Dot`sThoughts

Here I sit, bored with nothing interesting being accomplish.
OH, I am accomplishing something as I do have the first load of washing done and now in the dryer. I also went out to turn the control on my overhead lights over my garage doors. Sometimes they decide to turn on, other times they don`t, so the sensor must be way off course. For about a week the lights haven`t been working. At first I thought maybe the sensor wasn`t working any more. After all, that double light set has been there for a good many years- I can`t even remember what year we put it up.
Then for some reason, the two lights came on yesterday and again early this morning. Now I am trying to figure out exactly what triggered the sensor. I know someone came out next door because the cars trunk was open and the car was running. Of course they often start the car from in the house to warm it up before they go out, but the trunk being open meant one of them had been outside. Maybe the sensor is now turned towards their driveway instead of my side porch and driveway where I prefer it.
So, I took my trusty paint roller handle with the long extension and was able to move the sensor further towards my house. But, now it is too light out for the sensor that triggers the lights on, so I will need to wait again till this evening to see if the sensor is where it will help me, or still helping my daughter next door. But, we are expecting more strong winds, so the winds might again turn it before I can get it tightened up-if it is now in the correct slant.

WOW, I suddenly couldn`t see out my window as the snow was flying so bad from my front yard. So, guess they were right about having strong winds and drifting snow. I just watched a car on TV
sliding and eventually doing a complete circle, just missing a truck driving behind it in the same lane he came from. Then the car started sliding across the outside lane as it kept spinning in a circle and then the back of the car started sliding backward off the side of the road just in time to keep another car in the outside lane from hitting it. Then they took it off TV so I am left wondering if the car was able to stop, or might have tumbled on down the bank where it was skidding towards. I hate it when they leave you praying the people in the car are ok. I didn`t even catch where it was happening. I do know it was earlier saying it was snowing and the roads were very treacherous in the county about 25-30 miles from where I live and it did look like our local North Way. My daughter was headed that direction to have laser surgery done on her eyes this morning. But, since it has been almost an hour, she should have already arrived at that hosp.. They have 2 cell phones with them if they ever need to reach me, or I need to reach them. Walt always told me I was a worry wart- to use his words. To an extent I guess I am.

Saw a fire truck going up the main road a while ago. Heard the siren for quite a while, so must have gone up a ways from where I live. I live just about a mile from the Fire house and soon the new building will be finished putting the Ambulance service back in the same area- across the street and a bit closer to me. They were once located in the same building, but when they built the newer Fire Dept. building a few years ago , they moved the Ambulance nearer the mountain about 4 miles above me. Soon they will both be close to each other. I expect they will need to add another light like the one in front of the fire dept, in order to be able to stop traffic when they are driving out.

I can remember years ago when we had plenty of vacant areas and loads of wooded areas all around my area. Today it is so built up and the traffic that we seldom saw is as bad as a city main road. We used to be able to watch the main road for hours and might only see one or two cars in that time period. Today if you look out at the main road there are cars behind cars almost constantly. What a difference the last 40 to 50 years has made. Now, they are digging the cellar on my road to build a 4 family place. There was a time when we owned almost all of our side of my road. It is a short road but still has plenty of traffic as most come down to our road before joining the main road. Last year I turned over to a daughter -the second house and the lots on the other side of the house- total of 90 feet back x 120 feet road frontage. She had paid her father and I rent money for almost twenty years, so we felt the house should be left to her. To be sure the others never gave her any trouble ( a step son didn`t approve) I turned the property into her name last year instead of after my Death as the will had said.
I still am paying taxes on my own 90 x 100, plus we had bought the lots on the other side- 60 x 100, so it left me with plenty of room to live comfortably on and know no one can build on top of me. I was offered the property on the other side of my road consisting of the corner house and property plus where the area where they are now building the complex home, but I felt we were too old to buy more property. I felt that by the time we finished paying for it, we wouldn`t live long enough to make our money back let alone making any profit.
Of course I could have bought it and broke it up into sections and made more money that way, but that would have only brought more homes and traffic to our streets. Now, the new place will probably bring that extra traffic.
Life moves on and neighborhoods keep building up. They are slowly driving the wild animals from the woods by cutting them down to build on. I did keep a small grove of trees on my empty lot, but when new ones start growing I do keep clipping them to keep it looking neat. I once dug up a white birch and replanted it in my back yard. All went well for a few years and suddenly it died. I only moved it because it didn`t have room to grow straight where it originally was. I never did find why it died. Could have understood it the first or second year after re-planting, but this was about the 4th year and it must have needed something that I wasn`t feeding it. In my back yard I have a real huge and tall tree that I dug up from the old family farm woods about 40 years ago and it is still growing, blossoming full every year and lots of beans after the flowering is finished. I do have to keep pulling up new ones that keep seeding in my flower beds. I do have one good sized one that I let grow on the other property. So, if this one here ever needs to be cut down for any reason, I can still see the beautiful flowers on the other tree. A lot of work keeping up both properties, but at least I don`t have to worry about repairs on the other house as the daughter is now responsible for that home and extra land. Lots less grass to cut on my land. But, then they often borrow the riding tractor and mow all areas. Sure wish i could find a way to start my electric start push mower easier. Took it back to Sears for better adjustment a couple years ago and it still is just as hard to start. At first I wondered if I just wasn`t pulling it fast enough, but my boys found it just as hard to start- new plugs and all.

They have added new exercises to my Therapy sessions. I have been doing lots of exercises including the hand operated bicycle. The new one resembles my rower machine, except that on theirs the seat stays put. I told him this machine was easier than using my rower. I can now work the rower with my arm, but it`s still too much for my arm trying to use the skier.
Then they gave me a long board type object that you need to keep both ends flopping up and down as you move your arm outward in front and later up and down to the side of you. Now, that one had my arm telling me off again. So, couldn`t hold the arm out very high in front of me while shaking it, nor to high to the side. They also are now using stronger elastic belts for me to use and a bit higher pressure on the hand operated bike. So, things are getting better, a little at a time. But, I am getting very impatient to get back working on the large 5 foot by about 3 foot work bench I had about half finished before I fell. This bench has 2 shelves on about 2/3rds of the 5 feet width and 2 large deep drawers on the last 1/3rd, plus a small section where I am adding some peg board to the inside of the 2x4 framework on one side. That is where I will hang my extra table saw blades, extra scroll saw blades, plus many other small items and tools. When it is finished it should help me a lot in cleaning up my shop and having a place to put everything off the bench when not in use. Lately I have been rethinking my bench plans and instead of finishing putting the second drawer together, I might change it into two not so deep drawers as they might be more useful than having a second real deep drawer. Just a thought.

Well, there goes my dryer buzzing at me, so guess I better stop writing and get the clothes from the dryer.
Back again. Clothes all folded and put away till the next load.

Sassy is back at the door to be let in.
Back again. letting Sassy in I noticed her long chain is piling up the little snow and leaving it on the driveway closer to the house.
So, I decided while I was out there I should push that little snow ( about an inch high) off the driveway while it is still light enough to just slide the shovel across the driveway and not need any tossing done. So, I now have about 2 car lengths cleared from the garage to the porch. The rest of the driveway will have to wait. When I came in my fingers were so cold that I put them under cool water to warm them up. Then I saw the few dishes still in the sink and figured as long as I was at the sink I might as well get the dishes washed. So, that is done till I decide what to cook for lunch.

So, rest time again and I can now sit down and check out my e-mail before it gets too far ahead of me. Having fun again as one of my grandsons, who lives in Germany, often writes part of his letter in German for me to figure out. I never learned any German except for what might show up in crossword puzzles, but thank God for the internet where I can decipher what he writes and even am able to add some written in German in my reply to him. Who knows, I just might learn more German this way. I do now know some of the words. In school I only took Latin and then only because I felt it would help in Nursing since most Drs write part of their prescriptions in Latin. So learning a Foreign Language is new to me this past year. Who ever thought I would be learning new words from other countries at my age. Thanks to my Grandson and some of my wonderful blog friends I am learning new words from other countries. I think it is fun to be able to understand more about other countries even if I will probably never get the chance to visit there.
Well, the sun is trying to shine and it does look so warm out when looking thru the window at the sun, but actually it is only 6 degrees outside right now-- so very cold. Sun does brighten the day by reminding me that sun shine warmer weather will eventually be back again. We just have to grin and bear this cold weather to get to the warmer months. But, if we never had cold weather, how much would we actually appreciate the warmer weather when it arrives? I guess up here in the northern part of the state, we wouldn`t know what to do with ourself if we never had to shovel again, or freeze our fingers and toes . I am sure others in the other colder states would understand this better. But, I wouldn`t trade our cold weather for the terrible storms they get in the hotter climates. But, I still can`t wait to see our warmer season arrive in a few more months.