Sunday, November 26, 2006, 06:20

Home Improvement

We should have known. Really, we should have.

After all, a few years ago, it took Randy and me three days to put up a new garage door and a new walk-out door into the basement.

Still, it *was* only a storm door. And how hard could a storm door be to install? Besides, I've been wanting a new storm door for about 10 years now. The old door started to deteriorate only a few years after it was put in, and it was looking quite shabby.

Everything started out all right when we bought the door Saturday afternoon. Randy and I were figuring that if we were going to change the storm door, it would be best to do it now before the temperatures end up below zero. Neither one of us relished the idea of being outside without gloves when it is below zero. So it was one of those "now or never" deals if we wanted to do it before winter.

As soon as we got home Saturday afternoon at 3:30 with the new door, Randy started to put it together, and I went into the house to feed an awake and yelling little Snowflake. Randy had already taken the old door off before we left for town.

After Snowflake had taken all she wanted of her formula for the moment, I put her in bathroom with the light on. I figured she couldn't get stuck anywhere. Or get up on something and not know how to get down. Or anything like that.

And since Snowflake was safely tucked away in the bathroom, what better time to vacuum the living room? Especially since we had bought a new vacuum cleaner, too, while we were in town. The old vacuum simply was no longer picking up cat hair and dog hair and dust the way it should have.

When I was finished vacuuming I gave Snowflake a little more formula and stashed her back in the bathroom.

After I put her back in the bathroom, I looked in a couple of times to see how she was doing. One time she was curled up on a pair of my socks. The other time she was curled up on the towel that I put over my lap when I feed her. I had picked her up, towel and all, and left the towel on the floor for her.

After that, seeing as Randy was still working on the door, I went out to feed the horses. I had hoped to get outside before it grew dark, but it was already well on its way to dark. But never mind. Randy would have the storm door up in a few minutes, anyway. He'd been at it for an hour and half, and surely, it wouldn't take more than an hour and a half to put on the new door. Would it?

By the time I got the horses fed and got around to the back of the house, Randy was fit to be tied.

"I didn't think I'd have to put so much of the door together, and now I've got the latch to install. Except I can't get the thing to work," he said.

The latch, as it turned out, would lock whenever he tightened down the screws. He had been at the latch for the last 45 minutes with no luck. Same thing, over and over again.

So, I called the place where we had bought the door, asked them to find someone who had installed latches on those doors (someone must because they've got the doors all up on display).

When I explained the problem to the man who finally came on the line, he said he'd never heard of such a thing before. He thought for a moment. "Maybe that straight piece inside is too long," he said.

"We'll take a look at that," I said.

I went back outside. By now it was full dark. And getting colder.

"The piece in the center might be too long?" Randy said.

He thought for a moment.

"What we need is a spacer," he said.

Thirty minutes later the latch was installed on the door. And it worked. That is, indeed what the problem was -- the little straight piece that fits through the door was too long (doesn't someone test these things when they're making the doors?)

Randy still had to install the latch plate. And the cylinder. And tighten it all down so it was sealed.

By 7:30, after Randy had been at it for 4 hours -- and most of it in the dark -- he decided to call it quits for the day.

"At least the door is up and it latches. Sort of," he said.

He still has the cylinder to install and a few other odds and ends to finish up.

And here I thought a storm door would be much easier than that to install.

Silly me.

One good thing that came out of it, though. I found out what it takes to for Snowflake to be tired enough that she falls asleep nose down in my lap in mid-suck on the syringe. It takes a few hours of being stashed in the bathroom listening to drills and hammers and whatnot and another hour playing in the living room, with some time in between running around the kitchen.

Snowflake's favorite play time is when I lie on the floor with an afghan over my legs. (I take advantage of the time to put a heating pad under my lower back, as well; killing two birds with one stone, as it were). Then I put my feet flat on the floor with my knees bent. Snowflake loves to climb up on me and then climb to the top of my knees. She likes the afghan because she can get her claws into it and can climb. She can't quite climb up the denim of my jeans yet.

LeAnn R. Ralph

Saturday, November 25, 2006, 04:41

"Happy" Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Randy and I had a good Thanksgiving. We went to my niece's house for dinner (about 40 minutes away).

In years past, my sister always had Thanksgiving at her house, but this year, my niece hosted dinner at her house. My niece only lives just around the corner from my sister, so it wasn't that much farther to drive (about 30 seconds).

As usual, there was way too much food. But it was all delicious.

Even my great-nephew Eli, who is six months old, got to have Thanksgiving dinner. His mommy brought along a jar of sweet potatoes for him. Earlier he had eaten a jar of apples and ham. Apparently that's the trend now, to grind up the fruit with the meat. His mother thought it sounded awful, but apparently Eli ate all of it. And he ate all of his sweet potatoes, too. He slurped down the whole jar and seemed to enjoy every bite.

Can't say that he enjoyed his first bite of mashed potatoes, though! You should have seen the face he made. His dad says he often does that with new food. Makes a terrible face. And then opens his mouth because he wants more.

When he was finished with his sweet potatoes, Eli went back to chewing on the soft plastic book Randy found at a thrift sale. It's just this little book with farm scenes in it and a soft plastic cover. Eli's dad says he spends most of the day chewing on his book -- when he's not eating or sleeping, that is.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that little Snowflake had a very happy Thanksgiving. We left my niece's house earlier than we might have left otherwise because we figured Snowflake would be hungry. We got home at 5 o'clock, and as soon as we opened the door, the yelling started. Snowflake knew we were home, and she wanted something to eat!

Not that I think she was starving to death. She got breakfast on Thursday morning, and then just before we left, she had another snack at noon.

But Snowflake was not going to be ignored. LeAnn and Randy were home!

If we had been home all along, she probably would have stayed quiet until it was time for her to eat again. But I don't think Snowflake likes it when the house is empty and there is no one, except Pixie and the big kitties, moving around. And more than likely, Pixie and the big kitties don't move around much, either, when no one is home.

Snowflake got her snack, played around for a while, and then she was a happy little kitty.

It was four weeks ago on Friday that I brought Snowflake up from the barn. I can't believe how much bigger she is now than she was that first day. She is starting to play around when she's out. And she is starting to climb a little bit. Friday morning, for the first time ever, she climbed back up into my lap after she was tired of snooping around the kitchen.

Snowflake is still far too little to play with the big kitties. But the big kitties would sure like to play with her. I have to watch them so they don't get too rough. Snowflake is so little that if one of them bats at her, she gets scared and runs and hides or else she just freezes.

Pixie would like to play with Snowflake, too. But she bats a paw at Snowflake, and Snowflake is scared.

And speaking of Snowflake, Randy and I are thinking that we won't have a Christmas tree this year. By the time we put a tree up, Snowflake will be starting to climb around quite well. I would just as soon she didn't climb up into the Christmas tree and knock it over. Our beloved little Nightshade did that one year, and I guess as far as I'm concerned, once is enough.

More Records -- I can't hardly believe this but it has been sunny all week. It's been a very long time since we've seen so much of the sun. The weather forecast says it is supposed to be wet next week, but I will believe that when I see it. The high temperature on Friday was around 50 degrees, and it felt almost balmy outside.

Of course, it *could* be wet next week -- but that doesn't mean we will get rain or snow. What I think is likely to happen is that it will be cloudy and misty and foggy, but not that we will get measurable precipitation of any kind.

LeAnn R. Ralph