Winter Break, Frozen Pipe, Lost Acquaintance, Refrigerators

Where have I been? I noticed that my last post was December 17. Life gets in the way sometimes. We took two trips for the business, had lots of friends and family over for the holidays, then it snowed and we've been in a freezing weather pattern for the past week so I've been busy keeping the house warm.

A pipe froze over night so we didn't have any hot water for a few hours. Luckily, the pipe didn't burst. I was able to thaw the pipe and then reinsulate so, hopefully, it won't happen again. I got to looking around the pipe, it's in the pantry, and noticed that daylight was coming though the corner of the room. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the the critters pulled all the insulation from a crack in the wall and a nice stream of cold air had been blasting the pipe all night. Turns out, the pantry has pulled away from the house so there is a seam that has opened in the siding about an inch wide. Got it reinsulated and sealed up from the outside. Now I have one more "to do" on the list for this summer. I should post the list sometime and get your input. This old house, I tell you....

Got a nice note from a friend whom we met in Japan. He and his wife and kids stayed the following school year (05-06) and then came back to the states this past June. His note was the perfect mid-winter lift. Not only was it a real correspondence, but it was from someone I thought I would probably never see again. One of those past acquaintences that are helpful, outgoing, and truly friendly. We were beginning to know this family, and our kids were similar ages, so our relationship could have blossomed into something more than casual. Then we came back to the states and this family, along with all of the folks we met in Japan, are suddenly part of our past. Well, Brian crossed that bridge and wrote a great note and let us know what they are up to and how they are settling into life back in the USA. It was really nice. Thanks, Brian.

A shelf in our refrigerator broke this evening, just at dinner time. #^*%! refer. It fits this old house too well. It seems to run ok, but the interior is shot. I'll see what I can do about repairing the shelf tomorrow and let you know if I succeed.

As mentioned above, we've been traveling a bit for the business. We like to touch bases with the local stores that carry our products. We got as far north as Bellingham, WA, and we've been as far south as Portland, OR. We often will do an event, or simply swing in to ask how things are going and if there is anything we can do for the retailer. If the retailer is far away, we find a makeup artist in the area and hire them to make an appearance and do a demo. If you are interested in doing this, please let us know. You might check the store locations link to see if we have a store in your area.

Later, Brad
Herbs of Grace