 |
| Bob, Bob's caught from Wisconsin, Barb Keough & Pat Utter. |
Some weeks are unable to be described…this was one of them
again. I am still without boiler...just
stopping leaks right now as pipes froze like everything else in the cold world
in Eaton. Anti freeze was good to 20 below..but it was 35 below without the wind
chill! The nights have been subzero for
2 weeks plus for the most part, but the cold is just half the story.
When asked how can someone cheat death…well ...here...I will
explain.
I was away from the house again when everything froze
because there was no heat…we are talking far below zero...and I had little
money to work with…but what would you do if a friend was dying and had no one
with him? The same friend (Bob Betz) I might add, who
had inadvertently caused my pipes to freeze the first time because I was trying
to help him and his furnace and pipes. (See blog link below)
So the second horrible week started with an early morning
call and me rushing to Hamilton Hospital as Bob was taken there looking
blue. Yes and he then arrested in the
emergency room. He was so bad he was
sent via Air One Helicopter to Syracuse…where he arrested 3 more times in the air
and once on the ground. I of course
followed to Syracuse, and as I sat in his hospital room with him waiting for a
family member to arrive, he was given zero chance of life and a doctor recommended
pulling the plug. Which of course, I could not do…up to family. I managed to call all his kids leave messages
and then tried to reach my friend Barb to get some pellets and take them over
to my house…I was out, and woodstove was only real heat without them and that
would be out when I got home…and I had none in reserve.
As the day wore on his son arrived and finally I was on my way home
in the freezing sub zero evening…my friend Barb was still there had managed to
find pellets (most stores were out) drag the heavy pellet bags in house and get
some in the stove. She was also trying
to revive the fire…with wet wood. Of
course it was wet… I was not home and did not get wood in from the huge pile of
wood dumped (finally) prior to the huge wind and snow and subzero night of the
days before. (See other blog) As I recounted the story to all of the members of
our museum group via the phone, I said a prayer to Mother Cope for both he and
another members son with cancer. A short
time later Bob's son called from the hospital and said his father just woke up, and
wrote him a note…and the Doctors could not believe it! Hmmm…Drs.?... Hmmm Mother Cope?
So back to work trying to stay alive...boiler repair in frigged
temperatures - as boiler is outside in attached shed…chopping wood out of ice
and snow…and praying we (my cat & a few homeless ones) can stay warm enough…41 inside the house one night. I was also trying to prepare for a lecture in
Syracuse on Monday, money I really needed.
After getting things together cleaning all the filters,
nozzle etc, (water in fuel...I won’t say where I bought it…but their pump froze!)
I drove off to Hamilton and Blue Ox to buy clean Kero. The roads were dry except for a few patches…it
was sunny and cold… and then… BAM! My
plastic car was hit by wind in a whiteout and spun into a ditch. I got out as if nothing happened…sat in a Sherriff’s
car until a friend and tow truck arrived…
So now I had no money, no heat, and the totaled car is worth nothing. Ah me!
So my friend Barb offered to drive me to Solvay the next day
so I could make the money…I offered to cancel…”NO WAY” she said. Of course, that was Monday and she and I were
trapped on the highway at 20 miles per hour in the worst road conditions I have
seen in Syracuse in years. We had no way
to turn back so we went on to the library where I was to speak, and there we
found three wonderful members who had patiently waited for us…of course the
talk was cancelled!
We all talked and laughed about my week...waiting out the
storm and waiting for the plows. We actually
had a good time as I recounted my week and they prepaid me for the lecture,
which will be rescheduled to March.
We made it back to house where the fire was out and cold,
but we were safe as Barb is a good driver… although she looked 5 years older
because of the drive.
So the cold continues, car is gone, I still have another
baseboard radiator to replace, wood is still wet but drying by stove, house is
still cold but warmer… car it totaled.
But on the bright side I have water to the toilet and bathroom sink…food in
refrigerator…coffee in my cup and a computer to write this… However I am alone
on another Sunday Coming Down! (See other blog for more details - http://backstreetmary.blogspot.com/2015/01/kris-kristofferson-johnny-cash-nys.html)
And laugh!
Ahhhh...life is good…right?
No comments:
Post a Comment