A Chickadee Day

I was amazed to see a few of the tiny, fast moving Chickadees at the feeders this morning. It was sunny but 8 below zero when they were flitting around on the suet pellets and platform feeder. I can't imagine how they survive in these cold temperatures.

I can't keep the birdbath water thawed. I try to refill it when it gets low due to attrition but every morning the heater is half-exposed and the water is all frozen except for a tiny margin around the heater. I checked the weather on my phone and it's supposed to get up to freezing and maybe a couple degrees above by Monday. I can't wait.

 

Oh, look at the way the wind is carving into the snow on top of the suet cakes feeder. It started out straight on both sides of the snow pile. Every day those furrows get deeper. I keep expecting them to start falling any day now.

Before I even got dressed this morning I bestirred myself and channeled my knitting friend, CS. She makes the best soup. I made a pot of Chicken Egg Drop Soup with scallions, bok choy, chopped portobello mushrooms, and some white meat chicken. (everything except the scallions are my own additions, I need soup with body especially in these frigid days) You put all the ingredients together, slightly thicken it, then drizzle in three beaten eggs that you stir around with a fork to shred. I finished it off with a tiny bit of sesame oil which really ramps up the flavor. I've got one more serving of North African Red Lentil Soup to eat and then I can dive into the Chicken Egg Drop Soup. It is totally soup weather.

 

Once I got dressed (around 10 o'clock), I spent an hour working on the manuscript parts I want to submit to the Novel Writing Group, then I went into the kitchen to draw. Lesson 10 was called Word Play and had you print out the word "peace" and then decorate it with colored pencils. I wish my letters were more uniform in height but I like the way they turned out. Maybe I'll find a different word to play with tomorrow. How about "brr" or maybe "frigid" colored all in blues and purples?

 

I got to pick up the small people from school this afternoon. Walking from school to my car was an adventure. Not only were we walking into the wind but the street was hard-packed, icy snow so the footing was a little treacherous. We made it even though we almost turned into Popsicles on the way. But, hey, it was all of 1 degree above zero by then. Warm!

On my way home I noticed that the "check tire pressure" light had come on. I cycled through the info on the dashboard and discovered that one was lower than the rest so I stopped at two gas stations thinking I'd just pump them up even if I froze to death doing it. Neither station had an outside air hose so I stopped at Rabideau Auto Mart to ask JR where the nearest air hose was. He told me that most likely I had a leak and it was a better idea for him to take me home and keep my car so it could warm up and they could fix the tire(s) and do an oil change tomorrow. Okay. I wasn't planning on going anywhere tomorrow anyway. Or maybe I was but I could put it off for a day.

Late this afternoon I got a call from the GI clinic to schedule my swallow-a-tiny-camera test next Tuesday. There's a long list of do's and don'ts, the most problematic of which is I have to wear elastic waist pants and a button down shirt. I have elastic waist pants. Of course I do, I'm 72. But I don't think I have a button down shirt. All my shirts are long-sleeved tee shirts. Oh wait, I think I have one remaining flannel shirt in my closet. But an even bigger problem is that I have to be at the hospital at 6:15am. I don't get up that early--ever. Guess I'll set my alarm for 5am and hope for the best. Yuk. Too bad they couldn't do the test while I was in the hospital last week and already cleaned out because, of course, there's prep for this test too. Not as onerous as for a colonoscopy but still... And I found out on the MyChart app that the nuclear stress test the cardiologist ordered is cancelled. I don't have to see a pulmonologist either. Two things I'm grateful for.

--Barbara