Another Weekend

I'd have liked to have been out grilling burgers this noon, but between a light fever, a mild winter storm, and a sensible wife - I've deferred the experience.

Here's what the grill looked like a week ago, after my son shoveled it out:



Last weekend, and this, #1 daughter is here visiting. With her cat, Twitches. Kitten, actually. Cute little thing. Lively, too.



Twitches did a very thorough job of cleaning out that bowl last Saturday.

That 'vest' she's wearing is an Ace bandage. Twitches has a patch of very tender skin on her shoulder - which the bandage and gauze underneath protects. She does not - emphatically not - like the bandage. Or, rather, does not like the process of changing the dressing once or twice a day.

Off the Road

#1 daughter is okay. She called us from the ditch of the Interstate, between Osakis and Alexandria. After calling the State Patrol, and getting a wrecker sent her way.

She'd been staying with us over Thanksgiving weekend. The original idea was that she'd go home Sunday evening. A job came her way, designing a flier, so she extended her visit. The job needed a fairly powerful computer: and my son had what she needed.

I was glad to have her company an extra day.

This afternoon, after getting the final revision done & approved, she packed up and set off for Alexandria. That wasn't as daft as it might seem: snow was letting up here, there was no wind to speak of. And the Weather Service has been known to exaggerate - or miscalculate - a storm's severity.

The Interstate was fine - until around Osakis.

She had company - she and the wrecker passed a few other cars that had gone off the road, too.

She's okay: That's the big thing. So is Twitches, the cat she lives with, who was riding with her.

About 100 Miles of Errands

The family's van is back. The overheating I mentioned last week (November 20, 2010) was due to a leaky water pump.

We've got a new one now. That, plus a change of oil & filter, and a quick once-over, should take care of the van's maintenance needs for a while.

Famous last words?

I spent the afternoon on the road - going to St. Cloud to get a copy of my son's birth certificate - so that he can get a photo ID - and then stopping in at Melrose on the way back to pick up medications.

I'm looking forward to staying inside tomorrow: the forecast involves sleet, freezing rain - and a winter weather advisory.