something physical while doing a meet and greet with the neighbors. It’s a lot of fun as we shovel out our own cars and help others who have a tougher time with shoveling.

Furnace and water heater venting

Due to the snow there had been a problem with my water heater going out. Once the vent becomes blocked (with snow or ice), the pilot light goes out. I have a service contract with the gas company so a phone call takes care of that.

Then there was a problem with fumes…presumably from the furnace. The way the vent was positioned outside, it was thought the fumes were coming into the house along the foundation. The guys from the gas company cut the pipe so it is now a straight shot out (no longer curves down and against the foundation). This will have to be re-modified later, but for the moment, the problem seems remediated. It also helped that the snow has melted away from the building allowing better ventilation.

I will have my water heater replaced in a couple of months (to an “on demand” type) and will have the furnace vent properly reassembled. I’m hoping to hold off replacing the furnace. I’m also going to research having a pellet stove insert put in my fireplace. Not sure I can afford that just now.

Energy audit

The utility companies were offering free energy audits to senior citizens so I took them up on it. They completely taped up every inch of the exterior of my fireplace. The cold air coming through there was unbelievable! It is too dangerous to use anyway, because the flue/damper does not work properly. Thus the yearning for a pellet stove insert! :)

Poetry

Several poetry events are coming up…and I mean big and important.

1) On March 12^th, Russell Library on Broad Street in Middletown, Glyn Dowden and Stephanie Elliott will read Welsh poetry. Glynn (who is from Wales) will be reading the poetry of Dylan Thomas, and Stephanie (who lived in Wales for a time) will be reading from other Welsh poets. 2 pm, public invited.

2) March 27th will see the publication party for South Windsor Voices, an anthology of poetry written by South Windsor residents and former residents. I have two poems in the book as well as being on the Steering Committee. I was a resident when the assignment began and became a former resident as time went on. March 27^th at the South Windsor Public Library, 2-4 pm. Open to the public.

3) April 17^th, Ekphrastic Poetry event at the New Britain Museum of American Art, 1-3 pm. “Ekphrastic” is poetry written about a work of art…usually a painting. I have chosen “Midwinter Moonlight” by Regis-Francois Cignoux. Open to the public…should be a spectacular event. The lineup of poets alone makes this a stellar event.

And so it goes

There’s a lot more stuff going on, but this will give you an idea of how busy life can get. Sometimes I would like just one day where I didn’t have to go somewhere or do something. Where I could go out for a walk…down to the boat launch perhaps to feed the ducks.

Mom still doing well

Yep! My mother is still doing well. If she makes it to September she’ll be 99! I’ve tried to get her to consider transferring to a nursing home closer to me, but she’s content where she is and doesn’t mind that she sees me only twice a week now instead of almost every day. Two days of me is enough? :)

Well, there you have it. I will try to do better as far as posting more often.