Sunday, February 22, 2015

winter has gotten rough

I am in my office working after a busy day. It snowed about 5 inches yesterday so after doing some writing (on my computer piece), bike riding and some reading I took the tractor out in the 40 degree day with a bit of sun and worked on the road all the way to the Sisson tractor barn. I worked for about 2 hours, had lunch then worked another hour. I then walked down to my truck and Mike was there and he rode up on his big tractor and evened up the road some more (He had come up after the first snow and cleared the road). I paid him $350 for both jobs and he was appreciative. With the extra cost of the motel room (4 days at 105) I spent about and extra 770. I just hope we don’t get more snow. It is going to get cold again, so I am heading home before the road freezes up, not until 10 at the earliest. I drove Maddie back from VT on Friday and she was grateful. Lou also called and thanked me for picking her up. I don’t mind and Maddie is a very decent and smart young lady. I am glad I have helped her and her sister so much; at least they and their parents are appreciative. I am still angry at Marina’s ingratitude, but there is nothing I can do to change her so I am going to let it go. She has been poisoned by her father and there is nothing I can do. I talked to Kelly and offered to come up to help getting her house ready for sale and she was grateful. I will come up on the 7th and 8th of March, the beginning of my spring break, and that will still leave me time to go south for a few days if the weather gets bad. I am looking forward to seeing Kelly and Alfredo and Lucia.

Monday, February 16, 2015

the first snowstorm of the winter

Finally in mid-February we get a big snow, possibly 10 inches by tomorrow at noon. Radford was closed at noon today and it’s not clear if it will be closed tomorrow. I spent last night at the house and that was pleasant. I rode the bike and cleaned up the guest room a bit and got almost all my work done for the first two days. I parked down by the gate so just in case I would be able to get out and I did in the morning around 9. I charged the batteries to 100 and that should be good until Wednesday when I shall have to go out there unless we get some sun. I am staying at the Hampton Inn in C’Burg and I got the 95 dollar snow rate so that is a lot better than the 122 rate. Got a nice e-mail from Maddie about the owl email from the bird club I forwarded to her and she seems to be doing fine. My dinner with Cathy on Saturday was fun though we had to cut it short because of the weather. I ended up sleeping in my office, which was not the most pleasant thing. My classes are going well and I am glad 4 weeks are over. Catherine, the woman who responded to my email on Match, didn’t respond to my second email. That’s okay with me.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

four week done

It is the end of the fourth week of classes and I am doing fine. No real problem students and the classes are going pretty well, especially the very lively American Renaissance. I had a stunning conversation with Marina and it seems that she is a total ingrate. I don’t think I will have any more contact with her and it may influence my relationship with her mother. I do think her dad has poisoned her relationship with me but I am going to move on. Enough insults from one family. I am going to have dinner with Cathy tonight and then Claire on Monday. It has been real cold but I played golf today even though it was really windy and about 40. I also took a hike this morning and went back to the orchard 3 times. The house is in very good shape. I finally got the check from AXA and Kelly and Alfredo can deposit the checks I sent them to help with their house down payment. They both are very appreciative. I contacted the bird club for Maddie and I hope to send out her poems to Rattle later today. My finances look pretty good and if I don’t overspend I should be on track to retire after 5 more semesters. My weight remains at 211 and I need to push on to get to 205. My knees are much better and if I had to make a choice right now, I would put off the operation.

Friday, February 6, 2015

three weeks of class done

My third week of classes is over and no real problems with students; that is a real relief. The one student who didn’t hand in a surprise quiz has been notified and I hope that is enough. I have been teaching okay but my memory does miss occasionally, but it is still pretty rare. I did mention it to my American Renaissance class and they didn’t think it was a big deal. I have been doing hikes when the weather isn’t too cold and I have played golf here and there. I have transformed my refrigerator back into an ice-box so that has saved a lot of electricity. The house is in good shape and I have everything outside fixed up. Today I put new windshield wipers on. I picked Maddie up in Radford and drove her to her 11 o’clock class and waited for her (walking over to Lavery Hall, which has a huge food court). It was fun to explore. Then I drove Maddie back and she was very appreciative. I talked to Gyorgyi today and I may meet her for dinner tomorrow if she isn’t too busy. I am so glad we haven’t had a big snow yet, and the next week looks okay. My finances are going to be okay but I have to be very careful for the next year at least. I may not replace my truck in June if things are still very tight even though a trip out west in a truck with 130,000 miles is not the most pleasant prospect. My weight is 211 so my dieting has really paid off and I am hoping that if I can get it down to 205, perhaps I can avoid the knee operation.