Warmer, heat, & shots

RQVT3788

All of our snow is gone. It doesn’t last long here once the weather warms up.  We would have been stuck here for about a week because of it, but being at home during COVID is the norm, so I can’t really say we were stuck here due to the weather.

I actually shoveled snow for the first time in forever.  We don’t even own a snow shovel so I used a regular flat blade shovel.

Our heat pump had gone out during the coldest, snowiest days.  We have the fireplace and plenty of seasoned dry firewood as well as several modern safe space heaters so staying warm wasn’t an issue.

We had a call in for heating and air techs to come out at the end of that week so I shoveled a pathway to and around our old heat pump.  By old, I mean ancient and obsolete.  We had it originally installed in the mid 1980s to replace the previous unit.  We had several repairs to the unit in recent years, but this time weren’t terribly surprised to be told that it was to the point that it could not be repaired, that repair parts were no longer available for it.  The techs told us they would let the office know and that they would call us on Monday about ordering a new unit.

I know that a lot of people say you should get more than one quote on a purchase like that, but we’ve been dealing with this company for years.  In fact, they installed the unit that was being replaced.  When they called on Monday, their price was in the ballpark for what I researched, so I told them to go ahead and order the unit they had come up with.  It came in on Wednesday and they installed it on Thursday.

While they were here, birds were still flying to the bird feeders in that area.  The birds have been going absolutely crazy the last few days.  Some of them are really selfish little buggers, flailing their wings and pecking at other visitors to the feeders.  Most of them have been new to us — pine siskins, which have a highly variable winter migration pattern.

We’re scheduled for our first COVID shots on the 4th.  It’s a bit of a drive, but all of the local lists are full up for weeks.

arkansas, around home, covid, critters, life, weather, wild life, winter

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  • Ramana Rajgopaul Mar 1, 2021 Link

    From what I gather about the vaccination process there, everything seems to go tickety boo and people don’t have to wait for too long. I hope that yours does too. All the best.
    Ramana Rajgopaul recently posted…One Keeps Learning.My Profile

    • Mike Goad Mar 1, 2021 Link

      It should be just fine. I was able to find a different shot location for the same day just 30 minutes away instead of the original 2 hours away. We each have an appointment. Mine is at 3 PM and Karen’s is 20 minutes later.
      Mike Goad recently posted…Warmer, heat, & shotsMy Profile

  • Hi Mike – I remember all the wood you’d brought in or under cover – so glad that cold snap wasn’t so awful with some wood burning and other heaters. Good to you for new pump being installed – love the views and the birds.

    The vaccination will be fine – glad you’re getting one shortly – I had my first a couple of weeks ago … hope things sort themselves out … all the best – Hilary
    Hilary Melton-Butcher recently posted…We are the World Blogfest # 46 Avoiding Food Waste …My Profile

    • Mike Goad Mar 1, 2021 Link

      Our area made it through the cold and snow relatively unscathed. Some small cities further south in our state ran into water supply problems with a lot of burst pipes from the freeze causing excessive water flow and very low pressure.

      We are looking forward to the shots. I was able to schedule shots for this Thursday an hour and a half closer than what I had originally scheduled.
      Mike Goad recently posted…Warmer, heat, & shotsMy Profile

  • Opal Mar 1, 2021 Link

    All of our snow is gone also. We’ve received rain the past few days. I’m a bit sad. I do love snow and was hoping for at least one good snowstorm.

    My parents had their circuit breaker panel replaced a few years ago when they had HVAC units installed. As you mentioned with your heat pump, they stopped making parts for their circuit breaker. They had their old unit installed when they purchased the home in 1975. Dad was an electrician, and so he was able to do the wiring for the man that set up the HVAC unit. Listening to dad talk about it, he was happy that he could assist.

    In our yard, it’s the jays and the cardinals that are the territorial divas. I feel sorry for the other birds.
    Opal recently posted…Drinkmate: Effervescence…My Profile

    • Mike Goad Mar 2, 2021 Link

      The circuit breakers for our heat pump tap off the back of the meter or I would have replaced those by now. I wasn’t an electrician by trade, but my background in nuclear included electrical training and theory. I’ve done a lot of wiring in our house, including new breaker panels and connections that allow us to power much of the house with the generator on our camper. While I’ve done some limited work with circuits energized I plan to have an electrician install a box where I can de-energize everything, including the breakers for the heat pump.

      We’ve had quite a few cardinals, but the spook easy. There have been a few jays but they usually appear here later in the year.
      Mike Goad recently posted…Warmer, heat, & shotsMy Profile

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