Thrive Without Janelle: The Accountability Group

[Gramto6]

5,766 steps yesterday.

Still feeling kind of lazy. Hoping the change to sunnier weather will perk me up some even if it is very cold!

Well, bad luck seems to be following me. Woke up this morning, and furnace appears to have quit in the middle of the night. Slight smell of gas. Tried turning furnace off and then back on but no luck so turned it off totally. $hit!!

....Just went and tried turning furnace back on...and it came on! Phew!! But still faint gas smell so will call gas company. This is not the time of year to have furnace problems!

It is 19° and. frosty outside, (7:20AM)  just can't go out yet to feed kitties.  I'm already too chilled.

[xwordfanatik]

Furnace problems, bah!  A company here advertised a special for $75, to check the 10 year old gas furnace that we have.  So we get them over here, and guess what?  It cost over $800 for a new motor or something to fix it.  I just hate it when stuff breaks!  🤬

I hope you have better luck!

[Sandy W]

21 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

Furnace problems, bah!  A company here advertised a special for $75, to check the 10 year old gas furnace that we have.  So we get them over here, and guess what?  It cost over $800 for a new motor or something to fix it.  I just hate it when stuff breaks!  🤬

I hope you have better luck!

Check your furnace warranty. A motor should last longer than 10 years, especially given the moderate climate of the State you live in. Good luck 

[ginger90]

Many moons ago my mother called me to come over because her furnace wasn’t kicking on. I went over and checked to see if it had tripped, made sure there was water (gas steam heat). All was well. Went to see what she had the thermostat set on.  Lo and behold she had a candle burning on a cabinet under the thermostat. It was just enough to make it not kick on. What was funny about it was she couldn’t burn candles when my father was alive, he couldn’t take scents like that. I told her it was my father telling her not to burn candles in the house. I went out and got her a couple of candle warmers. Safety first!

[Gramto6]

Gas co. guy just left. No gas leak, no CO2 detected. He said probably a delayed start then it failed leaving a slight gas scent. Said I should have it serviced and see if anything needs tweaking. Luckily the heating guy is my neighbor's friend that came out once before and will be here tomorrow morning. They will also replace my CO2 detector/monitor. 

What a relief!!

 

@ginger90 I hear you re the candle!! For some idiot reason they put the thermostat for my furnace right above a heater vent. Sheesh! I put foil over the vent and a strip of cardboard over that.  Talk about poor planning...

@Sandy W I assume you are addressing that comment to @xwordfanatik. I live in MT and it is about as far from a moderate climate as one can get!! LOL!

[ginger90]

14 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

For some idiot reason they put the thermostat for my furnace right above a heater vent.

That certainly was a choice, oh my!

Happy you now have heat!

[Sandy W]

11 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

 

@Sandy W I assume you are addressing that comment to @xwordfanatik. I live in MT and it is about as far from a moderate climate as one can get!! LOL!

Sorry about that Gramto6. I did mean to address the comment to xwordfanatik.

I know MT can get severe weather.

[Absolom]

When the original furnace was installed in this house, the thermostat was in the coldest area of the house.  When I got a new furnace, I said please leave it there it works bettter for me.  When they left, I noticed that they'd moved the thermostat to a foot or two from the furnace.  I complained but they said it was "more efficient."  It's also now in the warmest spot in the house whether heat is running or not.  

[Gramto6]

No problem @Sandy W! I knew who you were directing that answer to! ((Hug))

[Gramto6]

Well, the heat lasted until 6:30PM this evening. It won't go back on, so it is going to be a cold night.

Running around getting things together added  a bunch of steps to my day! I have salt lamps set up under the sinks in 2 bathrooms and will have a space heater aimed at the kitchen sink pipes and another at the pipes under my bathroom sink.  The last thing I need is frozen pipes. Probably not quite cold enough, but the way my luck is going, I'm not taking any chances. My down comforter will keep me warm when I go to bed.

Thank goodness they are coming first thing tomorrow morning to fix the furnace!

Edited November 10, 2023 by Gramto6
typo

[ginger90]

@Gramto6 do you have your faucets on, just at a trickle?

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

@Gramto6 do you have your faucets on, just at a trickle?

No, but thanks for the suggestion! I have the heaters and the warm lights on the pipes and the cupboard doors open. I am on a septic system and leaving water running/trickling in 3 sinks all night has the potential of overfilling the tank and that is a whole other world of problems if that overflows! That is what I used to do, but just found out recently it was a bad idea. A trickle doesn't help when nights are -15-15° it has to be running at least pencil thickness and even then, pipes can still freeze.

All is good water wise this morning and the furnace people will be here around 8:30AM thank goodness!

I do have to go out later and pick up a couple more small space heaters before it gets really cold, as it will mid winter.  Then I can heat all the sinks with the space heaters as needed even when the furnace is working. Last Winter we had a really  cold snap and were below zero for several weeks at night, and days were mostly in single digits. I hope this Winter isn't as bad...

Edited November 10, 2023 by Gramto6

[Gramto6]

7,192 steps yesterday.

The furnace guy was here a couple of hours yesterday. The bad news is my furnace is cracked inside. He said I am lucky to still be standing. The way it had been leaking it could have killed me...go to sleep never wake up kill!! Huge crack he could put his finger through it!! So I have to buy a new furnace! I decided to go a little bit further and get a furnace/AC combo unit. I had been thinking of adding an A/C to the existing unit, but since it has to be replaced I'm going for the whole thing! Plus add ducts for it to my office and office bathroom which are not connected to existing furnace.  Looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000-$20,000!! It has to be done so will have to dip into IRA.

On the good front he got my fireplace working in the living room and it really puts out a lot of heat. They loaned me 2 powerful space heaters to tide me over until new furnace is installed.  Today's visit was $450, but I am warm again and that is what counts and soon will have a brand new heater/AC!!

Later in the day, I got a call back from the owner of the company with a quote. For the heater/AC unit and installation for existing ducts the cost is going to be around $10,100. It will be a bit more if I add on the two rooms in the addition, which I can give or take depending on the cost. Her son is coming Monday to look at the addition and see if it is even possible. I also want them to move the thermostat as right now it is directly over a heater vent. Kinda makes you wonder what the initial builders were thinking. 

Still a lot of moving the space heaters around to find the best locations so a lot of extra steps. At least it is nice and warm this morning thanks to the fireplace!

Edited November 11, 2023 by Gramto6
typo

[Gramto6]

6,597 steps yesterday.

Did a little less running around. I finally got the heater placement to a good working situation. Thursday can't come soon enough for me!!  I should have made one thing clearer,  though they call it a fireplace, it is actually a gas stove. It really heats the house well enough for comfort with the addition of a couple space heaters in the back bathrooms.  The heaters are what are going to run up my electric bill so a furnace is definitely the real solution.

It was terribly windy yesterday even though the temp was a bit higher. I hate the wind and even the kitties didn't like it!

I was buttoning a few things down outside I found a tiny kitten dead. It was 1/2 the size of its littermates (from the youngest set of kittens) and no sign that anything killed it so just a sad natural death. Dug a hole as best I could in the cold ground and buried it. Second death of a runt this season. 😢

[Sandy W]

37 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

 

I was buttoning a few things down outside I found a tiny kitten dead. It was 1/2 the size of its littermates (from the youngest set of kittens) and no sign that anything killed it so just a sad natural death. Dug a hole as best I could in the cold ground and buried it. Second death of a runt this season. 😢

Sad indeed to lose two kitties, but take comfort knowing the mortality rate would be much higher were you not providing food and shelter.

[Yeah No]

@Gramto6, so sorry to hear about your heater issues.  All this happening while I was enjoying a long overdue few days in Sarasota with Mr. Yeah No.  The weather was in the 80's, dry and glorious, not humid at this time of year, but boy was it a shock to get back into the car at the airport in CT and have to scrape frost off the windshield!  It's been c-c-c-cold here lately! 🥶

One bit of caution is to be careful with those space heaters and your fireplace while you figure out your furnace issue as that is one of the main causes of house fires if not handled carefully.  If your chimney hasn't been cleaned in a while this might be the time to do it.  I'm sure you know all that but I am a worrier so I had to mention it!

We had to suffer through getting a new furnace a couple of years ago and it cost us about $10,000 so I guess that's the going price these days.  The next year the air conditioning went, another $10,000 or more.

As far as my diet goes, I was happy I only gained about 2.5 lbs. over my vacation.  I'm sure most of it is water weight as it was impossible to avoid the high sodium of restaurant food.  Our hosts and friends are clients of my husband's who belong to not just the 1%, but the .1% as far as wealth go, so this was an amazing trip.  They spared no expense on us, taking us to all the finest restaurants where every entree cost at least $40-$50.  I saw things on this trip that only the very, very wealthy get to see and enjoy.  I'm not a rube when it comes to that stuff but it was a shock in some ways as I have basically been under a rock since the pandemic began.

Fortunately the offerings at the restaurants we went to included a lot of light dishes like seafood and we didn't have dessert even once.  The worst food I had were the flight snacks.  Also our "tour organizers" kept us very busy touring a museum, a botanical garden, beaches, stores, you name it, so I got over 10,000 steps a day!  Anyway it was a well needed vacation for both of us and it was fun reconnecting with our friends.  They live up here for half the year but this was the most time we've spent with them ever. 

Now the only problem will be losing the extra weight but I have a feeling that won't be too difficult.  I still can't get over how much sodium they put in restaurant food.  I eat out every now and then but never that many days in a row.  I don't regret it, though.  I had a lobster tail the size of a porterhouse steak and a very memorable Cubano sandwich, among other things.  Awesome food.  Now back to the 1,200 calorie a day diet!

[Gramto6]

7,981 steps yesterday.

I seem to have more energy. I beginning to wonder how long that crack in my furnace has been growing there and gradually leaking gas/CO, slowly poisoning me??? Scary thought!

@Yeah No Thanks for the info. They call what I have a fireplace, but it is actually a gas stove. Very little heat escapes to the outside, if any. It actually does a terrific job for the living room and after a couple days running most of the house has the chill taken off. I do use the small space heaters in the 2 bathrooms at the back end of the house as those rooms tend to stay colder. As long as it isn't long term below zero, I think I could get by as is. But the heaters do mess with my electric bill!

Gas stoves burn very clean and the pipes never need cleaning, just normal maintenance on the working parts inside the unit. The pilot switch had gone out so I hadn't used it in years with the furnace working.

I have never had air conditioning here, only a short period of Summer occasionally is unbearable. But since I am replacing the furnace, I am having a heater/AC combo unit installed. Uses all the same ducting and they put the A/C unit outside on a pad. All for just a tad over $10,000. Hearing what you paid for each unit separately, this sounds like a real deal!!  A friend in the CA desert has this type unit and loves it!!

Wow! Your trip sounds amazing!  I'm drooling just hearing about what you ate and envious of the places you got to visit.  I'm sure you'll drop the vacay #'s quickly and just have the good memories left! 

[Gramto6]

8,267 steps yesterday.

Feeling pretty good. Did a quick grocery run while I was out taking garbage up to road.  Today I'm going to try to take it easy. 

Furnace will be installed Thursday. They are just doing the furnace at this time because they need to get other people's furnaces installed too, we all need heat this time of year. They will come back later to do the A/C part which is fine I won't be needing it for some time anyway.  Man, I am sure am going to be happy to having to move the space heaters all the time.

[Gramto6]

8,111 steps yesterday.

I am feeling better each day, more energy, clearer head and I am sleeping better too. A very scary experience...

30° outside right now, a warm morning! LOL!  One more day/night of playing "space heater shuffle"! Tomorrow new furnace will be installed and weather is supposed to be sunny! It will be so good to have my life back to "normal" once again. Just hope it stays that way for a good long time!!

[Gramto6]

6,837 steps yesterday.

Quiet day yesterday, no idea how hectic today would be, so took it easy yesterday.

Up early as I want to get kitties fed before furnace people get here. Pretty sure kitties will go into hiding once removal/installation begins. They told me 4-6 hours to do the job. Kind of nervous about all the hustle and bustle that is going to happen but it will be so worth it when finished.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Gramto6

[Gramto6]

8,011 steps yesterday.

So nice to have central heat again!! It took him about 5 hours to get new furnace up and running.

An added bonus was I got 2 huge heavy duty boxes to make new shelters for the kitties. One is really tall and narrowish so on its side I divided it into 3 "rooms".  The other a big square box, several kitties can easily fit together in it. They just have to explore them and "approve" them.   😸   😸    😸

Making the shelters is where a lot of the steps came in.... Today I am going to have to go out and get more dry cat food, so very quick grocery run. Need to go back to the 30# bags from Chewy, no one local carries that size. Then will just mix in some of the fancy flavors for 16# bags.

20° outside right now as I begin the morning feedings...

[Gramto6]

7,115 steps yesterday,

Quick grocery run for cat kibbles and PO to mail property tax payment. Then just tried to relax.

Nothing really planned for today. Maybe laundry and a tiny bit of tiding things up. Besides the feeding of the kitties, a calm day hopefully.

It is 18° outside right now (7:30AM), not many cats out yet so will wait a bit until it warms up some and the sun comes up to feed them.

[Absolom]

Why is property tax due right before Christmas?  I know rhetorical question.  My house insurance is also due in November.  At least it's easier to remember to pay them together and be done with it.  

I'm trying to have a quiet day, too.  It's been a bit of a week.  I have to remember to pay the gardeners though.  

[Gramto6]

2 hours ago, Absolom said:

Why is property tax due right before Christmas?  I know rhetorical question.  My house insurance is also due in November.  At least it's easier to remember to pay them together and be done with it.  

I'm trying to have a quiet day, too.  It's been a bit of a week.  I have to remember to pay the gardeners though.  

My property is kind of odd, there is a small sliver of it in another tax district so I actually get 4 bills. Payment due comes in two payments: first half due 11/30/23,  second half due 5/31/24. Because I get a senior/low income discount (80% off) my total is very small, so I pay the full year's billing in one payment so it is done and done.  (This year for both, full total was $195.69. One very good reason to live in MT!!)

I pay my home insurance quarterly so it isn't a huge bite at one time.

Edited November 18, 2023 by Gramto6
typo

[Absolom]

I'm fortunate to be able to pay it all at once and be done with it.  I have a secondary checking account with automatic transfer to it so the money is sitting there waiting for me.  I should look into a senior property tax discount though.  I'm not sure we have that although I did see something about deferred taxes.

ETA:  There is a deferral program and a state assistance program.  The allowed income limits are astoundingly low.

Edited November 18, 2023 by Absolom

[Gramto6]

6,360 steps yesterday.

I had to go out once again for cat kibble. Friday, my regular store only had one 16# bag and hadn't ordered any more (that was why I waited as shipment was supposed to be in the 16th). I was hoping that would get me through until Monday when Chewy arrives. But Friday and Saturday feedings took care of most of that & I wouldn't have enough for all of Sunday and Monday morning. A bit ticked off at original store so I went to the one further away late Sat. afternoon.  I got one more bag. They had tons of bags! Frustrating!

Changed up Chewy autoships to every 3 weeks and that should cover me w/out any local purchases needed. Man oh man, do these cats eat a lot!!

Big Chewy order coming tomorrow and also a case of mixed flavor Glucerna so lots of unpacking for Monday. Nothing on agenda today other than feeding the cats.

 

[Gramto6]

6,169 steps yesterday.

Tried to take it easy yesterday as today 3 big boxes come from Chewy. They will have to be unloaded and the items brought in so lots of lifting. 1-30# bag, 2-22# bags, 2-16# bags and 3 cases of wet food.  This is on an every 3 week schedule, will see how it works and may tweak it a bit later. Total cost is still less than what I was spending with augmented food from local grocery store. Hopefully won't have to buy any food locally any more which saves a lot of extra lifting!

Other than that no plans for anything besides feeding the kitties and taking the garbage up to the road.

ETA: 22° when I fed kitties!

Edited November 20, 2023 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Gramto6]

7,059 steps yesterday.

Back is aching today, maybe the 22# and 30# bags of cat food are not such a good idea? Going to go slow and see how the day goes. Laundry is about all that is on agenda.

Slept late, it is 7:50AM and only 18° outside not too many kitties out yet, will give them just a bit longer before breakfast.

[Gramto6]

6,204 steps yesterday.

Back still a little sore. Did some stretching yesterday, not sure if that was a good idea or not. Hopefully will be back to normal quickly. Going to be a take it easy day.

19° outside, time to feed kitties.

[altopower]

I had my bariatric surgery on Monday and all went well. The surgeon was surprised and impressed that I'd lost 48 lbs on my own BEFORE surgery (so was I). I now have five little incisions, 4 for the stomach part and 1 to repair a hiatal hernia that was also there. Not big enough for a surgery of its own, but while they were there, they fixed it. Spent one night in the hospital and came home yesterday afternoon. The pain started after dinner time and I started pain pills while I'll take through today to stay ahead of things while also sipping on water and protein shakes. This week is liquid diet, next week I can add more purreed stuff, and then on scrambled cheesy eggs, etc. I'm excited about the possibilities ahead and plan to stick to the regime because it works. 

Thanks, all of you - and especially @Gramto6 - for your support!

[Kbo]

1 minute ago, altopower said:

I had my bariatric surgery on Monday and all went well. The surgeon was surprised and impressed that I'd lost 48 lbs on my own BEFORE surgery (so was I). I now have five little incisions, 4 for the stomach part and 1 to repair a hiatal hernia that was also there. Not big enough for a surgery of its own, but while they were there, they fixed it. Spent one night in the hospital and came home yesterday afternoon. The pain started after dinner time and I started pain pills while I'll take through today to stay ahead of things while also sipping on water and protein shakes. This week is liquid diet, next week I can add more purreed stuff, and then on scrambled cheesy eggs, etc. I'm excited about the possibilities ahead and plan to stick to the regime because it works. 

Thanks, all of you - and especially @Gramto6 - for your support!

Wishing you a speedy recovery!  I was planning to have gastric bypass myself this year and like you, I started losing weight on my own while working to get approval. They told me it was okay to lose weight, they’d go by my initial weigh in. Well, t ended up taking 8 months to finally get approval, by then I’d lost 60 pounds and then they tell me I’ve lost too much and my insurance won’t approve it 🤦‍♀️. 
 

I was on the fence anyway so I’m just going to make it work. I’ve lost 77 pounds at this point and want to lose another 35. If I can only do 25 that’s okay too. What’s most important to me is getting to a weight I can maintain without killing myself. I’m really afraid of gaining it back, the statistics on maintaining a large weight loss are dismal. That’s a big reason I wanted the surgery in the first place, it helps with maintenance. Either way though, you have to permanently change your habits. Please keep us posted on your progress!

[Gramto6]

Thanks @altopower!  So glad to hear everything went well and you are on the mend. Looking forward to your progress reports! ((Hugs))

[Gramto6]

5,433 steps yesterday.

Taking it easier did help my back settle down. My only goal was to at least get up and move each hour. As long as I can do that, I am satisfied at this point in time.

Aside from the chaos of feeding the kitties, I plan a quiet day.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!!

My Thanksgiving dinner will be non traditional. A seared Ahi tuna steak, green beans with butter & bacon and stuffing seasoning spiced cauliflower rice. My indulgence will be 1/2 a single serving size Pumpkin cheesecake.

[Sandy W]

7 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

5,433 steps yesterday.

Taking it easier did help my back settle down. My only goal was to at least get up and move each hour. As long as I can do that, I am satisfied at this point in time.

Aside from the chaos of feeding the kitties, I plan a quiet day.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!!

My Thanksgiving dinner will be non traditional. A seared Ahi tuna steak, green beans with butter & bacon and stuffing seasoning spiced cauliflower rice. My indulgence will be 1/2 a single serving size Pumpkin cheesecake.

Please tell us about the stuffing seasoning spiced cauliflower rice. Sounds delicious but not something I have heard of.

[Gramto6]

44 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

Please tell us about the stuffing seasoning spiced cauliflower rice. Sounds delicious but not something I have heard of.

Well, it is something I just made up for a "Thanksgivingy" feeling to plain cauli rice. I mince cauli and simmer in a small amount of chicken broth (you want most of it to absorb, so not much), add in basic stuffing herbs (whatever you like) fresh parsely and rosemary if I have any otherwise dried, a bit of onion and garlic (fresh or dried), simmer to let flavors blend. Then add a bit of butter and salt (your desired amounts) and sometimes sprinkle with chopped bacon and a tiny bit of smoked paprika. Tweak as much as you want to get flavors you want. Close to stuffing w/out the carbs.

Hope that makes sense...

Edited November 23, 2023 by Gramto6
typo

[Rabbit Hutch]

Happy Thanksgiving, Gramto6!  Hope you have a great day, today.  😛 As for me, I'm gonna stuff myself silly and then sink into a coma.  Ahhh, my favorite  holiday of the year...🍗😴🥮💤💤

[Gramto6]

5,521 steps yesterday. It was a lazy day!

39° was high yesterday, cloudy almost all day. Today's forecast is 34°/15° mostly clear. Going to be a really cold night, sure glad all my heat sources are working!

Going to have to scrounge around for some more old clothes and stuff to put in the kitties shelters...  They are really liking the heavy duty boxes from the furnace!

[Sandy W]

18 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

Going to have to scrounge around for some more old clothes and stuff to put in the kitties shelters...  They are really liking the heavy duty boxes from the furnace!

If. you have a thrift shop near by, they sell unusable clothing and blankets by the pound for scrap recycling. They maybe willing to make a donation for your purpose. Worth a phone call to find out. 

[Gramto6]

3 hours ago, Sandy W said:

If. you have a thrift shop near by, they sell unusable clothing and blankets by the pound for scrap recycling. They maybe willing to make a donation for your purpose. Worth a phone call to find out. 

Thanks! There are 2 thrift shops one just South of me the other just North. I will check them out this afternoon or tomorrow. I have some good things to donate so maybe that will help.

[xwordfanatik]

I read recently that straw or hay are preferable to cloth for outdoor kitty boxes.  The article claimed that cloth actually makes the cats colder.

It's just something I read someplace.  I have no experience with outdoor shelters, so I can't say it's for certain.  I just love cats.  😸

[ginger90]

1 hour ago, xwordfanatik said:

I read recently that straw or hay are preferable to cloth for outdoor kitty boxes.  The article claimed that cloth actually makes the cats colder.

It's just something I read someplace.  I have no experience with outdoor shelters, so I can't say it's for certain.  I just love cats.  😸

It’s funny you mentioned this. My daughter has an area where cats can be sheltered. I just read this, “Only insulating materials which the cats can burrow into should be used. Blankets, towels, flat newspapers, etc., retain wetness and should not be used. They absorb body heat and will actually make the cat colder. Straw is a good insulating material to use.”.

[Gramto6]

Thanks @xwordfanatik and @ginger90! I should have checked with the TNR people. I have been cutting up a queen size velour blanket and some flannel pillow cases. The cats seem to like it, but it hasn't gotten as cold as the next couple of days will be yet. Last Winter was brutal, but they did seem to huddle together and get by. The newbies don't know that kind of cold yet.  They do pile 3-4 cats in a box so I think there is some shared warmth. They are all so fluffy with huge Winter coats so they are adapting as best they can.

Tomorrow I will call the TNR people and see if they know where I can get a couple hay bales, and see if they have any other ideas.

Summer project will be refurbing the shed for them, hopefully they can all get along in one place...

Edited November 25, 2023 by Gramto6

[Gramto6]

6,954 steps yesterday.

Quick run out to thrift shop. Took a bag of pretty nice things then asked if they hade rags they were getting rid of or for sale and lady was snotty saying No we use them to clean the store...really?  Oh well.  I will pursue the straw today.

Yesterday's high was barely 32°. I had to keep going out and giving them warm water in their bowls as they would freeze up so fast. What was left of the heated wet food in the morning quickly froze. Side yard kitties have it worst as the sun barely hits that side of the house (North facing) these days. I feel so bad for all the kitties, they all are big balls of fur so nature is helping some but still wish I could do more....

8° this morning when I went out to feed them. brrrr! And it will get worse when it is snowing too!

[Sandy W]

12 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

6,954 steps yesterday.

Quick run out to thrift shop. Took a bag of pretty nice things then asked if they hade rags they were getting rid of or for sale and lady was snotty saying No we use them to clean the store...really?  Oh well.  I will pursue the straw today.

Sorry you were given attitude at thrift store, especially after a generous contribution.  Suggestions of hay or straw sound nore practical anyhow.

8° this morning when I went out to feed them. brrrr! And it will get worse when it is snowing too!

The snow may act as an insulator on the exterior walls and roof of the shelters. Have to watch the cardboard box shelters though, if it warms up and the snow melts you will have a real mess on your hands.

 

[Gramto6]

I cover all the cardboard boxes with cut to fit clear shower curtains. Thanks to Bed Bath & Beyond going out of business sale, I got a bunch of them at a really cheap price! I also save all bubble wrap, especially the big bubble ones, and put it over the top as added insulation, then cover with shower curtains. I tape together all larger plastic bags with Gorilla Tape to put under the boxes.  this construction has evolved and so far they are lasting longer than previous ones.  It's an ongoing project to get to the best shelter for now. 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Gramto6
added shower to ..curtains...in first sentence

[Gramto6]

5,525 steps yesterday. 

Yesterday never got above freezing, it was a challenge to keep water in the kitties bowls that wasn't frozen.  Today is supposed to get to 36° so maybe water will stay thawed.  Don't know outside temp right now, as too dark to see thermometer.  Will add it in later once it gets lighter. 

ETA:  9° when I went out to feed kitties.

TNR people are coming tomorrow with some straw bales to figure out the shelter situation.  They have been so helpful!  I really want to get the best shelters made that I can. I'm also going to call the furnace people tomorrow and see if they will save me some of the big square boxes as they are so much more heavy duty then regular shipping boxes from Chewy or Amazon.

Going to take it as easy as possible today, don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Edited November 26, 2023 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Roslyn]

3 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

TNR people are coming tomorrow with some straw bales to figure out the shelter situation.  They have been so helpful!  I really want to get the best shelters made that I can. I'm also going to call the furnace people tomorrow and see if they will save me some of the big square boxes as they are so much more heavy duty then regular shipping boxes from Chewy or Amazon.

Going to take it as easy as possible today, don't know what tomorrow will bring.

It might be a lot of extra work, but you could take a smaller box and fit it inside a large box and stuff straw between the layers. That would really insulate the inner box against the cold.

[Gramto6]

15 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

It might be a lot of extra work, but you could take a smaller box and fit it inside a large box and stuff straw between the layers. That would really insulate the inner box against the cold.

May give that a try too. So many options once I have some help and the hay bales! Thanks for the idea!

[Gramto6]

5,557 steps yesterday.

Have a feeling today is going to be busy with making cat shelters of one kind or another. Tomorrow I go for 6 month liver MRI so that will be lots of sitting, guess the two days will balance each other out.

At least the weather is going to be a bit warmer 39° is the forecast. That will make working outside a little more bearable.

[Gramto6]

6,138 steps yesterday.

Today will probably be lower with the driving and sitting around at hospital.

Stressed this morning, not about MRI but about disrupting kitties feeding and replenishing water in the morning. They usually get a refresh around 9:30-10AM. Also the TNR people never showed up or called yesterday and that stresses me because it is so cold at night outside...

Leaving at 9AM for hospital, that gives me time for morning feeding, but by the time I get back early afternoon, their water will be frozen again. I used to not mind Winter so much, but now with all these little lives to worry about, I'm beginning to hate it!