Messages from Tom Cat

[agate]

Sent this morning from Tom Cat:

Still in the deep freeze. Most mornings have started out around -13°F & just breaking 1 or 2°F by the end of the day. Have to watch the machinery close. Let the ATV with plow sit out a couple of days ago, & couldn't get it started even though the engine was turning over well. Had to take the spray ether, starter fluid, & spray the air intake to get it going. Didn't the ATV off for a full hour, when I parked it in the work shed garage. Got Marty & my drives cleared, but still working on paths & the like. Can't stay out in this cold for much over an hour at a time.

Taking Marty & myself to the hospital in an hour. I have my routine blood test & hemoglobin shot, & he has to have liquid drawn off his one lung. He had chemo started on his lung last week.

Deer in the front yard, about 50 ft. from the windows every day now. Need to pick up 300 of corn today, at the feed mill, if we have time. Take care.[/COLOR]

Deer in the back yard a couple days ago. Up to six at a time.

[Lazarus]

I know what it is like when the machinery does not start! When we were younger I remember standing in the cold and spraying ether into the carburetor as John kept trying to start the jeep to plow. Almost...engine almost catches...almost....and then splat like a goose sliding into the pond, the engine slides into a stop. Dead stop. Now we have to jump the battery before we try again to get the engine to catch. Gosh we are a tough lot!

Those days are over for us but no matter what improvements we have made to our ability to plow it is never enough to make it easy.

[Virginia]

I enjoy hearing from Ralph. I have had him on my mind lately. I am always concerned about both him and Marty. With treatments for the cancer beginning I am afraid Marty is going to have a hard time. I hope Ralph doesn't remain out in that cold too long.

[agate]

From Tom Cat today:

Like your response, Lazarus. A few days ago, using the ATV to plow, I ran it straight for an hour or so to remove most everything. I wasn't trusting it to kill.Much of it is the ten plus below zero. If you don't have a heated garage for them getting them started, it's a bear. The bare hands don't do well for long spraying ether, as they freeze up. I got one garage which I can heat up with the wood stove. It's about 30 X25 ft inside, with 6 in insulation. At 10 below it takes several hours to bring it up to 60 or more.

I play musical vehicles-- warm each piece of equipment up, while other is outside. When the snow & ice is melted off, half the equipment goes to an unheated garage, & the half I need the next day goes into the heated garage. If I get the temperature up to 80 or 90, it will stay up to 60 the next day.After 24 years here I'm still working on it.

Got 300 lbs of corn today at one of the feed mills. At a coffee can or two a day, it should keep some of the deer happy for a while. With the cold weather breaking, hopefully most of them will make it through the winter. If not, that's what we have coyotes for. It's called the food pyramid, yes? Take care.

[agate]

From Tom Cat today:

Ah! Still -10°F this morning, but expecting it to hit 20 or so by early afternoon. I'm looking forward to the warm weather, but need to plow or shovel out several drain patterns, otherwise in spring the run-off down the drive can cause deep ruts for over 100 ft.

Now I'm back to Marty. I'll be taking him in to see his oncologist this morning. He doesn't think the neighbor he scheduled is up to driving in this cold weather. Nothing unexpected, since his driveway, even after plowing, is difficult to maneuver. It's 600 feet up hill, with 3 curves & no flat spots. I have 1200 foot, with a 100 foot rise, but over half of it is level. Up curved hills in snow doesn't help, especially as we get freezes & thaws, with icing up each night. Welcome to wonderful wood lands in the North country, aye?

Trying to get a picture of Smudge cat doing a balancing act on top of the water fountain bowl while eating out of a food dish. If the dish isn't close enough, she pushes it next to the fountain, stands on top of it to eat. Occasionally, she accidentally takes a bath in it. Trying to get a picture of it.

Take care, need to get on the way.

This came along later:

Marty's treatment today went fine. He's been breathing better since they took liquid off the lung yesterday. Nothing more this week.

Maybe a little snow this week yet. It's up at 20°F right now. Looking forward to our 2nd Modena shot next Thursday.

Had a take-out Chinese lunch today, which we do most days out. Makes a balanced diet, & me to keep up with my chopstick skills. Like picking up the roasted peanuts. Take care.

[agate]

Time has passed when I wasn't looking. Tom Cat posted this on Thursday. I had congratulated him on mastering the art of chopsticks:

Still clearing snow, but taking it easy. If I overdo it, the sore joints bite me back. Shoveling, blowing & plowing work different joints.

As for the chopsticks, it goes back to my college days. I was a foreman on a few archeology digs in Wisconsin & New Hampshire in the late '70s. We'd take the students to some Chinese restaurant, & order dishes with peanuts & give them chopsticks. It was nasty but fun to watch peanuts flying across the table. Ever since I like to keep in practice. Ann used them too, until her MS messed up her finger dexterity.

More later. I got 3 weeks laundry & 3 days dishes to do. Take care.

[agate]

This is from Tom Cat (yesterday). He seems to live among quite a few deer.

Deer on the back yard this morning, looking for yesterday's corn. Need to put more out at night. They've been coming in regularly.

After a week or so of subzero weather, & some few inches of snow, most everything has been pushed back. Meltdown in this last week, with day temperatures reaching 40, have left most of the driveway clear to the gravel. Still about 12 inches or more of snow on the open ground.

Having coffee with Marty this morning, & looking forward to our 2nd shot of Moderna vaccine this afternoon. Take care.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Ralph)))))) ~

You never let any grass grow under your feet! Even though the grass is covered with snow right now, you keep plodding on forward. I don't know how you do it ~ where you find the energy and strength for all of these arduous and strenuous things you do.

I am praying that you and Marty will not have any adverse reactions to the second dose of the vaccine. Most people feel something 10 hours after the inoculation. I hope that you have phone contact with each other so you can communicate if you have any problems.

Sending you both healing, positive energy ~

Thank you, agate, as always for keeping us connected to Ralph.

Love & Light,



Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!

[Virginia]

Beautiful winter scene with the deer.