Five things I've learned in the past two days

All moved in ... again.

Back at the East Pole. One day of packing stuff in (two trips) and one day of setting up and now I live here. Despite all the learning moments and all the experience, there are lessons to be  had. Here are five things I learned in the past two days.  

1. You really have to maintain as much speed with your snowmachine as you dare when going up a steep hill that has icy patches on it, particularly when you are towing a heavy sled. Otherwise you get stuck halfway up, have to take the smaller sled you were hauling and lighter part of the load up to a more level spot, sometimes pushing the sled on your hands and knees, then turn the whole outfit around and go back down the hill to where it's level and then try again blasting up that hill at speeds that scare the hell out of you. It was the first time on this trail I thought I should be wearing a helmet.
2. How to make cold water when every bit of water in the house is near boiling and you just poured two cups of it into a pile of Jell-O powder. Otherwise you have to go through your options and then take one cup of that hot water outside and pack it with snow until it's cold and then finish the job.
3. You probably shouldn't freeze Cortisone 10. It comes out all yellow and kind of oily.
4. You shouldn't leave water in a plastic pitcher when there's a possibility it could freeze. Otherwise as the ice melts it will leak through the expansion cracks, run along the counter and soak the bottoms of a box of instant mashed potatoes and a box of Honey Nut Cheerios.
5. This is a good place to watch the entire Ally McBeal series becasue the music is so great and if I had access to iTunes, I would be online constantly buying music. Too bad I am about to start the fifth and last season. And, here's a new contest. I have another series here to watch. Nickel to whomever can guess which one. A hint: It's a little more like Alaska than Ally.
 I'll be here all month, stay tuned.