Won't Budge

 When my husband went to get the mail on Friday, the lock was frozen. He could not open it. Our mailbox is a "slot" in a communal tower about half a block from our house. He tried our candle lighter, heating a rod with his propane torch and inserting it, using a small pen torch directly on the lock. The key would not budge. He tried again yesterday. Sadly, our two local newspapers (Warsaw and Fort Wayne) come via the mail as the publishers no longer use home delivery. It is now Sunday, and we still have not been able to retrieve our delivered mail. I was also hoping to receive some birthday cards. I doubt we will get the mailbox open tomorrow on my birthday either. Maybe on Tuesday.

On Thursday, my sister-in-law gave us a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle to work on. We put the last few pieces in this morning. It was an interesting challenge.

A few years ago, one of our puzzles came with a sturdy cardboard lid holder with notches. My husband adapted the idea into wood. It has been very handy since it does not tip over like the box lid standing on its bottom does.

We have had lots of cardinals at the birdfeeder the past few weeks. Yesterday 5 males sat in the backyard pine tree looking like scarlet Christmas ornaments. My husband kindly brushed away the accumulated snow that blocked the opening of the feeder this morning. There has been a flurry of activity since then.

I am starting to feel a bit bored. I finished my Bible study questions yesterday morning. I decided to sort through our "stamp drawer" yesterday afternoon after my husband's comment about what a mess it is. I do not usually keep much printed material in there other than address labels, but sometimes I will stuff items inside "temporarily". I found sympathy cards from when my sister-in-law died 4 years ago! Obviously, it has been a while since I sorted and cleaned things out. I tried the various pens in the drawer, tossing many that had dried up. It does look better now. Alas, hidden clutter is still clutter.

Now that my See's fudge is almost gone, I bought some Private Selection (Kroger store brand) dark chocolate sea salt truffles. They are very good, but kind of pricey as is most chocolate these days. They were on sale, and I would buy them again if they are on sale. They come individually wrapped so should stay fresh though being in the house of a chocoholic these are not likely to last long. They are 75 calories per piece. 

Although we will probably end up with 5 inches of snow and have bitter cold, we are warm and snug in our house and able to keep busy with projects and hobbies. I am praying for those with ice. That is a nasty situation. Hope everybody affected by this massive storm system stays safe and warm.