Into the Freezer and Out Again, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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Well that was an experience, and we've reached Thankful Day mostly thawed out.

We've had snow in the past, we've had sleet and hail, but to have rain freeze into lines of icicles dangling from the trees and the power lines -- that's a new one on us.

Let's go back to last Saturday, though, and say i'm very thankful for mujadrah.  While in NOLA, we decided to go with a local Lebanese place for lunch (delivered), and i haven't had a good mujadrah in so long, i savored every bite.

Becca's mom wasn't singing in the choir this past Sunday, so i went to church.   It was so cold that it was not crowded at all, and it was lovely to be there.  We had special guests leading the music, and i am so thankful i got to go.

Monday morning, my car started in spite of the cold, and i was so thankful.  While at Carl's, the frozen rain started.  They have a generator, and we were all thankful for it as the electricity went out and i didn't have to just give up, but kept cleaning.

The neighbors across the street were invited to come stay in Carl's apartment, since they did not have electricity and no generator.  Thankfully, i was able to really deep clean the apartment, and help move Carl's necessities out to the main house, so they had a safe, warm, and clean place to spend the night.

It was a further blessing that i got to park under their carport, so when it was time to leave, i was actually able to open the car and get it started again.

Once i was done at Carl's, i called Ms. JAI, who was shocked that i would be willing to be out in that weather.  Of course, since the streets were not frozen, just the trees and power lines, i was more than willing.  She declined, as she was also expecting a friend with no power to come over.

Ms. S fussed and told me not to come, also, so after i was done with Carl's, i went  home and checked on our own generator.  Our power had gone out, of course, but all seemed well.

On the way home, i managed to swing by the pharmacy right before they were going to close and get my prescriptions.  That was a good thing, and so was the fact that we didn’t end up with any overdrafts even though our bank was closed for three days and i couldn’t deposit the paychecks i was earning.

We were four days on the generator, and i am grateful it didn't burn more than half a quart of oil in that whole time.  We are also thankful we were able to run the fridge, 3 space heaters, the wi-fi, and some lights.  Of course, if you want to use the microwave, you have to unplug the heater on that circuit, but we were able to warm up food and then turn the heat back on, more than most of the people around us.

Our neighbors have a small generator, but didn't have a heater, so we were able to give them a spare.  To me, being able to share is a very, very thankful thing.

We kept going out and starting the cars every two hours until late at night, and are thankful all of our cars started and ran the whole time.  Some people couldn't get into their cars that were frozen shut.

Tuesday i did get to Ms. S, and that's always a good thing, if i end up skipping going there two days in a row, the litter box becomes unusable by Kiki's standards, and that's not a good thing.  Cats are picky!

Ms. G did not have power on Wednesday, so for the first time in 3 years i was able to go to an Ash Wednesday service.  There were only about 25 people in a sanctuary that holds 400 easily, so no trouble staying far enough apart.  For the first time ever, and it made me laugh, they used Q-tips to impart the ashes!  Take your smiles where they come in this day and time, and that was a smile.

The biggest problem with driving, especially in the immediate aftermath of the storm, was not ice on the roads but tree limbs and power lines.  One day, coming home from work, i was dodging debris and ended up with a stick lodged in the undercarriage of GusGus der Fledermaus, my tiny Ford Focus.  The nice neighbor who was out clearing his yard saw me stopped and trying to get under the car to get the stick, and he came over to help.  His longer arms made him able to reach, and i was very thankful for his kindness.

Late Thursday, our electricity came back up, and i was so thankful to be able to flip that transfer switch and plug in the things we'd unplugged that the generator won't run.  Some of our neighbors had to wait until Friday to get their electricity back, so i know how blessed we were.

Speaking of Friday, it was a great night for the cat shelter.  Three pre-adopted cats were picked up to go home while i was there, and a nice couple came in who wanted two cats.  Wouldn't you know there were two that had already been fully vetted and were ready, and they fell for both of them.  We are now officially out of kittens for adoption until kitten season hits. 

The weather is warming up, the hard freezes are over for now, and all is well, and i am very thankful.

Please write up your own list and link up to Ten Things of Thankful, where Dyanne and her co-hosts always have a warm welcome waiting.   

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Today is:

Adopt a Goblin Orphan Day -- Fairy Calendar

Blessed Wulfric's Day

Cherry Pie Day

Clean Out Your Bookcase Day -- supposedly begun in 1985, but i can't find information on who started it; donate books you don't need any more to a local friends of the library group

Flying Car Day -- the Arrowmobile, the first flying car, patented this day in 1937 (and can you imagine, as bad as driving is, how many accidents we would have if these people were flying around instead?)

Hoodie Hoo Day (Northern Hemisphere) -- at noon local time, citizens are requested to go outside and yell "Hoodie-Hoo" to chase away winter and call in spring; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Love Your Pet Day -- a day to pamper pets, like they don't get pampered enough

National Handcuff Day -- at least, it was last year 

St Leo of Catania's Day (a/k/a Leo the Wonderworker, Patron of Rometta, Longi, and Sinagra, Sicily)

Toothpick Day -- first machine used to make them patented this day in 1872

World Day for Social Justice -- UN

Anniversary Today:

John Cleese marries Connie Booth, 1968

US Post Office, 1792 (George Washington signed the act which created it)

Birthdays Today:

Rihanna, 1988

Andrew Shue, 1967

Lili Taylor, 1967

Cindy Crawford, 1966

French Stewart, 1964

Charles Barkley, 1963

Ron Eldard, 1963

James Wilby, 1958

Patty Hearst, 1954

Gordon Brown, 1951

Ivana Trump, 1949

Jennifer O'Neill, 1948

Peter Strauss, 1947

Brenda Blethyn, 1946

Sandy Duncan, 1946

Phil Esposito, 1942

Buffy Sainte-Marie, 1941

Nancy wilson, 1937

Bobby Unser, 1934

Sidney Poitier, 1927

Robert Altman, 1925

Gloria Vanderbilt, 1924

Carl E. Stotz, 1920

Gale Gordon, 1906

Ansel Adams, 1902

Joseph Jefferson, 1829

William Prescott, 1726

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Der Stellvertreter. Ein christliches Trauerspiel"(Play), 1963

"Barber of Seville"(Rossini Opera), 1816

"Giulio Cesare in Egitto"(Opera, HWV 17), 1724

Today in History:

King Christian I, ruler of Denmark and Norway, pawns the islands of Orkney and Shetland to Scotland so he can pay his daughter's dowry, 1472

An unnamed comet approaches withing 860,000 miles of Earth, the closest a comet has ever come to our planet, 1491

The first recorded wine auction is held, in London, 1673

The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington, 1792

Austria declares bankruptcy, 1811

Concepcion, Chile, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1835

The US Congress prohibits dueling in the District of Columbia, 1839

Luther Crowell patents a machine to manufacture paper bags, 1872

In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens, 1872

The first minor league baseball association is organised, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1887

King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra, 1913

A new volcano, Paricutin, erupts in a farmer's cornfield in Mexico, 1943

The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate, 1959

While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, making three orbits in 4 hours, 55 minutes, 1962

Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts, 1965

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands, 1976

Texas industrialist Ross Perot's U.S. presidential campaign begins, 1992

Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout, 2005

Estonia becomes the first country in the world to establish a national electric car charging network, with cars charging in less than 30 minutes, 2013

A 4-inch lock of John Lennon's hair sells at auction for $35,000 to a memorabilia collector, 2016

Famine is declared in Unity State, South Sudan, affecting 4.9 million, 2017

Venezuela becomes the first country to launch a virtual currency, the petro, to counteract their financial crisis, 2018