Year 3 Week 48

May 13 to 19, 2007

Keremeos, B.C.

Year 3 week 48

 

Sunday ; Today was sunny and warm.

Today I worked on finishing the levelling and compacting of Lot 89, using Ben's walk behind compactor. We walked around and visited with neighbours ; Dorothy, Stu, Gil & Maria. We both did work on the computer ; updating my blog, e-mail, and magazine subscription changes of address. I worked on my income tax. We watched a couple of episodes of Fawlty Towers. HA HA HA HA HA !

 

Monday ; Today was sunny and warm.

It's been years since I've been as angry as I was today, at the half wit Quebecois electrician. I'm retired ... I don't need this aggravation !

This morning Ben brought a load of sand for me, to finish up around our tree, in preparation for me installing a concrete pave stone ring around the tree. His assistant did some "touch up" with the huge vibrating compactor roller machine, and I did some "touch up" with the little walk behind compactor. Joanne and I prepared to go Penticton, to obtain B.C. driver's licenses, and do some shopping for planters and plants.

Half wit showed up just as we were about to leave. I waited while he and Stu, our new next door neighbour in the park model argued about the installation of Stu's hydro meter, and the necessary permits. Finally, when they were finished that argument, Half wit and I began to discuss the completion of my hydro installation, phone line installation, permits, and hydro meter installation. To make a very long story short ( it's after 11:00 P.M. and I'm tired ) Half wit and I got into a very heated discussion which devolved into a screaming match that lasted far too long until it was resolved. Resolution was easy ! Do it my way, or you're fired, and you won't be paid ! ! ! What a ******* half wit ! ! !

We went to Penticton and got our driver's licenses. WAAAAAHHHHH ! ! ! My driver's license says my hair colour is grey ! WAAAAAHHHHH ! ! ! We spent the afternoon shopping for planters and plants. And I bought concrete pave stones to make a ring around our tree.

When we returned to Riverside we discovered that Fortis had installed our hydro meter. Our lot has electricity. WOO-HOO ! Basic development of our lot is completed. We'll probably move onto it tomorrow.

While Joanne prepared supper, I installed the concrete pave stone ring around the tree. Very civilized looking ! After supper while I worked on the computer, Joanne worked on setting up our new Vonage VoIP phone which we received today.

 

Tuesday ; Today was sunny and very warm. It was a good news / bad news kind of day.

Good news ; we moved onto Lot 89 this morning.

Bad news ; the ****wits at Vonage assigned us a phone number that already belongs to somebody else.

This morning we wanted to phone our sisters to try out our new VoIP phone. I phoned my sister's and spoke to my niece. I phoned Joanne's sister and left a message. We prepared for departure, and moved from Lot 71, the lot we "borrowed" for the last 2 weeks, to Lot 89.

AHHHH ... now we truly are "home" ! Welcome !

I helped my neighbour, Stu unload his moving truck late this afternoon. He left here at 4:00 A.M., drove to Chilliwack, rented a truck, loaded it, and drove back here by late afternoon. He's leaving here at 4:00 A.M. tomorrow morning to get the truck back to Chilliwack by 8:00 A.M..

I worked on assembling our new yard swing. It was going along fairly well, then I hit a snag. A bolt broke as I was screwing it into a badly threaded insert < sigh >. I wrestled the broken bolt out, and will have to buy some problem solving hardware tomorrow to be able to continue.

Joanne phoned her sister and chatted. I phoned my sister and discovered that the phone number assigned to us by Vonage belongs to somebody else. When my sister tried to phone us earlier in the day, she kept getting "Angela". I spent the evening on the computer and the phone with Vonage trying to get that problem rectified !

I'll say it again ! You know, I'm retired ! I don't need this aggravation ! Oh, well ... we live in a beautiful place, and the weather is great.

Congratulations to Joanne's sister and brother-in-law on their purchase of a new SUV.

 

Wednesday ; Today was sunny and very warm again. Nice weather we've been having.

This morning we resumed assembling our yard swing. When we were finished, we sat in it and appreciated the view of the river and the mountain, and the nice weather, until it was time for lunch.

I tried to use our new Wi-Fi phone but was unable to access our neighbour's Wi-Fi signal. I tried Wi-Fi on the computer, and was equally unsuccessful.

We went to Keremeos. Joanne went grocery shopping while I made phone calls and bought some hardware. On our way out of town we bought half a yard of Penticton compost soil and a large bag of top soil at the local garden centre. YIKES ... turned out to be way too much ! We filled the ring around the tree, and the 4 cedar planters we bought the other day. The truck is still half full of Penticton compost soil. Joanne planted flowers around the tree, and some herbs and vegetables in the cedar planters. As we were working in the yard, a Bald Eagle swooped down low and "eyeballed" Bo. WHOA ! ! ! There's plenty of marmots around here to keep you fed, Mr. Eagle. Leave my little Bo dog alone !

I spent the evening updating and analyzing my investment files.

 

Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm.

This morning I went off in search of any neighbours who might want the half load of soil we had left over in the back of the truck. I found a neighbour with 2 wine half barrel planters that weren't filled yet. The half load in the truck was exactly the right amount to fill their 2 half barrels. While I was chatting with them, the Star Choice installation technician showed up. He installed the satellite dish on our Douglas Fir tree temporarily. It was the sloppiest installation job I've ever seen. Good thing I'll be moving it over to a post that I'll install in a week or so. I didn't like the installation technician, and particularly didn't like his $22.60 "fuel surcharge" for coming out here. I sent an e-mail to Star Choice complaining, but their response was that the installation technicians are independent contractors, and charge extra for a variety of things, including distance travelled.

While the Star Choice installation technician was still here, the China Creek Internet Service installation technician showed up. He also mounted his equipment temporarily on our Douglas Fir. And there's a huge Douglas Fir across the road from us that is directly in line with their transmitter tower across the river. It partially blocks the signal, giving me poor and slow Internet reception. I'll have to install a post near the rear of our trailer for both the satellite dish, and the Internet "radio" transceiver.

AND ... I misunderstood China Creek's equipment configuration. I thought they were providing a connection inside the trailer to a wireless router. NOOOOO ... they only install their transceiver cable to awireless router if the customer already has a wireless router. Otherwise it connects directly to the customer's computer with an Ethernet cable. Rendering our Vonage VoIP Wi-Fi phone a boat anchor ! A very small boat anchor.

While I worked "at home" Joanne drove to Penticton to do some shopping. I spent a frustrating afternoon and evening trying to decipher and comprehend electronics.

 

Friday ; Today was sunny and very warm again. We've been having great weather.

This morning I drove Joanne to the laundromat in Keremeos, dropped her off, then continued east on Hwy. 3 for a few more miles to the next village of Cawston where I had an appointment at 10:30 A.M. at Car Doctor for a B.C. safety inspection on the truck. The truck passed the safety inspection, but I had to listen to about an hour of lecturing about "need new brakes soon". Right ... give me the safety inspection sticker, and I'll get those brakes done pronto ! Yessirree ... Car Doctor could smell a thousand dollar brake job coming his way. I don't think so, Doc !

I drove back to Keremeos and met Joanne. We walked to the Source By Circuit City and bought a wireless router. Keremeos is remarkably self-sufficient, from a shopping point of view, for such a little village. I went to Keremeos Hardware and bought some hardware I needed, then went to Keremeos Building Supplies and picked up the cedar picnic table kit I had ordered a week ago. I also bought a post and some hardware, for mounting the Internet transceiver and satellite dish. I'm getting a poor Internet signal because of where the Internet transceiver is mounted on our Douglas Fir. On the way back to Riverside we stopped at one of Keremeos's many roadside produce stands and bought some vegetables.

Back at Riverside I reinstalled the dually valve extenders and wheel liners that had to be removed to do the safety inspection. Car Doctor was a real banjo playing, backyard mechanic kind of place, and I didn't want them to do it. I tried for a very long, frustrating time, to install the wireless router, but was unsuccessful. First of all, the Internet signal I'm receiving is poor. Secondly, I believe that China Creek does some kind of programming that prevents installation of wireless routers, creating a Wi-Fi hot spot all around our trailer, unless if their technician comes in and does something to allow it. Cost is $35, thank you. I need to relocate the Internet transceiver and get a better signal before I call the China Creek technician to come down and take my money.

I'm finding the effort I'm expending to get up and running with wireless Internet first, then VoIP phone second, to be very, very frustrating ! ! ! And increasingly expensive !

 

Saturday ; Another very nice day !

This morning I temporarily installed an 8 foot pressure treated 4 x 4 post, using a precast concrete "deck block" mounting base. When I have more time, I'll install it in a more permanent fashion, into the ground. I removed the Internet transceiver from the Douglas Fir, and mounted it on the post, in a direct line with China Creek's tower across the river. Ah, yes, an excellent Internet connection now ! I found a small piece of discarded fiberglass insulation near the pool complex that's under construction while I was walking Bo. It was just the right amount for me to use to finish insulating around our water stand pipe installation.

This afternoon while Joanne washed the trailer, with intermittent assistance by me, I assembled a park bench Joanne bought in Penticton on Thursday. I placed it at the corner of our property, at the edge of the road, to encourage neighbours to sit and visit as they walk by. Our neighbours Gil and Maria walked by with their little dog Buppy, and asked if they could leave him with us for a few hours while they went into Keremeos with their visitors from England. We will be dog sitting Buppy in about a week, for about a week. Maria wanted to give Buppy a short introduction to the idea of staying with us. Buppy and Bo have become friends over the last couple of weeks. Nevertheless, Buppy was not very happy about being left with us. He was panic stricken for the first ten minutes or so, then very worried and morose until Maria picked him up a few hours later. During his panic phase, I got bit ! HMPH ... little hairy mop ! I've been bitten by better dogs than you, Buppy ! And lived to tell about it !

< sigh > I spent another frustrating evening trying to install the wireless router. I finally gave up ... again. I'm going to have to call the China Creek technician to come and do it for me. Either that, or return the wireless router for a refund, return the Vonage equipment for a refund, and settle for an old fashioned land line phone.

 

DSK