Thermador Weird Water Filter

It’s always a scary proposition to change the water filter. I can’t say we like the Thermador appliances that came with the condo unit when we bought it over five years ago. All I know is that the microwave didn’t work, the oven needed to be replaced because it didn’t work, and the refrigerator has a weird configuration to replace the water filter. The only appliance that gave us no headache was the dishwasher. Now the water filter is loud and churns and sounds like it needs to be greased. The filter is located on the bottom of the unit. The freezer door needs to be opened all the way and you have to literally crawl on the floor to change it out. And heaven help you if the filter doesn’t fit - even though you purchase the same type every time. So it’s always a test in patience and resolve when we replace the filter which we have done every time the message appears. This time the filter came out and went in without incident. But we never know if it will start churning again. So we always feel so lucky when we finally hear the ice fall. I do have to say that at least the system is still working. We never had any luck with our GE refrigerator ice makers. Hopefully we will be lucky again next time around. 

A Walk in the Park - Ice and Mud

It’s been a while since we walked in the neighborhood park. It’s been too rainy and ugly. Whenever it’s really bad, we walk in the car garage of the condo building, or the neighborhood sidewalks if it’s cold but not raining. Last time the park was quite icy from the leftover snowstorm before Christmas. Now, the snow and ice starting to melt and the dirt paths turned to mud on one of the main stretches. Well, we ran in to both - we slid our way across the ice last week and this morning walked through the mud. We should just avoid that area because there are enough paved paths to reach our two mile goal. Walking to and from the park adds to the steps. I’m always on the lookout for birds and other creatures. The cardinals just don’t sit still long enough. The crows were cawing and we could see why - the falcon or hawk was stirring nearby. There were some interesting fungus or mushrooms or whatever you call them all about. They looked like steps on the side of the tree. We used to walk in the mall on bad weather days. It really is much more interesting outside. Sometime this week we will take a ride in to DC for our old time walks. Talk about a change in scenery!

Snow and Ice Art

I hate snow and ice. It is one of the main reasons we moved from the all winter seasons of the Midwest to DC. I disliked driving in it all over town for work, and almost lost three fingers in a snow blower accident. Surgery and six months of physical therapy were not fun. So to get something out of this awful blizzard that is still keeping us inside, I searched for the few pleasantries regarding a situation like this. So I kept my phone and camera in hand, and tried to capture the artistic side of this mess. Living on the first floor has constraints - one needs to look beyond the bars on the windows, although there is a decorative element to them. As day turned to night, the glow of the street lights and front porch cast an eerie yellow hue on the ice and snow. We are trying to figure out how we will clear off the patio before the melting slush creeps in under the door in to the kitchen. It's so ironic that now that the worst has passed, the sun is shining brightly with blue skies all around. I feel a little cheated that we lost a few days of life...and will be glad to get back at the mundane day to day of it all. I really miss it! 

The Good Samaritan, Foodler, Moby Dick and Another Water Main Break

When we walked out the door, we saw a driver in distress. He couldn't get his Prius out of the snowy and icy parking space. He was parked on Capitol Hill going in the wrong direction. Since we lived in Milwaukee thirty years, we are somewhat experts on this subject - and will never buy anything but a four wheel drive vehicle based on this experience. So, as usual, my husband offered his help (a very rare thing around here), ran back to get the shovel, a few Harris Teeter grocery bags from the trunk for traction, and back and forth they went for at least twenty five minutes. That usually wouldn't be so bad, but we had just placed a pick up order for Moby Dick in Arlington. And, we tried using Foodler to order the take out rather than call. Since we were already way behind schedule, I knew the food would be cold, but also my husband should be able to quickly run in and pick it up because it was already paid for. When he arrived, he was told the food was somewhere in a car getting delivered to who knows where. This was confusing because the order was placed as a pick up, they don't deliver that far away, and the email confirmation stated it would be ready at this address. So the order had to be "reordered" and we waited another half hour. When we finally arrived back home, the street was blocked off because of yet another water main break - the second one in two days. Not only does this add to the noise and disruption in the neighborhood, but really limits the street parking spaces by about twenty with all the equipment used to fix the mess. So we ended up parking way up the street and found it really difficult to park because of all the ice and snow piled up. Lessons learned: being a Good Samaritan can cause delays; it may be better to call in a take out order rather than use Foodler - or use Moby Dick's on line service; and don't live in a place with lousy infrastructure. I guess we are plain out of luck. 

A Drive Along the Icy Potomac River

For the first time in about three weeks we are feeling next to normal. Both my husband and I had this horrible respiratory virus since before the holidays. The sun is out after several ugly cold, snowy, and windy days. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside - to me - as long as the sun is out. It's just so much more cheerful! On top of that, our niece in Denmark just sent word and a photo that she had her first baby boy; our friend traveling in Burma updated us with her current status; and our friend in England called. It's feeling more like being in the land of the living. We haven't ventured out past the city limits of late, so we took a ride to Great Falls for lunch. Along the GW Parkway, the icy and reflective Potomac River was in full view. There is always something magical about this path. In the distance one sees the major landmarks that remind anyone where they are. The snow almost looks like sand on the beaches in Florida. But the clothes being worn obviously aren't Floridian. The sky is blue, and all is right with the world. Sometimes it takes being sick and stuck in the house several days to appreciate who we know, what we have, and what is around us. It's a good feeling. 

DC Snow and Ice Can't Compare to Milwaukee

It felt like I was back in Milwaukee this morning. We dared to go out in the 26 degree temperature for lunch, but needed to first scrape the windshield. We no longer have the luxury of a garage, but knew which cars did due to the lack of snow and ice on them. The sunshine made it all the more tolerable. So we took our usual route along the George Washington Memorial Parkway to McLean. It was quite pretty. On our return, we drove through the Mall which had some traffic, but not much.  The yellow pansies in our little garden were poking through the melting snow, but the little tree in the corner did not have the benefit of the warmth of the fading sun. Isn't it always funny how the blue sky appears following a "storm" and the contrast is undeniable. I'm just so thrilled I didn't have to go to work today. I've realized that if you don't need to be anywhere it hardly matters what the weather is like. I'm still happy we moved away from the cold and ice of Milwaukee. The line is drawn when it gets to -40 with wind chill. Now that is plain ridiculous!