The weatherization went very well today. It was hectic with so many people dashing around in our house. The doors were almost constantly opening and closing and sometimes wide open; in the basement, one window was open to allow the hoses for the insulation through. I made a big pot of coffee and put out some bagels and let the men help themselves, and then Woody and I retreated to my office. Fred was in and out, assisting where he could. They had to wade in the snow to get to the back door and must have been really cold. The wind was relentless and it snowed all day. By about 2:30 one of the three trucks and its crew had left and the other two crews were cleaning up scattered insulation and packing up their tools, equipment and the long sheets of brown paper they'd rolled out to protect the floor as they went back and forth from outside. They gave us a run-through about what they'd done and the results of the final wind test, and by three o'clock they were out of the house, as quickly as they had descended upon us in the morning.

Their departure was anything but organized and swift, however. Snow had made our driveway slick and the two big trucks were parked with no wiggle room in the turnaround of our driveway. The first one made it out without incident, but the second one slipped and slid while the guys shoveled away snow and Fred spread ashes under the tires. Three or four of the men tried clinging to the back of the truck to add weight for more traction, and finally after lots of tries, the back end was pointed down the driveway. When the driver put on the brakes to keep from rolling out of control, the front wheels locked and the front end of the truck slid sideways towards the snow bank. As I watched from the kitchen window, it crossed my mind that if that big truck went back-end-to into the snowbank they might never get it out. I wondered if even John Randall could do it with his tractor. It would be a hard pull.

After numerous tries, pulling ahead a little and inching back, they got the truck far enough down the driveway so the driver could just let it back without using the brakes and it rolled safely out onto the road, the men scurried to climb into the cab and they were gone. Fred and I commented on what a nice bunch of men they were. They all knew their jobs and we didn't hear any grumbling, in spite of the bitter cold and miserable conditions wallowing in deep snow and the slippery roads. They were all polite and respectful and we appreciated that they took time to explain what they were doing and to answer our questions throughout the day. Now we're anxious to see how much difference it makes in the amount of fuel we use to keep warm, and tonight is a good night to test it. The thermometer will be well below zero before morning, if predictions are correct. It's 2 below now, but there's still a wind which knocks it down into the minus 30 degree range. We've got the fire going and we're snug as can be.

Tomorrow we'll begin putting furniture back in place in the basement and things will get back to normal around here. We're supposed to see some sunshine tomorrow, too, and that will be welcome. Then there's Wednesday to look forward to with more snow (or rain) showers. Same old, same old.