Winter Solstice

It's Wednesday, December 21st, the middle of the work week and the first day of winter for this year in North America. Winter begins on the day of the winter solstice, which is today. In earth's southern hemisphere, winter began on June 21 this year. 

Coincidentally, on this first day of winter, a raging blizzard is crossing the country and headed my way. It is due to arrive in my city on Friday. The low Friday night is expected to be 12°F, and the high on Saturday is expected to be 27°F. Christmas will be a little warmer: a high that day of 32°F and a low of 15°F. And it's "just" December. January is the really cold month where I live.

I broke the handle off the sliding patio door that leads to my backyard. I just yanked it too hard. So I ordered a new door handle from Home Depot. It came today. I removed the old handle and tried to install the new handle, but it didn't quite fit. The mounting holes were very close to the same distance apart as on the old handle, but not close enough. Then I dropped one of the parts of the outside handle (a part I need to use with the new handle). I saw the part fall—a black, metal piece about 1/2 inch square. I watched it fall to the outside step and bounce off, then fall into the clover beside the step. I looked for it carefully, pulling clover up so I could see the ground. I couldn't find it and finally I called for Nuria's help. She looked for it and pulled more clover out of the way. Neither of us could find it, even though I saw exactly where it fell into the clover. It was freezing cold and after an hour I gave up trying to fix the door. I decided to replace the patio door. But not just the door: the whole installation including the track the door rolls on. It's old and needs replacing, anyway. 

It's also time for a new garage door. So that's on my list for the beginning of the year. I may wait until spring so that it won't be so cold when the installers are working. And oh yes, I just remembered, the garage has two old wind turbines on its roof. One has failed and won't turn. The other is equally old and will likely fail soon. So add two roof turbines to the "to do" list. I wonder if I can get all this done for under five thousand dollars. That's what it cost me to remodel my kitchen when I moved into this house. Oh well, what is money for, if not to spend?

Two milestones for Nuria today: One, she passed her medical exam (another $455) and is expected to see the doctor tomorrow to pick up the paperwork. (This is in regard to her application for permanent resident status). Second, the Toyota incident (in which her vehicle was totaled by another driver) is moving forward. The other driver's insurance has taken full financial responsibility for Nuria's auto accident, after they looked at photos of the Camry and determined the car is a total loss. I don't know what they'll do next, but the insurance claim is in their ballpark now. 

I hope everyone is well, and stay safe, y'all. It's a busy time of year for the roads. Drivers are distracted by thoughts of Christmas shopping, and the expected bad weather will only make the roads more dangerous. Take care.