No day off.

Pellet stove acted up all day.  Some problem with the auger.  I had to keep taking the pellets out of it, cleaning it out, and starting over.  
Late this afternoon, I headed back there, to deal with it again.
Guess this isn't a day off after all.
While I was there watching it burn, waiting to see if the problem was resolved, I realized that the roof on the inside porch was leaking.
So I moved boxes around, trying to keep everything dry.
Unfortunately, I noticed that a 200 lb bale of selvedge in the corner is getting wet, which means that it needs to come out of there.  Sorting and bagging it is a BEAR of a job.
And the snow is going to need to come off the roof, sooner than later.
$$$$$$$
Can you hear the rustle of money leaving my pocket???

Eventually, the stove appeared to be running smoothly, so I headed for home, again.

If I had any photo editing skills, I would edit those power lines right out of this shot.

Even though I was upset with the leaking roof, I resolved not to let it ruin the rest of my day.
It's just a roof, and it's just water, right?
After the last couple of weeks, and the worry about a loved one, a leaking roof is just plain no big deal.

I planned dinner on the drive home.  Tilapia, crab cakes, spinach, and my homemade rice pilaf.
Easy enough.

Soon winter will be just a memory.  All the snow, the cold, the icy roads......history for another year.

I took my mother to the Salvation Army again this morning.  On the way, I asked her if there was some reason she was so adamant that she had to have me or my daughter sitting next to her.  She told me that it was because of her heart.  What if she dropped dead in church?
Uh, well, there isn't much more I could do than anyone else could do, if you dropped dead.
She thought about that.
I told her that I didn't mind going with her sometimes, but in all honesty, she could live to be 99, and I couldn't face all those Sundays at the Salvation Army.
She laughed.
When we pulled up, I let her out at the door, so I could go park. She said, Just leave me.  Let's try it.
I said, Are you sure?
Well, if you are sure, I will, but I will only go for a little while, and then I will come sit with you.
So that is what I did.  I left her there, and went back in about 40 minutes, and sat with her through the rest of the service.
When we left, she told the pastor all about it, and she seemed quite proud of herself.  So next week, I will do it again, only this time, I will leave for a little longer.  And I will resist the urge to go in and look in to see how she is doing.
Like I did when I left my little girl at preschool.
I feel like my parenting skills just got better.
Oh, dear.