Polar Bears *Might* Like This Weather!

When I woke up to the above..........This was the first thing I thought about!

I had to literally pry the lid off, as it was rather frozen on! Our hot tub is a very basic model. It is a Nordic Hot Tub. When we were looking in the autumn of 2002, it was a choice of our tub and a Softub. We decided on the Nordic, as it just seemed more durable. After 4 1/2 years of living with it, I would say we made a good decision. I have never had any problem with chemistry until the fill before this one. For some reason, things got a little goofed up, but water is one of those forgiving substances! You just take in a water sample to any pool and spa sales and they can computer diagnose any imbalances and set you on the correct path. Of course, they sometimes will try to sell other things too, but one learns early on to take a tough stance!

One of the things that really sold Mark on this particular tub was that it didn't have the gel gloss finish that other manufacturers use. It is made from recycled plastics and I wasn't sure what to think about it! However, when tons of ice and snow avalanched down our 12 pitch roof onto the lid of this tub, it left a few scratches in the surface. It we had the high gloss tub, it would have needed to be repaired. Our Nordic tub looks just fine.

Yesterday, the weather was terrible here, with periods of snow falling quite heavily, and the wind blowing wildly. The snowplow would go up the hill, and within an hour, there was no way one could tell they had ever been by. Our road is very steep and can be treacherous if one doesn't know the road well. (there are deep gutters along the road that could "eat" a car!) I had packed two orders to go out for my business, and as the time came for Bob, our UPS man to come, it was looking rather bleak. I carried the telephone upstairs with me as I was sure Bob would call from another business located down the hill....at which point, I would load the boxes into the Explorer and deliver them down there.

Shortly before 5, I heard a knock at the door, and was shocked to see Bob standing there with a big box in hand! I told Bob to come on inside...I think he was happy to get warmed up by the Jotul! Bob had to hike up our driveway as the truck was at the bottom. Our driveway is about 125' long, and although it doesn't appear steep, it is definitely an incline. Bob was off work most of February, as he had an emergency appendectomy. One of our boxes was 51 pounds, so I told Ben to grab his sled! Bob and I followed as Ben went down the driveway, box in front of him!

Now, about that box that Bob delivered.....can you guess what was in it?

Before you jump to the conclusion that I am a spoiled rotten person, let me tell you that photography has been a passion of mine for many years. I especially love the "freedom" to play with the manual settings on an SLR camera.

Am I a little excited? You BETCHA!