![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.appleattic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/0698-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>The tree is upstairs in the Media Room, which is closed to the cats and dogs. Lights and ornaments were strung and the tree looks quite nice. You can see the lights through the bay window at night, including the star tree topper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>A wreath was secured from the tree farm’s gift shop as well. I installed it above the front porch steps, as something was needed in that spot. Pam likes to have decorations that look good in daylight, and I’m the “lights by night” kinda guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Going through Christmas boxes, Pam found several more wreaths she had purchased last year. One of these was added to the front porch, filling an empty space, and the others were mounted on the dog run and garden gates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>A couple other outside decorations were put up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Other decorations were put up, including a second “heart” (shown above) in the parlor bedroom bay window and a small lighted decoration on the west wall of the house. The place is looking very festive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>The first batch of cards was mailed out. Writing brief notes for each card is the time consuming part, but cards need a personal greeting, not just a signature and\/or a newsletter. Pam handles that task except for the very few I do for my family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Non-Christmas jobs included replacement of the F-150’s left mirror. I had caught it on the edge of the garage door and broken the glass. A new mirror was purchased through Amazon, and after watching some “how-to” videos on YouTube, I installed the new mirror. (You have to take the door apart to do the replacement.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with the mirror I had ordered a new remote for my TV and was finally able to make changes to the screen. Now the left and right sides are not cut off by our cable TV box. The Sony set we have requires a remote to make these changes as there is no menu built into the TV itself. The original remote got lost somewhere in the move from Colorado. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another small item was the addition of an antenna to my garage stereo system. Now I get radio reception, including a local station that is playing Christmas music all the time. It is nice to have some tunes while working in the garage (other than my old cassettes and CDs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I readied the John Deere for snow plowing by removing the bagger and mower deck and installing the blade, suitcase weights, and tire chains. Unfortunately the battery finally died. It had been weak for some time but the cold weather finally overcame the battery’s ability to turn the engine over and start it. A run to the nearest Walmart, on my motorcycle, resulted in getting a new battery. The John Deere now starts easier than it has in several years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Along the same lines of getting ready for snow season, I checked out and started the snow blower. While the chance of getting snow is low this week, there is a 50% possibility of getting “significant” snow next week. I am not sure what “significant” snow means in Iowa, but am guessing it means there is enough to have to shovel steps and sidewalks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In summary, it was a “small jobs” type of week with a variety of tasks completed, some holiday related, some not. As the weather gets colder the number of tasks worked on decreases. While there are a few indoor projects in the works, for the next couple of weeks the pace will be much slower than in past months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo Archive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few more photos taken in 1999 during our trip to England. I had an early digital camera, rated around one megapixel, so these photos do not have a high level of detail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n