A couple of months back the switch on our coffee pot died. The Old Lady said to go buy a new one which I did. She wanted me to throw out the old one, but because it only needed a switch, I said I'll hang on to it and take it with me next year when I go UP on the tundra again. It was the same model coffee pot as the one in the camp UP on the tundra and I figured it could be fixed if the other one died.
This morning I had to go for a stress test, so I couldn't have any coffee or anything except a little water. The Old Lady turned on the coffee pot as usual and had her coffee before leaving for work. When I got back home and went to have a cup of coffee and something to eat, the coffee in the pot was barely warm even tho the light on the switch was on. I nuked a cup of coffee and later determined that the pot was indeed dead. I put some water in the reservoir and turned it on. It just sat there with the light on and nothing happened. I dug the old pot out of the closet and took the two pots apart to get at the switches. I put the good switch in the pot with a bad switch. Then I put vinegar in the pot and ran that thru to clean it. After I rinse it, it'll be ready to go in the morning. The ironic part is that now I'll throw out the newer coffee pot.
Usually I have good luck with cheap coffee pots. Many years ago we had a pot with a clock and you could program it to turn itself on so the coffee would be ready when you got up. It lasted a couple of years, so when I went looking for a replacement, I got one that only had an off-on switch and it lasted for almost ten years. Not bad for a pot that I paid 6-7 bucks for. I haven't had as good luck with the recent pots, but the one at the camp is still going and I may still get a few more years out it.
Yesterday we put up the tree. While out on the patio trimming branches and cutting off a couple inches from the butt to prepare it for the tree stand, it didn't feel quite right. Here it was the first day of Winter and I was outside doing this in jeans and a t-shirt. (Today it is cold enough where I will need to wear a shirt and jacket when I got outside.) That had me remembering what Winter is really like. Below are a couple of Winter Scenes.
This picture was taken UP on the tundra 4 years ago give or take a few days. The road grader plowing the driveway belongs to the county road commission. It is one of the few places UP on the tundra where the county will plow private driveways for a fee. We paid for driveway plowing for this Winter even tho nobody is living there because if you get off the list for plowing you won't get back on it. In a couple of years we may be back there and we want to make sure we don't have to plow the driveway ourselves as I have done that in the past and with a small plow on a Jeep it is a hassle.
This picture was taken in the Spring. It was March 23, 1997. That mirror sticking out of the snowdrift is attached to a 1970 Ford pickup. It was parked there for the Winter and looks like it would be awhile before it could be driven again.
Except his birthday was in the summer. But the Xianists needed something to celebrate when they stole the Pagan holiday of Winter Solstice.
Or you can have ice cream for dessert and the next day sit and holler, "Come on ice cream!!"
