Grump Central Archive: Week of 10 November 2019
Saturday, 16 November 2019
Thanksgiving is bearing down on me like a runaway train, but that's probably a good thing, since it's forcing me to tackle projects I might otherwise just let slide for months. It's tough keeping the momentum up, though, when every week brings more unpleasant news regarding the County Health Department, and usually on a Friday. Yep, yesterday I got a call from the septic engineer: they've not been able to make any headway with the HD, and it sounds like I won't be getting my TCO by Thanksgiving, or possibly even by the end of the year.
Friday, 15 November 2019
So now I know the limit for the heat pump: 20°. Anything lower and it starts losing ground. When it dropped to 18°, the inside temp lost two degrees, and only recovered after the outside temp was at least 24°. But there are two bits of good news: the super cold snap is over for now, and the wood stove arrives a week from today.
Thursday, 14 November 2019
It certainly helps to brighten one's spirits looking out of the living room window and seeing a magnificent sight such as this. Last night Mother Nature sure put on a show—and then promptly tossed us in the deep freeze. Forecasts call for one more night of frigid cold before returning to more seasonably normal temps. Meanwhile, my wood stove will be arriving in a week.
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Wow, at times it was dropping 10 degrees an hour yesterday; it was nearly down to freezing by noon—at which point it began to snow. Strangely, the snow only stuck to certain leaves, briefly imbuing the landscape with a surreal frosted corn flake effect. Minutes later, it was all gone. On the good news front, the heat pump has managed to hold its own against the cold snap, although I'm still looking forward to easing its burden with a wood stove.
Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Today will be part of a swift descent from yesterday's high of 65° to tonight's predicted low of 18°—a.k.a. a Blue Norther. Sure wish I had the wood stove, but I've still got space heaters to assist the heat pump, if necessary.
Monday, 11 November 2019
Sunday I was overcome by depression and basically did nothing. The only constructive thing I managed to do was feed my kitties—and really only because I have to. If not for them, I wouldn't have bothered getting out of bed. Well, I take that back—I did do one other (admittedly very silly, virtually useless) thing: I made a napkin ring holder. WOW! Otherwise, I spent most of the time asking myself, "Is this really all worth it?" I never did answer the question.
Sunday, 10 November 2019
Friday night was an acid test for the heat pump when the outside temp dropped to 24° by 5 am. It struggled—running non-stop all night—but it held the set temp. Still, running the system at its limit is not good, so it is most fortuitous that the installer will be giving it a checkup today, and I'll be ordering the wood stove tomorrow. Hopefully it should arrive in time for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, lows are predicted to be in the teens later this week—I'll need to put a space heater in the camper with my furry grandchildren (their move-in date is now the weekend after Thanksgiving).