The car has died

We won't be coming up to meet the repairman after all, because the engine light has come on and the heater has stopped working, and we know the faithful old car is probably on its last legs. We'd rather not risk the chance of getting stranded somewhere. I would love to let it retire and get an electric car instead, but they are prohibitively expensive. It would be nice if the government would offer incentives to bring the price down. We've got to move off of fossil fuels eventually, whether in a planned and organized way or because of a collapse. It's inevitable either way. I'd rather soften the crash.

Though I probably shouldn't use the word "crash" when talking about cars...

The Oven has Died

Either I or my husband need to head back up to the church this week to meet the repairman, as the oven at the church isn't heating properly. The display says 350 but the interior only gets to about 170. I discovered this on Thanksgiving, when I went to heat up the frozen turkey pie I was making do with for the holiday. I ended up getting creative with tinned turkey flakes and canned potato slices (I don't recommend them), and managed with just a kettle and crockpot the rest of the week. But the oven is pretty vital, so we called the repairman. And he couldn't come for three weeks because he was so booked up.

We are finding this is true for all trades and skilled labour. We have plans, we have the money to throw at them...and we can't find anyone available to do the work. We talked to two contractors who both promised quotes weeks ago and never sent them. I talked to another construction fellow (not a contractor) who likewise promised a quote to just enclose the stairwells for the winter, and no quote came. I also hired him to patch a hole in the roof and he promised to do so...within a month. I've left two messages for the septic guy and he has never responded.

I know everyone else is having the same difficulty. All plans are stalled. Materials are expensive or non-existent. I suspect this isn't just because of Covid, but also because of the price to ship materials due to the price of oil.

At least we aren't living at the church and so aren't in a huge hurry! But I'm eager to get going. At this rate, it would be quicker and cheaper for me to go back to school and become an electrician and plumber myself.

Falling to Pieces

I've been working madly on the stained glass windows. Onto panel #8 now, for William and Phoebe Beacom. Phoebe was born about 1859 in Ontario, and her father was from Ireland. By the time of the 1921 census, she was listed as a widow, and her children were Henry and Alice. Unfortunately I couldn't find any info on William.

This window is also in quite rough shape, with a lot of the soldering popped. When I removed Phoebe from her frame, pieces of glass and bits of lead came fell onto the table. Will take some major restoration. But not a lot of glass breakage, which is good.

While I work, I crank up the sound system to play old classics from 1950s-1980s. Brio, who doesn't like loud noises, nonetheless lies at my feet, refusing to leave my side. A look of longsuffering on his face. (Even when I was cracking hickory nuts for two days, he pressed himself into my lap to wedge himself between me and the threat of the apparently evil nuts I was pounding with a hammer -- determined to defend me to the end.) However, this morning he did leave the room when "Dancing Queen" came on.

I can't blame him.

On my walk today