Updates

This is a pachinko machine, which is what Bill's current project involves. This is not one of his, I'll get pictures when he gets through cleaning & restoring them. See all the little dots in curved shapes on the face of the machine? They aren't dots. They are metal spikes, a couple of inches long. The machine in the picture doesn't have all that many. The machines that are currently sitting in my living room (2) and garage (1) have a whole bunch of little spikes. They are all somewhat dirty. Each one has to be cleaned individually with a q-tip. It's very time-consuming. Bill's been cleaning spikes for days now...

Anyway, he's having fun. And no power tools have been used! So I'm not complaining.

The roofers came back today and finished up. We had them install attic vents, there were a couple already and now there are more. They also cleaned up anything they missed yesterday and took the rest of the unused shingles. The roof looks wonderful. I'm just glad we were able to get it done this year, because we really didn't think it would happen since it's so close to the end of the year. But we simply did not have time when we realized that there was an issue with the old roof because that's when the rent house became vacant and most of our time was spent in getting it ready to sell. Now, we're just waiting on Monday for the final chimney work to be done.

We sure could use that chimney tonight! It was 18 degrees this morning, I think it got to the mid-20's this afternoon. Very cold. Looking out the window, it looked like a nice day - blue skies, just beautiful. However, looks can be deceiving. And they were! Tonight will get to 12 degrees. Just thinking about it makes me feel cold. There was a little breeze, just enough to make the cold feel worse. Especially to my asthmatic lungs! The dry, cold air is also affecting another problem. I keep trying to have nosebleeds. They are a normal occurance for me, not frequent but they do happen from time to time. I don't like them!

The hamsters seem to be doing just fine, now that they are on their own. Both are still friendly, both wheels are being used and they are active and seem happy. They just live alone now. When Otter had pet mice, they usually got along great. One one time was there a problem. Usually, when introducing a new mouse to the existing cage we would have to watch them and occasionally there would be a spat or two while they adjusted. But it only took a little while, then they got along great. One time, the dominant mouse killed a new one. But that was the only problem. With hamsters, they almost never accept a new cage mate although if they are raised together, certain breeds will generally be fine together. Usually, that is. Otter's are not the same species, although they are both dwarf types (small) and both of their species are supposed to get along with cage mates provided that they are raised together. But Helena and Nadine seem to be much happier as singles. We heard lots of chirping from Nadine this morning. She was happy, and I think she was singing. Happy little furry.