Sunday, August 5, 2012

July 29 to August 4, 2012

Sunday ; Another sunny, hot day, just the way I like it !

Our move from the fifth wheel trailer into the park model manufactured home continues. We're both amazed at how much non-perishable food stuff was in the trailer ! I do not want to be moving into and out of the trailer every six months. I want to leave almost everything in the park model when we depart for the south in the fall. We can replenish / replace whatever we need as we travel. Lord knows we stop at Wal-Marts often enough !

This morning we loaded into the truck the pile of junk we hauled out from underneath the steps landing and deck. And then we loaded up a neighbour's construction debris ( we owe him some favours ) and headed for the Keremeos dump. It's only open on Sundays, and only for half a day. WOW ... busy place ! We ran some errands in town. WOW ... busy place ! Sunday afternoon on a peak summer weekend, lots of tourist traffic passing through town and shopping at the local produce stands. Peaches are in ! Potatoes are in ... and cheap ! Green beans are in ... and an excellent crop this year ! Blueberries from the Lower Mainland are in. Another excellent crop this year ! WOO-HOO ... patty pan squash are in. MMMMM ... love 'em barbecued. Bought half a dozen. Short season for patty pan squash, might not be any more next time we're in town.

It's also fresh salmon season. I bought a whole salmon today at the grocery store. While I filleted it at home this afternoon ... < whispering > ... Bo and Sully both got a bit of "salmon sushi". HA HA HA ! They both loved it !

This afternoon while Joanne moved stuff from the trailer into the park model I began to work on maintenance on the park model. The manufactured home is six years old and has never been occupied in all that time. There's a bit of "neglect" maintenance required. Plus ... you know ... I'm a bit fussy / OCD. This afternoon I worked on four access hatches ( one under the front of the home, one under the rear of the home, one under the deck, and one under the steps landing ), doing a bit of refurbishment on them, and attaching handles and barrel bolts.

Spent some time cooling off in the pool before barbecuing supper. After supper went bicycling around the park for awhile then over to lot 89 to water gardens and planters and bushes and trees.

Monday ; WHEW ... hot, long, hard day of running errands and shopping in Penticton. We bought a lot of home furnishings and accessories. Almost of all it bought at two thrift stores.

Tuesday ; Happy 51st Birthday to my brother, Russell

By coincidence more than design, for supper tonight we had a recipe given to us by my brother many years ago. Salmon covered with dry mustard and brown sugar, wrapped in foil, and barbecued. Very good !

Today was sunny and hot again. For the second day in a row, I used the Sun Oven to make banana chips. Today's batch was slightly better than yesterday's.

The move from lot 89 to lot 4, and from the trailer into the park model continues. Today I created a parking spot defined by "Yuma fencing", concrete blocks with landscaping ties as rails.

For the second day in a row a neighbour dropped by with a "welcome to the neighbourhood" gift. In both cases the gifts were "home made". How nice. Thank you, Betty and Darlene.

We spent some time late this afternoon chatting with a couple from Alberta who were "shopping" in our park and were interested in lot 89. They are currently vacationing in Penticton. She wants our lot, he doesn't seem ready. He's a year and a half away from retirement. We'll see how it goes, but I'm certainly not holding my breath.

Wednesday ; Another sunny, hot day. Joanne cooked a superb chicken and rice dinner in the Sun Oven. A new recipe, and definitely a "keeper".

Today we moved some of our larger items from lot 89 to lot 4. The swing, the picnic table with its market umbrella and umbrella base, most of the wood planters. Everything is coming together very nicely on lot 4. Two of the wood planters will have to remain on lot 89 until it's sold, or until the fall. One of them needs to be emptied and rebuilt / reinforced before moving. The other needs to be emptied before moving because it's just too heavy to lift while it's full of soil.

We picked a pail full of Transparent Apples today from the tree in our park's orchard. Transparent Apples are ripe long before most of the other apple types. They're sour tasting, but Joanne likes to make apple sauce with them.

Thursday ; Another sunny, hot day.

My main accomplishment today was relocating our satellite dish from lot 89 to lot 4.
I removed the satellite dish from the side of the gazebo and all the cabling that I had run along the base of the gazebo. I remounted the satellite dish on the eave at the edge of the roof of the park model. Tomorrow I will tackle the job of getting the cabling from the dish on the edge of the roof to the TV in the living room.

Friday ; Still sunny and hot.

My work plans for today were somewhat derailed by drop in visitors and an invitation to a late afternoon "Happy Hour".

I did manage to get some minor "home improvement" projects accomplished, but my main objective for today ... install the satellite dish cabling ... did not get done. We visited with some neighbours on our deck and late in the afternoon went to Happy Hour at another neighbour's.

We spent the evening at the Hedley Summer Street Party. Hedley is such an interesting and eclectic little town ! Tonight the main street was blocked off. Banquet tables and chairs were set up. Huge quantities of chicken were barbecued. There were lots of really good, home made side dishes and salads served. After the great barbecued chicken dinner, a blues band set up on the flat bed trailer serving as a stage. Lazy Mike and The Rockin' Recliners from Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Very good blues band on their way east to the Rock Creek Blues Festival which starts tomorrow. It was a lovely, very warm evening. We sat in our folding chairs, listening to the blues band, watching the sun set on Stemwinder Mountain. < contented sigh > I like living here !

Saturday ; Still sunny and hot !

Today marks three years since Teddy's death.

We had more neighbours come by for a visit and "tour" of our new home today. Joanne and I both worked on patching, sanding, and staining the spots on lot 89's gazebo where the satellite dish was mounted and where the cabling was routed and clipped. And this afternoon, after much procrastination and dread, I installed the satellite dish cable in our new home. Getting the cable from the satellite dish to the TV is easy for an installation technician. They just drill a half inch hole through the wall wherever it's convenient for them to do so. I ran the cable from the satellite dish down the exterior wall behind a corner moulding, then drilled carefully through the corner of the skirting to get the cable underneath the home. I crawled through the access hatch and all the way underneath the home to the corner where I had inserted the cable ( good thing I'm not claustrophobic ! ), then routed it underneath to where I wanted it to enter the living room. Then came the tough part ! With considerable difficulty I got a hole drilled from underneath up into the living room against the wall where I wanted the cable to be. Some patching and sealing inside, outside, and underneath, and I was done. WHEW ... tough job ... if one is as fussy / OCD as I am !

After a late supper we went to the pool to cool off at the same time as doing laundry.
I didn't stay long. I'm too old and cranky to want to share the pool with the many long weekend guests and their many small children. I wonder how much larger we can possibly print on the pool doors "PLEASE SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING POOL" before these weekend guests of residents start to pay attention to our rules ... and comply with them. Oh, wait ... I forgot ... rules are for someone else ! ! !

DSK

No comments:

Post a Comment