Day 35 - Liver Update - Fridge Filter and Apple Pie

The Bicigo Family is very, very happy to announce that the liver is in and performing correctly!

From Bennet's Mommy:
Bennet has his breathing tube out! He is doing really well. Liver looks good so far and his lab work looks like it is improving since after his surgery. All good things so far so we are hoping it stays this way. 🤞🏻🙏🏼
Thank you to everyone praying for Bennet! Our prayers our being answered. ♥️

Truly a miracle! 

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Hanging out with day 35 of our self quarantine. I mostly spent the day inside and did a few little painting projects and touch up projects, especially where we had the roof leak a few weeks ago.  I used some stain-killing paint from Zinsmer and will cover that up with the ceiling paint after it dries.

I touched up woodwork here and there.  Some spots I missed and some that got nicks or smudges around the house. It's nice to have all of the trim the same color, so once I have a wet brush, I can just buzz around and touch things up. 

I don't think the actual quarantine is really hampering us too much with our National Folk Farmhouse projects. Other than the fact that we can't just buzz out and get something that we want for working on supplies without going through extra steps for a curbside pickup.

Steve did order a new brake caliper for the motorhome. When it came in at the local Carquest Auto Parts store, we had given them the credit card over the phone. We were able to back right up to the door with our car, pop open the trunk, and the guy came out and put it right in the trunk for us! Once the weather warms up, we will tackle changing out that caliper. It's one that was hanging up last year a couple times and Steve would like to get it changed so it can function correctly again.

In Wisconsin, the weather has turned crisp and cold, and very blustery. Although it's sunny out, the wind cuts right down to the bone. Tonight the wind chills will be back down in the single digits.

It didn't prevent Mister Zoom Zoom from going out and doing a few tasks. He donned his lumberjack clothes and grabbed his chainsaw. Out he went to our little woods in the back. There was a funny angular tree that he wanted to take down before the brush grew up too much around it. He took care of a couple awkward stumps, and is planning to take care of a big invasive buckthorn tree on the back corner of the property.  It's best to get after the buckthorn before it spreads again with new growth.

We had ordered a new filter for our ice maker and in-the-door water feature on our Frigidaire refrigerator. We used the correct model number when ordering it online. We were happy that it arrived today, but it sure was different than the original filter!!!

(left - old one.  right - new one) 

Not only was it shorter, but there was a small ridge running down the side of the newer filter that prevented it from being inserted into the housing on the refrigerator.

We contacted the company's customer service. It was an automated system because of course there is no physical staff at work anymore. They offered on the automated mode to send us a free shipping label to return it. Then we would have to order all over again to get the correct one. I hesitated to do that because I think they would send us the wrong one again. I double and triple checked and it does show our model number being compatible with this filter.

My Brainy Mr. Steveio decided that instead of returning the filter, he would just cut a little notch in the housing on the fridge and let the new filter with the ridge fit in the correct place.

We always write the date on any filter we change, so we remember when to change it again.  The whole house water filter too, as well as furnace filters, oil filters and tranny filters and air filters on the cars and motorhome.

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We have been doing some card playing each day. Keeping our aging brains active. LOL... Lots of adding and strategy and decision making.  We are enjoying a few rounds of cribbage as we look out the windows of the She Shed to the backyard.

The birds out in the backyard are keeping us entertained.  We fill the feeders almost every day.  We ran low on birdseed, so the local feed store took our order on line and had it waiting on a cart outside of the door for us to pull up and load it in our car.  Nice!   So we have not gotten out of the car for any of the items we have picked up.  We clean each thing thoroughly before it leaves the garage to come into the house.

These huge Canadian Geese are out there right now, and I snapped this pic.  They are messy and sassy and MEAN!  Mr. and Mrs. Mallard who are nesting nearby are chasing them away each day.

So it's a battle for the Pfundtner Ponds in the backyard. 

A pair of pileated woodpeckers are hanging around the suet block, and we hope they are nesting somewhere nearby too.  They are sure big birds, as large a big chicken!

I decided to bake up an apple pie.  Immediately I was sad, because I didn't have any little goomers around begging to "makea da apples go round n round" for me! Or begging to eat the long strings of peelings.  So sad.  That is the worst part of this quarantine, no little grandkids hanging with us.

I love using this apple/peeler/corer tool to make up a bunch of slices very fast. They are all uniform in thickness to bake at the same time... so the pie comes out perfect.

A month or two ago... or maybe longer... I bought two big deep dish pizza pans at Aldi.  Boy oh boy I wish I had bought two more for the motorhome.  Will have to keep an eye out, because Aldi doesn't always have the same items in stock in that special section.  I decided to make the apple pie in that pan, so the filling doesn't bubble over or drip down into the oven.  I was not using the preferable green Granny Smith apples, so I had to use what we had on hand. Because these were juicier, and I had to add cornstarch to take up the excess.

The house smelt soooo good and the pie came out nicely golden. We both enjoyed a piece last night for dessert, then another with coffee this morning for breakfast. Then after lunch we needed a snack.  I think tonight we might need one more?

Time to get this posted and maybe strap on the dogs' harnesses to get them out and about.  Work off that delicious apple pie!

PLEASE

Stay in

Stay Safe

Stay Healthy!