Sometimes you just have to Face the Cold!

Today was bitter cold, but yesterday it was "you could died out there cold". Yes dear reader that is the deferance between 0 degrees and minus 15 with a -45 degree wind chill.

 Yesterday my daughters car would not star, so I took her to out  the college. (LCCC did you really need to keep open yesterday?) On the way home the radiator in my truck burst,,,,ugh. Daughters husband pick her up from class.

This morning the car still would not start, so time to face the music. Dad to the rescue, 5 gallons of fresh gas a bottle of Red Heet, and 30 minutes worth of jumper cable time the Volvo was back on the road. Alex, you were a big help, now get set of jumper cables and keep them in the car!

 After getting Lindsay car running I knew that my truck had to get fix today. No matter what the weatherman promised for tomorrow it could not wait another 24 hours. $135 worth of parts, Cartharts, gloves, hat in place  face the bitter cold and replace the radiator. In the driveway exposed to cold and wind.

  Lucky, the Sun was shining and the wind was gentle. The radiator was out with in 30 minutes, only to find out that the parts store sold me the wrong radiator. UGH back to the store, exchange the part for the right one. Everything goes back to gather fine. I had been very careful not to spill the antifreeze, not a drop on the ground till I started filling the new radiator up then disaster!! I lost my grip on the jug of antifreeze and liquid went everywhere!! What a mess, trust me dear reader you do not want to have clean up half a gallon of spilled antifreeze when the temperature is below zero! Everything did get clean up and the truck runs just fine now.

 Now here is the punchline, Last week I bought oil and filter for truck. It is due for an oil change and the temps last week where in the 50s!! yes sunny and 50 degrees. So did your wise blogger do his oil change on a nice false spring day? No he wait till it is -5 degrees and is covered in antifreeze to do the oil change!

 Sometimes it is not smart to procrastinate, no matter how warm your Carharts are.  

Time drags when you are hurt,,,

 Well dear readers the month of January has flown by. In my last post I told of how my leg had been hurt by walking into a trailer tongue. I had started back to the gym believe everything was healing fine. It was not fine at all! 9 days latter the leg swelled up overnight turning black and blue around the ankle and red hot along the calf! Not mind you, what any diabetic ever wants to see. A trip to the ER, with xrays and ultra sound exams found no clots! My life no longer in danger the Doc  said that the redness and heat on my calf was early cellulitis, Antibiotics were order  with the warning that this could develop into skin ulcers that would require 3 to months of wound care. The drugs where taken and I staid off the leg.  Just got the all clear from My doc today! Thanks Susie Ruxton for the clean bill of health. Now the Podiatrist Thursday to get the knees and feet cleared.

  While my leg has been healing the contractor has been rehabilitating my house. It has been slow going, this would be a good time to... or while we are at we should... for a couple more hours labor... are expensive and  time consuming word from a contractor. Though I must say everything that has been done is work that really needed to be done. It is going to a great house that I might never live in.  Hard to believe how hard normal  family wear and tear can be on a house over a dozen years! Some sheet rock, texture, title and paint and this old house is ready for another decade.  While my marriage did not survive here, this old house did shelter my family threw many a cold Wyoming winters. Tonight the temp is  -15 with a wind chill of -35,  I am typing this wear shorts and a t-shirt. Not to bad .(any body need to rent a house in Cheyenne Wy for a year?)

 I will post more about the Stroll in the Woods a little later,,,
Bye for now