The notnecessarilyAccurateWeather folk are giving us the obfuscated report. The pretty little icon for Wednesday just says "Becoming windier with snow" which doesn't sound all that bad...
When you glance further down the page you find that information expanded just a bit. Here's what the current definition of "with snow" means: Increasingly windy with snow of varying rates, accumulating 4-8 inches; colder. Periods of wet snow in the evening, accumulating 1-3"; mostly cloudy and windy; storm total 6-10"
With that as a prod for my incentive department, I proceeded to ruin what had to that moment been a rather excellent Sunday...
The rather excellent part? I 'played hookey' from my usual Sunday morning spot behind my keyboard at my usual church and visited a church maybe three miles down the road. They have a new pastor who I knew from his previous church and figured I'd stop in and say 'hello'. The service and sermon were good, they had eats afterwards (but of course, it was called 'fellowship' instead of 'eats') and I enjoyed visiting with the people there (not really strangers since on the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter the local churches have combined services). Of course I was asked if I was still playing keyboards up the road and I allowed that I was. And then I was told that they were starting up a Sunday Evening once a month contemporary service and I was 'informed' that they could use a keyboard player... Sounded sort of like a big hint. So - if the details work out as to dates and practice schedule, I might have my Sunday evenings filled at least one Sunday a month.
Wonder if I need an agent...
So I went home, changed out of my Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes and decided to take advantage of the warmth from the resurgence of glowbull warmthing after a week in the 30's. The plan was to knock off four things on my 'before the snow flies' list. Those four were: 1) change the EGR valve on the Subaru - it's been tossing the CEL with an EGR defective code, the valve itself is the cheapest and easiest thing to change so that was the starting point. If the symptoms go away good, else buy more parts - next would be the vacuum solenoid switch. 2) Change oil and filter on the same car (you know, a half hour job at most.) 3)Pull out the olde creaky Deere, gas it up and make sure it started. 4)Put stabil in the gas tanks of the two push mowers..
Got the EGR valve changed rather easily with plenty of warmth and daylight left and tackled the half-hour oil change bit next. Jacked car up - piece of cake. Laid down my mats (lying on foam stuff is easier on the body than lying directly on the gravelstoneandassortedroughstuff drive) and crawled under the car with my trusty 12 mm socket and ratchet to remove the four bolts that secure the splash guard under the engine. Three came out easily. But.. the fourth just spun in place. I'm thinking that the last time I had the oil changed (yes, I paid someone to do what I was capable of doing) they got over zealous with the torque on the bolt when they put it back together and stripped it. I'm not sure if they screw into a nutcert or what, but I couldn't feel any thing that felt like a real nut turning when I manipulated my fathand to touch the backside of the bolt. Tried wedging something behind the head and prying while turning the bolt. That worked but only a little. So now an hour and forty five minutes after I started on the half hour job, with the light from the glowing gasorb fading into the Western sea. Or pasture. Or whatever it is that direction. I packed the tools up, put the oil and filter back in the shed, lowered the car off the jack. And went inside totally frustrated.
Tomorrow is allegedly warm - but it's supposed to rain in the morning. Hopefully with the return of glowingthing in the sky I can see what I need to do to get that last bolt out. Otherwise, I cut the plastic and make that one bolt a pin... (as long as the other three tighten down it isn't going to go anywhere).
Then maybe I can see how cantankerous the Olde Deere is this year. It would be the thing to do since I might have need of it come Wednesday.
That was busy. I just did four loads of laundry ... five? ... went to church, and went to Walmart in the pouring rain. And dishes and stuff. And vacuumed.
The overnight people were eating at the computer. There are crumbs on the keyboard.
Sounds a bit like my misadventures with the washing machine. The fix will be easy, once I get the right part, but meanwhile, it’s almost “rocks and rivers” time.