2010...so far

Well what I can say about the new decade so far is that it is darn cold! In the twenties below zero in the early morning hours, rising ALL the way to single digits above in the heat of the day. This place is not for wimps. Or newer appliances apparently. My new washer froze up on Saturday. It's in the same place in the back porch laundry room where the old one lived happily these many years without a murmur. But the new one does not seem so hardy. The first clue was when the water did not come forth from the hoses. Got that solved after a little stint with a heater, but then the agitator didn't turn. That too eventually thawed....only to find that the drain hose had been frosted shut. That I don't think I can blame on the new washer. That I think, is just because it is blasted cold!!!! But bless R, man with a brain that he is....he helped solve that by putting some fans in the basement to move the warm air towards the pipe, and by evening, all was well in laundry land again.

In the midst of all of this artic blast, we baptized a baby yesterday. I told little M's folks that he would have the fame of being the kid baptized on the coldest day in memory at St. J's. What a cute little bundle he was, too. Slept right through the whole business, until C, who baptized him was carrying him down the aisle. Then he woke up and smiled at everyone.

I think I am suffering from brain freeze in the midst of all of this. R and I went in to church early yesterday to help C get set up and ready for the baptism. I was helping her copy and collate bulletins on our ancient and uncooperative copier, R had moved the font and was sitting innocently in a pew contemplating the stained glass (or something). The phone rang and it was C's mom saying their car would not start and they were not going to make it to service, so could someone please go start the coffee and make sure the goodies got put in to warm. C and I were both feeling a bit frazzled at this point as time was moving along, and the copier was being its usual balky self. So I said, "Oh, we can ask R, he's just sitting out there gathering dust." Well of course I meant woolgathering but it didn't occur to me what I'd said. The altar guild person who was in the office with us simply scurried on out to him and told him what I'd said. C looked at me a little funny and said, "do you always talk about him that way?" And I, thinking she was talking about teasing each other, said, "Sure, and he gives as good as he gets." It was literally hours later when some little synapse in my brain went "snick" and I went "OMG....what did I say?" And then of course I started laughing and made a big confession to him and we had a great laugh about it because he had no idea that I didn't mean to say that he wasn't collecting dust all along!!! Cold, apparently is not good for new appliances and older brains.

The weather man says it will be Saturday before there is any real relief. I shudder to think what kind of mayhem I may wreak by then. Maybe a nice warm hat would help?