Polar Vortex, Frozen Pipes and Incoming Freezing Rain

 

   My poor birdbath has been through the ringer.  First we had a Polar Vortex that left the water in it frozen solid and then the snow came, lots of snow.  Now we are expecting freezing rain, right in time for the afternoon/evening commute.  Just lovely....not!

   We had the Polar Vortex cause us to have below zero temperatures here on the Idaho/Washington Palouse.  Many people had water pipes that froze and burst.  Luckily, we just had the hot water pipes going to our master bathroom freeze.  The cold water pipe still worked though.  Thank goodness the pipes in the rest of the house were okay and we have a second bathroom that we had hot water in so we could still shower.  The kitchen hot water also remained working.  Yesterday the hot water pipes to our master bathroom finally thawed out so I was able to use the shower in there this morning.

   During the Polar Vortex, we were going through 2 bags of wood pellets a day to keep the house warm.  We did plan ahead and bought a Buddy Heater in case we lost power.  We also have our generator if needed.  Even with Jeff home for 10 days, we did not get a lot done because we spent most of our time cuddled up under cozy throws and blankets near the pellet stove keeping warm.  Jeff also had a sinus infection (which he finally went to the doctor for), so he was not feeling all that great before he got his meds.  

   Jeff is back at work today and will also work tomorrow, then start his new work schedule next week.  He will be working 3 days one week and 2 days the next, rinse and repeat. 😉  We are still waiting to hear from Social Security on his claim, but we do know that they are processing it.  We planned ahead, so financially we will be fine if it is delayed a bit.  Since we are also doing a "no spend January" other than needed things, it is saving us a lot of money.  We are eating out of the pantry and the freezers for the most part, just supplementing here and there for some fresh fruit, veggies and a few other items.  I'm glad we are because 1 1/2 bags of groceries the other day was $70, and we did not get that much!  The only meat we bought was some salad shrimp, and those were marked down.  I divided that package up into 3 smaller portions and froze them to use in salads.  Each portion is about $1.10 this way.  

   Earlier this week, we had our friend Roni, who is like a sister and is also our kids "other mother", up for dinner.  I made some lemon chicken pasta with chicken that our Chris and Heather grew and processed.  She brought a nice bottle of wine.  Both the wine and the dinner were really good, but the company was even better.  We talked for hours and laughed about so many things. 😆  She is one of those friends that you can always pick right back up where you left off, no matter how long it may be between visits.  Hopefully we can make those visits happen more often though...we have all missed each other.

    I had better get going, Chris just called and I need to talk with him.  He has a lot going on and just needs to talk.  Poor guy is so busy and just exhausted.  Be blessed all.