Why We Were Freezing and Still Making Progress.

Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada. 

There was no alarm set last night for us to wake up by this morning. It was probably the cool 50 F (10 C) temperature that woke us both shortly after 7:00 making it too cold for Kathy to enjoy her breakfast. The only thing we could do was to try how efficient our new furnace worked. We had planned on trying it soon but didn’t think it would be this early. We allowed it to cycle a few times before turning it off and found that even with the sun starting to shine outside we weren’t warming up inside. With breakfast over Kathy had to bundle up to sit at her computer while I went to make the bed and get dressed. It was at that point that I opened the Hall and Bedroom blinds to find that both those windows had been left open the entire night. By simply closing them the trailer started warming up from our body-heat alone. 

We watched as everyone that was outside walked or rode by wearing long pants and heavier jackets then what they were wearing yesterday. Some were actually wearing layers of clothing in an effort to feel warm. We continued getting things organized inside as well as completing work on the computers until it was time to have lunch. The decision to have Chicken Noodle Soup with a cup of Hot Tea was an easy choice to make.  

We’d finished lunch by noon so while Kathy washed the dishes I went outside to continue working on a few projects. After drilling the holes for a pull handle into the Skylight Panel that I cut yesterday I discovered the paint that I needed was not in the shed and more than likely back at our Climate Controlled Storage Unit. I then managed to cut out two small shelf panels that I’ll be adding inside our electronics storage cabinet.  

Kathy had returned to the bedroom to continue the reorganizing of our in house storage. She is very particular about having everything used for one purpose stored together and she had found lots of things where they shouldn’t be. 

Trees already changing colour.

If you recall on our Avalanche trailer I had created a panel to stop the birds from making a nest in our Pinbox and I’d made another for one of the Weekend Seasonal Campers across the street. The other day Kathy noted the birds were trying to get past the Sheet Metal Panel that I’d installed on our neighbour’s trailer. It got to the point it was comical because they just wouldn’t give up and continued to bang into the dark panel. That prompted me to temporarily install a piece of cardboard into the pinbox of our new trailer. I had stored the remaining metal inside our garden shed so this afternoon after measuring the metal I cut it into pieces that can easily be made into Pinbox Panels for keeping birds out. I was surprised how sore my hands became after taking nearly two hours, using tinsnips to cut the six panels. 

Caught as I had just finished cutting the stack of panels
on the seat of the picnic table.

It was past 4:00 by that point and our early mostly liquid lunch was long gone. Kathy has been diligently trying to use up our frozen foods so we won’t have as much to worry about if the fridge has to be replaced and it also makes crossing the border a lot less stressful. (We have crossed at other locations and never been put through the strict searches of our fridge as at the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit.) She had me grill up some Honey-Garlic Sausages on the Weber while she sautéed a delicious blend of vegetables that melted in our mouths. To say it was delicious would be an understatement and there’s enough for another meal. 

Honey-Garlic Sausage and Sauteed Vegetables.

Stew AKA the Furry Gnome identified the bird in last night’s post as a Downy Woodpecker. With that information Kathy was able to confirm that it was in fact the Female Downy Woodpecker that we had seen. Thank You Stew without you pointing us in the right direction we wouldn’t have known its name. One question though “Why is it always the male of the bird species that have the brighter plumage?” 

Female Downy Woodpecker.

Tomorrow’s weather is not looking too promising but we’ll find something to do that will get us another step closer to heading south in another five weeks. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Krackers 

The World's Great Proverbs 

If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen.