Winter Report

Winter Finally Arrives

I will never complain about mild winters again. Winter arrived with a bang - and after a week of single-digit temps, our supply of firewood is down to about 3 days worth. So, we're only firing up the stove on cold evenings, and you know what? With no fire to warm the thermostat, the furnace runs more and the house outside of the living room is much warmer. In a related stroke of luck, I bought a tank-load of heating oil at a near seasonal low price. School's been closed about a half-dozen days already (this morning it was for frozen fog, never heard of that before), so Madeline will be going to school well into June.

Vacuum Crisis

When Madeline went to vacuum the living room rug Thursday afternoon, the sweeper emitted a horrific clatter and horrid smell. Alas, after something like 15 years of faithful service, the beater bar had broken in two - and no, duct tape didn't work. You may not think this would be a crisis, but then, you don't own a 140 pound dog that sheds 10 pounds of hair a day. A bit of 'net research, a trip to Sears, and we are the proud owners of a new, bagless vacuum complete with IntelliClean! Because I'm not smart enough to vacuum on my own.

A New Car!

At least to us. We purchased a snazzy little white '97 Corolla with a meager 65k miles on the odo. It's not the '91 5-series BMW we were looking at, nor the '95 C-Classs Mercedes, but it does have stylish alloy wheels and the Toyota "gold badge" package. In an age of global warming and $3/gallon gasoline, I suppose an economical transportation appliance is called for. Truth be told, I hate it.

Johnnies Ain't What They Used to Be

It's a rebuilding year for the boys basketball team. Seems like no lead is to big to blow. I've seen sizable mid-third quarter leads fade away, and I traveled to Loudonville to see a 30+ point loss. The cheerleaders are performing some pretty cool stunts though, so it's still worth the trip to the gym.

The JV is fun to watch, and with only a couple Seniors graduating, I'm looking forward to next year.

Madeline Throws Some

Madeline's been working hard on her tumbling, and is pretty accomplished at flipping and twirling in the gym, but on a hard basketball court and in sneakers, it's harder. Still, got to see her throw some roundoff-back handsprings. I'm looking forward to next year (can you believe she'll be a senior?)