My poor hubby is once again working on the weekend. Early in the winter, it appeared that he might not have to work any Saturdays because the weather had been relatively mild. Then came that thick layer of ice, and he's worked every Saturday for a month.
He and his co-workers joke that they are "wanted men" this time of year. And they are!
Heat is one of our most basic needs, of course. Some of their older customers become particularly anxious if they are running low on propane.
How scary and vulnerable they must feel to be housebound and worried about losing heat! Robin told of one senior customer who was in tears when he and his sidekick showed up to fill her tank.
Tell me again which jobs are most important? Oftentimes it's not the best-paying ones!
While my hubby has been out skatin' around in a propane truck, I've been tending to things here on the home front.
On Tuesday, that warmest day (near 70) when most of the snow and ice melted, I decided to tackle cleaning out the high tunnel in preparation for this year's crop.
I could barely get the doors open, and the sides wouldn't roll up because of all the ice that had slid off the roof. It was nearly a 100 degrees in there! I didn't stay in there long.
The grandkids came over and we meandered down to the branch, which was running briskly. We hiked through the woods a bit, noticing all the mystery of the woods, and I found a few oyster mushrooms that I carried carefully back to the house.
However, after a closer inspection out in the open, I tossed them to the chickens. Tiny maggot-like worms writhed in the gills--fruit fly larvae, I suppose.
If I'd just taken the 'shrooms in the house and prepped them, I probably wouldn't have seen them, and I'm sure I wouldn't have tasted them.
But some things you can't unsee, and I just couldn't stomach the thoughts of eating worms. Crunchy bugs, maybe. But no worms for me! Lol
Anyway, the weather was so nice, but it felt strange to be walking around in snow and ice with the sun beaming almost hot on my bare arms!
As Dad says, "the sun has some vim to it" these days. It sure does!
On Wednesday, I rode to Richmond with my neighbor as one of her kids had a dentist appointment.
Afterward, we had a bite of lunch and browsed the halls of the Peddler's Mall. I was looking for a picture/painting of a spring scene, and, after carrying one piece around for a long time, I put it back because I didn't truly love it. On the way out, I found a painting by a Kentucky artist that I did love! Nothing makes my heart melt like the sight of an old fence post with some daisies blooming beside it.
The next day, the temperatures were only in the 40s, which made for perfect working conditions in the high tunnel. It was about 60 in there, sheltered from the wind, so just right. I made good progress; more than half the dried tomato vines are pulled up and the clips removed from them, ready to be reused this year.
I rushed to get supper on the table, a shower, and make it to some of the grandkids' ballgames.
On Friday, I had a little one here all morning. We enjoyed some storybooks together; he watched me do a workout video (😂), then we headed out to the high tunnel to finish what I started at the beginning of the week. Miles got pretty bored with that after a few minutes, so he was glad to see his momma coming to pick him up.
Back at the house, I worked a couple more hours on the high tunnel. I finally got all the vines down, but we still have to push them out, sweep the landscape fabric, roll it back, amend the soil with aged manure...
I'm thankful for some warmer days, some bright sun, that the ice is mostly gone, and for the sight of a few crocuses blooming!
Spring is on the way!
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