Christmas Vacation - Day 2

I woke up at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning and turned on the morning news for the weather. We're supposed to get 1-3 more inches of snow and strong winds today. There is a Severe Weather Alert for wind chills of -5 to -10 degrees F. today (groan). I warmed up some of yesterday's coffee and posted the Blog.

I made scrambled eggs topped with shredded cheddar cheese for breakfast. After eating, I unloaded the dishwasher so I could put the breakfast dishes in it. I went and revised my ToDo calendar to reflect reality.

I threw the tile clothes in the washer, along with my Crocs. Then I started vacuuming. This time, besides the usual, I am paying particular attention to the cold air returns as they are attracting cat hairs. I also pulled out the couch and love seat and meticulously got all the cat hairs off them (front and back). I have been so preoccupied with the tile that, other than straightening up, the house hasn't really had a good cleaning in a long time.

After that, I swept and dust-mopped the bedroom, the office, the main bath and the kitchen.

Just about noon, I started to install the soap dish and two corner shelves in the shower. Now, oddly enough, according to my tile guys at Lowe's, these are not put in with mortar when you do the tile. You get all the tile installed and then attach these directly to the tile using 100% silicon adhesive. I asked how they stay in place and he said to just use masking tape to hold them and they would be glued solid within one hour.

Well, this worked great with the soap dish. I put long strips of masking tape in place, glued it on (BTW, 100% silicon smells like hell!) and then taped it in place. But, this did not work so great with the shelves. I'm guessing it was the weight of them but, in spite of all the tape, they immediately start to sag.

So, I hurriedly took some measurements and cut two pieces of a 2 x 2: one from the floor to the bottom of the lower shelf and then one from that shelf to the bottom of the upper shelf. I braced them up and it seemed to be working fine (see photos).

I went and checked out the calls on my phone. I deliberately didn't answer them when I was working, because anything that's going to be permanently bonded in one hour demands your attention, first!

One of the calls was from my daughter Melissa, and I decided it was time to take a break and call her back. So, I did. She was worried after reading in the Blog how the mailman tossed her package onto the porch as there was, indeed, something breakable in it. I told her I put the birthday and Christmas presents under my little tree and would let her know when I opened them if something was broken. She asked me to open them now, cleverly stating we were "special" and that rules on when we open presents didn't apply to people like us (I am such a sucker for sh*t like that, LOL!)

So, I did. My birthday present was a copy of the Goerlich (German) family history. I had mentioned to her a while back that I had misplaced my copy and could not find it. Now, unlike American genealogy (which is usually charts, showing who married who and who begat who) this is a narrative, describing each person, their faults and follies and so on. So, this will be an interesting read!

My Christmas present did not fare so well. It was supposed to be the cup and saucer my great-grandfather John Bussey, father of my beloved Mama Rene, used. My Mom had given it to Melissa a while back, and Melissa thought I would enjoy having it (and I do!) Well, the cup made the journey but, in spite of the bubble-wrap, the saucer did not. But, I still have my great-grandpa's cup!!!

We talked way too long (we always do). I had grabbed a throw when I sat down on the couch to call her back, so now I was comfy, cozy and WARM. When we hung up, I decided that it was the perfect time and place to take a nap, so I did.

When I woke up, I was hungry (having skipped lunch), so I dug out my old (and I do mean old) George Forman grille. I bought this back in the mid '90s in St. Clair, after hearing my brother Carl rave about it. Unlike the newer models that can cook a whole pizza, this could make one burger or a chicken breast and was cleverly designed to drain off all the grease. I don't use it for that anymore, but it does make a great panini press.

So, I buttered two pieces of split-top white bread, put yellow mustard inside and added some deli ham and American cheese. I dropped the lid on it and in five minutes or so, had a wonderful grilled sandwich. I ate it with some green olives.

I went in to watch my Sunday night shows, but there was something wrong with the cable. The pictures were breaking up into little boxes. Damn it! Oddly enough, the cable modem for the computer was still working fine.

I had an email at 9:00 PM from Jake with the subject: This sucks! The attachment was a picture from the Weather Channel, showing 1 degree in Westland, with a wind chill factor of -22 degrees F. (or -30 degrees C. for my Canadian friends). Astonished, I checked my outdoor thermometer and it was, in fact, 1 degree here, too! No wonder I felt chilly!!!

So, I grabbed a book and got under the covers in bed. I read until almost midnight and then went to sleep, content with my day.