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| Tuesday, April 25th, concrete poured for new sidewalk. |
It was beautiful day here in Chaumont, NY. It was cool, about 50 degrees, a light breeze and sunny. Today the guys that did our sidewalk finished up, cleaned up, and went on their way. We are quite pleased with the outcome. The actual pouring of the concrete happened a couple days ago on Tuesday the 25th. I also mowed lawn for the first time this season.
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| Tuesday, April 25th, concrete poured for new sidewalk. |
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| TCR Construction, a Father & son duo set to work on replacing our sidewalk. |
Here are some photos of a new sidewalk being done at our house in Chaumont, NY. The work is being done by TCR: Taylor Construction & Remodel. I found them from one of their business cards o a bulletin bard at a local grocery store. I had contacted 3 or 4 other builder/contractors to no avail. They either don't call back or are already booked up. I had one guy that was supposed to do it last summer but he got too busy. TCR called me back right away after leaving them a voicemail. A week after I hired them the guy from last summer called and said he was ready to do it. Too late. I and my brothers could have done the job, but I have more projects to do than I can keep up with.
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| The sidewalk when we bought our house 30 years ago was made in 1926. We hoped it would make 100 years, but it was too bad to wait any longer. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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| New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY. |
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Bread & pastries from Mill House Market and a coffee mug from Lloyd's of Lowville. We put the Better Half through an endurance test Thursday, March 23. We started the day by leaving the house at 8:45AM to take her to Carthage Hospital for a cat scan. She has been concerned about shortness of breath ever since the blood clots in her lungs as well as lingering effects of Covid. From there we drove 25miles to Lowville just to have breakfast at Lloyd's Lowville, a classic old diner dating back to 1939. |
This was the longest excursion we have taken since the BH broke her femur back in December. after breakfast she was somewhat uncomfortable but thought we should try to go to the Apple Store t Pyramid Mall, Syracuse. I wanted to have them put a new battery in my iPhone 6s. So we did the. Took them about an hour and charged me $69.00, so that was pretty good. Put new life into my old phone.
Then we took a leisurely drive back home on US Rt 11. In Pulaski we stopped at Mill House Market where we bought some bread and a couple pastries. We got home about 3:30. That was a long day of sitting I the car. The Better Half was rather lame and sore afterwards . That evening both of her legs were achy as well as her butt from sitting so long.
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| Cardinal, Chaumont, NY, snapped with Sony a6600 with a Minolta 500mm f8 AF lens. photo copyright Gary Walts 2023 |
Yesterday I snapped this photo of a Cardinal in our backyard. Those birds are around our house all Winter so it wasn't an unusual sighting. What struck me this bird seed to be particularly vibrant colored. However, there was some unusual light filtering through the trees and brush, coming from behind the bird. Lighting. It's what makes a photograph. Camera was a Sony a6600 with a Minolta 500mm f8 AF lens.
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| First Robin sighting at our home in Chaumont, NY. |
Today as I walked out to the wood pile I spotted a Robin picking bread crumbs in our backyard. (I put all of our stale bread out for the birds.) Here in the North Country Robins are a classic harbinger of Spring. Always a boost to one's spirits spotting that first one. I snapped this photo with a Sony a6600 camera and a Minolta 500mm f8 AF lens.
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| St. Vasllio's Greek Orthodox Church, Watertown, NY. Particularly scenic snow for mid March here in the North Country. |
Yesterday, Wednesday March 15, I bought gas at the Valero station located at Court & Arsenal Streets, Watertown, NY. Price for regular 87 octane was $3.38 a gallon.
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| Price of gas at Valero, Watertown, NY, Much 15, 2023. |
Snow in Watertown, NY at St. Vasilio's Greek Orthodox Church, Franklin St. Quite a scenic amount of snow for mid March here.
Today I checked on a tenant that says his place was broken into. He called police about it. Police think he is faking his story. He said it happened while he was in his bedroom, door closed, wearing earbuds while listening to music. He thinks person or persons entered to get out of the cold and take some drugs. I don't think his claim holds any water.
After that I went to the Sportsman's Barber Shop and got a haircut. Cost: $14.00 plus a $6.00 tip. 20bucks.
Went toTarget and got birthday cards. Went to Kinney's Drugs & picked up iron supplement for the Better Half.
Sam's Club where I picked up avocados, medjool dates.
Got home and made dinner: Roasted chicken thighs, baked potato, and green beans.
8:00 pm watched Survivor.
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| New Delta faucet installed in the slop sink in our back shed. $58.32 from Amazon |
Yesterday (Sunday March 12, 2023) I replaced the faucet on what we call a "slop sink" located in our back shed. These sinks are also referred to as laundry sinks or utility sinks. Anyhow, back in February when the temp went to minus 20 below zero the faucet froze up. Upon thawing the cold water valve was leaking. I ordered a new one through Amazon. It cost $58.32. I ordered it after first looking for similar one at our local hardware stores, Lowes & Home Depot. What I got was a Delta brand. The original was a Peerless. Both are identical. Installation was a breeze, especially having done it before.
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| New Delta faucet, left, and old Peerless. Identical. |
After that we took a drive to Cape Vincent to check out the lake & river. Then to Depauville and finally Watertown where we decided to have a late lunch at Longway's Diner. I had a double cheeseburger and home fries. The Better Half had a beef bar b q with French fries. Bill came to $32.00 and change. This outting was significant because it's the first time the BH has gone into a public place (other than Doctors office/hospital) since she broker her leg back on December 22, 2023. AND, she entered without using a walker or cane.
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
This afternoon I snapped a few photos of snow scultors working at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY. The temperature was in single or negative digits. Not sure. Overnight the temperature went down to 31 below zero. At this writing at 10:00pm it is now 19 degrees in Chaumont. No matter what, It was cold work outdoors today.
This day is also the 4th day that the Better Half has been home from the Carthage Rehabilitation Center. She is doing very well. Now all to sleep on her side, either side, which is a major improvement. However, doing so makes her broken leg quite sore. At least it's bearable and we see progress, light at the end of the tunnel.
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| Snow sculpturing at Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, a Snowtown Festival event. |
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| View from our front porch this morning. Our 2011 Kia Sorento. |
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| Acorn squash fried with chopped onions & jalapeño peppers. Part of this mornings breakfast. |
Went to Lowe's and got some hardware to mount the stair railing in our Chaumont house. I think I'll get that job done tomorrow. Went to State St Hardware and bought some screws for the hardware because I think the ones that came with are going to be too short for the job.
I shoveled the sidewalk at Clay St apartment house.
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| Clay St sidewalk after I shoveled the snow. |
After the snow job on Clay I went to Carthage Re-hab center to hang out with the Better half. She is progressing well. May be coming home this Wednesday, February 1st.
At 6:30 I was in Watertown at the Empire Square Restaurant for the 2023 SnowTown Film Festival opening reception. Had a Goose Island IPA beer. I won a film festival T-shirt in a trivia contest for the correct answer to "What was the name of the sequel to the original Frankenstein movie. Answer: The Bride of Frankenstein.
At 7:35 I get text from BH that the staff at re-hab didn't give her the evening dose of blood thinner Eloquis. She was alarmed and nurse said it wasn't on her chart to have it!. Well she has had ir twice a day in there since she was admitted last Saturday. I drove back to Carthage to assist in getting that straightened out. Fortunately she had her discharge papers from SUNY Upstate with her and got the issue resolved with the night nurse. By the time I got there all was fine. BUT, it was upsetting for both of us to say the least. I left there at 8:45 and home about 9:30.
So much has been going on. I wish I was disciplined enough to work through my tiredness and make daily entries.
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| Acorn squash, seasoned and oven roasted. Later I'll fry it up with onions and Jalapeños. |
The Better Half continues to recuperate from her broken femur and subsequent removal of blood clots in her lungs. Saturday, January 21, she was taken from SUNY Upstate Hospital to a rehab center in Carthage, NY. How that went is a story in itself.
This morning I roasted a couple of acorn squash in the oven to consume in a couple of days or so. I like to scoop the squash out of the tough skins and later fry it with chopped onions and Jalapeno Peppers.
I got my haircut at the Sportsman's Barbershop. $14.00 hair cut, very reasonable and a good cut. I alway give whoever cuts my hair a $6.00 tip. Worth it. I've been going there since I was in my 20's.
I went to our Clay St apartment house where I'm using a vacant unit as place to work. I'm staining & finishing a 12 foot pine railing to be wall mounted in the stairway of our Chaumont house. Again, this project is directly related to the broken femur.
This morning I ate a couple of avocados and a small frozen dinner that was courtesy of Aetna health insurance plan.
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| This evenings repast. Shrimp, cocktail sauce, sliced avocado, Medjooli Dtes and Colby Jack cheese. |
I visited the BH at the rehab center, getting there bout 4:00, leaving 7:30, home by 8:00.
Very hungry I finished the evening of with a Thomas Jefferson Ale from Yards Brewery. That was followed by a cup of chamomile tea and a plate of shrimp , cocktail sauce, sliced avocado, Colby Jack cheese and some Medjooli Dates. What a wonderful array of flavors and textures.
Got up at 6:00 this morning. It was was 5 degrees. High today was 22 degrees, sunny, little or no wind.
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| Stubb's potato salad calls for eggs, red onion, diced dill pickles and potatoes |
Today, Sunday January 15, I decided to make Stubb's potato salad. The recipe is from bar-b-q master CB "Stubb" Stubblefield. It appears in "The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook" published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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| Stubb's cookbook. |
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| Mostly Russet potatoes with a couple small Yukon Golds on the stove top. |
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| Stubb's cookbook. |
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| Stubb's cookbook. |
After making the potato salad I brought some firewood in. The Better Half's pharmacist daughter B came ovr around 2:00 at which time I went into town for a couple of errands. I picked up a 12 foot pine handrail for our house that I will attach to the wall. This to aid the BH in climbing the stairs once her broken femur has healed enough to permit it.
I then went to Dick's Sporting Goods store at the Salmon Run Mall to buy some Yaktrax ice cleats that stretch over your shoes. Getting a pair for both of us. Right outside the store entrance I stepped on some sheer, clear ice and fell flat on my ass. What a shock. It was most upsetting after all we have been through with the BH's fall back on Dec. 22nd. There was a group of 4 or 5 people watched me go down. They expressed concern but for the most part I was ok. I felt a little pain in my left wrist and a vague sensation in my knee. Really nothing I was concerned with. I notified a couple of store employees about my fall. Nothing formal s I was ok. Just wanted them to be aware of the ice. The store gave me 25% off my purchase of 2 pair Yaktrax.
By the time I got home though, I noticed some pain in my left knee. Sort of an ache. It has intensified some this evening, but doesn't feel serious. It's odd to me that I landed on my ass, breaking my fall a little with my left arm / hand. I can't figure what could have caused the ache in my knee to appear.
The potato salad, by the way, didn't turn out quite as good as it normally does. I think I used too many pickles and he onion was particularly strong. It's still mighty tasty, just not what I know it can be. Oh, normally I use only russet potatoes, but I was short anthem so I added some Yukon Gold's that I had on hand. Those potatoes affected the overall texture of the salad too which I didn't care for. So on a scale of 1 to 5 I give it 3.75. Usually I would give it a solid 5.
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| Moon at 7:30am, Chaumont, NY, sonny a6600 camera, Minolta 200mm f2.8 auto focus lens. |
We took our Christmas tree down today. I should say I took it down. The Better Half watched me as she has limited mobility with her broken leg.
Photo of the moon at 7:30 this morning, Sunday January 8, 2023, as seen from our backyard, Chaumont, NY. Temperature this morning was 14 degrees. The coldest night & morning we have had in more than 2 weeks. Most days we have had temps in the 30's and low 40's. The wood stove has been doing a great job, limiting how much heating oil we have been using. Price of home heating oil has been above $5.00 a gallon, and I have heard as high as $6.75 a gallon. That is insane. It was $2.00 a gallon in 2020 when President Joe Biden took office.
etter Half gets better every day as she heals from the broken femur. She as her low points of despair and frustration each day, but that's to be expected.
Siblings a A & S dropped n this evening for about an hour. They arrived from Arizona after a 4 day road trip. S has new job in Utica, NY, starting in a few days.
Breakfast this morning was Italian sausage, fried eggs & toast.
This evening we had a variety cheeses & crackers, variety of stuffed olives, Croghan Bologna, sliced carrots.
My Celebrity Brother (Al) flew to Arizona this morning to meet sister S and drive with her back to New York, moving some of her belongings. She will be starting a new job in Utica. He came to our house in Chaumont where he left his car and I drove hime to Watertown airport.
Cancelled my guitar lessons today because Better half is still settling in at home after leg surgery.
Breakfast this morning was eggs, toasted Italian sausage with fried onions.
WE finally opened our Christmas presents. Temperature today hit 37 degrees.
Day 13 wth broken femur. She is experiencing quite a bit of pain, mostly as the meds start wearing off before taking more. Getting around the house with the walker get steadily better. She's gaining confidence and strength.
