After the Storm

Things are slowly getting back to normal here in the National Capitol Region as we continue digging out from the storm that has been nicknamed "Snowzilla." The federal government and most school systems are are slowly coming back to life; most main roads are drivable, but many of the side streets that connect to them are still either snowed in or barely passable (my street is officially passable by Virginia Department of Transportation definition*); buses are still hit-or-miss (mine isn't running, the only other one I can take is running a Saturday schedule, is about a mile's walk to the next stop, and just delivers me to the Metro station); and the Metrorail system is more or less back in operation. We were supposed to get some rain yesterday, which would have helped to melt some of the accumulated snow, but it didn't arrive and yesterday's melted snow froze overnight, which adds the danger of black ice to the usual misery of the morning commute). I think that by tomorrow, most of us will be back at work and Congress will be able to resume screwing up the country without Mother Nature's help.

But here's a question that isn't always considered in the wake of a major snowstorm: what do you do with all the snow?

Consider that Washington, DC, measures about 100 square miles, with the NoVa and MD suburbs adding another hundred or more square miles ... and that an average of, say, 18 inches of snow fell across that entire area. That's what scientists would call a butt-ton of snow. Plowing it is one thing, but where do you put it once the plowing's done?

This was the subject of an interesting article by Joe Heim in the Washington Post. In short, it seems that huge fleets of giant dump trucks pick up loads of snow plowed out to designated intersections, bring it to the parking lot at RFK Stadium and dump it in enormous mountains

that will later be melted by the Snow Dragon, an enormous snow-melting machine,

filtered, and then fed into storm drains. They should be done by, oh, next Christmas.

And here's another interesting aspect of the recovery from the storm: many modern kids don't seem to want to go out and earn money by shoveling snow. Washington Post reporter Petula Dvorak wrote about this today in an article titled "Kids Choosing Xbox Over Snow Bucks."

Many years ago, when the solar system was still forming and I was a strapping young lad, there was big money to be made in every season: spring was for weeding new gardens, summer was for mowing lawns, autumn was for raking leaves, and winter was for shoveling snow. Unfortunately, a lot of young people nowadays aren't into manual labor. Most of the people who are shoveling snow for money seem to be older, homeless, or low-wage workers ... I saw not a single young person out hustling for money to shovel out driveways and sidewalks - other than their own - in our neighborhood. Over the last three days, I probably shoveled a ton or more of snow, with the fear of hernias and heart attacks looming over my 64 year-old carcass ... it would have been worth it to me to pay a younger version of myself to do at least part of it.

Oh, well ...

Just as a last comment before I go and do some chores, here's a look at the new Winter Storm Threat Level System that will be going into effect for the next round:

Have a good day. Stay warm and dry, and just remember that last summer was the hottest ever recorded ... it won't be long before we're thinking that some snow wouldn't be a bad thing.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* VDOT’s goal is to have an 8-10 foot wide drivable path (the width of an average plow blade), but warns residents that streets considered officially passable may have patches where the plows couldn’t scrape away a layer of ice.

Cold Enough for You?

We have started what looks to be the coldest and most ferocious winter of recent memory. Or longer memory, even. As I write this, Buffalo, New York, is buried under six feet of snow, with another three feet expected today ... a normal year's worth of snow in just three days.

Thank goodness there's no such thing as climate change ... then we'd really be screwed, wouldn't we?

But the thing that really worries me as we move ahead toward winter (the winter solstice, the official first day of winter, doesn't even get here until December 21st) is this: winter storms like this one, combined with the enormous snow job that crashed down on our heads on Election Day, are not a good omen for the coming year.

I'm really shivering, and it's not just from the cold.

Have a good day. Stay warm. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Snowing Again

We're expecting either 8-12 or 6-9 inches of snow today, depending on whose forecast you listen to. As I asked this morning in a plaintive post on Facebook, why is nature storing all this damn snow in NoVa when there's a perfectly good Siberia available?

'Nuff said.

Have a good day. Stay warm. Send plows.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Placeholder for a Snowy Morning

It is 6:00 AM here in NoVa, where we are digging out from varying amounts of snow. I got up at 4:00 (the usual workday time) and shoveled out our driveway and sidewalks.  We appear to have gotten about four or five inches of light, fluffy snow here, and it took about an hour and a half to clear it all away.

I'm now just about thawed out enough to take my shower and get ready to go to work ... the federal government is operating on a two-hour delay this morning*, and my bus line is running more-or-less on schedule, so I guess I don't have any excuse for not going in. Sigh.

I will try to put up my normal blog post this evening when I get home from work ... otherwise, see you tomorrow morning in this space.

Have a good day. Stay warm. More thoughts later.

Bilbo

* Oddly enough, today's delays in government were caused by inclement weather, and not by Republican intransigence and Democratic ineptitude.

The Fun Continues...

Well, yesterday we dealt with the aftermath of our 5-inch mini-Snowmageddon. Not all that much snow (compared to what we got in Pittsburgh when I was growing up there), but plenty enough to cause amazing chaos in Disneyland-on-the-Potomac. Nothing - not even the Republicans - can do more to bring progress to a screeching halt than a little snow.

But that was yesterday.

Yesterday, I opted to take a day of unscheduled leave rather than try to drive sideways up our hill and out to where the roads had actually been plowed and treated. Today, the plows have come down my street and lovingly groomed the 5 inches of snow into 2-1/2 inches of ice. Yesterday, our local buses ran a "Saturday schedule," which means there was no service anywhere within walking distance of my igloo. Today, they're running an "adjusted normal" service, which means that my bus route is operating, but the buses won't come into the neighborhood - I need to walk a bit less than a mile up to the local shopping center to pick it up. I don't mind the walk...the problem is that the bus supervisors can't or won't tell you the times the bus will actually arrive at and depart from said shopping center.

Sigh.

The last time they did this, during the Snowmageddon of February '10, I hiked up to the shopping center in knee-deep snow, only to arrive just as the bus was leaving, whereupon I waited about 45 minutes for the next one.

Double sigh.

Well, enough kvetching. Time to put on my four layers of long johns, three sweaters, parka, two hats, gloves, mukluks, and Yak Trax, and hit the road in search of a bus.

If you haven't heard from me by this time tomorrow, send out this guy...

Have a good day. Stay warm and dry while you wait for Cartoon Saturday.

Bilbo

Back to Quasi-Normal

After a week of snow, cold, and misery, things are slowly getting back to normal. We still have the snow and cold, but the Federal government is reopening this morning, which will allow Congress to do its part to increase the misery level.

I was able to drive out of our neighborhood yesterday to go to the store, although I fear for the condition of the car's undercarriage that got pretty well banged around on the piles of snow and ice that are heaped between the wheel ruts on our hill. The main streets are generally in good shape, although neighborhoods are still a mess, ramps are still dangerous and most parking lots are about 2/3 covered with the mountains of snow plowed from the remaining third. My local bus service has been canceled, although the Metro trains are running...and remembering the horrendous traffic at the Metro stations which has resulted from lesser storms and bus service cancellations, I think this is going to be very ugly.

Where I come from, this is called yucky.

I plan to take a day of unscheduled leave today, which is a pain...but less of a pain than risking life and limb in the rush hours.

Agnes's flight to Germany, which was canceled twice last week and then re-booked when we couldn't get to the airport to meet it when it finally did fly, is now scheduled for Monday afternoon...which, wouldn't you know, is when our next snowstorm is scheduled to come through.

Oh, well...I guess it'll be something we can tell our grandchildren about.

Sigh.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

All the Time in the World

When you're snowed in, the first thing you have to do is dig yourself out. After you've done that and discovered that you still can't go to work anyhow, you find that you have lots of time on your hands. Finding activities to fill that time is easy at first, even if limited by the screaming of muscles you'd forgotten you had until you called upon them to shovel all that snow.

Agnes and I have watched more television in the last week than we have in 27 years of marriage. Agnes has read all the books she bought to take with her on her trip to Germany that has had to be postponed until next week because of the storm. I'm working my way through Season 4 of Lost on DVDs, and have finally gotten about 500 pounds of old files shredded.

But there's still lots of time available.

And speaking of time (yes, I'm finally getting around to my point), you will be glad to know that we are now able to measure it with sufficient accuracy.

According to this article from Neatorama, a team led by Chin-wen Chou of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado has invented a "quantum logic clock" that is one hundred thousand times more accurate than those cheap, shoddy cesium fountain clocks that are the current standard, despite only being accurate to a measly second in 100,000,000 (that's 100 million) years. Who can deal with such a level of gross inexactitude? The new quantum logic clock uses the energy state of a single ion of aluminum to produce accuracy of a second in 3,700,000,000 (that's 3.7 billion) years.

Yes, friends, thanks to this miracle of modern science, a poor fellow can know to an unprecedented level of accuracy exactly how long he has been waiting patiently for his date to get ready, and a wife can inform her husband of exactly how long she's been waiting for him to get cracking on his honey-do list.

Of course, there are practical applications for such an accurate clock, among them an improved level of accuracy for GPS devices. Yes, soon you will be able to have your in-car GPS unit tell you in angstroms how far it is to your next turn, and scientists will also be able to detect the slowing of time predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Of course, anyone who has been snowbound for a week or more can tell you all about the slowing of time without recourse to general relativity.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

P.S. - How about this spiffy picture of our neighborhood, taken last night at about 10:00 PM...

The job for today is trying to get some of this snow off the roof. Where's Sir Edmund Hillary when you need him?

B.

You Mean I Got Up for THIS???

Well, as you have already read, I was up this morning at 5:15...looked out the window...muttered some unpleasantries, and went back to bed. Then, later, I did something stupid.

I got up again.

And now, here I sit at my desk, looking out the window at all the snow in the world coming down on our heads, whipped around by howling winds into occasional near-whiteout conditions.

This is not fun.

"White Presidents' Day" doesn't have quite the same cozy ring as "White Christmas." Oh, wait...we had that, too. Hmmph.

I understand that we are now in the season known as winter, and in winter we expect snow. The problem is that we've been spoiled by a long stretch of years in which we didn't have much snow...and here in Northern Virginia, we usually get more sleet and freezing rain than snow, anyhow. I just wish Mother Nature hadn't decided to dump ten years worth of the white stuff on us all at once.

Oh, well...at least the editorial cartoonists are getting something out of it...

If you will excuse me, I have to go and figure out where to put all this new snow when conditions finally allow me to go out and shovel it. I'm not sure I can heave it high enough to get it on top of the existing piles.

This is yucky.

Have a good day. If you are someplace where it isn't snowing (yes, Amanda, this group includes you!), feel lucky.

More thoughts later.

Bilbo

I'm Going Back to Bed

It is 5:15 AM, it is snowing like mad outside (yet again), the Federal Government is once again closed for the day, and I'm going back to bed.

Today's real post will appear later in the day.

I hate snow.

Have a good day. More thoughts later.

Bilbo

Yep...More Snow Coming

I wish I knew what it was I'd done to piss off the snow gods, because I'd do my very best to make amends. The Federal Government is closed for the second straight day, and will probably be closed tomorrow, too, as we hunker down for another 12 to 18 inches (!) of snow on top of what we already have. And did I mention the expected high winds that will drift it all over the place?

Enough, already!!

Yesterday Agnes and I put on our heavy clothes and hiked up to our local shopping center to see what was still available. It's a walk of a little less than a mile, and we can usually walk it in 15 minutes or less...yesterday it took a bit longer than that. Here are a few pictures taken between home and the shopping center...

This one is from the end of our driveway, looking up the hill:

About halfway up the hill, looking back down...

The intersection at the top of the hill...

Not everyone has shoveled out their sidewalks, and most of those who have have only done a single shovel-width. I don't know where the semi in the background thought he was going to go...he was in the process of backing down the street, having met a car coming the other way...the street was only plowed to one narrow lane, and the other guy got there first...

Somebody tried to have a sense of humor about the whole thing...

I think I may just go back to bed and dream about summer. Which, it appears, may start sometime around mid-August this year. Sigh.

Have a good day. If you're in the Big Snow area and you have to go out, be safe about it. If you can, stay inside and stay warm. It's gotta get better...doesn't it?

More thoughts later.

Bilbo

From the "It Had to Happen Sooner or Later" File

I'm tired of whining about all our snow. It hasn't done much good, particularly since the latest forecasts are calling for an additional FIVE TO TEN INCHES of the white stuff in our next storm, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon through Wednesday afternoon. The Federal Government is closed today, since nobody can get out of their neighborhoods to get to work, anyhow, and will probably reopen tomorrow morning, just in time to have everyone struggle to work in time for an early release necessitated by our next hammering on winter's anvil. At this point, I'm just hoping to be able to get out of our neighborhood tomorrow morning for my dental appointment. Sigh.

Okay, new topic. Well, old topic. Actually, an updated rant on a previous topic.

As you know, I have very strong opinions on the Supreme Court's incredible decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (the decision that essentially equated corporations and individuals by deciding that unlimited corporate spending on political campaigns is a form of constitutionally protected free speech). It's time to take that sad story to the next level: from the It Had to Happen Sooner or Later file comes this story from the New York Times - Corporation Says It Will Run for Congress.

Yes, friends, Murray Hill, Inc., in a satirical political ad you can view at the New York Times link above (and on YouTube), has announced it will run for Congress. The ad laments that corporations could never be sure candidates they'd supported "would do our bidding," and so Murray Hill is going to run to ensure that corporate interests are directly represented in the lawmaking process. As the ad says of government, "We bought it, we paid for it, and we're going to keep it," and "Now that government is for sale, Murray Hill is offering top dollar."

Yes, the ad is tongue-in-cheek satire, but the message is real. And unfortunate.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow. Before the next storm.

Bilbo

P.S. - At the intersection of Government and Too Much Snow comes the comparison of the Supremes' decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to an avalanche: a high-level snow job of massive and overwhelming proportions.

You're welcome.

B.

Got Snow?

Well, the snow has ended for the time being. We had a bit over two feet of snow here in my Northern Virginia neighborhood...Agnes and I went out yesterday morning while it was still snowing heavily to try to get a bit ahead of the accumulation, but by the time we finished, another 2 inches or so had fallen, and by the time it stopped, we had another 8 or 10 inches.

Yep, this was some snow.

Agnes's Friday night flight to Germany was cancelled and rebooked to Saturday, then cancelled again and rebooked to this afternoon. So far, it's still scheduled to go...but the question is whether or not we'll be able to get up our hill, which has not been plowed since a single small truck came down yesterday morning, plowed a single track down the middle of the street, and made big piles of snow on either side. Big help.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday...

This was shot yesterday afternoon from our driveway, looking up the hill...


Looking from the kitchen out onto the deck...

The problem isn't where to throw the snow to when you shovel it...the problem is whether or not you can heave it high enough to get it onto (or over) the piles you've already made...

A quick picture of the Supervisor...who is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall, which gives you a way to estimate the amount of snow we're talking about.

The last two pictures were taken at about noon yesterday...the snow didn't stop until around 6:00 PM.

Okay, I've had enough snow. Bring on the spring. And for now, time to break out the shovels and the salt and try to dig out again. Stay tuned to learn whether or not Agnes actually makes it to the airport later today...

Have a good day. Stay warm. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Keeping Warm the Modern Way

Well, it looks as if bitching, complaining, and doing the No Snow Dance doesn't help: the latest weather forecasts are calling for as much as two feet of snow tomorrow through Saturday...with more perhaps coming on Monday. And Agnes is supposed to fly to Germany tomorrow evening to spend two weeks visiting her parents.

Sigh.

If Agnes actually makes it out tomorrow, I'll still be here, trying to stay warm. I've got lots of propane in the fireplace tank, plenty of warm quilts Agnes has made over the years, plenty of food, and a well-stocked bar. The only thing I won't have is ... Agnes.

Now, I'm a healthy and reasonably well-adjusted fellow, so I'll be able to cope. Some others, though, can't. They don't have an organic bedwarmer. What do they do?

Help is on the way, courtesy of an inventor who showed off his latest invention at a convention in Las Vegas (where else?) last month.

If you're lonely and frustrated and have $7,000 to spend, Roxxxy can be yours.

Yes, friends, Roxxxy is a five-foot-seven, 120 pound ... sex robot. She talks. She makes all the right sounds when you touch her in all the right places. Underneath her warm, soft skin of hypoallergenic silicone beats the gentle, loving heart of a computer that uses voice-recognition and speech-synthesis software to whisper sweet nothings into your ear. She has five pre-programmed "personalities," from Frigid Farrah to Wild Wendy, that you can choose from based on your mood. She shudders when she has an orgasm. Her battery lasts about three hours on one charge, but you can keep her going with an electrical cord that plugs into her back.

Gives new meaning to the expression, "turning her on," eh?

The company that makes Roxxxy, TrueCompanion, claims that more than 4,000 losers men have already ordered Roxxxies, and another 20,000 or so have asked for more information about her. TrueCompanion is reported to also be developing Rocky - a male sex robot - but that's a little harder, ha, ha.

Yes, friends, if you are a dateless geek with rudimentary social skills ... if you are one of those folks whose applications to dating websites are rejected ... if you have a rough time carrying on a conversation with an actual, breathing woman, your wait is over. Roxxxy is waiting for you. Just send money.

Just don't let her get together with Rocky. You may not be able to handle the electric bills.

Have a good day. If you live in the DC-Maryland-Northern Virginia area, make sure your snow shovels are ready, your salt is laid in, and you have plenty of windshield washer fluid for your cars.

And let's hope that Agnes makes it out safely tomorrow evening.

More thoughts - possibly muffled by the snow - tomorrow.

Bilbo

Okay, I've Had Just About Enough of This...

No, I'm not talking about Congress and the Supreme Court, although they're up there on the list. I'm talking about winter.

Last weekend we had six inches of snow, just as the 18 inches we had a few weeks ago had finally mostly melted away. Tonight and tomorrow we're supposed to get another 1 or 2 inches. Then this coming Friday and Saturday, we're supposed to get another storm...in the words of Rico the Meteorological Prognosticator (whose thoughts are shared with the rest of us by local blogging sensation lacochran), "...we could be in line for another big one come Friday and Saturday. It looks impressive but I don't want to jinx it by talking about it."

Okay, that's enough, already! No more snow! Send it to Amanda ... she needs it to help educate Aaron and Adrian about the various states of water, not to mention giving her an excuse to wear something other than the shorts and tank tops that are evidently standard in Indonesia and Australia. Agnes is supposed to fly back to Germany on Friday evening to visit her parents...let the snow wait until Saturday morning if it has to come at all. AARRGGHH!!

You'd think that someone who grew up in Pittsburgh would be a bit more able to handle snow. I can handle snow. I just don't want to. I want warm temperatures. I want to walk down the street and admire beautiful ladies in skimpy clothes. I want to sit on the front steps and sip my gin and tonic.

I WANT SPRING!!

And when my friend Debbie reads this and sends me another snarky e-mail reminding me that I'm a wuss who couldn't handle living in Buffalo ... well ... so be it. Debbie, I still love you, but you can have the snow.

I WANT SPRING!!

Okay, I'm done now. I have to go and check my supply of deicer, the condition of my snow shovels (yes, plural), and the windshield washer fluid levels in the cars. I need to make sure the refrigerator is stocked, the propane tank for the fireplace is full, and we have plenty of toilet paper.

Yes, I've had just about enough of this. Want snow? Send your address...I'll ship you as much as you want.

No charge.

Have a good day. Stay warm.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

The Snow Diary

Well, almost all of the snow from our blizzard last month is gone, just in time for more snow to be forecast for tomorrow night and into Friday. Somehow, sitting here and singing "I'm Dreaming of a White January Twenty-Second" just doesn't have a very good ring to it. We don't need any more snow. I'm ready for spring and summer...pretty girls in tank tops...firing up the barbecue without putting my parka on first...driving up our hill straight, not at a 45-degree angle.

Enough snow, already!

You've probably seen some variation of the famous "Snow Diary," but this one from my friend Bob is as good as any. Amanda, think about this while you're enjoying your steamy Australian Christmas this year...

The Snow Diary

December 8: 6:00 PM. It started to snow! The first snow of the season: we made cocktails and sat for hours by the window, watching the huge, soft flakes drift down. It looked like a Grandma Moses print...so romantic, we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9: Woke to a blanket of crystal white snow covering the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years; felt like a boy again. Did the both driveway and sidewalks. Later, the snowplow came along; I got to shovel the driveway again. What a perfect life.

December 12: Sun melted all the lovely snow but our neighbor said we'd have a white Christmas. Then commented that by the end of Winter, I'd never want to see snow again. Not a chance!

December 14: Snow, lovely snow! Eight more inches last night, and cold, too. Wind took my breath away, but I warmed up shoveling again. This is the life! Later the snowplow came back - again - but I'm getting in better shape. Just wish I didn't huff and puff so much.

December 15: Twenty more inches forecast. Sold the van and bought a 4x4, along with snow tires for the wife's car. Shoveled out again, then stocked the freezer. Wife wants a wood stove in case power goes off. I think that's silly - we aren't in Alaska, after all!

December 16: Ice storm this morning. Landed on my butt trying to salt the driveway. Hurt real bad. Wife laughed for an hour. (I think that was very cruel.)

December 17: Too cold and icy to go anywhere. Power was off for 5 hours. Piled on blankets to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to upset her. Can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room. (Won't admit that I should have bought wood stove: hate it when she's right.)

December 20: Power's back on and had another 14 inches of the stuff. Shoveled all day. Snowplow came by twice. Kids too busy playing hockey to help. Hardware store sold out of shovels, salt, sand, and firewood. Next shipment of snow blowers due in March. Neighbor says I have to shovel or city will have it done and bill me. (I think he's lying.)

December 22: White Christmas!!! Thirteen more inches of the white stuff; it's so cold, it won't melt 'til August. Tried to shovel - just too tired. Tried to get help from neighbor who has snow plow on his truck but he said he was too busy. (I'm sure he's lying.)

December 23: Only two inches of snow today, and it warmed up to 0. Wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house. What is she, nuts? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did. (I think she's lying.)

December 24: Six inches. Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. I'm gonna get that snow plow driver...I know he waits around the corner to see if I'm finished, then roars by at 100 mph, shoving all the snow back into my driveway. Wife wanted me to sing carols with her while we open our presents, but I was busy watching for the &%#$ snow plow.

December 25: Merry &%$! Christmas. Another 20" of the slop. Snowed in again; the idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation. I wanted to hit him over the head with my shovel. Wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot, and if I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'll throw her in the snowbank.

December 26: Still snowed in.

December 27: Temperature dropped another 30 degrees. Pipes froze.

December 28: Warmed up to -25. Still snowed in and the wife is making me crazy!!!!!!

December 29: Another ten inches...neighbor says I have to shovel the roof before it caves in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30: Roof caved in. Another nine inches forecast.

December 31: Set fire to what's left of the house: no more shoveling.

January 8: I feel sooooo good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why are these straps holding me to the bed?

Have a good day. Without any more snow than necessary.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

White Almost-Christmas

For those of you who don't have the pleasure of snow for Christmas (yes, I'm talking to you, Amanda), here are a few pictures of our neighborhood taken earlier today. It's 8:00 PM as I write this, and the pictures were all taken late morning and early-to-mid afternoon. It's been snowing ever since, and is still coming down heavily outside my study window. I think our total accumulation will be somewhere around 14 to 16 inches...maybe as much as two feet.

This first picture was taken from our living room window. Those white lumps in the foreground are our cars...

This is from the same window, looking across the street and up the hill...

This picture looks toward the woods behind the house, from our bedroom window...

And finally, this picture looks out onto our deck from the kitchen...

If you listen closely tomorrow, you should be able to hear my muscles creaking and groaning as I try to shovel all that snow away.

Being snowed in has its advantages. Agnes got a lot of work done in the house today, and we finished putting the lights on the tree and decorating it. The lights were problematic - we have a 100-light strand on which only the last 50 lights actually lit...but I discovered that a little percussive maintenance (that is, banging them on the floor) seems to have jarred whatever was wrong back into shape. The tree is now up and beautiful, and all the lights work. Maybe I'll put up a picture of it tomorrow.

But for now, I think I'm ready for an early bedtime.

Have a good evening. Regular posts resume tomorrow.

Bilbo