![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
FieldMouse of Sleet
Jan. 30th, 2026 08:00 pmIt snowed a little bit more overnight, but I am blase about it at this point, and not inclined to shovel for any trivial amount. Especially not since I am now driving a veritable mountain of steel that makes short work of little fluffy bits of snow. Before I could make a brief jaunt to the grocery store, however, I tried to see if I could open the back gate, for stowing said groceries. Push the button with the cryptic icon on it twice, and . . . nothing doing. I examined the gate, and determined that it could not open, because it was frozen shut. But, while experimenting, I accidentally opened the glass part at the top. I was able to get that closed again. However, while the back gate wouldn't open, it also wouldn't shut again, so I had to go to the store with the gate technically open, although it wasn't. The car kept reminding me anxiously of this. All of it involved climbing in and out of the car many times, which is no mean feat. I figured out how to get into it without too much flailing: put the outside foot on the running board, grasp the handle at the top of the door frame with the right hand, brace the left hand on the door, stand straight up and then put the right foot inside and sit down. There seems to be no good way to get out. I just slide. There's no way the average old lady--Madame, for example--could ever drive this thing. I'm reminded of the comment of the grandmother of one of the Philosopher's fellow Boy Scouts when he was young. The friend and his family were Hispanic, and we were driving his grandmom to a Scout event. She had to climb into our car, a Ford Explorer at the time, wearing her best outfit, which included heels and a tight skirt. "Ayyy!" she cried. "Esto carro es alto!" Yes, indeed it is.
Anyway, I finally made it to the store and bought a whole bunch of stuff that we were out of. When I got home, I was met with a clashing tangle of appointments. The Sparrowhawk had arranged for the Roofer Captain to come over and look at our sad leaky situation and discuss remedies. He also had an appointment, a little later, with a nursing student who wanted to use him as a practice case of how to assist the well elderly. And it then happened that the insurance agent wanted to tow the wreck of our car from the city lot to the insurance lot for evaluation, so it behooved us to remove all our leftovers from the car forthwith. Clearly, no more than two things can actually happen at the same time. The Sparrowhawk asked me to deal with Roofer Captain. He then talked the student nurse into taking him to the car lot and doing part of the evaluation on the way. This worked out because the student nurse is part of our church group and inclined to be kind, as well as doing a favor in return for a favor. So I growled and grumbled while hurling groceries rapidly into the refrigerator and ordering the Sparrowhawk to eat some of the sushi I brought him before hieing off into the wilderness. Then I showed the roofer around the leakage and up into the attic to get a look at the roof itself. We agreed that a new roof in the spring would be the best solution. Negotiations will be ongoing.
The Sparrowhawk and the nurse did not return for some time, and when they did, they were frosty cold. They had been tramping around a field full of wrecked vehicles, all of them hidden under piles of snow, for quite awhile. Finally they found what used to be our car, and extracted the car blanket, handicapped parking tag, cane, and other remnants. The nurse was impressed by how the somewhat impaired but fairly well elderly guy plunged through the drifts. Once they concluded their business for the day, I gave the nurse a packet of cookies. I got the Sparrowhawk into his chair with a couple of blankets and fed him hot soup and toasted cheese.
Then I got a text from Wood Elf of my women's group, about a friend who is having serious health problems. She's losing weight because she has lost her appetite and can't stand for long enough to cook. A daughter is helping with food prep, but she needs a break sometimes too. I was planning to make chili for the potluck, so I told Wood Elf if she'd like to pick up some chili for our friend, she could come by and take it to her. Tomorrow afternoon is her best time, so I decided to make the chili tonight. Since I use canned beans, it's pretty fast to cook. A couple of onions, a couple of peppers, a pound of ground beef, three pounds of pork sausage because it's a lot cheaper, five cans of assorted beans (red, kidney, pinto, and black), and a bunch of seasonings, and I now have a spicy pot full ready to go. And now I'm tired . . .
Anyway, I finally made it to the store and bought a whole bunch of stuff that we were out of. When I got home, I was met with a clashing tangle of appointments. The Sparrowhawk had arranged for the Roofer Captain to come over and look at our sad leaky situation and discuss remedies. He also had an appointment, a little later, with a nursing student who wanted to use him as a practice case of how to assist the well elderly. And it then happened that the insurance agent wanted to tow the wreck of our car from the city lot to the insurance lot for evaluation, so it behooved us to remove all our leftovers from the car forthwith. Clearly, no more than two things can actually happen at the same time. The Sparrowhawk asked me to deal with Roofer Captain. He then talked the student nurse into taking him to the car lot and doing part of the evaluation on the way. This worked out because the student nurse is part of our church group and inclined to be kind, as well as doing a favor in return for a favor. So I growled and grumbled while hurling groceries rapidly into the refrigerator and ordering the Sparrowhawk to eat some of the sushi I brought him before hieing off into the wilderness. Then I showed the roofer around the leakage and up into the attic to get a look at the roof itself. We agreed that a new roof in the spring would be the best solution. Negotiations will be ongoing.
The Sparrowhawk and the nurse did not return for some time, and when they did, they were frosty cold. They had been tramping around a field full of wrecked vehicles, all of them hidden under piles of snow, for quite awhile. Finally they found what used to be our car, and extracted the car blanket, handicapped parking tag, cane, and other remnants. The nurse was impressed by how the somewhat impaired but fairly well elderly guy plunged through the drifts. Once they concluded their business for the day, I gave the nurse a packet of cookies. I got the Sparrowhawk into his chair with a couple of blankets and fed him hot soup and toasted cheese.
Then I got a text from Wood Elf of my women's group, about a friend who is having serious health problems. She's losing weight because she has lost her appetite and can't stand for long enough to cook. A daughter is helping with food prep, but she needs a break sometimes too. I was planning to make chili for the potluck, so I told Wood Elf if she'd like to pick up some chili for our friend, she could come by and take it to her. Tomorrow afternoon is her best time, so I decided to make the chili tonight. Since I use canned beans, it's pretty fast to cook. A couple of onions, a couple of peppers, a pound of ground beef, three pounds of pork sausage because it's a lot cheaper, five cans of assorted beans (red, kidney, pinto, and black), and a bunch of seasonings, and I now have a spicy pot full ready to go. And now I'm tired . . .
