Patty, I've also thought about solar power here. I would buy them outright, not go with one of the companies that wants to average your current payments and keep that going to them - I think they lease the panels to you - they have too much squishy stuff going in the operation, and the point is that you add power back to the grid and save money in the end, not just keep paying someone else. But that comes on my list after getting the foundation work done, and quite possibly replacing the roof before putting up panels. Research needed in the future.

Funeral and visitation announcements are up for my friend's husband and I have offered to stay at the house on Friday during the funeral (to deter a break-in) and a couple of our little university group could join me for lunch. It's a full-on Catholic funeral and I have trouble sitting through religious ceremonies of any kind. Visitation tomorrow is very near me, so plans are forming, a couple of friends could come to my house and I'll us drive over, saving some space in the parking lot. I'd better go clean out the middle seat in the SUV.

The temperature today isn't bad, mid-50s, but the wind is still brisk so it feels colder. I am glad to see the woven shade cloth tarps over the patio cover are still up but I'll probably have to swap out several of the bungee cords that have been in place for a while and wearing thin. Yesterday I surveyed down branches (not many) but see that a tree that was hanging onto my bank by a few roots and leaning into the creek has completely broken off and is probably now washed up against the bridge (creating a dam and can cause flooding if the village doesn't remove it soon. The tree is anonymous so they don't know it was mine, but if need be I'll report a tree against the bridge to the village staff.) All of us who live along the creek pay an extra fee on our water bill every month to cover this kind of work.