Ice Storm?

 Last Christmas season, there was a snowstorm on the 26th.   How would I not recall that one, since I trapped 7 or 8 cats on Christmas Day, over at Blue Ox, only to have the snowstorm hit the next day and close the clinic that Monday.  The clinic was so quick to get them in, knowing I was trying to hold so many.   I think now about how the clinic isn't even making further TNR appointments and how much has changed there, since the Portland shelter is in charge now.   I don't think things will ever be the same again and I wish it wasn't true, and that it could go back to being WHS instead of OHSS.  

Then in February, came that ice storm that took down a good share of my cat yard.  I go outside and I have cats on the roof of my house.  Ha.  What a nightmare fixing that became.  Getting the cats back in wasn't a big deal, except Phantom got out twice.

I guess we may have a one day ice event tomorrow.  Kind of sketchy and vague, the reporting about the forecast, however.  Some say it will come tomorrow morning, some tomorrow afternoon and last through Friday and some reports have it lasting through Saturday morning.  So its hard to make plans.

I was going to the coast tomorrow with a friend, spending the night, to watch the King Tides, which produce massive waves and ocean influx.   Not to be.  My friend has cancelled, probably wisely.  Nobody needs to be out driving through freezing rain.  

Accuweather came up with this beauty of a possible forecast.  If that much ice accumulates here tomorrow, for sure my cat yard will be down again.  

Who knows if its accurate.  The main problem with ice storms is trees and other things come tumbling down with the weight of it.

Power outages, the usual ice stuff.  A one day event can stretch out longer, with clean up.  So who knows.   I'll just wait and see if it comes, like everyone else.  But I won't plan on being on the road tomorrow.

We don't get much extreme weather here, so even a one day ice storm gets exciting to think about.

Not that I want my cat yard to collapse again.

Its not like power outages bother me either.  I have my sterno stove, to make coffee or cook and I wander around my place in the dark half the time anyhow.

I finally sent out a few Christmas cards yesterday.    Ha.  Really on the ball this year, aren't I?   Not so much.

Gigi, the neighbors cat I'm trying to integrate here, since I have thus far failed to find her a home, has gotten out several times now, overwhelmed by a couple of my bad boys.  Otherwise, if they'd behave to her, she'd be fine.  She darts out as I enter the house from the garage, and from there got outside again. She was soon back in the garage and darted back inside the house.   Last night she settled in on my lap while I watched TV.

I see a couple neighbors cats now and then.  Mostly Pretty Boy.  Yesterday he was "hiding" in the Butterfly Bush where the bird feeder is.  It was pathetic.  He was in such an awkward position.   Not a chance with the birds, who flitted around him.

Feel proud of a Lebanon company, Entek, that manufactures battery seperators, makes most of those used in North America in fact.  They got a large government grant to purchase more equipment since we'll need lots of battery seperators to make more of a switch to electric cars and such in the future.   I have a neighbor who works there.

I haven't seen the new neighbors in quite awhile.  The big rig cab has sat idle out front of their place for close to two weeks.  This is the busiest trucking time of year too.  I wonder if its broke down.   Hope they're ok and not sick.  Pretty much everything is going around here, virus wise.  

When I was trapping that colony in Sweet Home, Lisa stopped by.  She's the former KATA foster lady.   She loaded a box of apples into my car.  I thought how will I use these up before they go bad.  I don't have much of a freezer, above my frig, and my garage isn't cold enough to act as a cold pantry.

First thing I made was cooked cider.   As opposed to raw cider.  The recipe took ten apples, cut up, one orange cut up and some spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.  It turned out very well.

Here is my cider simmering, before straining.

The next thing I made was apple hand pies.   They were very very good and quick to make.

What will I make next with my box of apples?   Probably a boring pie or two.  Pies freeze well.

Well, that's it for today.