May 7, 2006

May 7, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

YEAR 2 DAY 324

 

Today was mostly sunny and cool. I spent most of the day feeling ill and weak from the colonoscopy preparation medication, and no food.

This morning I did regular preventive maintenance, then refilled the fresh water holding tank. We checked the Damp Rid hanging containers in the bedroom closet. That turned out to be a larger project. The Damp Rid containers needed to be removed and hung differently. I attached a plastic cake box to the counter to keep the toaster in. I cleaned and soaked the shower head in C-L-R. I read yesterday's newspaper.

Breakfast was a cup of tea. Lunch was a cup of chicken broth. I spent the afternoon reading the newspaper and napping. Joanne went out shopping. I received a phone call from Guide Dogs Of The Desert in Palm Springs, California. I am hoping to obtain a WorkCamper position there next winter. I had a long discussion with Kathie Flamm. We discussed their need for a couple to be their guide dog school's resident dormitory managers, from January to April. Their training courses are 4 weeks long, with a 4 week interval between sessions. For us, that would mean being their resident dormitory managers for their January session and March session. There is no training session during February, so the dormitory managers are free to stay at the dormitory, or go travelling, or a combination of both, which is very appealing to me. They have 6 students per 4 weeks session. For 4 weeks, the dog trainers work with the dogs in preparation for students. Then the trainers work with the dogs and the students together for 4 weeks. Hence the dormitories are occupied by students for 4 weeks, then empty for 4 weeks, and so on. The resident managers live in a suite in the dormitory during the 4 week student session. Then they can live in the dormitory, or in their RV, with RV hook ups on the school's property, during the 4 weeks between sessions. The resident managers prepare 3 meals a day for the 6 students, 6 days a week, for 4 weeks. I am very interested. When Joanne came home, we discussed it, and she is also interested, so I'm going to pursue it. Next step is a phone interview on Tuesday with Kim Laidlaw, who I think is the Executive Director. Then I have some application, reference, and background check forms to fill out.

Palm Springs, California seems like a pretty desirable place to spend the winter. It's within a day's drive of the Escapee park at Yuma, Arizona, the Escapee park at Pahrump, Nevada, the Escapee park at Jojoba Hills, California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree National Park. Lots of places to visit, and things to see and do.

We took Bo for an obedience session. Great work, Bo. I did today's accounting. At 7:00 P.M. I took the second and last dose of the purgative < sigh >. I updated my medications files, entering yesterday's purchases. I compared the costs of my medications here in Canada versus down in Mexico. Some are a bit cheaper here, and some are a bit cheaper there. I spent a lot of the evening in the bathroom < huge sigh >.

DSK