October 2021 Newsletter Edition
Overall I am happy with how October has gone. Although I haven't found this month to be the easiest.
My pet hamster, Mike, died on October 7th. I miss him. One of my neighbours helped me bury Mike. He made a small eulogy. I would like to get another hamster. I am not ready yet. It was very special holding Mike as he slept in my hand. I am hoping I will be able to bond with another one. I had such a wonderful time sharing Mike that I also want to think about a dedicated CCTV camera for filming a new hamster and if a different hamster cage would be better suited. Mike lived in a large fish tank. I am going to want to setup this fish tank in the shed once it is insulated for year round use. I am going to need something different for a hamster to live in.
Since 2018 I've relied on a robot vacuum for sweeping the floor almost every day. It now appears a power surge damaged the electronics of Leroy and has reached the end of it's service life. Thankfully Best Buy Canada has a sale on right now. I am able to buy the next model up from Leroy to replace it. I'm now using a Neato Botvac D6 Connected to vacuum / sweep my floors. It is a strategy that works really well for me. This truly helps compensate for my physical disability and improves my independence and quality of life.
I've had more help from friends this month with tree pruning. The reason I'm including this in my monthly newsletter is that I wanted to make a point of telling others making yourself available for two hours can go a long way in helping someone with a physical disability. The catch is that this needs to be done in a way that is accepting, non judgmental and not vindictive. If the person brings up a topic you may not agree with you need to be able to listen while setting aside your own convictions. When you are helping someone with a physical disability you are meeting the person where he or she is at.
I have now prepared my weather station for winter. The maintenance that was necessary was with the air dehydration system. There are two options for dehydrating air. You can remove the moisture (such as what an air conditioner does) or you can put the moisture into something (such as the silica beads that come with new electronics). I am using water absorbing beads for my weather station air dehydration. I wanted to start with a fresh supply for winter so there was room for expansion. The bit of heat the electronics gives off causes condensation. This is the same as a storm that forms when a cold front and warm front meet. It is very rewarding to have this hobby.