We test ran the boiler today. The house was down to 65 F this morning, and it was 40 F outside and there were blustery winds. We managed to survive till now without heat, but we gave it a good morning blast, which actually lasted all day. Later we baked pumpkin pies, and Deb made a large batch of soup, which also helped keep things warm. Tonight it is clear, still windy, and the temp will drop even more than last night. So we will likely reblast the central heat upon awakening yet again. The price of natural gas is such that last winter we paid $91 per month on the budget plan. That pays for our hot water and heat. However, this year the fee has jumped to $137 per month. That's more than a 50% increase in the price of gas. Of course seniors on fixed incomes can easily handle this sort of thing, right?
Yesterday we took an autumnal walk on the local rails to trails path. It was turning cold, and the wind was up. There is still corn in the fields, standing at least 5' high, and the stalks rattle in the wind. The dry spell we have had since mid June continues unabated. Most of our evergreen trees are suffering, and turning brown. There is no measurable rain in our ten day forecast. On it goes.
We have just watched episodes six and seven of Prime's "Rings" series. I thought there were only six episodes, but there are eight. Last episode is released next Friday. Six and Seven go together as a pair, featuring a battle and several great losses. With each episode running close to 70 minutes, and sometimes beyond, there are about ten hours of viewing altogether. Anything to do with the dwarves continues to be the highlight. Galadriel is rather one dimensional for a supposedly wise elf, but the lone elf warrior is a truly great character. The special effects continue to be beyond belief in virtuosity, and with several story lines taking turns, there is never any real boredom. It's hard to fathom that people are saying that this series moves at a "glacial" pace; usually it's moving too fast for comfort. These are people raised on Marvel movies, which all seem to take place in fast, breathless motion. I think Tolkien himself would have been quite impressed with this production. I'm hoping that the estate is impressed enough to hand over the Silmarillion to Amazon someday.
In movie news, there is only one to report, as we have been watching four different TV series,and still mostly are. The King of Chinatown is from 1939, and was my leaving Oct. 31st choice for last week. Starring Ana May Wong and Akim Tamiroff, it is actually quite good, and the plot holds several surprises. Wong plays a highly regarded Chinese/American surgeon who saves the life of a local bad guy, one who sells protection to Chinese merchants. But he is not a stereotype, but rather displays a heart and even a bit of soul. And there are even some Chinese actors playing Chinese! Likely quite a bit ahead of its time, and not lurid at all.
Mapman Mike
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