Relative Something

It’s wacky to see so much snow in New York while we have so little near the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota. We are not far across the border in Pierce County, Wisconsin, where the rolling countryside is gradually losing what little snow most recently fell.

We experienced barely an hour of precipitation yesterday morning, in the form of a freezing drizzle. It created a glossy coating on the meager snow that remains, but it dried right off the pavement by mid-afternoon. The wet speckles showing up on the glass doors to the deck added a little drama since that started happening just as Cyndie was preparing to drive to Hudson for a painting class.

However, that drama was secondary to the bigger issue we were facing at the same time. We lost electric power for just over an hour for a reason that was never explained.

The disruption to us was more psychological than actual because we have a backup generator that automatically kicks in to maintain power for our well, the furnace, the kitchen appliances, and a couple of outlets. That hour was the longest the generator has run since it was installed 13 years ago, after we had been without power for more than a day.

Adding a little stress to this drama was the fact that our propane tank is dropping close to the trip point, signaling the time to order a fill. We don’t have any experience with how much propane the backup generator burns per hour. On my last monthly check, I discovered we are using more propane than the last two times we’ve ordered a fill. The most likely reason would be weather, since none of the other uses have varied much over the years.

This comes on the heels of a sizable rate hike from our electric coop. We have reached the phase of our lives where the cost of living increases feel more intimidating with respect to our fixed retirement income.

Adding one more drama to our expense concerns, yesterday Cyndie found that the cover of one of the side mirrors on her car was missing. It’s beginning to feel like the universe is trying to tell her something. First, the rear spoiler was ripped from her car, then a fraudulent purchase of over $8000 was made on her credit card. Now the mirror cover needs replacing.

I don’t know about her, but it’s starting to give me a complex.

Although, I’m probably being a little overly dramatic with that statement.

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