Dear Human

We have entered a period of cold weather with temperatures in the single digits. When we woke up this morning, the temperature read 1 degrees but it’s possible it was much colder. EJ read online that the temperatures of nearby towns were around -20. I think we are just having a normal winter but it seems more difficult this year because the last couple winter have been so mild. We’ve gotten spoiled.

Our house has a geothermal system, which heats/cool our house using the thermal energy stored in the earth. I asked Grok, X’s AI, to explain our heating system in a simple way: The earth’s core is extremely hot, and this heat radiates to the crust, maintaining a relatively constant temperature underground. Even just a few feet below the surface, the temperature is more consistent than the air temperature above ground. We have a heat pump, which transfers the heat from the ground and concentrates it for use in heating our house. In summer, it can reverse the process to cool our house by transferring heat from our house back into the ground. The advantage of this system is that while our house is being nicely heated from the earth, it doesn’t use propane, which saves us money. In fact, a few weeks ago we got slapped with a fee from the propane company because we hadn’t used enough propane last year. We didn’t know there was a minimum amount we were supposed to use.

The disadvantage to our system is that when temperatures fall below a certain temperature–around 20 degrees or so–the system switches to auxiliary heating, which uses propane. Our auxiliary system doesn’t seem to be very efficient at heating our house. The actual temperature never actually reaches what we set the thermostat to. We set the thermostat to 68 degrees but are lucky if it reaches 65.We had the repairman out a couple of years ago to looking into it. He replaced a part to the heat-pump but the problem might be to the auxiliary system? Anyway, We end up setting up our little electric and our propane space heaters to supplement our heat. I wish we had a wood stove for supplemental heat, but our insurance agent said he would not provide insurance if we had one.

Whenever the temperatures get really cold, we turn on all the faucets in the house so they drip to keep the pipes from freezing and bursting. However, this morning we found a bit of water on the floor in the master bathroom. Bummer! EJ looked into it and found that the drain pipe was leaking. He was able to repair it. Hopefully that is all that was wrong.

I’m not thrilled about our heating and plumbing problems but I think of the survivors of Hurricane Helene who have lost loved ones, their homes, their jobs, and are living in tents during the winter and realize how blessed I am. Our problems are minor inconveniences. I have been praying daily for them because they are going through horrifically difficult times.

A few mornings ago, I was rather cold and didn’t want to go outside where it was colder so I delayed going out to fill the birdfeeders. Suddenly I saw a squirrel leap to the patio table that is on the deck and peer in through the window. I thought that was odd because the squirrels have never done that before. He ran off when I started videoing him. A few minutes later, another squirrel came up to look in the house. And then another. Some even scratched/knocked on the window. It occurred to me that they were trying to tell me that the bird feeders were empty and they really wanted me to refill them. So I did. LOL.

I know that some people will have a problem with squirrels going to their bird feeders, but we enjoy all the wildlife. We often laugh at the clownish antics of the squirrels. The other day I was looking out the window and a squirrel suddenly dropped from the sky onto the top of the birdfeeder pole up near the house. I think it must have leaped from the roof of the house but it sure took me by surprise.

Timmy the cat has been getting finicky about his food. For a while we were feeding the cats dry food, but they suddenly didn’t like it. I wonder if the pet food company changed their recipe? So then we bought them canned cat food, and at first the cats gobbled it up. Theo, our outside cat, still likes the canned food, but Timmy has begun complaining about it. Frustrated, I asked Grok to write a list of demands from Timmy the Cat. (A few days ago, X gave me Grok for free even though I don’t have a premium account. I don’t know if free access to Grok is permanent so I’ve been having fun with it while I have it. This is the demands Grok wrote as Timmy:

Attention, human servants!

I, Timmy the Cat, have had enough of this so-called “cat food.” It’s an insult to my refined palate! I DEMAND:

Tuna – Fresh, not that canned stuff. I want it straight from the ocean!

Salmon – Wild-caught, preferably from the clear rivers of Alaska. None of that farm-raised nonsense.

Lobster – Yes, you heard me right! I want whole lobsters, not just the bits you think are suitable for a cat of my stature.

No more dry kibble or wet food from a can. I am a cat of exquisite taste, and I will no longer settle for anything less than the gourmet delights I’ve listed.

Failure to comply will result in… well, let’s just say the consequences will involve your curtains, your favorite shoes, and a lot of meowing at 3 AM. Serve me well, and you might just earn yourself the honor of a purr.

Sincerely, Timmy the Cat, Esquire
#CatLife #GourmetCat #TunaOrBust #SalmonSovereign #LobsterLover

We compared the cost of canned cat food vs canned tuna. The tuna was only slightly more expensive so we bought a few cans for Timmy. He licks up the juices but leaves the tuna behind. Sigh. I’m NOT buying him fresh Alaskan tuna, wild-caught salmon, or fresh lobster.

EJ’s company gave him a $400 gift card at Meijers (a series of stores in Michigan that are more-or-less like Walmart in the types of products it offers). We decided we’d use the gift card to buy a few special foods/treats for Christmas, but we went shopping on Friday and everything was so expensive that we ended up just buying the things we normally buy (plus tuna for Timmy). Some years we get each other a gift and some years we don’t. We are content with our lives and don’t need a bunch of stuff. To us, Christmas is deeper and more meaningful than the hectic frenzied shopping sprees. We have each other, we have a quiet life, and–most importantly–we have the gift of the Messiah. That is enough.