As if winter isn't a miserable enough time of the year, try surviving it without running water... OK so we have running water, but this past weekend has been extremely cold, negatives... so the pipes in the house are freezing up. We hauled in 20 bales of straw, and strategically placed them to act as a shield from the wind. Hoping this would help prevent the pipes from freezing, and provide some grace to help us thaw the already frozen areas. It worked.. the first day. So happy Monday (aren't they all?!) to us, I stayed home "sick" to keep an eye on everything. Luke of course doesn't get the option of calling off work, so I may be here tomorrow as well, waiting... on the wonderful "drip, drip, drip" of the faucets. With the falling temperatures, our safety measures are not working, and even with a bathroom pumped full of heat, and a house warm enough to make you wonder if you are in the tropics... we are left to freak out about breaking pipes, gushing water on a thaw... which is likely, considering it's been almost 24 hours, and still no running water in places. We may have one card up our sleeve (knock on wood!) as one of the previous owners, although not smart enough to better insulate a house, used plumbing that is one of a kind. When the producing company put a life time (no matter what) guarantee on the pipes, they eventually went bankrupt... not because the pipes froze, or broke; because the brass fittings used as connections (of course brass, not the same material as the pipes) would break upon freezing.. therefore rendering the pipes useless.. so anyhow, if we're lucky.. the brass fittings hold, and we can wipe the sweat off our brows. This old house. That TV show should have been made here, at our house. Someone please, come in and fix this old fixer-upper. We are trying, but if time isn't consumed already with all the tasks of remodeling... Mother Nature is knocking at the door testing our strength and durability. Life is full of unpleasant tasks, and unpleasant surprise. I guess what makes it worth it, is what we get. Life. It truly is wonderful. I am so thankful for my family, for all of the loved ones, or 'loving' ones. :) I am truly blessed with such wonderful parents, so generous, and an endless supply of advice, and knowledge. Where would we be without them? Swimming on the bathroom floor pretending we just fell off of the Titanic. Even Sinatra can't cheer this one up. Let's pray for a warm up, quick enough to salvage two of the only rooms we've completely remodeled. The leak a few weeks ago tarnished the first room ever remodeled.. ugh. It is a constant test, always. Soon enough it will not be freezing pipes, but tornadoes while we sleep, tropical storms scary enough to make me run home to the snowmen. Maybe, or maybe not. Maybe it is a sign of my age; the older I get, the more difficult the circumstances that I must endure. God forbid, I be useless in my ripe older ages, with nothing to advise, and no horror stories of long time ago yesterdays. On a good note, it is already February, and that means March and April are all the closer... May and June sitting at the bright end of the tunnel.. whispering sweet nothings to me. Soon enough, my hands will be buried in dirt in the flower gardens, digging, planting. My favorite, favorite task as a homeowner. Oh well, I will keep my chin up, and keep screaming "WINTER SUCKS!!!"