Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Stuck!

We've been having weather with temps that go up and down and hover around the freezing point, with snow, freezing rain and rain. Today with the sun shining, things melted just enough to turn the laneway into a skating rink.

And my car...

 

...is stuck! I couldn't make it up the hill to the road (which doesn't look steep in the pics, but is), and I couldn't back up the other hill to the garage (also steep.) My poor little car kept sliding backwards down the hill, snowtires and all.



After a half an hour of trying, I gave up. Gordon got out fine this morning, but bad things happened to the ice surface in the afternoon. So tonight his car is parked up by the road, and mine is marooned in the   laneway. Our first winter here, we got stuck in the laneway three times but it hasn't happened since then. It's only a problem when things turn to sheer ice. Then you get stuck in the "dip" of the laneway. The car slid backwards from the road end today!

We'll figure it out tomorrow.  I can call roadside assistance to come tow it (we have a plan), or call our neighbour with his tractor (he gave us a tow strap for Christmas in 2007!), or wait for the ice condition to change and try again. I did lay down a track of wood ash today  in a tire track, but I need to put down more if that's going to get me anywhere. I'm just hoping we'll get a bit of snow tonight and that will provide some traction. The joys of country living!

Meanwhile back in Kittyville...


Emily was trashing the joint and having fun with Naomi. She keeps knocking over my framed cat and dog photos!


Butter wouldn't melt!



"I am innocent, INNOCENT I tell you!"



"If I can't see you, you can't see me!"


 

As soon as I left, they went back to their naughtiness.

Meanwhile, Naomi has discovered the box Gordon put together for Emily to hide and sleep in when she first showed up...




THere's a cat bed stuffed in there and Naomi just loves it.



And poor Emily! You can just see the end of her tail in this pic. About 3/16" at the end FELL OFF today. For the past week or so, I'd noticed something odd about her tail tip and was afraid she'd gotten frostbite when she was abandoned outside. Sure enough, the dead tissue fell off today and left a little pink stump. It looks to be healing fine. I'm just grateful that's the only frostbite she got when she was alone outside. Her ears and paws are fine!



Look who had to insert herself in this picture of Naomi! Peek-a-boo, Emily! (And that wallpaper is scheduled to be burned. The floor will be stripped too.)

Cross your fingers that I can get the car out tomorrow. I'm pretty good at getting unstuck from snow but sheer ice is a problem.






22 comments:

  1. Emily, your damaged tail adds character!
    Jane x

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    1. I will tell her that so she feels special! :)

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  2. Cardboard boxes are great. Cats love to get in them and kids love playing with them. I found this cool book for my grandkids recently called, "Its Not a Box", in which a cardboard box becomes all sorts of things (a boat, a spaceship, a robot...). It is cool to see Naomi in the box having a good time. Thanks for the kitty fix.

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    1. Evlyn, when I was a kid I LOVED it when my parents got a new appliance. The boxes seemed so amazingly large. I had one out in the yard for awhile. I pretended it was my own little house!

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  3. We missed you today at the meeting. And you missed mini-cinnamon buns. Happy you didn't slide off the road. I bet you could have skated down it! Ahhh, winter, eh? Can't wait to see its ass end!

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    1. I am still pining for the cinnamon buns...

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  4. Ice is the worst, isn't it. Last year I fell so many times I stopped counting. Good luck with your car. I suppose you didn't get to where you wanted to go today. Very annoying. That Emily has a guardian angel. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x4

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    1. I hate ice. I fall a bit less since I started doing yoga, or at least, I bounce better. Gordon fell on his netbook last year and cracked the case! (He fell on his backpack which is where the computer was.)

      I'm so glad Emily showed up. Who knew I needed another cat?

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  5. Rain and freezing temp make for a treacherous situation. We rarely get those combinations. Just snow!

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    1. Red, I can't stand this weather! Give me snow any day!!!

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  6. So happy you managed to walk home. Poor little car alone in the cold night!

    What makes cats' eyes so shiny in the dark? Practically don't need a light with one around!

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    Replies
    1. Cats are possessed. That's why their eyes shine! ;)

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  7. Emily is going to be nothing but trouble!

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    1. She broke a flowerpot the other day. Let the games begin!

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  8. Do the older cats kitten-sit on a rota? Good luck with the car!

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    1. I think they do! I am amazed at how well they are all getting along.

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  9. Anonymous11:21 am

    Sounds like you found Emily just in time. It would have been awful if she'd lost more than the tip of her tail.

    Ah, the joys of winter driving. I hope the weather cooperates today!

    (P.S. I'm having a hell of a time loading blogspot blogs and leaving comments the past few days. I've tried to leave a comment here several times .... argh!)

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    1. I don't even want to think about what happened to her littermates. :( I did check around for more kittens for a few days afterwards, but found none and saw no prints in the snow.

      I switched to threaded comments and it seems to be working okay for me but it sounds like some people are having issues with it.

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  10. Did you get out of your driveway yet? More ice and rain today :)
    I've put more salt on my driveway this year than in the past 4 or 5 years
    Hope you and the kitties and puppies are all snug and warm.

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    1. I did, the next day, after a lot of work! Then Bernie (farmer who clears our laneway) came and broke up the ice with his tractor. Then yesterday he had to come again. What a mess!!!

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  11. Poor Emily's tail, but lucky that was the only thing to get frostbite.

    Hope you're mobile again now!

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!