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Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Up to the minute

This morning was one digit. Seven, I think. Tomorrow will be one number, too. Totally against my principles. I hate getting ready for the day in sub-freezing weather. Worse, I had not showered for several sub-freezing mornings, and this morning I could no longer avoid it. Well, I could, but it would have been an uncomfortable day. 

On the bright side, I fiddled with the shower head dial, and found a setting that feels like actual water pressure. Once again I am considering a space heater in the bathroom, but I have such safety reservations about anything with a plug in the bathroom.

I did decide the bed could stand a wash, too. I'm only going into this detail because once again it involves the cat. I did prewarn him, but somehow this does not register. He is forbidden to sleep on any quilt on my bed. He is allowed to sleep on a white blanket I spread over the foot of my bed. 

The reason: I am horribly allergic. He is on the back of my chair as I type, and my nose will not breathe. I don't need cat chair all over my pillow and quilt; ergo, he may sleep on a blanket I can remove. I've never put the white blanket down on the white mattress cover for his snoozing pleasure. He has never tested me on mattress cover sleeping. 

The result is, when I begin stripping sheets, he speeds through the house yowling at top volume. This from a cat who sleeps in whatever sunshine he can find, and does not use my bed until evening. So that was the morning's start, a yowling cat and a hot shower in a cold bathroom.

Today there was little snow on my car, and the deck and steps were clean from yesterday's snow removal exercise. I needed a blood draw for an upcoming endocrinologist visit, and I had towels to mail, so after breakfast I bid Mr. Cat goodbye and headed off on the errands. I made it from the arbitrary front door to the clinic technicians. It will be difficult when I have to keep an appointment in the doctor's office next week; it's twice as far. I'll need help. But, that's next week.

The sheets were dry when I came back, so I made the bed.


 Someone thinks he is not a nuisance, keeping out of the way while I work.


Happy at last. It's four weeks to his next haircut. Maybe a Marine buzz will make him look more svelte.

That is the bulk of my day. I was too tired to weave, so I knit all afternoon, and watched the next season of Broadchurch. Had supper and retired to the office corner for some paperwork and blog reading.

The only other news I have to report is my motion detector light still comes on in the hall, but there is light in all the windows, too.



41 comments:

  1. Somewhere or other I came across the information that the daylight increases by 2 1/2 minutes every day. Week by week the new season is coming.

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  2. It's cold here too, especially at night. Last night with a full length flannel nightgown and 2 down comforters, my head felt the coolness. Once the sun rose, and the passive solar energy kicked in, my house warmed up. I thought my shower head was faulty. Only to be told by the plumber, the new shower heads have a water conserving feature and you can remove the mechanism for greater pressure. Toby likes his creature comforts.

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  3. I love your quilt, and your cat looks like the boss on that white blanket. "Don't mess with me!" I can't imagine temps that low, but agree with you on a space heater in the bathroom. It must be hard to get warm after showering though. I would dislike that intensely.

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  4. You remind of one of the reasons we left France for Costa Rica!
    Those nights when we turned on the electric blanket hours before going to bed...so cold that I wore my dressing gown to bed with the hood up...dogs under the bedclothes...

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  5. I love your description of Toby's day, with his regular sleeping places. My cat does the same. In the morning you can find him on the bottom right corner of the bed. After lunch he curls up in the upper left corner.

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  6. Can you get one of those heater/light/exhaust-fan combinations installed in your bathroom ceiling? you can get them on separate switches so you can use either heater or fan or just lights I think. Probably not cheap to install but very handy for warming a small bathroom.

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    1. Sadly River, I only rent here. I probably could have a small heater installed, but would have to uninstall it when I leave. Or pay to have it done.

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    2. In Britain, the landlord would have to pay to install a heater in the bathroom. We have a simple wired-in fan heater in ours which we installed ourselves (don't want to rock any boats). It cost about $25 in your money.

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    3. I am also renting and if I installed such a heater it would be allowed to stay once I left, same as my air conditioner and the outside awning over the window. It adds value so the landlord can charge higher rent. Of course I live in subsidised housing so the rents are fixed depending on a person's income, with me being on the age pension my rent is relatively low, while a neighbour (who has since moved out) was working and paying $400 a week for a similar space to mine. I don't see why you would have to remove or pay to have removed, something that adds value and comfort.

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    4. Because the landlord(s) are New Jersey crooks.

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  7. I keep a heavy flannel sheet on the bed, like a bedspread. When I go to bed I yank it, and all the cat hair, off. Your quilt is beautiful.

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  8. That's a lovely traditional quilt you have there. Complete with traditional cat holding his territory.

    Tomorrow I have blood work, postponed once because of heavy snow. Now more snow is forecast, ew.

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  9. That's a beautiful quilt on your bed. I am amazed your cat actually sleeps where he is told. He's a keeper. -Jenn

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  10. I have a space heater in my bathroom to help combat the cold floor. If you hear I've been electrocuted, then you'll know it was a mistake. Maybe I'll look thinner if I get my hair cut.

    Love,
    Janie

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  11. Toby is a beautiful cat! I know cats are very particular souls and do not like their routine changed. My two cats think it is playtime when I change the sheets on the bed. Usually at least one of them gets made up under the fitted sheet.

    Good luck staying warm. We've had those single digit and below 0 temps all week and are expected to keep them next week. It seems like quite a few of us have been stuck in the deep freeze recently. It can leave now.

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  12. Even while renting it might be worth while investigating the heat lamp in the bathroom. They do make an incredible (and safe) difference.

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  13. It rarely gets into the single digits here, but it has a few times. Of course, we get into the triple digits come April. Maybe you can plug a little portable heater into an outlet in the bedroom, and stick the heater part into the bathroom, to take the chill off before the shower.

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  14. It's turned cold here this week also. Sometimes the extremities just can't get warmed up. It isn't as cold as the north country though. Not by a long stretch. Keep warm and I wish you well the specialist visit with the help you need.

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  15. Cold here as well, my idea of bliss is a hot bath, showers are somewhat hit and miss affairs.

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  16. Getting up in freezing weather is horrible. I may have got somewhat used to it when I was at my spartan boarding school, but it's still horrible. Roll on the warmer weather.

    A shame about the cat allergy, and a shame about the yowling cat. As if there aren't plenty of other places for him to snooze!

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  17. Hari OM
    In the UK, there are no sockets at all provided in bathrooms - for safety reasons as you surmise. In this freeze, I need the extra heat as the wee radiotr in the large(tall) room is a bit u/s... so I use an extension lead and bring in the oil heater, which is a great wee thing - and no fan or other exposed electrical parts. (It does take ten minutes to be effective though.) YAM xx

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  18. I was going to suggest a small freestanding kerosene heater that you could simply take out to your shed during the three seasons you DON'T need it. There are also the small propane ones that you use bottled gas for. Tim uses one when he's hunting out of his stand.

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  19. Our bathroom heater seems quite wonderful on a cold day.

    I love the cat and his white moustache. I am not sure if I have seen such a direct pic before. He seems to be well trained. I didn't knw that such a thing was possible. In my experience, it is usually the cat that does the training. :)

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  20. I always enjoy your interactions with the cat, Joanne. He is great company, in a cat sort of way.

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  21. If I were a millionaire, I would have a heated floor in my bathroom. Winter mornings can be cruel.

    It is the same cat routine in my house. I am allergic to cats, but have had them for years. Daisy sleeps on her blanket on the bottom of the bed, but needs to have some cuddle time before she goes to her spot. It is the only time she cuddles, so I allow it by putting a towel on my lap. I need all the cuddles I can get.

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  22. Love the quilt on the bed....and the cat!

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  23. I have a similar problem with cats and bed. The boys are not allowed to sleep on my comforter so I put an old flannel sheet on the bed after it's made. They have a place and I can push the sheet off. Your weather is arriving here now - I don't like it.

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  24. Gosh Joanne you reminded me of a house I babysat in the winter for 4 months and something I had never seen before and luxuriated in: their shower had a heater built right into the tiled ceiling. It was absolutely splendid. We seniors should have such luxuries.

    Well Cat is da boss, right?

    XO
    WWW

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  25. That really is a gorgeous quilt. I'm impressed that Toby stays where he is told. My last cat slept on my pillow, wrapped around my head. It was a drafty cold house in the winter, and I provided him a warm spot.

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  26. It must be tough being allergic and having a house cat.

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  27. I have waited till early afternoon to shower. No freezing in the shower for me. The electrician hooked up a heating lamp, but I don't think it is doing anything. But like you, I am clean.

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  28. I shouldn't because it is at your expense but Toby makes me laugh. He is good for you even though he is being a turd. Hope the weather starts to warm up. I feel a little bad because our winter has been so mild. I am pretty sure I am jinxing us. Take care.

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  29. Joanne, we don't have a heater in our bathroom either. I used a floor heater in there when the grandkids were small. But now I just run the hot water in the shower until it steams up and is comfortable before I undress and jump in. I well remember having built-in gas wall heaters that my mom would light when it was bath time growing up. It was toasty warm.

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  30. Ha. Toby has to use a towel when lounging on your quilted bed.

    Our weather is, of course, relatively mild when compared to yours. I lived for a time in a drafty, old house with no heat and always preferred to shower in the evenings as a result.

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  31. I wish I had been blessed with a cat that had a dainty mew but no. as soon as Emma hears me stirring she comes in and starts in...meeeh, meeeh, meeeh. loud and constant until she gets fed. it's maddening and often pisses me off. not how I like to wake up in the morning. we have your weather these next few days and I DON'T LIKE IT!

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  32. What is a "cat chair" Joanne? See the fourth paragraph.

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    1. cat chair
      In this case was a test for a former educator. You passed.

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  33. That cat knows that he stands out on a white blanket.

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