Happy New Year

I stayed up last night to see the crystal ball fall in Times Square.  That's a lot later than my usual bedtime.  Not surprisingly, I fell asleep about 11:45 and woke up at 12:20.  Lesson: I should have set the DVR and headed off to bed at the usual time!

A few days ago I noticed a black granular material at the back of my wood stove, on top at the left of the stovepipe and on the floor behind.  Yesterday I took a sample to Weinkauf Plumbing in Alpena (they sell wood stoves, too) and they identified it as burned creosote.  Their service rep says it's coming from a small gap where the black pipe on the ground floor meets the box at the ceiling (where we transition from black pipe to the insulated stainless pipe above).  The black pipe is slightly out of vertical, leaving a gap where it enters the box.  This apparently was an error on the part of the heating guy who installed it — although it was inspected and approved by the mechanical inspector.

Concerned about the risk of fire, I decided not to use the stove for a few days until Weinkauf can come out to clean the pipe and correct the out-of-vertical problem.  However, a couple days ago my boiler started locking out because the unit cannot sense ignition.  Dan, the Weinkauf rep, worked on it yesterday, but it failed again shortly after he left and now will not work at all.  This always happens on a holiday, right?  Dan will talk with Slant-Fin, the manufacturer, tomorrow, and try to get me up and running in a day or two.

As a result, I'm using the wood stove again.  That will at least keep some heat in the house.  Unlike the blackouts of last week, I have electricity for cooking and entertainment.  And I can also enjoy the Christmas tree.

The tree... post-blackout.  Sorry about the
poor focus.  My Canon's autofocus is devilish.

Treetop Star looks as strange as ever!

Joanie's glass ornament is lovely.

This Michigan ornament is my 2012 addition.

A nod to the Old Lighthouse (1840) at Presque Isle Harbor.

This glass ball was a gift from Richard and
Lynne in Grand Haven.

Among my favorite ornaments are my
crocheted stars, most acquired years ago.
They are lovely, and a good craft item.

I also stayed up last night to see what action might be taken on the fiscal cliff.  The Senate didn't vote until after 2:00 a.m. — after we had gone over the cliff — so I missed it.  The House will vote this afternoon.  Maybe.  I suspect that Tea Party Republicans, including Dan Benishek of Michigan's 1st Congressional District, will be unmoved by the dire consequences of addressing this problem.  And that will leave America in a real...

The current state of politics in D.C.

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